we wrested the Sword from his Hands; that he left our Citizens undestroyed, and our City undemolished. Now, O Romans! he lies in the Duft; now he perceives himself buffetted and fpurned, and often, with Eyes a-scance, he furveys our City, and mourns her Deliverance from his deftructive Jaws. While, to me, she seems to affume a gayer Air, for having difgorged, for having flung out that Peftilence. But if there is a Man, who, as every Man ought to do, feels for his Country, yet bitterly accufes me on that very head, on which I now fpeak with Pride, with Triumph, I mean that I did not rather apprehend, than fend away that most formidable Enemy. That, O Romans! is not my Fault, but that of the Juncture. Death, and the severest Judgment of his Country, ought long ago to have overtaken Catiline: The Practice of our Ancestors, the Juftice of our Government, and the Interefts of our Country, required me to put him to Death. But how

many

• The Romans were fo jealous of their Liberties, that a Sufpicion of attempting a Change, was often fatal to the Party fufpected. The Gracchi, Sempronius, Fulvius, &c, were flain for attempting an equal Divifion of the conquered Lands. Manlius Capitolinus, Sp. Melius, and others, were put to Death, upon circumftantial, and even flight Proofs. Scipio was driven to Banishment after all his glorious Services. In a Word, Popularity, and Ability to disturb the State, was often published with as great Rigour by the Romans, as a real Attempt on their Liberties could have been,

many do you imagine were they, who would not believe what I advanced? How many, who from Stupidity, could not have thought it? How many would even have taken his Part, and how many would have loved him for his Wickedness?

BUT could I have thought that your Dangers were to cease in his Destruction, I had long fince destroyed Lucius Catiline, though I had done it at the Hazard, not of my Reputation only, but my Life. But when I plainly faw that, without convincing you, (as all of you at least, were not even then convinced, of the Fact) if I had given him up to merited Death; yet the Load of Enmity, which I must have borne, would have disabled me from profecuting his Accomplices; I brought the Matter to this Iffue, that as I placed the Enemy full in your View, you might without Doubt, and without Diffidence, enter upon vigorous

Orig. Ne vobis, quidem omnibus re etiam tum probata: I have feen no Tranflation or Commentator yet, which has understood the Meaning of the Particle quidem in Cicero. It implies the fame, but in a greater Diminution, as faltem; as fuch I have tranflated, and it is the only Way by which this Sentence can be made Sense. Grævius has grofly misunderstood it, by not attending to the Import of this Adverb, which is perpetually occurring in Cicero, and perpetually leading Tranflators, and Commentators, and other Interpreters, into Blunders, At the fame Time I am far from afferting, that it has not any other Meaning; but that must be directed by the Sense.

vigorous Action. How formidable, how very formidable this Enemy is Abroad, learn, my Countrymen, from this; it gives me Pain and Disquiet to think that he left this City with fo thin a Retinue. I wish he had carried off with him his whole Force; he has carried off Tongillus, who is reported to have been the Object of his criminal Paffion when a Youth; he has carried off Publicius and Munatius, whofe Tavern Scores never could have affected the Government; but of those he has left behind, how important are the Perfons, how deep the Debts, how powerful the Interests, and how noble the Birth!

THEREFORE, I hold in utter Contempt, in refpect of our Gallic Legions, and the Levies which Quintus Metellus has made in the Countries of Ancona and Lombardy, with the Forces we are daily raifing, his Army compofed of aged Despair, of clownish Debauchery, and ruftic Intemperance, of Men, who rather chofe to fly from their Bail, than from their Army; Fellows fo unfit to stand the Look of an Enemy, that they would tremble fhould one fhew them the Writ of a Prætor.

Those

This feems to have an Eye to Cæfar and Craffus, at that Time two of the principal Noblemen of Rome; who certainly favoured Catiline.

Those whom I perceive fluttering in the Forum, fauntering about the Courts, and even ftepping into the Senate-Houfe, fleek with Perfumes, and fhining in Purple: Thofe I had rather he had carried out as the Companions of his Arms; if these should remain here, mind me when I fay, that the Deferters are more formidable than the main Body of their Army; and ftill more fo in that, though they are confcious of my knowing all their Plots and Schemes, yet they remain cool and unconcerned. I can here point out the Man to whom the Apulia is allotted, to whom Tuscany, to whom Ancona, to whom Lombardy: I can here point you out the Man, who claimed the Task of betraying our Citizens to the Sword, and our City to the

g

Flames,

f Orig. Mementote: When Cicero ufes this reduplicated Termination, it is with a folemn Air, and calculated to beget the greatest Attention; as afterwards celebratote.

Salluft tells us, that Catiline, fome time before, had fent Manlius to Fæfule, and the adjoining Parts of Tuscany; Septimius Camers to Ancona, and C. Julius into Apulia, to make Levies. But Cicero feems here to mean fome Perfons of greater Note, yet in Rome, who were to command in chief in those Countries, whofe Names are not left us by any Hiftorians, except that Marcus Cæparius is faid, in the third Oration against Catiline, to have been named to raife the Shepherds in Apulia.

h Lentulus, Cethegus, Statilius; and Caffius, undertook to fire the City, and murder their fierceft Enemies; particularly Cethegus promifed to dispatch Cicero; and even offered, with a fmall Force, to attack the Senate-Houfe, and cut off all the Senate at once.

Flames. They are fenfible that to me were all the Secrets of their laft nocturnal Confultation divulged: Yefterday I laid them before the Senate; Catiline himself trembled, he fled; then why do those tarry? Fatally are they mistaken, if they hope for the Continuance, the Perpetuity of my former Forbearance.

THE Point I had in View I have now gained, which was to give you ocular Proof of a Confpiracy being formed against your Country; unless fome may imagine that a Man may share in the Vices, yet not enter into the Sentiments of Catiline. Away with Gentleness, the Juncture calls for Severity: One Point I will even now yield; let them depart, let them be gone, nor fuffer their Leader to languish in their Abfence. I'll chalk out the Road, he went by the Aurelian Way; if they make Dispatch, before Night they may reach him.

i

HAPPY Country, could it be drained of the Impurities of this City! To me the Abfence of Catiline alone, seems to have given it fresh

The Expreffion in the Original, alludes to a Pump, which draws up the putrid Water in a Ship: Hence he says immediately after, Uno Catiline exhaufto, Catiline alone being pumpt up.