tuta consilia: "a fair comment, by contrast, on the nature of the planning which characterised the leadership of the conspiracy." (McGushin, ad loc.)
pro incerta spe certa praemia: "certa praemia may refer to the promised rewards of 30.6; however in 50.1 we learn that special rewards were voted. The Allobroges may also have felt that the objects of their current mission to Rome would meet with success." (McGushin, ad loc.)
aperiunt: a lone historic present.
simulent, adeant, polliceantur, dent, habeant: present subjunctives for the sake of vividness, instead of the imperfects we should normally expect after the historic governing verb praecepit.
quam maxume manifestos habeant: "S., composing ex eventu, may be ascribing to a design of Cicero what just happened to occur." (McGushin, ad loc.)
Like Piceno, Bruttio is an adjective qualifying agro.
motus: the fourth declension noun.
effecerant = effecerunt. Cf. the note on 18.6, transtulerant.
causa cognita: a legal phrase, causa meaning "judicial proceedings, trial". (OLD 289, s.v. "causa", A1)
C. Murena ... legatus: He deputised for his brother Lucius Licinius Murena, who had been governor of Gaul 64/63 BC but went to Rome in 63 to stand for the elections for the consulship of 62. (OCD 859, s.v. "Licinius Murena, Lucius")
citeriore Gallia: "That Murena was in charge of Gallia Ulterior is clear from Cic. Mur. 41. Whether Sallust is in error, or the manuscripts, cannot be determined." (Rolfe, ad loc.)
Aefulanum: "One gathers from 32.2, 43.2, 44.6 that the plans for arson and massacre were not to be put into execution till Catiline, coming from Faesulae, had got close enough to Rome to take advantage of the ensuing chaos." (McGushin, ad loc.)
Aefulanum is the most likely reading. The ager Aefulanus was in Latium, north of Praeneste.
uti ... quereretur ... imponeret ... exsequeretur: noun clauses, object of constituerant.
L. Bestia: What a beautiful name!
de actionibus Ciceronis: "It was the policy of the conspirators to pretend that Cicero had set in train false rumours of a plot in order to drive innocent men away from the city; that they were honest citizens seeking redress for their wrongs but were manoeuvred by Cicero's manipulations of the Senate (actionibus) into a position where they could be dealt with as traitors. The same tone is evident in the letter of Manlius (ch. 33)." (McGushin, ad loc.)
quo tumultu facilior aditus ... fieret: final qui-clause, as well as virtually sub-oblique.
si pauci adiuuarent: subjunctive in a subordinate clause in oratio obliqua. Cethegus's actual words were si pauci adiuuabunt.
conueniunt, postulant: historic presents.
item differentiates Cassius from the rest. This is confirmed by 44.2, which shows Cassius as odd man out. Did he suspect something? Was he too smart to take the oath?
quod ... perferant: a final qui-clause, as well as sub-oblique.
The ius iurandum signatum later proved to be damming evidence of complicity.
dant, pollicetur, proficiscitur: historic presents.
eo: the adverb, i.e. "to Gaul".
breui: sc. tempore.
prius quam ... pergerent: subjunctive as the clause is an integral part of the purpose expressed in the clause ut Allobroges ... confirmarent.
"Volturcius' attitude at the bridge (45.1) and at the subsequent hearing gives the impression that he was an innocent dupe throughout; it may be that he formed part of a skilful counterplot by Cicero." (McGushin, ad loc.)
fac cogites: lit. "You-are-to-consider; make (it so)"; another instance of parataxis. See again the note on 7.3.
memineris ... consideres ... petas: These jussive subjunctives are softer versions of the second person imperative. Cf. the note on defendas (35.6).
The letter subsequently also proved damning: it showed Romans apparently engaged in treasonable dealings with a Gallic tribe. ab infimis would have revived memories of the infamous slave war led by Spartacus in 73 BC. (OCD 1433)
McGushin (ad loc.) observes that the letter makes sense only "if we suppose that up to this point Catiline and Lentulus had not been confederates. Catiline would need to know the identity of the writer of an anonymous letter despatched under an unfamiliar seal. This could therefore support the view that Lentulus, like Manlius, was originally the leader of his own dissident movement and later decided to capitalise on the support given to Catiline's confrontation with the authorities."
dat: historic present.
seruitia: See again the note on 24.4.
repudiet = repudias in oratio recta.
ne cunctetur = noli cunctari in oratio recta.
