hand and feal; and when his letter was The proofs being thus laid open and read, to the fame purpose with that of Ce- cleared, I confulted the fenate upon the thegus, he confeffed it to be his own. Then measures proper to be taken for the public Lentulus's letter was produced. I asked fafety. The most severe and vigorous reif he knew the feal: he owned he did. It folutions were propofed by the leading men, is indeed, faid I, a well known feal; the to which the fenate agreed without the head of your illuftrious grandfather, fo leaft oppofition. And as the decree is not diftinguifhed for his love to his country and yet put into writing, I fhall, as far as my fellow-citizens, that it is amazing the very memory ferves, give you an account of fight of it was not fufficient to restrain you the whole proceeding. First of all, public from fo black a treafon. His letter, di- thanks were decreed to me in the amplest rected to the senate and people of the Allo- manner, for having by my courage, counbroges, was of the fame import with the fel, and forefight, delivered the republic other two: but having leave to speak for from the greatest dangers: then the præhimself, he at first denied the whole charge, tors L. Flaccus, and C. Pontinius were likeand began to question the ambassadors and wife thanked, for their vigorous and puncVulturcius, what bufinefs they ever had tual execution of my orders. My colwith him, and on what occafion they came league, the brave Antonius was praised, to his houfe; to which they gave clear and for having removed from his own and the diftinct answers; fignifying by whom, and counfels of the republic, all those who were how often, they had been introduced to concerned in the confpiracy. They then him; and then afked him, in their turn, came to a refolution, that P. Lentulus, whether he had never mentioned any thing after having abdicated the prætorship, to them about the Sibylline oracles; upon fhould be committed to fafe cuftody; that which being confounded, or infatuated C. Cethegus, L. Statilius, P. Gabinius, all rather by the fenfe of his guilt, he gave a three then prefent, fhould likewise remain remarkable proof of the great force of in confinement; and that the fame fenconfcience: for not only his usual parts and tence fhould be extended to L. Caffius, who eloquence, but his impudence too, in which had offered himself to the task of firing the he outdid all men, quite failed him; fo city; to M. Ceparius, to whom, as apthat he confeffed his crime, to the furprise peared, Apulia had been affigned for raifof the whole affembly. Then Vulturcius ing the fhepherds; to P. Furius, who bedefired, that the letter to Cataline, which longed to the colonies fettled by Sylla at Lentulus had fent by him, might be open- Fefule; to Q. Magius Chilo, who had aled; where Lentulus again, though greatly ways feconded this Furius, in his applicadifordered, acknowledged his hand and tion to the deputies of the Allobrogians; feal. It was written without any name, and to P. Umbrenus, the son of a freedbut to this effect: "You will know who I man, who was proved to have first intro"am, from him whom I have sent to you. duced the Gauls to Gabinius. The fenate "Take care to fhew yourself a man, and chofe to proceed with this lenity, Romans, "recollect in what fituation you are, and from a perfuafion that though the con"confider what is now neceffary for you. fpiracy was indeed formidable, and the "Be sure to make use of the affiftance of strength and number of our domeftic ene"all, even of the lowest." Gabinius mies very great; yet by the punishment was then introduced, and behaved impu- of nine of the most defperate, they should dently for a while; but at last denied no- be able to preferve the ftate, and reclaim thing of what the ambaffadors charged all the reft. At the fame time, a public him with. And indeed, Romans, though thanksgiving was decreed in my name to their letters, feals, hands, and laftly their the immortal gods, for their fignal care of feveral voluntary confeffions, were ftrong the commonwealth; the firft, Romans, and convincing evidences of their guilt; fince the building of Rome, that was ever yet had I ftill clearer proofs of it from their decreed to any man in the gown. It was looks, change of colour, countenances, and conceived in these words: «Because I had filence. For fuch was their amazement," preferved the city from a conflagration, fuch their downcast looks, fuch their stolen" the citizens from a maffacre, and Italy glances one at another, that they feemed "from a war." A thanksgiving, my not fo much convicted by the information countrymen, which, if compared with others of others, as detected by the consciousness of the fame kind, will be found to differ of their own guilt. from them in this; that all others were appointed appointed for fome particular fervices to the republic, this alone for faving it. What required our first care was first executed and dispatched. For P. Lentulus, though in confequence of the evidence brought against him, and his own confeffion, the fenate had adjudged him to have forfeited not only the prætorship, but the privileges of a Roman citizen, divested himself of his magiftracy: that the confideration of a public character, which yet had no weight with the illuftrious C. Marius, when he put to death the prætor C. Glaucia, against whom nothing had been expressly decreed, might not occafion any fcruple to us in punishing P. Lentulus, now reduced to the condition of a private man. And now, Romans, as the deteftable leaders of this impious and unnatural rebellion are feized and in custody, you may justly conclude, that Cataline's whole ftrength, power, and hopes are broken, and the dangers