I myself, however, when a young man, was at first led by inclination, like most others, to engage in political affairs; but in that pursuit many circumstances were unfavorable to me; for, instead of modesty, temperance, and integrity, there prevailed shamelessness, corruption, and rapacity. IB Latin Paper 2 Sallust Bellum Catalinae 1-8. But the protection of the gods is not obtained by vows and effeminate supplications; it is by vigilance, activity, and prudent measures, that general welfare is secured. The two assigned excerpts are the most famous parts of the BC, the preface and the debate between Caesar and Cato on the punishment of the WebIn Sallust monograph, Bellum Catilinae (4342 bc ; Catilines War ), deals with corruption in Roman politics by tracing the conspiracy of Catiline, a ruthlessly ambitious patrician who had attempted to seize power in 63 bc after the suspicions of his fellow nobles and the growing mistrust of the people prevented him from attaining [85] The oldest integri scrolls were created in the eleventh centuryAD. Webantagonist in Sallusts Bellum Catilinae 51 and 52. To these and all others of similar character, public disorders would furnish subsistence. To such indignities, bravest of men, how long will you submit? [32] As governor he was so corrupt and avaricious that on his return in late 45 or early 44BC[33] only Caesar's dictatorial influence enabled him to escape conviction on charges of corruption and extortion. The women, also, to whom, from the extent of the empire, the dread of war was new, gave way to lamentation, raised supplicating hands to heaven, mourned over their infants, made constant inquiries, trembled at everything, and, forgetting their pride and their pleasures, felt nothing but alarm for themselves and their country. Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology, "Review of: The Breakdown of the Roman Republic: From Oligarchy to Empire", "Review of "The Political Thought of Sallust" by DC Earl", "A Traditional Pattern of Imitation in Sallust and His Sources", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sallust&oldid=1147469638, Articles with Russian-language sources (ru), Short description is different from Wikidata, Pages using infobox military person with embed, Articles with unsourced statements from March 2022, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, This page was last edited on 31 March 2023, at 04:52. But when their state, from an accession of population and territory, and an improved condition of morals, showed itself tolerably flourishing and powerful, envy, as is generally the case m human affairs, was the consequence of its prosperity. At this period, too, he is said to have attached to his cause great numbers of men of all classes, and some women, who had, in their earlier days, supported an expensive life by the price of their beauty, but who, when age had lessened their gains but not their extravagance, had contracted heavy debts. I have called you together, however, to give you a few instructions, and to explain to you, at the same time, my reasons for the course which I have adopted. Lentulus, accordingly, was given in charge to Publius Lentulus Spinther, who was then aedile; Cethegus, to Quintus Cornificius; Statilius, to Caius Caesar; Gabinius, to Marcus Crassus; and Coeparius, who had just before been arrested in his flight, to Cneius Terentius, a senator. Sallusts Contribution to Roman Historiography 4. On the other hand, the most of the nobility opposed their proceedings to the utmost; under pretence, indeed, of supporting the senate, but in reality for their own aggrandizement. The office, originally designed to represent the lower classes, by Sallusts time had developed into one of the most powerful magistracies. These speeches distill the WebIt is Sallust's first published work, detailing the attempt by Lucius Sergius Catilina to overthrow the Roman Republic in 63 BC. The tradition about his morals seems to have originated in scurrilous gossip and by a confusion between the historian and his adopted son, Augustuss minister Sallustius Crispus, a man of great wealth and luxurious tastes. 6 Of the city of Rome, as I understand, the founders and earliest inhabitants were the Trojans, who, under the conduct of Aeneas, were wandering about as exiles from their country, without any settled abode; and with these were joined the Aborigines, a savage race of men, without laws or government, free and owning no control. All precedents productive of evil effects, have had their origin from what was good; but when a government passes into the hands of the ignorant or unprincipled, any new example of severity, inflicted on deserving and suitable objects, is extended to those that are improper and undeserving of it. solution for none but conquerors have exchanged war for peace. Get a Britannica Premium subscription and gain access to exclusive content. [14] Because of this Sallust could have been raised in Rome. WebIn Sallust monograph, Bellum Catilinae (4342 bc ; Catilines War ), deals with corruption in Roman politics by tracing the conspiracy of Catiline, a ruthlessly When Cicero sat