NOTES

ON THE

CONSPIRACY OF CATILINE.

The common

1. Omnis. The accusative plural for omnes. grammatical rule is, that nouns whose genitive plural ends in ium, have es, is, or eis in the accusative plural. In the best ages of Latinity, however, the termination in is would seem to have been most commonly employed. In the manuscript from which the Abbè Maio lately printed Cicero's work De Republica, the termination in is, with the exception of six places, uniformly prevails. (vid. Cic. de Rep. p. 623. ed. Moser.) Still, the termination in es was also used by the best writers; and it is even doubtful if all the words which have ium in the genitive plural, had is in the accusative. Clases and Classeis, and Cartacinienses, are all found on the Duilian column. (Zumpt. L. G. p. 30. Kenrick's transl. 2d. ed. Compare Dunbar on the Greek and Latin Languages, p. 89. seqq.)

2. Homines. In strictness, homo denotes "one of the human race," as opposed to a being of another species, to one of a superior, or one of an inferior order. Vir, on the contrary, being employed to denote "a man," not a woman or a boy, and implying those properties or qualities which constitute the man, is used as a term of respect; and hence it often signifies, emphatically, “a hero." Homo being applicable to any of the human species indiscriminately, implies no peculiar merit or excellence in the individual to whom it is applied; and is used indifferently for men of any class or character. It may likewise be remarked that when homa

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1 signifies a "female" it is never joined with a feminine adjective, but put in apposition with a feminine noun. (Crombie's Gymnasium, vol. 1, p. 326, 3d. ed.)

3. Sese student praestare. The insertion of the pronoun is not, as some maintain, a pleonasm, but in reality the fuller form of expression; and sese praestare may be regarded as equivalent to ut ipsi praeslent. Compare Cort. ad loc.

4. Silentio, "in obscurity." Silentium here denotes the s lence which the rest of mankind preserve respecting us when we have done nothing to render our names illustrious. Thus Silius Italicus (3. 145.) Quantum etenim distant a morte

silentia vitae ?" Compare, Tacitus, Agric. c. 3.

5. Prona. "stooping downward to the earth."

-6. sita.

Est understood. The student will observe that in the best editions of Sallust the substantive verb is very frequently omitted.

7. Animi imperio, &c. This passage is commonly, though incorrectly, rendered as follows: "We make more use of the empire of the mind than of the obedience of the body." It should be, "We use more the empire of the mind, the obedience of the body." Sallust wishes to convey the idea, that it is the province of the mind to command, of the body to obey. Compare Seneca (Ep. 114.) "Rex noster est animus." Sallust is supposed to have borrowed the idea in the text from Aristotle, (Polit. 1. 5.) τὸ δὲ ζῶον πρῶτον συνέστηκεν ἐκ ψυχῆς καὶ σώματος· ὧν τὸ μὲν ἄρχον ἐστὶ φύσει, τὸ δὲ ἀρχόμενον.

8. Alterum. Alter means one of two, but alius, when followed by alius, one of many. The plural alteri is used when two bodies or classes of men are opposed to each other. As denoting the other of two, alter was also used for the second: thus, primus, alter, tertius; unus et vicesimus, alter et vicesimus. The propriety of this latter meaning is ably discussed by Crombie, (Gymnasium, vol. 1, p. 201, seqq. 3d ed.)

9. Quo mihi rectius videtur, &c. "Wherefore it appears to me more consistent with reason, to seek for a distinguished name by the resources of intellect rather than of bodily strength."

10. Memoriam nostri "the remembrance of ourselves." Memoriam nostram would mean, "our faculty of memory."

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11. Habetur. The verb here retains all its proper force, and 1 the passage may be rendered, “The endowments of mind form the only illustrious and lasting possession."

12. Sed. This particle is here elegantly used in the sense of continuation, like sì in Greek, and may be rendered “Now." -13. Virtute animi, "energy of mind.”— -14. Res militaris, "the success of a military enterprise."

15. Incipias. The second person is here elegantly employed to impart animation to the style : "before you begin," instead of" before one begins." Equally elegant is the use of the participles consulto and facto in the place of nouns.

As re

gards the idea conveyed in the text, compare Isocrates (ad Demonicum) βουλεύου μὲν βραδέως, ἐπιτέλει δὲ ταχέως τὰ δόξανTa: and also Demosthenes, (IIgociusa Anunyogiká. 1432. 11. ed. Reiske.) δεῖ δε βουλευεσθαι μὲν ἐφ' ἡσυχίας, ποιεῖν δὲ τὰ δόξαντα μετά σπουδῆς.

16. Veget. An archaism for viget. Hence vegetus and the verb vegeto. Cortius and many other editors read eget, but, as Dahl well remarks, indigens eget is a frigid expression. 17. Imperii, "of authority." Compare Cic. de Leg. 3. 2. "Omnes antiquae gentes regibus quondam paruerunt.”-18. Diversi, "differing in their views." Dureau de Lamalle renders it, "suivant différents systèmes ;" and Beauzće, “selon la diversité de leurs goûts."--19. Etiam tum. This is the Bipont reading; Cortius has et jam tum.

