A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

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CATILINA.

the sphere of operations, and to organize a more
comprehensive and sweeping scheme of destruction.
Accordingly, about the beginning of June, B. c. 64,
probably soon after the successful termination of
his second trial, when called to account for the
blood which he had shed during the proscription of
Sulla (Dion Cass. xxxvii. 10), he began, while
canvassing vigorously for the consulship, to sound
the dispositions of various persons, by pointing
out the probable success of a great revolutionary movement, and the bright prospect of
power and profit opened up to its promoters. After having thus ascertained the temper
of different individuals, he called together those
who from their necessities, their characters, and
their sentiments, were likely to be most eager and
most resolute in the undertaking. The meeting,
according to Sallust, was attended by eleven senators, by four members of the equestrian order,
and by several men of rank and influence from
the provincial towns. The most conspicuous were
P. Cornelius Lentulus Sura, who had been consul
in B. c. 71, but having been passed over by the
censors had lost his seat in the senate, which he
was now seeking to recover by standing a second
time for the praetorship (Dion Cass. xxxvii. 30);
C. Cornelius Cethegus, distinguished throughout
by his impatience, headstrong impetuosity, and
sanguinary violence (Sall. Cat. 43; Cic. pro Sull.
19); P. Autronius spoken of above; L. Cassius
Longinus, at this time a competitor for the consulship, dull and heavy, but bloodthirsty withal (Cic.
in Cat. iii. 4-6; Pro Sulla, 13); L. Vargunteius,
who had been one of the colleagues of Cicero in
the quaestorship, and had subsequently been condemned for bribery (Pro Sull. 5, 6, 18); L. Calpurnius Bestia, tribune elect; Publius and Servius
Sulla, nephews of the dictator; M. Porcius Laeca
(Cic. in Cat. i. 4, ii. 6, Pro Sull. 2, 18); Q.
Annius; Q. Curius; M. Fulvius Nobilior; L.
Statilius; P. Gabinius Capito; C. Cornelius. In
addition to these, a great body of the younger nobility were known to be favourably inclined although
they had not openly committed themselves, and now,
as on the former occasion, rumour included Crassus
and Caesar, although the report does not appear to
have gained general belief. [Comp. p. 541, b.]
At this assembly Catiline, after expatiating upon
a number of topics calculated to rouse the indignation and stimulate the cupidity of his audience,
proceeded to develop his objects and resources. He
proposed that all debts should be cancelled, that the
most wealthy citizens should be proscribed, and that
all offices of honour and emolument should be divided among the associates, while for support he
counted upon Piso in Hither Spain, P. Sittius
Nucerinus with the army in Mauritania, and at
home confidently anticipated the co-operation of C.
Antonius, whom he expected to be chosen consul along
with himself for the following year, having formed
a coalition with him for the purpose of excluding
Cicero. The votes of the people, however, in some
measure deranged these calculations. Cicero and
C. Antonius were returned, the former nearly unanimously, the latter by a small majority over Catiline.
This disappointment, while it increased if possible
the bitterness of his animosity towards the dominant
party among the aristocracy and the independent
portion of the middle ranks, rendered him more
vigorous in the prosecution of his designs. Large
sums of money were raised upon his own security,

CATILINA.
or on the credit of his friends; magazines of arms
and other warlike stores were secretly formed; troops
were levied in various parts of Italy, especially in
the neighbourhood of Faesulae, under the superintendence of C. Manlius, an experienced commander,
one of the veteran centurions of Sulla (Dion Cass.
xxxvii. 30), and numerous adherents were enrolled
from the most desperate classes, including not a few
women of ruined reputation; attempts also were
made in various quarters to gain over the slaves;
and it was determined, when the critical moment
should arrive for an open demonstration, to set fire
to the city in many different places at the same
instant, and to slaughter the well-disposed portion
of the population in the tumult. Meanwhile, in
the midst of these extensive preparations, Catiline
again (63) stood candidate for the consulship, and
used every effort to get rid of Cicero, who met him
at every turn and thwarted all his best-contrived
machinations. Nor was this wonderful, for he was
countermined from a quarter whence he apprehended no danger. One of the most high-born, abandoned, but at the same time, weak and vacillating,
among the conspirators, was a certain Q. Curius,
who had been expelled from the senate by the censors on account of the infamy of his life. This
man had long consorted with a noble mistress named
Fulvia, who appears to have acquired complete controul over his mind, and to have been made the depositary of all his secrets. Fulvia, alarmed by the
intelligence obtained from her lover, divulged what
she had learned to several of her acquaintances and,
through them, opened a correspondence with Cicero,
to whom she regularly communicated all the particulars she could collect, and at length persuaded
Curius himself to turn traitor and betray his comrades. Thus the consul was at once put in possession of every circumstance as soon as it occurred,
and was enabled to keep vigilant watch over the
conduct of every individual from whom danger
was to be apprehended. By imparting to a certain
extent his fears and suspicions to the senators and
monied men, he excited a general feeling of distrust
and suspicion towards Catiline, and bound firmly
together, by the tie of common interest, all who
having property to lose looked forward with dread
to confusion and anarchy; Antonius, whose good
faith was more than doubtful, he gained over by at
once resigning to him the province of Macedonia,
while he protected his own person by a numerous
body of friends and dependants who surrounded
him whenever he appeared in public. These preliminary measures being completed, he now ventured
to speak more openly; prevailed upon the senate to
defer the consular elections in order that the state
of public affairs might be fully investigated; and at
length, on the 21st of October, openly denounced
Catiline, charged him broadly with treason, predicted that in six days from that time Manlius
would take the field in open war, and that the 28th
was the period fixed for the murder of the leading
men in the commonwealth. Such was the consternation produced by these disclosures that many of
those who considered themselves peculiarly obnoxious instantly fled from Rome, and the senate being
now thoroughly roused, passed the decretum ultimum, in virtue of which the consuls were invested
for the time being with absolute power, both civil
and military. Thus supported, Cicero took such
precautions that the Comitia passed off without any
outbreak or even attempt at violence, although an