that threatened the city difpelled. For when I was driving him out of the city, Romans, I clearly forefaw, that if he was once removed, there would be nothing to apprehend from the drowsiness of Lentulus, the fat of Caffius, or the rafhnefs of Cethegus. He was the alone formidable perfon of the whole number, yet no longer so, than while he remained within the walls of the city. He knew every thing; he had accefs in all places; he wanted neither abilities nor boldness to addrefs, to tempt, to folicit. He had a head to contrive, a tongue to explain, and a hand to execute any undertaking. He had felect and proper agents to be employed in every particular enterprize; and never took a thing to be done, because he had ordered it; but always purfued, urged, attended, and faw it done himself; declining neither hunger, cold, nor thirst. Had I not driven this man, fo keen, fo refolute, fo daring, fo crafty, fo alert in mifchief, fo active in defperate defigns, from his fecret plots within the city, into open rebellion in the fields, I could never fo eafily, to speak my real thoughts, Romans, have delivered the republic from its dangers. He would not have fixed upon the feaft of Saturn, nor name the fatal day for our deftruction fo long before-hand, nor fuffered his hand and feal to be brought against him, as manifeft proofs of his guilt. Yet all this has been fo managed in his abfence, that no theft in any private house was ever more clearly detected than this whole confpiracy. But if Cata line had remained in the city till this day though to the utmoft I would have obftructed and oppofed all his defigns; yet, to fay the leaft, we must have come at last to open force; nor would we have found it poffible, while that traitor was in the city, to have delivered the commonwealth from fuch threatening dangers with fo much eafe, quiet, and tranquillity. Yet all thefe tranfactions, Romans, have been fo managed by me, as if the whole was the pure effect of a divine influence and forefight. This we may conjedure, not only from the events themfelves being above the reach of human counsel, but because the gods have fo remarkably interpofed in them, as to fhew themfelves almoft vifibly. For not to mention the nightly ftreams of light from the western sky, the blazing of the heavens, the thunders, the earthquakes, with the other many prodigies which have happened in my confulthip, that feem like the voice of the gods predicting thefe events; furely, Romans, what I am now about to fay, ought neither to be omitted, nor pafs without notice. For, doubtless, you must remember, that under the confulfhip of Cotta and Torquatus, feveral turrets of the capitol were ftruck down with lightning: that the images of the immortal gods were likewife overthrown, the ftatues of ancient heroes difplaced, and the brazen tables of the laws melted down that even Romulus, the founder of this city, efcaped not unhurt; whofe gilt ftatue, representing him as an infant fucking a wolf, you may remember to have feen in the capitol. At that time the foothfayers, being called together from all Etruria, declared, that fire, flaughter, the overthrow of the laws, çivil war, and the ruin of the city and empire, were portended, unless the gods, appeafed by all forts of means, could be prevailed with to interpose, and bend in fome measure the deftinies themfelves. In confequence of this answer, folemn games were celebrated for ten days, nor was any method of paci fying the gods omitted. The fame foothfayers likewife ordered a larger ftatue of Jupiter to be made, and placed on high, in a pofition contrary to that of the former image, with its face turned towards the eaft; intimating, that if his ftatue, which you now behold, looked towards the rifing fun, the forum, and the fenate-house; then all fecret machinations against the city and empire would be detected fo evidently, evidently, as to be clearly feen by the fenate and people of Rome. Accordingly the confuls of that year ordered the ftatue to be placed in the manner directed: but from the flow progrefs of the work, neither they, nor their fuceeflors, nor I myfelf, could get it finished till that very day. Can any man after this be fuch an enemy to truth, fo rah, fo mad, as to deny, that all things which we fee, and above all, that this city is governed by the power a.d providence of the gods? For when the footnfayers declared, that mafiacres, conflagrations, and the entire ruin of the fate were then deviling; crimes! the enormity of whole guilt rendered the prediction to fome incredible: yet are you now fenfible, that all this has been by wicked citizens not only devifed, but even atempted. Can it then be imputed to any thing but the immediate interpofition of the great Jupiter, that this morning, while the confpirators and witnefles were by my order carried through the forum to the temple of Concord, in that very moment the statue was fixed in its place? And being fixed, and turned to look upon you and the fenate, both you and the ferate faw all the treafonable defigns against the public fafety, clearly detected and expofed. The confpirators, therefore, justly merited the greater punishment and detetation, for endeavouring to involve in impious fla.nes, not only your houfes and habitations, but the dwellings and temples of the gods themfelves; nor can I, without intolerable vanity and prefumption, lay claim to the merit of having defeated their attempts. It was he, it was Jupiter himfelf, who oppofed them: to him the capitol, to him the temples, to him this city, to him you are all indebted for your prefervation. It was from the immortal gods, Romans, that I derived my refolution and forefight; and by their providence, that I was enabled to