20. Agilabatur. Used for agebatur, the frequentative for the simple verb. Many of the older writers, such as Plautus, Terence, Lucretius, &c., are, like Sallust, fond of this peculiar usage, on account evidently of the fuller sound of the frequentative form.

1. Cyrus. The elder Cyrus, son of Cambyses and Mandane, who transferred the empire from the Medes to the Persians, dethroning his grandfather Astyages. The true Persian form of the name is thought to have had a close resemblance to the Hebrew Khoresh (Cyrus), which the Greeks uniformly and correctly interpret "the sun." Compare the Persian Khor and Khorshid (the sun,) of which last the Hebrew form is thought to be a contraction. (Gesenius, s. v.— -Baehr ad Ctes. p. 194.)

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2 Sallust begins with the reign of Cyrus, because all before that period was regarded by many of the ancients (we need not add with what little reason) as purely fabulous.

-3. pe

2. Lubidinem dominandi, "a thirst for dominion.". riculo atque negotiis, "from experience and affairs themselves."

4. Quod si regum, &c. "But if the mental qualities of kings and of those who command were exercised to the same degree in peace that they are in war.”—5. aequabilius atqu constantius, &c. "human affairs would proceed with more regularity and steadiness." This usage of the verb habeo with the pronoun is analogous to the Greek idiom: well," i. e. × (auTv) “he has himself well." Viger's Greek Idioms, p. 84. Seager's transl.)

"he is (Compare

6. Aliud alio, &c. Alius is frequently used by Sallust, and also by the best writers, with one of its own cases, or an adverb derived from it, to denote what in English requires two separate expressions. Thus we may render the passage in the text, "neither would you behold one thing carried in one direction, another in another, &c."-7. artibus, " 11 means."

8. Pro labore, "in the stead of active exertion." Labor has here a special reference to military operations.-9. pro continentia et aequitate, &c., "in the stead of moderation and a regard for natural equality, cupidity, and a tyrannical spirit, &c." As Sallust here contrasts virtues and vices, continentia will be opposed to lubido, and aequitas to superbia; which removes, we conceive, all difficulty as to the meaning of the individual terms. Burnouf makes lubido in this passage signify "caprice," an opinion in which we cannot concur,-10. for

tuna.

Understand principum.

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11. Optumum quemque, "the most deserving." Literally, "each most deserving person."- -12. arant, &c., equivalent to arando, navigando, aedificando efficiunt : hence quae homines arant, &c. may be rendered by nouns, agriculture, navigation, architecture." -13. virtuti omnia parent, "depend all upon the energies of mind for their successful employment." 14. Peregrinantes. A beautiful expression, by which the sensualist and the sluggard are compared to "travellers in a

foreign land." Cortius cites in explanation a passage from Zeno of Verona, (Serm. 32) "Sed qui sunt praetereuntes, nisi qui peregrinantes corporalis vitae saeculum transeunt.”

15. Quibus, profecto, &c. "Unto whom, certainly in opposition to the views of nature, &c."—16. juxta, “alike,” i. e. as equally unimportant.-17. quoniam de utraque siletur, "since silence is preserved respecting each," i. e. since they leave no memorial of their having ever existed.

18. Frui anima, "to enjoy his rational nature," i. e. to answer the end of his existence.-19. qui, aliquo negotio intentus, &c., "who, in whatever employment he may be engaged, seeks for the reputation attendant on some praiseworthy deed or the exercise of some useful talent."

20. In magna copia rerum, “in the great variety of employments."- -21. aliud alii, compare note 6, page 2.

Elo

22. Bene dicere, equivalent to eloquentiam exercere. quence was one of the surest passports to office among the Romans.-23. absurdum. This term was originally applied to any harsh and disagreeable sound, (“ Vox quae surdis auribus audiri digna est,") and subsequently to any thing devoid of merit and unworthy of notice. Haud absurdum est may therefore be rendered, "is no contemptible acquirement."

24. Et qui fecere, &c. Compare Pliny (Ep. 6. 16. 3.) " Equidem beatos puto, quibus deorum munere datum est aut facere scribenda, aut scribere legenda; beatissimos vero quibus utrumque." -25. tamen etsi, an archaism for tametsi. 26. Auctorem rerum, "the actor." Some editions have actorem rerum: both lections occur in manuscripts. Compare Velleius Paterculus (2. 120.6.)" Praeclari facinoris auctor fuit Caldus Coelius," &c.-27. res gestas, "an historical narrative."-28. dictis, "by the style." Livy has an expression similar to that in the text, in which, however, dicta is used in its original meaning; "facta dictis aequando" (6. 20.)

29. Putant. The manuscripts vary, some inserting dicta be- ' fore putant, others ducta, &c. We have followed the reading of Cortius. The ellipsis is to be supplied by reprehendisse, 'which is in fact expressed in one of the manuscripts. Sallust appears to have borrowed the idea in the text from Thucy

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