reliquorum malis moribus great vices my tender age was in diffentirem, nihilo minus honoris cupido, eadem, quæ ceteros, fama atque invidia vexabat. IV. Igitur ubi animus ex multis miferiis atque periculis requievit, et mihi reliquam ætatem à republica procul habendam decrevi; non fuit confilium fecordiâ atque defidiâ bonum otium conterere: neque verò agrum colendo, aut venando, fervilibus officijs intentum, ætatem agere: fed à quo incepto ftudio me ambitio mala detinuerat, eòdem regreffus, ftatui res geftas populi Romani carptim, ut quæque memoriâ digna videbantur, perfcribere; eò magis, quòd mihi à fpe, metu, partibus reipublicæ fnared and caught by the baits of ambition: and though I was difengaged from the vitious cuftoms of others, yet the fame itch for preferment, the obloquy too and odium that difquieted the reft, made me uneasy. IV. Therefore when, after many perplexities and dangers, my mind got reft, and I refolved the rest of my time should be Spent at a distance from public business; it was not my intention to waste a valuable retirement in floth and idleness; nor yet, employed in fervile offices, to fpend my life in tilling the ground or hunting: but returning to the fame ftudy, from which, after it was begun, pernicious ambition had diverted me, I refolved to write a history of the Roman people picking and culling, as any thing appeared worthy of record; and the rather, because my mind was free from hope, fear, and the factions of the animus 4. Honoris cupido, &c.] Et quamvis fupra dictis malis moribus minus infectus effem, tamen honores affectabam in republica, et quia affectabam, malignâ famâ iftis hominibus adnumerabar, inque eamdem inyidiam incidebam. Me vexabat honoris cupido, et vexabat proptereaetiam eadem, quæ ceteros, fama atque invidia. IV. 1. Servilibus officiis] Our author does not mean, by this expreffion, that agriculture and hunting are bufinefs proper only for flaves, fince princes, and great men in all ages, have been thus employ. ed; but that they are exercises in a great measure corporeal, and con fequently mean or low, when compared to the more noble exercises of the mind and therefore, we are to take fervilia oficia here, in op pofition purely to artes animi; as in cap. i. Imperio animi, corporis fervitio megis utimur. 2. A ipe, metu, partibus] Another author would perhaps have said, à jpe, metu, et partibus; but Longinus de fublimi observes, that the animus liber erat. Igitur ftate. Accordingly, I fhall dif de Catilinæ conjurations, cufs briefly the story of Catiquàm veriffume potero, line's confpiracy, with as great paucis abfolvam. nam id a regard to truth as I can. for facinus in primis ego me. Ireckon that enterprije eminentmorabile exiftumo, fceleris ly remarkable for the jirangeness atque periculi novitate. of the wickedness and aanger De cujus hominis moribus that attended it. Concerning pauca priùs explananda the character of which man, a funt, quàm initium nar- few things are to be premijed, randi faciam. before I enter upon the narration. V. LUCIUS CATILINE, defcended of a noble family, was a man of great vigour, both of mind and body, but of a wicked and perverfe difpofition. Inteftine wars, bloodjhed, robberies, civil broils were agreeable to him from his tender years: and in thefe he employed his youth. His body was able to endure hunger, want of fleep, and cold, above what is credible to any one. His mind daring, crafty, could affume any shape, forge any falfhood, and diffemble any truth, was covetous of what belonged to others, lavish of his own, eager in his defires: had abundance of talk, but little judgment. His infatiable foul was ever purfuing extravagant, V. LUCIUS CATILINA nobili genere natus, ma,, gnâ vi et animi et corporis, fed ingenio malo pravoque. Huic ab adolefcentia bella inteftina, cædes, rapina, difcordia civilis grata fuere: ibique juventutem fuam exercuit. Corpus patiens inediæ, vigilia algoris, fupra quàm cuique credibile eft. Ani mus audax,, fubdolus, varius, cujus rei libet fimulator ac diffimulator, alieni appetens, fui profulus, ardens in cupiditatibus: fatis loquentiæ, fapientiæ parum. Valtus animus immoderata, incredibilia, nimis alta femper cupiebat. the frequent ufe of copulatives renders the ftyle flat and languid. Sallust, fenfible of this, ufes them very fparingly. Cap. xi. Gloriam, honorem, imperium bonus, ignavus aque fibi exoptant. Cap. xiv. Omnes, quos fagitium, egeftas, confcius animus exagitabant. Jug. cap. li. Arma, tela, equi, viri, hoftes, cives permixti. Cap. Ix. Glamor permixtus bortatione, letitia, gemitu. And fo in a hundred other places. 