L. Valerio Flacco: OCD 1578, s.v. "Valerius Flaccus (4), Lucius".
Pomptinus subsequently besieged and subdued the rebellious Allobroges in Further Gaul. In spite of their services to Rome, the Senate continued to neglect their complaints.
imperat ... aperit ... permittit: historic presents. No special mention will be made of these from now on, but keep an eye out for them.
comitatus: a fourth declension plural = omnes qui eos comitabantur.
uti facto opus sit: virtually sub-oblique after the governing verb permittit.
facto: For the case-usage, see MBA 286.
ita agant permittit: parataxis. See again the note on 7.3.
utrimque: We learn from Cicero's account (in Cat. 5) that troops were located at each end of the bridge. As soon as the travellers got onto it, they were surrounded
dedit: 3rd singular present tense of dêdere.
periculis: dative of disadvantage, as usual with verbs of taking away.
poenam ... impunitatem: antithesis again. Cf. the note on 1.2.
oneri ... perdundae rei publicae: predicative datives.
perdundae = perdendae. See again the note on capiundae (5.6).
"One of the immediate problems [for Cicero] was to decide whether he should refer the matter to the Senate at all. He had been accused of raising false alarms, of exaggerating the danger and of irresponsibly heightening the tension." (McGushin, ad loc.)
"There is only one logical answer to the question of why Cicero chose to summon and prosecute five particular conspirators. Simply stated, they were the only five men who were both in Rome on December 3 and against whom Cicero had indisputable evidence. All other conspirators were either away from the city or untouched by the evidence in his possession at the time. The nature of the evidence which finally emboldened Cicero to proceed against five men is ultimately connected with Volturcius and the Allobroges, for they are the common thread binding the five together...
"Cicero's diligence in gathering evidence and his care in its application were factors as important as his vigilance in exposing the conspiracy of Catiline. Cicero's prudentia is evident not only in the way he rid the city of Catiline, but also in the manner by which he spared Rome from fire and sword." (pp. 230, 234 in Duane A. March, "Cicero and the 'Gang of Five'", Classical World 82 (1988-1989). 225-234)
seruitia: See again the note on 24.4.
The temple of Concord was frequently used for Senate meetings. On its location and history see RL 25.
magna frequentia: ablative of attendant circumstances.
fide publica: ablative of attendant circumstances.
adscitum: the perfect passive participle of adsciscere.
nihil amplius scire quam legatos: "He can hardly have known what knowledge they had or had not with regard to the matter." (Summers, ad loc.)
regnum ... portendi ... se ... esse, cui fatum foret...: oratio obliqua expanding sermonibus. The oratio obliqua continues in the next sentence with illum esse ... annum quem ... haruspices respondissent ... fore. The accusative and infinitive quem ... fore is directly dependent on respondissent.
Cinnam: OCD 393, s.v. "Cornelius Cinna (1), Lucius".
urbis potiri: For the case-usage of urbis, see MBA 282. Sallust uses both genitive and ablative indifferently after potiri.
incenso Capitolio: This happened in 83 BC during the civil strife between Marius ad Sulla.
Summers (ad loc.) cites Mommsen's description of the destruction of "the venerable temple [of Jupiter Optimus Maximus], which had been erected by the kings, dedicated by the youthful republic, and spared by the storms of 500 years," as an image of the state of the Roman constitution.
haruspices: OCD 667-668.
senatus decernit: According to Cicero (in Cat. 3.14-15), the Senate also officially thanked him and declared a supplication (OCD 1456, s.v. "supplication, Roman") in his honour.
abdicato magistratu: "A Roman magistrate could not be deposed, but pressure was often brought to bear on an official to resign, since a magistrate was immune to punishment." (McGushin, ad loc.)
in liberis custodiis: "It was Roman practice to keep criminals under arrest in their own houses or to discharge them on bail till the trial or, especially in the case of officials and nobles, to consign them to the custody of people held responsible for their safe keeping." (McGushin, ad loc.)
mutata mente: "This is largely the fruit of the emphatic counter-propaganda of Cicero's Third Catilinarian, delivered immediately after the meeting of the Senate described in ch. 47." (McGushin, ad loc.)
execrari ... tollere: historic infinitives, followed, for variety, by the finite verb agitabat.
gaudium atque laetitiam: another Sallustian doublet.
incendium uero crudele: The absence of a contrasting conjunction before this phrase is an example of adversative asyndeton. See again the note on 1.4.