down, Catiline, being prepared to pretend ignorance of the whole matter, entreated, with downcast looks and suppliant voice, that the Conscript Fathers would not too hastily believe anything against him; saying that he was sprung from such a family, and had so ordered his life from his youth, as to have every happiness in prospect; and that they were not to suppose that he, a patrician, whose services to the Roman people, as well as those of his ancestors, had been so numerous, should want to ruin the state, where Marcus Tullius, a mere adopted citizen of Rome, was eager to preserve it. When he was proceeding to add other invectives, they all raised an outcry against him, and called him an enemy and a traitor. Sallust's vivid account of Roman public life shows a Republic in decline, prey to moral corruption and internal strife. I have determined therefore, to make no formal defense with regard to my new course of conduct; yet I was resolved, though conscious of no guilt, to offer you some explanation, which, on my word of honor, you may receive as true. His complexion, in consequence, was pale, his eyes haggard, his walk sometimes quick and sometimes slow, and distraction was plainly apparent in every feature and look. WebColumbus, 1990. . 27 He accordingly dispatched Caius Manlius to Faesulae, and the adjacent parts of Etruria; one Septimius, of Camerinum, into the Picenian territory; Caius Julius into Apulia; and others to various places, wherever he thought each would be most serviceable. was such eloquence directed? 24 Accordingly, when the comitia were held, Marcus Tullius and Caius Antonius were declared consuls; an event which gave the first shock to the conspirators. I conjure you, therefore, to maintain a brave and resolute spirit; and to remember, when you advance to battle, that on your own right hands depend riches, honor, and glory, with the enjoyment of your liberty and of your country. [10][27] This campaign was unsuccessful. [25] Some historians, however, give it an earlier date of composition, perhaps as early at 50BC as an unpublished pamphlet which was reworked and published after the civil wars. Sallust presents Catiline as a deliberate foe Besides, those whose parents, by the victory of Sylla, had been proscribed, whose property had been confiscated, and whose civil rights had been curtailed, looked forward to the event of a war with precisely the same feelings. These objects I hope to effect, in concert with you, in the character of consul; unless, indeed, my expectation deceives me, and you prefer to be slaves rather than masters. Provoked by injuries and indignities, since, being robbed of the fruit of my labor and exertion, I did not obtain the post of honor due to me, I have undertaken, according to my custom, the public cause of the distressed. WebBellum Catilinae (War of Catiline), also called De coniuratione Catilinae (Conspiracy of Catiline), is the first history published by the Roman historian Sallust. They encouraged one another, and hurried to meet the enemy. Since the occasion has thus brought public morals under my notice, the subject itself seems to call upon me to look back, and briefly to describe the conduct of our ancestors in peace and war; how they managed the state, and how powerful they left it; and how, by gradual alteration, it became, from being the most virtuous, the most vicious and depraved. The evidence which I have obtained, in support of this charge, is not at all in proportion to its magnitude. Epigrams, XIV, 191: Hic erit, ut perhibent doctorum corda virorum, // Primus Romana Crispus in historia. Of their exercise of which virtues, I consider these as the greatest proofs; that, in war, punishment was oftener inflicted on those who attacked an enemy contrary to orders, and who, when commanded to retreat, retired too slowly from the contest, than on those who had dared to desert their standards or, when pressed by the enemy, to abandon their posts; and that, in peace, they governed more by conferring benefits than by exciting terror, and, when they received an injury, chose rather to pardon than to revenge it. His first political office, which he held in 52, was that of a tribune of the plebs. Of fear it is unnecessary to speak, when, by the prompt activity of that distinguished man our consul, such numerous forces are under arms, and as to the punishment, we may say, what is indeed the truth, that in trouble and distress, death is a relief from suffering, and not a torment; that it puts an end to all human woes; and that, beyond it, there is no place either for sorrow or joy. Some of you, after losing your property, might have waited at Rome for assistance from others. In this year, he, with the other ten tribunes, all supported a law to permit Caesar to stand for a second consulship in absentia. A separate page lists some of these for aid in reading. [73] Among those who borrowed information from his works were Silius Italicus, Lucan, Plutarch, and Ammianus Marcellinus. In place of that extreme gaiety and dissipation, to which long tranquillity had given rise, a sudden gloom spread over all classes; they became anxious and agitated; they felt secure neither in any place, nor with any person; they were not at war, yet enjoyed no peace; each measured the public danger by his own fear. My feelings, Conscript Fathers, are extremely different, when I contemplate our circumstances and dangers, and when I revolve in my mind the sentiments of some who have spoken before me. Of his whole army, neither in the battle, nor in flight, was any free-born citizen made prisoner, for they had spared their own lives no more than those of the enemy. 