Plutarch: Lives of the noble Grecians and Romans
began presently to take courage again. And assembling
themselves together, they exhorted one another boldly to
undertake the design before Pompey's return, who, as it was
said, was now on his march with his forces for Rome. But the
old soldiers of Sylla were Catiline's chief stimulus to action.
They had been disbanded all about Italy, but the greatest number
and the fiercest of them lay scattered among the cities of
Etruria, entertaining themselves with dreams of new plunder and
rapine amongst the hoarded riches of Italy. These, having for
their leader Manlius, who had served with distinction in the
wars under Sylla, joined themselves to Catiline, and came to
Rome to assist him with their suffrages at the election. For he
again pretended to the consulship, having resolved to kill
Cicero in a tumult at the elections. Also, the divine powers
seemed to give intimation of the coming troubles, by
earthquakes, thunderbolts, and strange appearances. Nor was
human evidence wanting, certain enough in itself, though not
sufficient for the conviction of the noble and powerful
Catiline. Therefore Cicero, deferring the day of election,
summoned Catiline into the senate, and questioned him as to the
charges made against him. Catiline, believing there were many
in the senate desirous of change, and to give a specimen of
himself to the conspirators present, returned an audacious
answer, "What harm," said he, "when I see two bodies, the one
lean and consumptive with a head, the other great and strong
without one, if I put a head to that body which wants one?"
This covert representation of the senate and the people excited
yet greater apprehensions in Cicero. He put on armor, and was
attended from his house by the noble citizens in a body; and a
number of the young men went with him into the Plain. Here,
designedly letting his tunic slip partly off from his shoulders,
he showed his armor underneath, and discovered his danger to the
spectators; who, being much moved at it, gathered round about
him for his defense. At length, Catiline was by a general
suffrage again put by, and Silanus and Murena chosen consuls.
Not long after this, Catiline's soldiers got together in a body
in Etruria, and began to form themselves into companies, the day
appointed for the design being near at hand. About midnight,
some of the principal and most powerful citizens of Rome, Marcus
Crassus, Marcus Marcellus, and Scipio Metellus went to Cicero's
house, where, knocking at the gate, and calling up the porter,
they commended him to awake Cicero, and tell him they were
there. The business was this: Crassus's porter after supper
had delivered to him letters brought by an unknown person. Some
of them were directed to others, but one to Crassus, without a
name; this only Crassus read, which informed him that there was
a great slaughter intended by Catiline, and advised him to leave
the city. The others he did not open, but went with them
immediately to Cicero, being affrighted at the danger, and to
free himself of the suspicion he lay under for his familiarity
with Catiline. Cicero, considering the matter, summoned the
senate at break of day. The letters he brought with him, and
delivered them to those to whom they were directed, commanding
them to read them publicly; they all alike contained an account
of the conspiracy. And when Quintus Arrius, a man of praetorian
dignity, recounted to them, how soldiers were collecting in
companies in Etruria, and Manlius stated to be in motion with a
large force, hovering about those cities, in expectation of
intelligence from Rome, the senate made a decree, to place all
in the hands of the consuls, who should undertake the conduct of
everything, and do their best to save the state. This was not
a common thing, but only done by the senate in case of imminent
danger.
After Cicero had received this power, he committed all affairs
outside to Quintus Metellus, but the management of the city he
kept in his own hands. Such a numerous attendance guarded him
every day when he went abroad, that the greatest part of the
market-place was filled with his train when he entered it.
Catiline, impatient of further delay, resolved himself to break
forth and go to Manlius, but he commanded Marcius and Cethegus
to take their swords, and go early in the morning to Cicero's
gates, as if only intending to salute him, and then to fall upon
him and slay him. This a noble lady, Fulvia, coming by night,
discovered to Cicero, bidding him beware of Cethegus and
Marcius. They came by break of day, and being denied entrance,
made an outcry and disturbance at the gates, which excited all
the more suspicion. But Cicero, going forth, summoned the
senate into the temple of Jupiter Stator, which stands at the
end of the Sacred Street, going up to the Palatine. And when
Catiline with others of his party also came, as intending to
make his defense, none of the senators would sit by him, but all
of them left the bench where he had placed himself. And when he
began to speak, they interrupted him with outcries. At length
Cicero, standing up, commanded him to leave the city, for since
one governed the commonwealth with words, the other with arms,
it was necessary there should be a wall betwixt them. Catiline,
therefore, immediately left the town, with three hundred armed
men; and assuming, as if he had been a magistrate, the rods,
axes, and military ensigns, he went to Manlius, and having got
together a body of near twenty thousand men, with these he
marched to the several cities, endeavoring to persuade or force
them to revolt. So it being now come to open war, Antonius was
sent forth to fight him.