3. Paucis abfolvam] To make the fentence full and grammatical, we may understand narrationem, historiam, or some fuch word, as in the translation. V. 1. Varius] Hic verfipellem quem dicunt, denotat, et cui ingenium versatile ad omnia fuerit, Hunc Hunc poft dominationem Lucii Sulle lubido maxumainvaferat reipublicæ capiundæ neque id quibus modis adfequeretur, dum fibi regnum pararet, quidquam penfi habebat. Agitabatur magis magifque in dies animus ferox inopiâ rei familiaris, et confcientiâ fcelerum: quæ utraque his artibus auxerat, quas fuprà memoravi. Incitabant præterea corrupti civitatis mores, quos peffuma ac diverfa inter fe mala, luxuria atque avaritia vexabant. Res ipfa hortari videtur, quoniam de moribus civitatis tempus admonuit, fuprà repetere, ac paucis inftituta majorum domi militiæque, quomodo rempublicam habuerint, quantamque reliquerint: ut paullatim immutata, ex pulcherruma peffuma ac flagitiofiffuma facta fit, differere. 1 VI. Urbem Romam, ficuti ego accepi, condidere atque habuere initio Trojani, qui, Encâ duce, pro incredible, and too lofty projects. After the tyrannical ufurpation of Lucius Sulla, a very great de. fire of feizing the government had poffeffed him: nor had he any regard by what means he might compass that, so be he could procure the fovereign power to himself. His haughty Spirit was difquieted more and more every day, by the narrowness of his fort tune, and a fenfe of guilt: both which he had increafed by those practices which I mentioned above. Moreover, the debauched manners of the state spurred him on, which luxury and avarice, vices of the worst kind, and oppoTM fite to one another, had corrupted. Since this occafion has put us in mind of the manners of the state, the fubject itself seems to advise us to run back, and in a few word's recount the ufages of our ancestors at home and in war, how they managed the commonwealth, and how great they left it: how by degrees it has been changed, and of the most glorious is become vel ry bad, and fcandalously vitious: VI. The Trojans, as I have heard, first built and inhabited the city Rome, who flying their country,under the conduct of E E 2. Civitatis mores, quos] The pronoun quos refers not to mores, but to civitatis, and is, by virtue of the fenfe, put mafculine and plura', asif the antecedent had been civium. Other inftances of the like nature occur in alluf, cap. xvii. Simul confifum, fi corjuratio valuiffet, f cile apud illos le principem fore. Where illos refers to conjuratio, and apud illos fignifies the fame as apud conjuratos. Cap xxxix. Plebis anin os corum arrexit. Jug. cap. xiv. Familia nofira cum populo Ro mano an icitian inftituit, quorum progeniem uclite pati fiufira à volis auxilium petere. fugi fedibus incertis vaga bantur cumque his Aborigines, genus hominum agrefte, fine legibus, fine imperio, liberum atque folutum. Ai poftquam in una mania convenere, difpari genere, diffimili linguâ, alius aliq more viventes: incredibile memoratu eft, quam facilè coaluerint. Sed poftquam res eorum civibus, moribus, agris au&ta, fatis profpera fatifque pollens videbatur; ficuti pleraque mortalium habentur,invidia exopulentia orta eft. Igitur reges populique finitumi bello tentare: pauci ex amicis auxilio effe. nam ceteri metu percuffi à periculis aberant. At Romani domi militiæque intenti festinare, neas ftrolled about, without any fettled habitation: and with them the Aborigines, a wild fort of people, without laws, without government, free from the curb of authority, and under no reftraint from penal fanctions. After thefe came into one city, though of a different defcent, of a different language, each living after a differe manner; it is incredible to relate how easily they incorporated. But when their state, enriched with citizens, inftitutions, and territories, feemed abundantly profperous, and fufficiently powerful; as is the fate of almoft all human enjoyments,envy/prung out of affluence. Accordingly the neighbouring princes and states attacked them by war: a few only of their friends were assifting. for the rest, ftruck with VI. 1. Aborigines] Commentators are divided about this word. Some few think it may be taken appellatively, and fignify the old natives, or firft inhabitants of Italy: but mott are of opinion, that it is a proper name of fome people, who came into Italy in the early ages of the world, but from what country is uncertain. 