CHAPTER I
The Conspiracy of Catiline -- Discovered by Cicero -- The Conspirators
arrested, and put to Death--Battle of Pistoria and Death of Catiline
AFTER the reign of Sulla, and the later operations of
Sertorius and Perpenna in Spain,
other internal commotions of a similar nature took place among the Romans
until Gaius Cæsar and Pompey the Great waged war against each
other, and Cæsar made an end of Pompey and was himself killed in
the senate-chamber because he was accused of exercising royal power. How
these things came about and how both Pompey and Cæsar lost their
lives, this second book of the Civil Wars will show. Pompey had
lately cleared the
sea of pirates, who were then more numerous
than ever before,
and afterward had overthrown Mithridates, king of Pontus, and regulated his
kingdom and the other nations that he had subdued in the East.
Cæsar was still a young man, but powerful in speech and action,
daring in every way, ambitious of everything, and profuse beyond his means
in the pursuit of honors. While yet ædile and prætor he
had incurred great debts and had made himself wonderfully agreeable to the
multitude, who always sing the praises of those who are lavish in
expenditures.
[
2]
At this time Lucius Catiline
1 was a person of importance, of great celebrity, and
high birth, but a madman. It was believed that he had killed his own son
because of his own love for Aurelia Orestilla, who was not willing to marry
a man who had a son. He had been a friend and zealous partisan of Sulla. He
had reduced himself to
CICERO
In the Museum at Madrid (Bernoulli)
facts were not yet publicly known, was nevertheless fearful
lest suspicion should increase with time. Trusting to
rapidity of movement he forwarded money to Fæsulæ and
directed his fellow-conspirators to kill Cicero and set the city on fire at
a number of different places the same night. Then he departed to join Gaius
Manlius, intending to collect additional forces and invade the city while
burning. So extremely vain was he that he had the rods and axes borne before
him as though he were a proconsul, and he proceeded on his journey to
Manlius, enlisting soldiers as he went. Lentulus and his fellow-conspirators
decided that when they should learn that Catiline had arrived at
Fæsulæ, Lentulus and Cethegus should present themselves
at Cicero's door early in the morning with concealed daggers, expecting to
be admitted because of their rank; enter into conversation with him in the
vestibule on some subject, no matter what; draw him away from his own
people, and kill him; that Lucius Bestia, the tribune, should at once call
an assembly of the people by heralds and accuse Cicero of timidity and of
stirring up war and disturbing the city without cause, and that on the night
following Bestia's speech the city should be set on fire by others in twelve
places and plundered, and the leading citizens killed.
[
4]
Such were the designs of Lentulus, Cethegus, Statilius, and Cassius, the
chiefs of the conspiracy, and they waited for the appointed time. Meanwhile
ambassadors of the Allobroges, who were in the city making complaint against
their magistrates, were solicited to join the conspiracy of Lentulus in
order to cause an uprising against the Romans in Gaul. Lentulus sent in
company with them, to Catiline, a man of Croton named Vulturcius, who
carried letters without signatures. The Allobroges being in doubt
communicated the matter to Fabius Sanga, the patron of their state--it was
the custom of all the subject states to have patrons at Rome. Sanga
communicated the facts to Cicero, who captured the Allobroges and Vulturcius
on their journey and brought them straightway before the Senate.
2 They confessed to their
understanding with Lentulus and testified in his presence that Cornelius
Lentulus had often said that it was written in the book of fate that three
Cornelii should be monarchs of Rome, two of whom, Cinna and Sulla, had
already been such.
[
5]
When they had so testified the Senate deprived Lentulus of his office. Cicero
put each of the conspirators under arrest at the houses of the
prætors, and returned directly to take the vote of the Senate
concerning them. In the meantime there was a great tumult around the
senate-house, the affair being as yet little understood, and those who did
understand it being alarmed. The slaves and freedmen of Lentulus and
Cethegus, reënforced by numerous artisans, made a circuit by back
streets and assaulted the houses of the prætors in order to rescue
their masters. When Cicero heard of this he hurried out of the senate-house
and stationed the necessary guards and then came back and hastened the
taking of the vote. Silanus, the consul-elect, spoke first, as it was the
custom among the Romans for the one who was about to assume that office to
deliver his opinion first, because, as I think, he would have most to do
with the execution of the decrees, and hence would give more careful
consideration and circumspection to each. It was the opinion of Silanus that
the culprits should suffer the extreme penalty, and many senators agreed
with him until it came Nero's turn to deliver his opinion. Nero judged that
it would be best to keep them under guard until Catiline should be beaten in
the field and they could obtain the most accurate knowledge of the facts.
[
6]
Gaius Cæsar was not free from the suspicion of complicity with
these men, but Cicero did not venture to bring into the controversy one so
popular with the masses. Cæsar proposed that Cicero should
distribute the culprits among the towns of Italy, according to his own
discretion, to be kept until Catiline should be beaten in fight, and that
then they should be regularly tried, instead of inflicting an irremediable
punishment upon members of the nobility in advance of argument and trial. As
this opinion appeared to be just and acceptable, most of the senators
changed completely, until Cato openly manifested his suspicion of
Cæsar; and Cicero, who had apprehensions concerning the coming
night (lest the crowd who were concerned with the conspiracy and were still
in the forum in a state of suspense, fearful for themselves and the
conspirators, might do something desperate), persuaded the Senate to give
judgment against them without trial as persons caught in the act. Cicero
immediately, while the Senate was still in session, conducted each of the
conspirators from the houses where they were in custody to the prison,
without the knowledge of the crowd, and saw them put to death. Then he went
back to the forum and signified that they were dead. The crowd dispersed in
alarm, congratulating themselves that they had not been found out. Thus the
city breathed freely once more after the great fear that had weighed upon it
that day.
[
7]
Catiline had assembled about 20,000 troops, of whom
one-fourth part were already armed, and was moving toward Gaul in order to
complete his preparations, when Antonius, the other consul, overtook him
beyond the Alps
3
and easily defeated the madly conceived adventure of the man, which was
still more madly put to the test without preparation. Neither Catiline nor
any of the nobility who were associated with him deigned to fly, but all
perished at close quarters with their enemies. Such was the end of the
uprising of Catiline, which almost brought the city to the extreme of peril.
Cicero, who had been hitherto distinguished only for eloquence, was now in
everybody's mouth as a man of action, and was considered unquestionably the
saviour of his country on the eve of its destruction, for which reason the
thanks of the assembly were bestowed upon him, amid general acclamations. At
the instance of Cato the people saluted him as the Father of his Country.
Some think that this appellation, which is now bestowed upon those emperors
who are deemed worthy of it, had its beginning with Cicero. Although they
are in fact kings, it is not given to them with their other titles
immediately upon their accession, but is decreed to them in the progress of
time, not as a matter of course, but as a final testimonial of the greatest
services.