Fire was an ever-present danger in the crowded, jerry-built tenements occupied by the poorer people. Juvenal, Satire 3, 194 ff., is eloquent on the subject. See further OCD 731-732, s.v. "houses, Italian", para. 4.
quippe cui ... erant: The causal nature of the relative clause is reinforced by quippe. In these circumstances Cicero would have used the subjunctive essent. (MBA 513)
omnes copiae in usu cotidiano et cultu corporis erant: lit. "all (their) possessions were in daily use and clothing of (their) body."
quae sciret: a subjunctive verb as the clause is sub-oblique, forming an integral part of the consul's order.
de x 3: "Anaphora of de underlines the importance of the information given." (McGushin, ad loc.)
M. Crasso: OCD 857-858, s.v. "Licinius Crassus (1), Marcus".
qui nuntiaret: a final qui-clause, as well as sub-oblique.
deprehensi: English idiom uses an abstract noun. See the translation.
ne ... terrerent, eoque ... properaret: clauses of indirect command dependent on nuntiaret.
eo: ablative of cause, lit. "by-reason-of-that".
quo ... reficeret et illi ... eriperentur: final clauses.
"The explicit nature of these charges and the reaction to them reported by the historian are in marked contrast to the vague and neutral charges levelled at Caesar in 49.1 ff. Such an attitude to Caesar has been interpreted as proof of S.'s aims in this monograph. S.'s readiness to report current rumour against Crassus (17.7, 19.1 f.), who must have used a variety of schemes to further his own designs, without necessarily acting in concert with Caesar, and his method of dealing with the accusations against Caesar should be taken at their face value. Any attempt to read between the lines leads almost inevitably to fanciful hypotheses without sure foundation in fact." (McGushin, ad loc.)
alii ... rati (sunt), pars existumabant: elegant variation. See again the note on 2.1.
pars existumabant: singular subject, plural verb - a sense construction.
tanta uis hominis: The abstract noun uis highlights the essential quality of Crassus, his formidable power. See again the note on 8.3.
leniunda = lenienda. Cf. the note on capiundae (5.6).
obnoxii: "The numerous loans or bribes which Crassus' enormous wealth enabled him to make gave him a private influence unequalled by any individual of his time." (McGushin, ad loc.)
uti referatur: i.e. to the Senate by the consul. "The topic in this instance was so explosive that no individual was prepared to commit himself without the opportunity to explore general opinion." (McGushin, ad loc.)
faciundam = faciendam. There will be no special mention of such gerundives henceforth, but keep an eye out for them.
tantam rem: Cicero would have written de tanta re.
machinatum: the perfect participle of a deponent verb here used in a passive sense. (KMP 126)
quo faciliius ... tegeret: a final clause introduced by quo and containing the usual comparative.
ne ... conturbaret: a final clause, as well as being sub-oblique.
contumeliam ... impositam (esse): accusative and infinitive, dependent on praedicantem; lit. "that so-great insult to-have-been-laid on-himself by Cicero".
"While it is possible that in a later stage of estrangement Crassus may have stated that this was the background to the Tarquinius affair, it is unlikely that the consul would have wished to antagonise Crassus at this critical stage. He acknowledges in his de Consulatu Suo the help given him by Crassus in the counter-measures against Catiline." (McGushin, ad loc.)
