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multu præsidiis collocatis, sicuti præceptum erat, occulte pontem obsidunt 2. Postquam ad id loci legati cum Volturcio venere, et simul utrimque 3 clamor exortus est; Galli, cito cognito consilio, sine mora prætoribus se tradunt. Volturcius primo, cohortatus ceteros, gladio se a multitudine defendit; deinde ubi a legatis desertus est, multa prius de salute sua Pomptinium obtestatus, quod ei notus erat, postremo timidus, ac vitæ diffidens, veluti hostibus, sese prætoribus dedit 5.

XLVI. Quibus rebus confectis, omnia propere per nuncios consuli declarantur. At illum ingens cura atque lætitia simul occupavere. Nam lætabatur, intelligens, conjuratione patefacta, civitatem periculis ereptam esse: porro autem anxius erat, dubitans, in maximo scelere tantis civibus deprehensis, quid facto opus esset; pœnam illorum sibi oneri, impunitatem perdendæ reipublicæ credebat. Igitur, confirmato animo, vocari ad sese jubet Lentulum, Cethegum, Statilium, Gabinium, item Q. Cœparium quemdam,

1 Præsidiis collocatis. Comp. Cicero's description in Catil. iii. 2. illi ...cum advesperasceret occulte ad pontem Mulvium pervenerunt, atque ibi in proximis villis ita bipartito fuerunt, ut Tiberis inter eos et pons interesset, etc.

2 Pontem obsidunt, "occupy the bridge." Obsident, the reading of some MSS. and Edd. would mean, "besiege," "beleaguer."

3 Utrimque, "on either side of the bridge;" the ambush being laid, as

Cicero describes, on both sides.

......

4 Multa. obtestatus, "urging Pomptinius with many arguments."

5 Dedit. Probably the pres. from dedo, "gives himself up :" dedo implies more entire submission than the simple do.

• Sibi oneri, etc., " would bring a burden of odium upon himself."

7 Perdendæ reipublica, etc.," would conduce to the destruction of the commonwealth."

Terracinensem1, qui in Apuliam ad concitanda servitia proficisci parabat. Ceteri sine mora veniunt: Coparius, paullo ante domo egressus, cognito indicio, ex urbe profugerat. Consul Lentulum, quod prætor erat, ipse manu tenens2 perducit; reliquos cum custodibus in ædem Concordiæ3 venire jubet. Eo senatum advocat, magnaque frequentia ejus ordinis, Volturcium cum legatis introducit: Flaccum prætorem scrinium cum litteris, quas a legatis acceperat, eodem adferre jubet.

XLVII. Volturcius interrogatus "de itinere, de litteris, postremo quid, aut qua de caussa, consilii habuisset?", primo fingere alia 5, dissimulare de conjuratione; post, ubi fide publica dicere jussus est, omnia, uti gesta erant, aperit, docetque, "se paucis ante diebus a Gabinio et Cœpario socium adscitum,

1 Terracinensem, "of Terracina," or Anxur on the coast of Latium, now Tarracina.

2 Manu tenens, "leading by the hand;" as a mark of honour.

3 In adem Concordia. The foundations of this temple are still visible at the foot of the Capitoline hill, facing the forum. It was built by Camillus, and commemorated the restoration of concord between the senate and people. Plutarch, Camill.

Magna frequentia, "at a full meeting." The senate at this time amounted nominally to six hundred members; but the vacancies caused by death had not been regularly supplied by the censors. Four hundred and fifteen members divided at a full

meeting. Cic. ad Att. i. 14. Comp. Cic. Post Red. in Sen. 10. Allowance must be made for the number of senators engaged in the provincial administration. The meetings were held in the cella, or interior chamber of the temple (comp. Cic. Philipp. ii. 8), and in this case the prisoners were introduced from the outer chamber.

Alia, "other than the truth:" so the phrase, in alia omine abire, "to run off to matters other than those in hand, not pertinent to the affair."

Fide publica, (scil. data) "on the public faith being pledged for his safety." Comp. Catil. 48. se indicaturum si fides publica data esset. Jugur. 32. 35.

nihil amplius scire, quam legatos1: tantummodo audire solitum ex Gabinio, P. Autronium, Servium Sullam, L. Vargunteium, multos præterea in ea conjuratione esse.” Eadem Galli fatentur; ac Lentulum dissimulantem coarguunt, præter litteras, sermonibus, quos ille habere solitus erat: "ex libris Sibyllinis 2, regnum Romæ tribus Corneliis portendi: Cinnam3 atque Sullam antea; se tertium, cui fatum foret urbis potiri: præterea ab incenso Capitolio illum esse vigesimum annum, quem sæpe ex prodigiis haruspices respondissent bello civili cruentum fore." Igitur, per

1 Nihil amplius scire quam legatos, "that he knew no more of the secrets of the plot than the Allobroges," who as foreigners could not be supposed intimate with its secret objects and ramifications: in short, he professed to be an instrument of the conspirators, but not an associate. He had only heard the names of a few individuals among them. Kritz explains it, se præterquam quod legatos sciat conjurationis participes esse nullam plane ex conjuratis nosse: and adds, nihil de personis dictum non insolens est.

2 Ex libris Sibyllinis. Certain volumes so called, containing predictions regarding the destinies of the republic, were kept in custody of special officers called Quindecim virs, and formed an important engine of state. Many other vaticinations, pretending to the authority of the Sibyls, were current among the citizens, and it is to some of these probably that Lentulus referred. The emperor Augustus found these impostures such a

nuisance to the government that he caused a pretended authentic compilation to be made, and gave all the rest he could collect to the flames.