make fuch important discoveries. The attempt to engage the Allobrogians in the confpiracy, and the infatuation of Lentulus and his affociates, in trusting affairs and letters of fuch moment to men barbarous and un. known to them, can never furely be accounted for, but by fuppofing the gods to have confounded their understandings. And that the ambaffadors of the Gauls, a nation fo difaffected, and the only one at prefent that feems both able and willing 12 make war upon the Roman people, fhould flight the hopes of empire and dominion, aud the advantageous offers of men of patrician rank, and prefer your fafety to their own intereft, must needs be the effect of a divine interpofition; efpe. cially when they might have gained their ends, not by fighting, but by holding their tongues. Wherefore, Romans, fince a thankf giving has been decreed at all the shrines of the gods, celebrate the fame religiously with your wives and children. Many are the proofs of gratitude you have juftly paid to the gods on former occafions, but never furely were more apparently due than at prefent. You have been fnatched from a moft cruel and deplorable fate; and that too without flaughter, without blood, withcut an army, without fighting. In the habit of citizens, and under me your only leader and conductor in the robe of peace, you have obtained the victory. For do but call to mind, Romans, all the civil dif fenfions in which we have been involved; not thofe only you may have heard of, but thofe too within your own memory and knowledge. L. Sylla deftroyed P. Sulpicius; drove Marius, the guardian of this empire, from Rome; and partly banished, partly flaughtered, a great number of the molt deferving citizens. Cn. Octavius, when conful, expelled his colleague by force of arms, from the city. The forum was filled with carcafes, and flowed with the blood of the citizens. Cinna afterwards, in conjunction with Marius, prevailed: and then it was that the very lights of our country were extinguished by the flaughter of her moft illuftrious men. Sylla avenged this cruel victory; with what maflacre of the citizens, with what calamity to the ftate, it is needlefs to re late. M. Lepidus had a difference with Q. Catulus, a man of the most distinguished reputation and merit. The ruin brought upon the former was not fo afflicting to the republic, as that of the rest who perished upon the fame occafion. Yet all thefe diffenfions, Romans, were of fuch a nature, as tended only to a change in the government, not to a total deftruction of the state. It was not the aim of the perfons concerned, to extinguish the commonwealth, but to be leading men in it; they defired not to fee Rome in flames, but to rule in Rome. And yet all thefe civil differences, none of which tended to the overthrow of the flate, were fo obftinately kept up, that they never ended in a reconciliation of the par X ties, ties, but in a maffacre of the citizens. But in this war, a war the fiercest and most implacable ever known, and not to be paralleled in the hiftory of the most barbarous nations; a war in which Lentulus, Cataline, Caffius and Cethegus laid it down as a principle, to confider all as enemies who had any intereft in the well being of the state; I have conducted myself in fuch a manner, Romans, as to preferve you all. And though your enemies imagined that no more citizens would remain, than what escaped endless maffacre; nor any more of Rome be left standing, than was snatched from a devouring conflagration; yet have I preferved both city and citizens from harm. For all these important fervices, Romans, I defire no other reward of my zeal, no other mark of honour, no other monument of praise, but the perpetual remembrance of this day. It is in your breaks alone, that I would have all my triumphs, all my titles of honour, all the monuments of my glory, all the trophies of my renown, recorded and preferved. Lifelefs ftatues, filent teftimonies of fame; in fine, whatever can be compassed by men of inferior merit, has no charms for me. In your remembrance, Romans, fhall my actions be cherished, from your praifes fhall they derive growth and nourishment, and in your annals fhall they ripen and be immortalized nor will this day, I flatter myself, ever cease to be propagated, to the fafety of the city, and the honour of my confulfhip: but it fhall eternally remain upon record, that there were two citizens living at the fame time in the republic, the one of whom was terminating the extent of the empire by the bounds of the horizon itself; the other preferving the feat and capital of that empire. But as the fortune and circumstances of my actions are different from those of your generals abroad, in as much as I muft live with those whom I have conquered and fubdued, whereas they leave their enemies either dead or enthralled; it is your part, Romans, to take care, that if the good actions of others are beneficial to them, mine prove not detrimental to me. I have baffled the wicked and bloody purposes formed against you by the moft daring offenders; it belongs to you to baffle their attempts against me; though as to myfelf, I have in reality no caufe to fear any thing, fince I fhall be protected by the guard of all honest men, whofe friendship I have for ever fecured by the dignity of the republic itself, which will never ceafe to be my filent defender; and by the power of conscience, which all thofe muft needs violate, who fhall attempt to injure me. Such too is my fpirit, Romans, that I will never yield to the audacioufnefs of any, but even provoke and attack all the wicked and the profi gate: yet if all the rage of our domeftic enemies, when repelled from the people, fhall at laft turn fingly upon me, you will