C. Piso: OCD 280, s.v. "Calpurnius Piso (1), Gaius".
neque precibus ... pretio: "S. may well have intended a climax of persuasion in order to emphasise the absurdity of the accusation." (McGushin, ad loc.)
exercebant: Other MSS have exercebat. If exercebant is correct, then the reason is a sense construction, but it is the only instance of Sallust using uterque with a plural verb.
in iudicio pecuniarum repetundarum: "The accusation of extortion had been made by the Allobroges. Caesar, as patron of the province, had made the additional charge. Piso was defended by Cicero and acquitted." (Rolfe, ad loc.)
supplicium: For the distinction between poena and supplicium, see MBA page 417, Footnote 1.
pontificatus: objective genitive dependent on petitione. Under the lex Domitia (OCD 850), revoked by Sulla but restored by a tribune Labienus, the tribes were responsible for electing the Pontifex Maximus. Caesar won handsomely thanks to extensive bribery.
adulescentulo: The diminutive has a contemptuous force, but the contempt is Catulus's, not Sallust's. Caesar was about thirty-eight. "Catulus was about twenty years older, but hardly old enough to merit the description extrema aetate; the implication is that, since the pontificate was a life appointment, Catulus had no chance of realising his ambition." (McGushin, ad loc.)
"Before his departure to Spain as propraetor in 61 he had amassed debts amounting to over 20 million sesterces and could only leave Rome when Crassus stood as guarantee." (McGushin, ad loc.) See again OCD 434, s.v. "debt", particularly the last part ("In the late Roman Republic ...").
quae se ... audisse dicerent: In orthodox prose this would be quae, ut dicebant, audissent. dicerent has illogically been made the subjunctive we should have expected in audissent, subjunctive in a subordinate clause in oratio obliqua. Similarly, Cicero himself writes, obiectus est pater uarie, quod aut parum splendidus ipse, aut parum pie tractatus a filio diceretur, "The issue of his father has been raised in a variety of ways, because people said either the father himself did not live in sufficient style or the son did not accord him sufficient respect."(Pro Caelio 2.3)
nonnulli equites Romani: "Part of the objective of Cicero's propaganda had been to bring about a concordia ordinum, based on consensus omnium bonorum, i.e. of citizens who had most to lose if Catiline's programme ever got under way." (McGushin, ad loc.) Naturally this included the equites.
Caesari minitarentur: The verb has no particular frequentative force here; Caesari is dative of disadvantage.
"This incident probably occurred after Caesar's oration in the debate of Dec. 5 and the result of Cato's appeal to concordia ordinum [ch. 52]. S., through forgetfulness or by design, has shifted the chronology and thus gives the impression that this attack was the result of the activity of Catulus and Piso." (McGushin, ad loc.)
The event is an uncanny harbinger of what happened on 15 March, 44, the day of Caesar's assassination.
praemia: "What the reward actually was is not known. The arrangements in 30.6 may have been applied to Volturcius." (McGushin, ad loc.)
diuorsis: See again the note on aduorsa (3.3).
seruitia: "The incitement of slaves in this instance is not to be confused with the more serious purpose of enlisting slaves in the army of the rebels as, e.g. in 30.2." (McGushin, ad loc.)
partim: in orthodox prose, alii.
multitudinum: e.g. those of Milo and Clodius. [OCD 99-100 and 350-351 respectively]
soliti erant = solebant, making soliti virtually the equivalent of an adjective.
P. Furio: the first mention of him. "He may well be the Faesulanus quidam commanding the left wing of Catiline's army at Pistoria." (McGushin, ad loc.) See 59.3.
si deprehensi forent: The clause is sub-oblique; in oratio recta, si deprehensi erunt (future perfect indicative).
"Silanus seems to be going beyond the terms of reference when he speaks of conspirators not yet arrested." (McGushin, ad loc.) Cf. qui in custodiam traditi erant (50.3)
supplicium: See again the note on 49.2.
pedibus in sententiam iturum (esse) se: lit. "himself (to-be) about-to-go with-the-feet into the-opinion". "After the members of the senate had expressed their opinions, the supporters of a measure passed to one side of the house to be counted, the opponents to the other." (Rolfe, ad loc.)
decreuerat, dixerat = decreuit, dixit respectively. See again the note on transtulerant (18.6).
Ti. Neronis: legate of Pompeius in the war against the pirates and grandfather of the Emperor Tiberius.
praesidiis additis: probably to make doubly certain the security of the prisoners until, following the defeat of Catiline, the debate could be renewed.
referundum: Here the prefix re- means "back, again".
"It is not easy to sort out the order of the motions and amendments in this debate to establish the line of thought which prompted them." (McGushin, ad loc.)