Cinnam. L. Cornelius Cinna, a leader of the popular party during the absence of Sulla in the east (A. U. 666-669). He was consul A. u. 667, when he impeached Sulla, and recalled Marius from exile. Being driven out of Rome by his colleague Octavius, he returned with a military force, took the city, and exacted a proscription of the aristocratic party. He was eventually killed in a mutiny of his own soldiers whom he was leading against Sulla.

▲ Ab incenso Capitolio: i. e. from the year 671, when the capitol was destroyed in the wars of Marius and Sulla. It was again burnt in the contest of the Vitellian and Flavian soldiers, A. D. 70, and once more by accident in the reign of Domitian. Lactantius says that, up to his time, in the fourth century, it had been frequently destroyed by lightning. iii. 17.

lectis litteris, cum prius omnes signa sua cognovissent', senatus decernit, "uti abdicato magistratu Lentulus, item ceteri in liberis custodiis2 haberentur." Itaque Lentulus P. Lentulo Spintheri3, qui tum ædilis erat, Cethegus Q. Cornificio, Statilius C. Cæsari, Gabinius M. Crasso, Coparius (nam is paullo ante ex fuga retractus erat) Cn. Terentio senatori traduntur.

XLVIII. Interea plebes, conjuratione patefacta, quæ primo, cupida rerum novarum, nimis bello favebat, mutata mente, Catilinæ consilia exsecrari, Ciceronem ad cœlum tollere: veluti ex servitute erepta, gaudium atque lætitiam agitabant.

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1 Cognovissent, "recognized:" the proper word in such cases. Comp. Cic. in Catil. iii. 5: Statilius cognovit signum et manum suam.

2 In liberis custodiis, "in free custody." Persons of distinction were often placed under the care of the magistrates in their houses, instead of being consigned to the prison. Comp. Tac. Ann. vi. 3: Gallio retrahitur in urbem custoditurque domibus magistratuum. Cic. Brut. 96: quoniam eloquentiæ quasi tutores relicti sumus, domi teneamus eam septam liberali custodia.

3 P. Lentulo Spintheri. Consul. A. U. 697. Spinther means, a bracelet. Gr. σφίγκτηρ. Lentulus is said to have derived his surname from his similarity to a certain actor of the day so called.

* Q. Cornificio. A colleague of Cicero's in the augurship. Cic. ad Div. xii. 17.

5 C. Cæsari. Caius Julius Cæsar.

Namque alia

6 Gabinius. This obscure personage is not to be confounded with Aulus Gabinius, an adherent of Pompey, in whose interest he proposed the Lex Gabinia, for giving him the conduct of the war against the pirates, and imperium throughout all the coasts of the Mediterranean and fifty miles inland, A. U. 688.

7 M. Crasso. M. Licinius Crassus the triumvir.

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Conjuratione patefacta. The affair was revealed to the people by Cicero in a speech (his third Catilinarian oration) which he delivered in the forum on the 3rd of December (=Feb. 5. B. c. 62), after the examination of the Allobroges before the senate. Cic. ad Att. ii. 1: quo die Allobroges involgarunt.

9 Gaudium atque lætitiam. The second is a stronger word than the first. Comp. Cic. Tusc. Disp. iv. 6: quum ratione animus movetur placide atque constanter, tum illud gaudium

belli facinora prædæ magis, quam detrimento fore; incendium vero crudele, immoderatum, ac sibi maxime calamitosum putabat; quippe cui1 omnes copiæ in usu quotidiano et cultu corporis erant. Post eum diem, quidam L. Tarquinius ad senatum adductus erat, quem ad Catilinam proficiscentem ex itinere retractum aiebant. Is cum se diceret indicaturum de conjuratione, si fides publica data esset; jussus a consule, quæ sciret, edicere, eadem fere, quæ Volturcius, de paratis incendiis, de cæde bonorum, de itinere hostium, senatum edocet: præterea, "se missum a M. Crasso, qui Catilinæ nunciaret, ne eum Lentulus, et Cethegus, aliique ex conjuratione deprehensi terrerent 2; eoque magis properaret ad urbem accedere, quo et ceterorum animos reficeret, et illi facilius e periculo eriperentur." Sed ubi Tarquinius Crassum nominavit, hominem nobilem, maximis divitiis, summa potentia; alii, rem incredibilem rati; pars, tamen etsi verum existimabant, tamen, quia in tali tempore tanta vis hominis lenienda, quam exagitanda videbatur; plerique Crasso ex negotiis privatis obnoxii3, conclamant, "indicem falsum," deque ea re postulant uti referatur. Itaque, consulente Cicerone, frequens

dicitur; quum autem inaniter et effuse animus exsultat, tum illa lætitia gestiens vel nimia dici potest.

1 Quippe cui, etc. The lower orders contemplated the plunder of the city with little alarm, inasmuch as they had no possessions but what they carried in their hands or wore on their

backs: their tools and clothes.

2 Ne eum Lentulus...deprehensi terrerent, "not to be alarmed at the arrest of Lentulus," &c.

3 Obnoxii, "under private obligations to Crassus:" persons whom he had assisted with loans.

4 Uti referatur, scil. ad Senatum.

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