his furviving Confederates, languish with more mortal Symptoms. WHEREFORE, Fathers Confcript, let the Wicked retire; let them fever themselves from the Virtuous; let them herd together in one Place. In fhort, as I have often faid, let a Wall divide us; no longer let them beset the Conful in his own House; environ the Tribunal of the City Prætor; befiege the Court with their Swords, or lay up Magazines of combustible Balls and Brands for firing the City: In fhort, let the Sentiments of every Man, with regard to the Public, be infcribed on his Forehead. This, Fathers Confcript, now I'promise, that fuch fhall be the Diligence of your Confuls; fuch the Weight of your Body; fuch the Courage of the Roman Knights, and fuch the Unanimity of all the Wife and Worthy, that upon Catiline's Retreat, you shall perceive him and all his Treafons discovered, expofed, confounded, and punished. BE gone, O Catiline! Be gone, with Omens fuch as thefe, into an impious, an exD 2 ecrable e • The Heathens fuperftitiously obferved whatever was faid on their undertaking à Journey, or any Enterprise. Some of the greatest Men have laid afide an Undertaking, or been en couraged ecrable War, and may its Iffue prove Salvation to this Country; Defolation, Destruction, and Death to thee, and all the Affociates of thy boundless Guilt and Treason. Then Thou, O JOVE! whofe Name Romulus confecrated by the fame Rites with which he founded this City; THOU, whom we rightly call the Stay of this City and Empire; Thou shalt repel Him and his Accomplices from thy Altars; from the Temples of the other Gods; from the Roofs and the Walls of Rome; from the Lives and Properties of our Citizens: Then fhall thy eternal Vengeance, in Life as in Death, overtake all the Foes of the Virtuous; all the Enemies of their Country; all the Robbers of Italy, and all who are linked in the mutual Bands of Treafon and execrable Confpiracy. THE couraged in the Pursuit of it, by a Word dropped by Chance. All the Roman Hiftorians, particularly Livy, are full of this ridiculous Conceit. This folemn Imprecation therefore, pronounced by the Conful, in the Temple of Jupiter Stator, was like the highest Excommunication, and would be constructed a bad Omen to Catiline by all those of his Audience, who had any Regard for the Religion of their Country, See the Note on p. 14. 1. 15. THE ARGUMENT. CAT ATILINE, ftruck with the laft Oration rofe in his Place, and after a plaufible fubmiffive Apology, was beginning to rail upon Cicero. The Senate calling him to Order, and expreffing the utmost Deteftation of his Guilt, he thought fit to rush out of Rome, and fly to the Camp of Manlius. Next Day, Cicero affembled the People, and delivered the following Oration, in which he had two Views; firft, to vindicate his Conduct in forcing Catiline from Rome; Secondly, to put them upon their Guard, as the Accomplices of Catiline were still within the City. M. T. CICER O's SECOND ORATION AGAINST CATILINE. T length, at length, O Romans ! have we driven, or difpatched, or convoyed into a voluntary Retreat from this City, Lucius Catiline, intoxicated with Infolence, breathing out Guilt, impiously meditating the Deftruction of his Country, and threatening you, and this City, with all the Calamities of Fire and Sword. He is gone, he is vanished, he is escaped, he is fallyed out. No longer now shall that Pro 5 digy, digy, that Monfter of Men, fcheme the Ruin of this City, while fhe harbours him in her Bofom. This Ringleader of Rebellion we have doubtless quelled. His now pointed to our Breasts. Dagger is not a now tremble in the Field of Election, in the Forum, in the Courts of public Justice, or within the Walls of Domeftic Retirement. When he was driven from the City, he a abandoned his Poft; and now without Referve, as we have no Obftacle, may we treat him. as an open Enemy: Great furely must be his Perdition, and glorious our Conqueft, fince we have forced him out of the Character of a Bofom Traitor, into that of an Avowed Rebel. How mortifying, how afflicting, how fenfibly afflicting may you imagine it to be to Catiline, that he carried away the Point of his Dagger unbathed in the Blood he defigned to spill; that we lived to see him retreat; that a b Orig. Loco motus eft: This is a military Term; the Omen of Victory was taken from an Enemy being obliged to yield his Ground. Salluft takes Notice, that every one of Catiline's Soldiers covered, when dead, the Ground on which he stood when alive. Nam fere quem quis vivus pugnandi locum ceperat, eum, amiffa anima, corpore tegebat. Neque recedat loco, fays Plautus. I fee no Reason why the Commentators fhould apply the Plural here to Cicero alone, fince Catiline's Intention was to murder all the Citizens. |