M. Tullius Cicero, In Catilinam, ed. Albert Curtis Clark, 4.13

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[13] Nisi vero cuipiam L. L ucius Caesar, vir fortissimus et amantissimus rei publicae, crudelior nudius tertius visus est, cum sororis suae, feminae lectissimae¹, virum praesentem et audientem vita privandum esse dixit, cum avum suum² iussu consulis interfectum filiumque eius impuberem legatum a patre missum in carcere necatum³ esse dixit. quorum quod simile factum, quod initum delendae rei publicae consilium? largitionis voluntas tum in re publica versata est et partium quaedam contentio. atque illo⁴ tempore huius avus Lentuli, vir clarissimus⁵, armatus Gracchum est persecutus. ille etiam grave tum volnus accepit, ne quid de summa rei publicae⁶ minueretur⁷; hic ad evertenda fundamenta rei publicae⁸ Gallos arcessit, servitia concitat, Catilinam vocat, attribuit nos trucidandos Cethego et ceteros civis interficiendos Gabinio, urbem inflammandam Cassio⁹, totam Italiam vastandam diripiendamque Catilinae. vereamini minus¹⁰ censeo ne in hoc scelere tam immani ac nefando aliquid severius¹¹ statuisse videamini: multo magis est verendum ne remissione poenae crudeles in patriam quam ne severitate animadversionis nimis vehementes in acerbissimos hostis fuisse videamur.

In Catilinam. M. Tullius Cicero. ed. Albert Curtis Clark. Oxford. 1908.

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Current edition Perseus

In L. Catilinam (Latin) (Cicero. M. Tulli Ciceronis Orationes, Volume 1. Clark, Albert Curtis, editor. Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1908.)

Translations (1)

Against L. Catiline Perseus (Cicero. The Orations of Marcus Tullius Cicero, Volume 2. Yonge, Charles Duke, translator. London: Bell, 1856.) — 4.13 focus

[13]
Unless, indeed, Lucius ¹ Caesar, a thoroughly brave man and of the best disposition towards the republic, seemed to any one to be too cruel three, days ago, when he said that the husband of his own sister, a most excellent woman, (in his presence and in his hearing,) ought to be deprived of life,— when he said that his grandfather had been put to death by command of the consul and his youthful son, sent as an ambassador by his father, had been put to death in prison. And what deed had they done like these men? had they formed any plan for destroying the republic? At that time great corruption was rife in the republic, and there was the greatest strife between parties. And, at that time, the grandfather of this Lentulus, a most illustrious man, put on his armour and pursued Gracchus; he even received a severe wound that there might be no diminution of the great dignity of the republic. But this man, his grandson, invited the Gauls to overthrow the foundations of the republic; he stirred up the slaves, he summoned Catiline, he distributed us to Cethegus to be massacred, and the rest of the citizens to Gabinius to be assassinated, the city he allotted to Cassius to burn, and the plundering and devastating of all Italy he assigned to Catiline. You fear, I think, lest in the case of such unheard of and abominable wickedness you should seem to decide anything with too great severity; when we ought much more to fear lest by being remiss in punishing we should appear cruel to our country, rather than appear by the severity of our irritation too rigorous to its most bitter enemies.

Notes on the current edition

In Catilinam

1. lectissimae C2: electissimae C1 cett.

2. suum αβ l2 et Schol.: om. cett.

3. necatum fort. e re p. necatos excidit

4. illo eo αβ

5. viri clarissimi CAV

6. summa rei p. summa rei p. dignitate a: summa dignitate rei p. αβ hx: summa re p. pauci dett.

7. minueretur diminueretur αβ h (minueretur... rei p. om. CAV)

8. rei p. fundamenta a

9. Cassio ox: om. cett.

10. minus hic inserui, nimis ante aliquid habent codd.

11. severius severe αβ x

Commentary

Commentary on Fourth Oration against Catiline (Select Orations of Cicero (Allen and Greenough's Edition). Greenough, James Bradstreet; Kittredge, George Lyman, editors. Boston, London: Ginn & Company, 1897.) focus

nisi vero , etc.: reductio ad absurdum, as usual with this phrase; § 525 , b, N. (315, b, N.); G. 591, R.4; H.-B. 578, 31 a.

L. Caesar : L. Caesar (consul B.C. 64), was a distant relative of the Dictator, son of Lucius Caesar (consul B.C. 90, the year of the Social War), the author of the law giving citizenship to the Italian allies (see note, Arch., sect. 7 ). The sister of Lucius Caesar (the younger) was married to Lentulus, and his mother, Fulvia, was daughter of M. Fulvius Flaccus, the leading adherent of C. Gracchus. When Gracchus and Flaccus found themselves ( B.C. 121) drawn into a collision with the Senate, they sent the young son of Flaccus with a proposition of compromise. The Senate, however, refused to listen to any terms, threw the messenger into prison, — where he was afterwards strangled, —and moved upon the insurgents with all the power of the state. In the contest that followed, both leaders and several thousands of their partisans lost their lives. It was to these events that L. Caesar had appealed in justifying his vote in condemnation of his brother-in-law Lentulus.

ejus refers to

avum .

legatum : of course the informal messenger of insurgents could have no claim to the title ambassador, or to the privileges which attached to the title in ancient as well as modern times.

quorum limits

factum : understand with simile some word describing the present conspiracy ( what act of theirs was like this?).

largitionis . . . versata est : the plans of C. Gracchus embraced not only a lex frutmentaria, allowing every citizen to buy a certain amount of corn from the state at less than half its market rate, and a lex agraria, providing for the distribution of public land among the poorer citizens, but also the establishment of several colonies, both in Italy and the provinces, the object of which was at once to provide poor citizens with land, and to relieve the city, by emigration, of a part of its proletariat. Though these grants were perhaps just, yet their proposal was regarded by the nobility as a political bid for popular favor, and hence gave rise to violent party jealousy (partium contentio).

avus (see note on p. 131, l. 6 ): he was an active supporter of the Senate on this occasion;

ille (1.32) refers to the same person.

urbem inflammandam : according to Sallust's Catiline, ch. 43, this work was assigned to Gabinius and Statilius.

vereamini follows

censeo (ironical), as if with ut omitted.

M. Tullius Cicero In Catilinam 4.13

ed. Albert Curtis Clark

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