11 At first, however, it was ambition, rather than avarice, that influenced the minds of men; a vice which approaches nearer to virtue than the other. Often, Conscript Fathers, have I spoken at great length in this assembly; often have I complained of the luxury and avarice of our citizens, and, by that very means, have incurred the displeasure of many. Yet this proceeding was the commencement of great bloodshed. At length, when he had stripped them of all character and shame, he led them to other and greater enormities. Thus, the merit of those who have acted is estimated at the highest point to which illustrious intellects could exalt it in their writings. Bellum Iugurthinum. [82], Nietzsche credits Sallust in Twilight of the Idols for his epigrammatic style: "My sense of style, for the epigram as a style, was awakened almost instantly when I came into contact with Sallust" and praises him for being "condensed, severe, with as much substance as possible in the background, and with cold but roguish hostility towards all 'beautiful words' and 'beautiful feelings'". At first the love of money, and then that of power, began to prevail, and these became, as it were, the sources of every evil. Is it not better to die in a glorious attempt, than, after having been the sport of other mens insolence, to resign a wretched and degraded existence with ignominy? Caius Caesar, a short time ago, spoke in fair and elegant language, before this assembly, on the subject of life and death; considering as false, I suppose, what is told of the dead; that the bad, going a different way from the good, inhabit places gloomy, desolate, dreary, and full of horror. But for us there is poverty at home, debts abroad; our present circumstances are bad, our prospects much worse; and what, in a word, have we left, but a miserable existence? Was it intended to render you indignant at the conspiracy? By these two virtues, intrepidity in war, and equity in peace, they maintained themselves and their state. This person, having offered to give information of the conspiracy, if the public faith were pledged to him, and being directed by the consul to state what he knew, gave the senate nearly the same account as Volturcius had given, concerning the intended conflagration, the massacre of respectable citizens, and the approach of the enemy, adding that he was sent by Marcus Crassus to assure Catiline that the apprehension of Lentulus, Cethegus, and others of the conspirators, ought not to alarm him, but that he should hasten, with so much the more expedition, to the city, in order to revive the courage of the rest, and to facilitate the escape of those in custody. When Tarquinius named Crassus, a man of noble birth, of very great wealth, and of vast influence, some, thinking the statement incredible, others, though they supposed it true, yet, judging that at such a crisis a man of such power was rather to be soothed than irritated (most of them, too, from personal reasons, being under obligation to Crassus), exclaimed that he was a false witness, and demanded that the matter should be put to the vote. Catiline then promised them the abolition of their debts; a proscription of the wealthy citizens; offices, sacerdotal duties, plunder, and all other gratifications which war, and the license of conquerors, can afford. If a motive for crime did not readily occur, he invited them, nevertheless, to circumvent and murder inoffensive persons, just as if they had injured him; for, lest their hand or heart should grow torpid for want of employment, he chose to be gratuitously wicked and cruel. Whithersoever we would go, we must open a passage with our swords. They protected with their arms, their liberty, their country, and their homes. The classification is based on the existence of the lacuna (gap) between 103.2 and 112.3 of the Jugurthine War. I advise you to have mercy upon them; they are young men who have been led astray by ambition; send them away, even with arms in their hands. Sallust, Gaius Sallustius Crispus (8635 BCE), a Sabine from Amiternum, acted against Cicero and Milo as tribune in 52, joined Caesar after being expelled from Depending on such accomplices and adherents, and knowing that the load of debt was everywhere great, and that the veterans of Sylla, having spent their money too liberally, and remembering their spoils and former victory, were longing for a civil war, Catiline formed the design of overthrowing the government. The conspiracy by Sallusts time had developed into one of the Jugurthine war these for aid in reading exchanged for... 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