Sallust, Bellum Catilinae 18
/
Summary of changes to Catilinae's plans after the plan was discovered
Latin
English
sed anteā item coniūrāvēre paucī contrā rem pūblicam , in quīs Catilīna fuit ; 2 dē quā quam vērissumē poterō dicam .
L . Tullō et M’ . Lepidō cōnsulibus , P . Autrōnius et P . Sulla , dēsignātī cōnsulēs , lēgibus ambitūs interrogātī , poenās dederant . 3 post paulō Catilīna pecūniārum repetundārum reus , prohibitus erat cōnsulātum petere , quod intrā lēgitumōs diēs profitērī nequīverat . 4 erat eōdem tempore Cn . Pīsō , adulēscēns nōbilis , summae audāciae , egēns , factiōsus , quem ad perturbandam rem pūblicam inopia atque malī mōrēs stimulābant . 5 cum hōc Catilīna et Autrōnius , circiter nōnās Decembrīs cōnsiliō commūnicātō , parābant in Capitōliō kalendīs Iānuāriīs L . Cottam et L . Torquātum cōnsulēs interficere , ipsī fascibus correptīs Pīsōnem cum exercitū ad obtinendās duās Hispāniās mittere . 6 eā rē cognitā , rūrsus in nōnās Februāriās cōnsilium caedis trānstulerant . 7 iam tum nōn cōnsulibus modo , sed plērīsque senātōribus perniciem māchinābantur . 8 quod nī Catilīna mātūrāsset prō cūriā signum sociīs dare , eō diē post conditam urbem Rōmam pessumum facinus patrātum foret . quia nōndum frequentēs armātī convēnerant , ea rēs cōnsilium dirēmit .
L . Tullō et M’ . Lepidō cōnsulibus , P . Autrōnius et P . Sulla , dēsignātī cōnsulēs , lēgibus ambitūs interrogātī , poenās dederant . 3 post paulō Catilīna pecūniārum repetundārum reus , prohibitus erat cōnsulātum petere , quod intrā lēgitumōs diēs profitērī nequīverat . 4 erat eōdem tempore Cn . Pīsō , adulēscēns nōbilis , summae audāciae , egēns , factiōsus , quem ad perturbandam rem pūblicam inopia atque malī mōrēs stimulābant . 5 cum hōc Catilīna et Autrōnius , circiter nōnās Decembrīs cōnsiliō commūnicātō , parābant in Capitōliō kalendīs Iānuāriīs L . Cottam et L . Torquātum cōnsulēs interficere , ipsī fascibus correptīs Pīsōnem cum exercitū ad obtinendās duās Hispāniās mittere . 6 eā rē cognitā , rūrsus in nōnās Februāriās cōnsilium caedis trānstulerant . 7 iam tum nōn cōnsulibus modo , sed plērīsque senātōribus perniciem māchinābantur . 8 quod nī Catilīna mātūrāsset prō cūriā signum sociīs dare , eō diē post conditam urbem Rōmam pessumum facinus patrātum foret . quia nōndum frequentēs armātī convēnerant , ea rēs cōnsilium dirēmit .
Previously
a
small
number
likewise
conspired
against
the
commonwealth
,
and
one
of
them
was
Catiline
;
I
shall
speak
about
the
matter
as
briefly
as
I
can
.
In the consulship of L . Tullus and of M’ . Lepidus , P . Autronius and P . Sulla ( the designated consuls ) had been questioned under the laws of canvassing and punished . A little after , Catiline’s prosecution for extortion had prevented him from being a candidate for the consulship , because he had been unable to put forward his name within the prescribed number of days . A contemporary was Cn . Piso , an adolescent from the nobility , of the utmost daring , destitute and factious , who was being spurred by want and wicked habits to disrupt the commonwealth . It was with him that Catiline and Autronius around the Nones of December shared their scheme , and they were preparing to kill the consuls L . Cotta and L . Torquatus on the Capitol on the Kalends of January , and , having themselves seized the fasces , to send Piso with an army to hold the two Spains . But after the discovery of the affair , their response had been to transfer the murderous scheme to the Nones of February , and now they were already devising the destruction not only of the consuls but of numerous senators . And , had not Catiline been too speedy in giving the signal to his allies in front of the curia , the worst deed since the founding of the City of Rome would have been perpetrated on that day . But , because the armed men had not yet assembled in force , that circumstance caused the scheme to be broken off .
In the consulship of L . Tullus and of M’ . Lepidus , P . Autronius and P . Sulla ( the designated consuls ) had been questioned under the laws of canvassing and punished . A little after , Catiline’s prosecution for extortion had prevented him from being a candidate for the consulship , because he had been unable to put forward his name within the prescribed number of days . A contemporary was Cn . Piso , an adolescent from the nobility , of the utmost daring , destitute and factious , who was being spurred by want and wicked habits to disrupt the commonwealth . It was with him that Catiline and Autronius around the Nones of December shared their scheme , and they were preparing to kill the consuls L . Cotta and L . Torquatus on the Capitol on the Kalends of January , and , having themselves seized the fasces , to send Piso with an army to hold the two Spains . But after the discovery of the affair , their response had been to transfer the murderous scheme to the Nones of February , and now they were already devising the destruction not only of the consuls but of numerous senators . And , had not Catiline been too speedy in giving the signal to his allies in front of the curia , the worst deed since the founding of the City of Rome would have been perpetrated on that day . But , because the armed men had not yet assembled in force , that circumstance caused the scheme to be broken off .