59 Florus, Epitome 2.12 (Bellum Catilinae)
Why Catiline conspired to overthrow the State and the nature of his conspirators.
[2.12.1] Catilīnam luxuria prīmum, tum hinc cōnflāta egestās reī familiāris, simul occāsiō, quod in extrēmīs fīnibus mundī arma Rōmāna peregrīnābantur, in nefāria cōnsilia opprimendae patriae suae conpulēre. [2.12.2] Senātum cōnfodere, cōnsulēs trucīdāre, distringere incendiīs urbem, dīripere aerārium, tōtam dēnique rem pūblicam funditus tollere et quidquid nec Hannibal vidērētur optāsse, quibus —ō nefās — sociīs adgressus est! [2.12.3] Ipse patricius; sed hoc minus est: Curiī, Porciī, Sullae, Cethēgī, Autrōniī, Varguntēī atque Longīnī, quae familiae! quae senātūs īnsignia! Lentulus quoque tum cum maximē praetor. Hoc omnis inmānissimī facinoris satellitēs habuit. [2.12.4] Additum est pignus coniūrātiōnis sanguis hūmānus, quem circumlātum paterīs bibēre: summum nefās, nī amplius esset, propter quod bibērunt.
| 12.1 | prīmum, tum… simul: these three adverbs structure the three motivations for Catiline’s revolt: “extravagance” (luxuria), “poverty” (egestās), and “opportunity” (occāsiō).
cōnflāta: “enflamed (by)” his luxury or “melded” (with). familiāris: in the more literal sense of ‘pertaining to the family or household’, and so “personal” quod: the lack of a neuter antecedent confirms that this is a causal conjunction, “because…” arma Rōmāna peregrīnābantur: i.e., Rome’s armies were in the East with Pompey in nefāria cōnsilia: note in + accusative; the cōnsilia are Catiline’s plans for overthrowing his own country (opprimendae patriae suae). conpulēre: alternative perfect (~ conpulērunt). |
| 12.2 | cōnfodere… trucīdāre.. distringere… dīripere aerārium… tollere et quidquid… optā(vi)sse, all infinitives dependent on adgressus est, with the sense of “approach x (in the dative) to do y” or ‘set out, begin, embark, etc. with x to do y”.
funditus: adv., “from the very bottom”, i.e., the foundation, the roots. |
| 12.3 | hoc minus est: a patrician would be expected to uphold tradition, but this was a trivial matter (minus est) for Catiline.
?? Curiī, Porciī, Sullae, Cethēgī, Autrōniī, Varguntēī atque Longīnī: all genitives, “there was someone from (of) the (family of the) Curiī, the Porciī…” Lentulus Publius Cornelius Lentulus Sura (114 – Dec 5 63 BCE) was the praetor and a leader of the conspiracy. Hoc: ??? tum cum: “at a time when”, “at the same time as (he was)” maximē: i.e., “especially” |
| 12.4 | The sanguis hūmānus is the pignus coniūrātiōnis.
bibēre: the macron indicates that this is the alternative perfect again (~ bibērunt) nī amplius esset: i.e., “unless it were even more (wicked) because of what they drank for” |
Cicero’s speech in the Senate turns the tide.
[2.12.5] Āctum erat dē pulcherrimō imperiō, nisi illa coniūrātiō in Cicerōnem et Antōnium cōnsulēs incīdisset, quōrum alter industriā rem patefēcit, alter manū oppressit. [2.12.6] Tantī sceleris indicium per Fulviam ēmersit, vīlissimum scortum, sed patriciīs innocentius. [2.12.7] Cōnsul habitō senātū in praesentem reum perōrāvit; sed nōn amplius prōfectum, quam ut hostis ēvāderet sēque tum palam ac professe incendium suum restīnctūrum ruīnā minārētur.
| 12.5 | Āctum erat: the pluperfect gives the force, “there would have been the end concerning [of]…”
alter… alter: the two consuls, Cicero (alter) and Antonius Hybrida (alter). |
| 12.6 | per Fulviam: per can indicate instrument, means, or the agent, as here.
innocentius: neuter comparative (with scortum). |
| 12.7 | habitō senātū: ablative absolute; the standard term for convening the Senate; cf. English “he held a meeting”.
reum: i.e., Catiline, who although accused (reus), we present in the Senate meeting (praesentem). nōn amplius prōfectum, quam ut: “did not accomplish more than that…” professe < profiteor, “publicly, openly”??; reinforcing the sense of palam. ruīnā (Rōmae or omnium!); in the time before high-powered water engines, buildings on fire might be intentionally collapsed. |
Catiline flees to Manlius’ army; his co-conspirators are caught and executed in Rome.