The remainder of those in the city whom he had corrupted,
Cornelius Lentulus kept together and encouraged. He had the
surname Sura, and was a man of a noble family, but a dissolute
liver, who for his debauchery was formerly turned out of the
senate, and was now holding the office of praetor for the second
time, as the custom is with those who desire to regain the
dignity of senator. It is said that he got the surname Sura
upon this occasion; being quaestor in the time of Sylla, he had
lavished away and consumed a great quantity of the public
moneys, at which Sylla being provoked, called him to give an
account in the senate; he appeared with great coolness and
contempt, and said he had no account to give, but they might
take this, holding up the calf of his leg, as boys do at ball,
when they have missed. Upon which he was surnamed Sura, sura
being the Roman word for the calf of the leg. Being at another
time prosecuted at law, and having bribed some of the judges, he
escaped only by two votes, and complained of the needless
expense he had gone to in paying for a second, as one would have
sufficed to acquit him. This man, such in his own nature, and
now inflamed by Catiline, false prophets and fortune-tellers had
also corrupted with vain hopes, quoting to him fictitious verses
and oracles, and proving from the Sibylline prophecies that
there were three of the name Cornelius designed by fate to be
monarchs of Rome; two of whom, Cinna and Sylla, had already
fulfilled the decree, and that divine fortune was now advancing
with the gift of monarchy for the remaining third Cornelius; and
that therefore he ought by all means to accept it, and not lose
opportunity by delay, as Catiline had done.
Lentulus, therefore, designed no mean or trivial matter, for he
had resolved to kill the whole senate, and as many other
citizens as he could, to fire the city, and spare nobody, except
only Pompey's children, intending to seize and keep them as
pledges of his reconciliation with Pompey. For there was then a
common and strong report that Pompey was on his way homeward
from his great expedition. The night appointed for the design
was one of the Saturnalia; swords, flax, and sulfur they carried
and hid in the house of Cethegus; and providing one hundred men,
and dividing the city into as many parts, they had allotted to
every one singly his proper place, so that in a moment many
kindling the fire, the city might be in a flame all together.
Others were appointed to stop up the aqueducts, and to kill
those who should endeavor to carry water to put it out. Whilst
these plans were preparing, it happened there were two
ambassadors from the Allobroges staying in Rome; a nation at
that time in a distressed condition, and very uneasy under the
Roman government. These Lentulus and his party judging useful
instruments to move and seduce Gaul to revolt, admitted into the
conspiracy, and they gave them letters to their own magistrates,
and letters to Catiline; in those they promised liberty, in
these they exhorted Catiline to set all slaves free, and to
bring them along with him to Rome. They sent also to accompany
them to Catiline, one Titus, a native of Croton, who was to
carry those letters to him.
These counsels of inconsidering men, who conversed together over
wine and with women, Cicero watched with sober industry and
forethought, and with most admirable sagacity, having several
emissaries abroad, who observed and traced with him all that was
done, and keeping also a secret correspondence with many who
pretended to join in the conspiracy. He thus knew all the
discourse which passed betwixt them and the strangers; and lying
in wait for them by night, he took the Crotonian with his
letters, the ambassadors of the Allobroges acting secretly in
concert with him.
By break of day, he summoned the senate into the temple of
Concord, where he read the letters and examined the informers.
Junius Silanus further stated, that several persons had heard
Cethegus say, that three consuls and four praetors were to be
slain; Piso, also, a person of consular dignity, testified other
matters of the like nature; and Caius Sulpicius, one of the
praetors, being sent to Cethegus's house, found there a quantity
of darts and of armor, and a still greater number of swords and
daggers, all recently whetted. At length, the senate decreeing
indemnity to the Crotonian upon his confession of the whole
matter, Lentulus was convicted, abjured his office (for he was
then praetor), and put off his robe edged with purple in the
senate, changing it for another garment more agreeable to his
present circumstances. He, thereupon, with the rest of his
confederates present, was committed to the charge of the
praetors in free custody.
It being evening, and the common people in crowds expecting
without, Cicero went forth to them, and told them what was done,
and then, attended by them, went to the house of a friend and
near neighbor; for his own was taken up by the women, who were
celebrating with secret rites the feast of the goddess whom the
Romans call the Good, and the Greeks, the Women's goddess. For
a sacrifice is annually performed to her in the consul's house,
either by his wife or mother, in the presence of the vestal
virgins. And having got into his friend's house privately, a
few only being present, he began to deliberate how he should
treat these men. The severest, and the only punishment fit for
such heinous crimes, he was somewhat shy and fearful of
inflicting, as well from the clemency of his nature, as also
lest he should be thought to exercise his authority too
insolently, and to treat too harshly men of the noblest birth
and most powerful friendships in the city; and yet, if he should
use them more mildly, he had a dreadful prospect of danger from
them. For there was no likelihood, if they suffered less than
death, they would be reconciled, but rather, adding new rage to
their former wickedness, they would rush into every kind of
audacity, while he himself, whose character for courage already