Commence

'carptim, ut quaeque memoria digna videbantur, perscribere eo magis, quod mihi a spe, metu, "par tibus reipublicae animus liber erat. Igitur de Catilinae conjuratione, quam verissume potero, "paucis absolvam: nam id facinus in primis ego memorabile existumo, sceleris atque periculi novitate. Decujus hominis moribus pauca prius explananda sunt, quam initium narrandi faciam.

V. LUCIUS CATILINA, nobili genere natus, magna vi et animi et corporis, sed ingenio malo pravoque. Huic ab adolescentia bella intestina, caedes, rapinae, discordia civilis, grata fuere ; Pibique juventutem suam exercuit. Corpus patiens inediae, vigiliae, algoris, supra-quam cuique credibile est animus audax, subdolus, varius, cujus rei libet simulator ac dissimulator: alieni appetens, sui profusus, ardens in cupiditatibus: satis loquentiae, sapientiae parum. Vastus animus immoderata, incredibilia, nimis alta semper cupiebat. Hunc, post dominationem "Lucii Sullae, lubido maxuma invaserat reipublicae capiundae; neque, id quibus modis adsequeretur, dum sibi regnum pararet, 'quidquam pensi habebat. Agitabatur magis magisque in

1 Carptim. By pieces or parcels, piecemeal. Others read strictim, briefly.

m Partibus reipublice. Political factions or parties. The copulative, to avoid flatness, is frequently omitted by our author. n Paucis absolvam. Narrationem or historiam understood. o Nobili. Catiline was a patrician of an ancient family. p Ibi. Taken for in eis, or in illis rebus.

q Patiens. An adjective noun, able to endure; patiens, a participle, suffering.

r Varius. Capable of assuming any shape or character.

s Simulator, &c. Simulare, to pretend to be what one is not; dissimulare, to dissemble.

t Loquentia. A better reading than eloquentia, found in some editions.

u Lucii Sullæ. Lucius Sulla usurped and enjoyed the perpetual dictatorship.

v Quidquam pensi, &c. Nor did he regard.

dies animus ferox, inopia rei familiaris, et conscientia scelerum; quae utraque his artibus auxerat, quas supra memoravi. Incitabant praeterea corupti civitatis mores, quos pessuma ac diversa inter se mala, luxuria atque avaritia, vexabant. Res ipsa hortari videtur, quoniam de moribus civitatis stempus admonuit, supra repetere, ac, paucis, instituta majorum domi militiaeque; quomodo rempublicam habuerint, quantamque reliquerint; ut paullatim immutata, ex pulcherruma, pessuma ac flagitiosissuma facta sit, disserere.

VI. URBEM Romam, sicuti ego accepi, condidere atque habuere initio Trojani, qui, Aenea duce, profugi, sedibus incertis vagabantur; cumque his Aborigines, genus hominum agreste, sine legibus, sine imperio, liberum atque solutum. Hi postquam in una moenia convenere, dispari genere, dissimili lingua, alii alio more viventes; incredi bile memoratu est quam facile coaluerint. Sed, postquam res eorum civibus, moribus, agris aucta, satis prospera, satisque pollens videbatur; sicuti pleraque mortalium habentur, invidia ex opulentia orta est. Igitur reges populique finitimi bello eten

The subject itself. y Tempus. The occasion.

z Aborigines. The original inhabitants; some think Aborigines to be the proper name of some people.

a Alii. Other editions have alius. That in the text is the most simple construction; though alius being a partitive, may be connected to a plural noun.

b Res. Here taken for respublica.

c Civibus aucta. In conformity with the idiom of the Latin language, aucta will apply to all these nouns; though each of them in English requires a different participle. Increased in number of citizens, improved in manners, and enlarged in ter ritory.

d Sicuti pleraque, &c. As is the case for the most part among

men.

e Tentare, esse. The infinitive for the perfect indicative; a practice more frequent with Sallust than with any other auther:

tare pauci ex amicis auxilio esse; nam ceteri, metu percussi, a periculis aberant. At Romani, domi militiaeque intenti, festinare, parare, alius alium hortari; hostibus obviam ire; libertatem, patriam, parentesque armis tegere: post, ubi pericula virtute propulerant, sociis atque amicis auxilia portabant; magisque dandis quam accipiundis beneficiis, amicitias parabant. Imperium legitimum, nomen imperii regium habebant: delecti, quibus corpus annis infirmum, ingenium sapientia validum, reipublicae consultabant hi, vel aetate, vel curae similitudine, PATRES appellabantur. Post, ubi regium imperium, quod, initio, conservandae libertatis, atque augendae reipublicae fuerat in superbiam idominationemque convertit; immutato more, annua imperia, binosque imperatores sibi fecere: eo modo minume posse putabant per licentiam insolescere animum humanum.