[2.12.8] Et ille quidem ad praeparātum ā Mānliō in Etrūriā exercitum proficīscitur signa inlātūrus urbī. Lentulus dēstinātum familiae suae Sibyllīnīs versibus rēgnum sibi vāticināns, ad praestitūtum ā Catilīnā diem urbe tōtā virōs, facēs, tēla dispōnit. [2.12.9] Nec cīvīlī cōnspīrātiōne contentus lēgātōs Allobrogum, quī tum forte aderant, in arma sollicitat. Īsset ultrā Alpēs furor, nisi alterā prōditiōne Volturcī praetōris litterae tenērentur. Statim Cicerōnis imperiō iniecta est barbarīs manus; palam praetor in senātū convincitur. [2.12.10] Dē suppliciō agentibus, Caesar parcendum dignitātī, Catō animadvertendum prō scelere cēnsēbat. [2.12.11] Quam sententiam secūtīs omnibus in carcere parricīdae strangulantur.
| 12.8 | ille: Catiline.
ad praeparātum ā Mānliō in Etrūriā exercitum: an excellent example of how Latin can nest relevant information between and noun and its adjective (or participle, as here); also dēstinātum… rēgnum and praestitūtum… diem, below. signa inlātūrus urbī: “to march on the city” (lit. ‘about to carry the standards (of the legion) to the city’); the future active participle can convey a sense of purpose. facēs < fax facis, not a form of the verb faciō or the nouns faciēs or fascis. urbe tōtā: ablative of place where; the preposition is omitted, as often when the noun is modified by an adjective. |
| 12.9 | Allobrogum: the Allobroges were a Gallic tribe, recently reconquered by the Romans after a brief revolt.
Īsset < eō īre; in the apodosis of a past contrary-to-fact conditional. Volturcī: Volturcius praetōris.. praetōr: refers to Lentulus, whose letter to Catiline was handed over to the Senate by Volturcius. manus: “force” in general, which is applied on Cicero’s authority against the Allobroges (barbarīs) — although it also refers to the armed group that Cicero used to ambush Volturcius. In fact, the Allobroges betrayed the plan of the Catilinarians and worked with Cicero to entrap them as they left Rome. |
| 12.10 | Dē suppliciō agentibus: agere was used of holding a debate in the Senate, so “for those debating about the punishment” (of the traitors).
Caesar: Gaius Julius Caesar (100–44 BCE), who at this time was still an ambitious younger politicians, having just been elected Pontifex Maximus. Catō: Cato the Younger (95–46 BCE), who would become Caesar’s nemesis during the next civil war (49–46 BCE). parcendum dignitātī, Catō animadvertendum prō scelere cēnsēbat |
| 12.11 | Quam: connective relative, referring back to the option just mentioned (i.e., that of Cato).
secūtīs omnibus: ablative absolute; remember that sequor is deponent and so “because all were following” (this (Cato’s) advice). parricīdae: Latin uses the same work, parricīda for someone who kills their parent and who commits high treason against the fatherland. |
Catiline dies in a glorious manner but in service of a nefarious cause.
Quamvīs parte coniūrātiōnis oppressā, tamen ab inceptō Catilīna nōn dēstitit; īnfēstīs ab Etrūriā signīs patriam petēns obviō Antōniī exercitū opprimitur. [2.12.12] Quam atrōciter dīmicātum sit, exitus docuit. Nēmō hostium bellō superfuit; quem quis in pugnandō cēperat locum, eum āmissā animā corpore tegēbat. Catilīna longē ā suīs inter hostium cadāvera repertus est, pulcherrimā morte, sī prō patriā sīc concidisset.
| 12.11 | Quamvīs parte coniūrātiōnis oppressā: ablative absolute; the quamvīs reinforces the concessive nature of this absolute construction.
ab inceptō: “from the (thing/action) having been begun.” īnfēstīs ab Etrūriā signīs: ablative of means??? obviō Antōniī exercitū: Catiline was intercepted (obviō) the army lead by the consul Antonius Hybrida. |
| 12.12 | Quam atrōciter: quam is an interrogative adverb, introducing an indirect question dependent on exitus docuit.
dīmicātum sit: impersonal of an intransitive verb, “was the fighting” bellō: dative with superfuit. quem quis in pugnandō cēperat locum, eum…: the order of this sentence differs significantly from English expectations but if we pay attention to each element, the logic of the Latin sentence emerges: quem: the grammatical antecedent is locum; locum is likely postponed here because of the tendency for unemphatic pronouns to appear second in a sentence (Wackernagel’s Law); the position quis in locum, quem quis was therefore felt to be unusual and locum was positioned after the relative clause is closed by the verb cēperat. quis = quisque [hostium]. eum: in apposition with locum. āmissā animā: ablative absolute. suīs [milītibus]. pulcherrimā morte: ablative of respect or specification for how Catiline would have died sīc: referring to the courageous nature of his death. |