do well to confider, Romans, what effect this may afterwards have upon those, who are bound to expofe themfelves to envy and danger for your fafety. As to myfelf in particular, what have I farther to wifh for in life, fince both with regard to the honours you confer, and the reputation flowing from virtue, I have already reached the highest point of my ambition. This however I exprefsly engage for, Romans, always to fupport and defend in my private condition, what I have acted in my confulfhip; that if any envy be ftirred up againft me for preferving the ftate, it may hurt the envious, but advance my glory. In fhort, I fhall fo behave in the republic, as ever to be mindful of my paft actions, and fhew that what I did was not the effect of chance, but of virtue. Do you, Romans, fince it is now night, repair to your feveral dwellings, and pray to Jupiter, the guardian of this city, and of your lives: and though the danger be now over, keep the fame watch in your houfes as before. I fhall take care to put a fpeedy period to the neceffity of these precautions, and to fecure you for the future in uninterrupted peace. Whitworth's Cicero. § 8. Oration against Cataline. THE ARGUMENT. Though the defign of the confpiracy was in a great measure defeated, by the commitment of the moft confiderable of thofe concerned in it, yet as they had many fecret favourers and well-wishers within the city, the people were alarmed with the rumor of fresh plots, formed by the flaves and dependants of Lentulus and Cethegus for the rescue of their maflers, which obliged Cicero to reinforce his guards; and for the prevention of all fuch attempts, to put an end to the whole affair, by bringing the the queftion of their punishment, without farther delay, before the fenate; which he accordingly fummoned for that purpose. The debate was of great delicacy and importance; to decide upon the lives of citizens of the first rank. Capital punishments were rare, and ever odious in Rome, whofe laws were of all others the leaft fanguinary; banishment, with confiscation of goods, being the ordinary punishment for the greatest crimes. The fenate indeed, as has been faid above, in cafes of fudden and dangerous tumults, claimed the prerogative of punithing the leaders with death, by the authority of their own decrees. But this was looked upon as a ftretch of power, and an infringement of the rights of the people, which nothing could excufe but the neceflity of times, and the extremity of danger. For there was an old law of Porcius Læca, a tribune, which granted all criminals capitally condemned, an appeal to the people; and a later one of C. Gracchus, to prohibit the taking away the life of any citizens, without a formal hearing before the people fo that fome fenators, who had concurred in all the previous debates, withdrew themselves from this, to fhew their diflike of what they expected to be the iffue of it, and to have no hand in putting Roman citizens to death by a vote of the fenate. Here then was ground enough for Cicero's enemies to act upon, if extremes methods were purfued: he himself was aware of it, and faw, that the public intereft called for the fevereit punishment, his private interest the gentleft: yet he came refolved to facrifice all regards for his own quiet, to the confideration of the public fafety. As foon therefore as he had moved the question, What was to be done with the confpirators? Silanus, the conful elect, being called upon to fpeak the firft, advised, that thofe who were then in cuftody, with the reft who should afterwards be taken, fhould all be put to death. To this all who spoke after him readily affented, till it came to Julius Caefir, then prætor elect, who, in an elegant and elaborate fpeech, treated that opinion, not as cruel, fince death, he faid, was not a punishment, but relief to the miferable, and left no fenfe either of good or ill beyond it; but as new and illegal, and contrary to the conftitution of the republic: and though the heinoufnefs of the crime would justify any feverity, yet the example was dangerous in a free ftate; and the falutary use of arbitrary power in good hands, had been the cause of fatal mischiefs when it fell into bad; of which he produced several inftances, both in other cities and their own; and though no danger could be apprehended from thefe times, or fuch a conful as Cicero; yet in other times, and under another conful, when the fword was once drawn by a decree of the fenate, no man could promife what mischief it might not do before it was fheathed again: his opinion therefore was, that the estates of the confpirators fhould be confifcated, and their perfons closely confined in the ftrong towns of Italy; and that it should be criminal for any one to move the fenate or the people for any favour towards them. These two contrary opinions being propofed, the next queftion was, which of them fhould take place: Cæfar's had made a great impreffion on the affembly, and ftaggered even Silanus, who began to excuse and mitigate the feverity of his vote; and Cicero's friends were going forwardly into it, as likely to create the leaft trouble to Cicero himself, for whofe future peace and fafety they began to be folicitous: when Cicero, obferving the inclination of the houfe, and rifing up to put the question, made this fourth fpeech on the fubject of this confpiracy; in which he delivers his fentiments with all the fkill both of the orator and ftatefinan; and while he feems to fhew a perfect neutrality, and to give equal commendation to both the opinions, artfully labours all the while to turn the fcale in favour of Silanus's, which he confidered as a neceffary example of feverity in the prefent circumftances of the repub lic. |