2. Alius alio more viventes] That is, alius vivens hoc more, alius vivens alio more. And hence alius in fuch concife expreffions, becaufe of its partitive, and confequently plural fignification, is frequently joined with nouns and verbs plural. Cap. xxii. Alius alii tanti facinoris confcii. Cap. lii, Alius alium expectantes. Liv. II. cap. x. Dum alius alium circun spectant. Alter admits of the fame confiruction, Senec. epift. cxiv. Hac vitia ceteri imitantur, et alter alteri tradunt. And fo of feveral other partitives. 3. Bella tentare] Tentare is here put for tentabant ; a mode of expreffion familiar not only to Salluft, but ufual in moft hiftorians; who, to render their periods fmooth and glib, and make their language keep pace, in fome fort, with the quickness of the actions they would exprefs, and with the fire of their own imagination, generally affect the ufe of infinitives, and neglect the indicatives as more clogged and heavy. It is needlefs to adduce inftances; the next fentence is one, presently after you have five, and almost every chapter will afford more. parare parare, alius alium hortari, fear,kept at a difiance from dan hoftibus obviam ire, liber- gers. But the Romans, watchful tatem, patriam, parentef at home and in war, were acque armis tegere. poft, ubi tive, made preparations, anipericula virtuti propule- mated one another, marched out rant, fociis atque amicis against their enemies, and with auxilia portabant: magif- their arms protected their li que dandis, quam acci- berty, country, and parents. afpiundis beneficiis amici- terwards, when they had repeltias parabant. Imperium led the dangers by their bravelegitimum, nomen impe- ry, they carried affiftance to. rii regium habebant: de- their neighbours and friends: lecti, quibus corpus annis and procured alliances more by infirmum, ingenium fapi- conferring than receiving fas entiâ validum, reipublicæ vours. They had a government confultabant. hi vel æta- bounded by laws, and the form te, vel curæ fimilitudine, of that government monarchie. PATRES appellabantur. Select perfons, whose bodies. Poft,ubiregium imperium, were in decay by years, buttheir quod initio confervande minds in their prime for wisdom, libertatis, atque augendæ acted as council of ftate for the reipublicæ fuerat, in fu- public interest.. thefe, either perbiam dominationem- from their age, or in allufion ta que convertit; immutato, their charge, were called FA more, annua imperia, bi- THERS. Afterwards, when nofque imperatores fibi fe- the kingly government, which cere. eo modo minume had been erected at first for the poffe putabant per licen- prefervation of liberty, and adtiam infolefcere animum vancing the republic, turned inhumanum. to haughtiness and tyranny; changing that model,they made for themselves two magiftrates with annual authority. by that means, they thought the minds of men could leaft of all turn infolent thro' excess of power. 4 Parentefque] By parentes is chiefly meant, in this place, the people that were fuperannuate, and thereby rendered unfit for the fervice. 5. Confervande libertatis] Some of the commentators understand here gratia or caufa; but Cortius is pofitive that there is no occafion for this, and maintains that it is the fame kind of construction, as vir multe lectionis, puer proba indolis, and the like: and may be refolved thus, ubi regium imperium, quod initio fuerat imperium confervands libertatis. i. c. ad confervandam libertatem comparatum. An expreffion of the fame kind we meet with, Jug. cap. lxxxviii. Qua poftquam glosiofa modò, neque belli patrandi cognouit. VII. Sed |