Introduction

For our last excursion in Roman friendship and enmity, we will investigate how friendship and its attendant virtues operates in Roman power politics. Our field will be the Crisis of Catiline in 63 BCE, when an escalating series of political maneuvers and conspiracy brought the Republic to the verge of civil war. Our primary source will be Cicero’s coruscating indictment of the treacherous and revolutionary activities of his arch-nemesis, Lucius Sergius Catilina, in the First Catilinarian.

As with our readings in Nepos, you will find herein a “by-phrase” version of Cicero’s speech. A separate commentary, as well as worksheets, will be provided. For background to the Crisis, I include a summary by the later historian, Florus (spoilers!). And as a special treat, the poem that Horace wrote to commemorate the death of a later threat to the Roman order: Cleopatra!