VII. SED ea tempestate coepere se quisque extollere, magisque ingenium in promptu habere. Nam regibus boni, quam mali, suspectiores sunt, semperque his aliena virtus formidolosa est. Sed civitas, incredibile memoratu est, ladepta libertate, quantum brevi creverit : tanta cupido gloriae incesse

f Percussi. Other editions have perculsi. Either of the words is admissible.

g Festinare, parare. The infinitive again for the perfect indicative. This observation need not be again repeated. h Reipublicæ fuerat. An unusual construction. Causa may be understood; in some editions it is expressed. Fuerat must then be taken for constitutum fuerat. The sentence may be completed otherwise thus: quod initio fuerat conservandæ libertatis,. e. ad conservandam libertatem paratum.

i Dominationem. Tyranny.

k Coepere se quisque extollere. Other editions have magis magisque extollere. Quisque, being a partitive pronoun, admits a plu ral verb.

1 Adepta libertate. Adipiscor, being a common verb, is used in a passive, as well as in an active sense.

rat. Jam primum juventus, "simul laboris ac "belli patiens erat, in castris per usum militiam discebat: magisque in decoris armis et militaribus equis, quam in scortis atque conviviis, lubidinem habe bant. Igitur talibus viris non labos insolitus, non locus ullus asper, aut arduus erat, non armatus hostis formidolosus: virtus omnia domuerat. Sed gloriae maxumum certamen inter ipsos erat: Psese quisque hostem ferire, murum adscendere, conspici dum tale facinus faceret, properabat: eas divitias, eam bonam famam magnamque nobilitatem putabant laudis avidi, pecuniae liberales erant : gloriam ingentem, divitias honestas volebant. Memorare possem, quibus in locis 'maxumas hostium copias populus Romanus parva manu fuderit; quas urbes, natura munitas, pugnando ceperit; ni ea res longius ab incepto traheret.

VIII. SED profecto Fortuna in omni re dominatur ea 'res cunctas, ex lubidine magis quam ex vero, celebrat obscuratque. Atheniensium res gestae, sicuti ego "aestumo, satis amplae magnificae

m Simul, &c. For simul ac, which are the words in some editions, in which laboris ac are omitted.

n Belli. The Roman youth were liable to be called into military service at 17 years of age, and were exempted at 46. Afterwards they continued to serve till they were 50 years of age. o Virtus. Fortitude.

p. Sese. For se. This pronoun is omitted in most editions: sese ferire is a pleonasm, similar to sese præstare.

q Eas divitias putabant. An uncommon mode of expres sion instead of in iis rebus divitias, &c. posita esse putabant; or, eas divitias esse veras divitias, eam famam bonam esse famam, &c.

r Maxumas. An archaism frequent in this authur, for max

imas.

s Ni ea res.

Sallust.

t Res cunctas.

For ni id, a mode of expression frequent in

For cuncta.

u Estumo. An archaism for æstimo. Other editions have existimo.

que fuere ; verum aliquanto minores tamen, quam fama feruntur. Sed, quia provenere ibi 'scriptorum magna ingenia, per terrarum orbem Atheniensium facta pro maxumis celebrantur. Ita eorum qui fecere, virtus tanta habetur, quantum verbis "eam potuere extollere praeclara ingenia. At populo Romano numquam ca copia fuit: quia prudentissimus quisque negotiosus maxume erat; ingenium nemo sine corpore exercebat; roptumus quisque facere, quam dicere; sua ab aliis benefacta laudari, quam ipse aliorum narrare, malebat.

IX. IGITUR domi militiaeque boni mores colebantur; concordia maxuma, minuma avaritia erat; jus bonumque apud cos, non legibus magis quam natura, valebat. Jurgia, discordias, simultates,

cum hostibus exercebant: cives cum civibus de virtute certabant: in suppliciis deorum magnifici, domi parci, in amicis fideles erant. Duabus his artibus, audacia in bello, ubi pax evenerat, aequitate, seque remque publicam curabant. Quarum rerum ego maxuma documenta haec habeo; quod sæpius vindicatum est in eos, qui contra imperium in hostem pugnaverant, quique tardius, revocati, bello excesserant, quam qui signa relinquere, aut,

v Scriptorum. Herodotus, Thucydides, Xenophon, and others. w Eam. Referring to virtutem. In some other editions we find ea, agreeing with ingeniu.

x Ea copia, That advantage.

y Optumus. An archaism for optimus: thus minuma for minima in the next sentence. This use of u for i is common in Sallust, and requires no further notice.

z Bonum. A substantive, goodness or virtue: bona in the plural signifies goods or effects.

a Suppliciis. Sacrifices, worship. Supplicium signifies both punishment and supplication, worship or sacrifice; because the subject of punishment was supposed both to avert the wrath of the gods, by suffering, or bearing the penal y on behalf of the people; and to engage the deities to listen to their prayers, by being offered as a sacrifice for their guilt. The goods of criminals were also made an offering to the offended deity.