Lucius Seneca - Yale Required Reading - Collected Works (Vol. 2)

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“But I take gods and men to witness, that success is in our hands; our bodies and minds are in full vigour: on the other hand, they are on the decline in every respect, oppressed with years and riches. All that is necessary is, only to make the attempt; when once the undertaking is set on foot, every thing else will follow in course. For who, that has the spirit of a man, can bear with patience that they should have such a superfluity of riches as to lavish them in raising mighty edifices on the deep, and levelling mountains, while we have not so much as the necessaries of life; that they should be multiplying their palaces, while we have no fixed habitation; that though they are constantly buying pictures, statues, and vessels of curious workmanship, pulling down new houses, and building others; in short, though they waste and dissipate their wealth by every extravagant method; yet, by all the efforts of profusion, they are unable to exhaust it? As for us, we have poverty at home, and debts abroad; our condition is bad, our expectation much worse: finally, what have we left but a wretched life? Rouse then to action! Behold the object you have often wished for! behold Liberty! and in her train riches, glory, and honour, all full in your view! All these rewards Fortune has prepared for the conquerors. But let the present conjuncture and opportunity,—let your dangers, your poverty, and the glorious spoils of war animate you more powerfully than any words of mine. As for me, use me as you please, either as a leader or as a private soldier. I shall always be with you, both in council and execution. But I hope to act as consul with you in this enterprise; if, after all, I am not deceived in my opinion of you, and you prefer not slavery to empire.” 14

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On hearing this harangue, his associates, who were all extremely wretched, destitute of every thing, and even void of every honest hope; though they were pleased with the thought of embroiling the state, and even looked on that as a great recompense; yet most of them desired that he would declare to them on what terms they were to engage in the war, and what were to be their rewards; what strength they had to depend on, and what hopes of success. Then Catiline promised them an abolition of their debts; the proscription of the rich; dignities, sacred and civil; plunder, and every other advantage that the uncontrolled pleasure of conquerors includes. Besides, he told them that Piso and P. Sitius Nucerinus were both privy to his design; the former with an army in Spain, the other at the head of one in Mauritania: that C. Antonius was candidate for the consulship, whom he hoped to have for his colleague; one who was his intimate, and embarrassed with all manner of difficulties; and that in conjunction with him he would begin the execution of his design as soon as they should enter on their office. After this he proceeded to inveigh bitterly against all men of worth; commended his own accomplices, and calling to every one by his name, some he put in mind of their poverty, others of their amours, several of their dangers and disgraces, and many of the booty they had got in consequence of Sylla’s victory. Then, perceiving all their spirits elevated, he pressed them to take care of his interest at the next election, and dismissed the assembly.

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Some there were at that time who said that Catiline, when he had ended his speech, and proceeded to administer an oath to his associates, presented them all round with a bowl of human blood mixed with wine; that, when they had all tasted and sworn, as is usual in solemn sacrifices, he disclosed his design to them; and that he did this in order to engage them more strictly to mutual faith, as each was privy to the guilt of another in so horrible a fact. 15But some believe that this, and much more, was invented by those who thought to allay the odium which fell on Cicero for putting the conspirators to death, by aggravating their crimes. But I could never meet with clear evidence for so extraordinary a fact.

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In this conspiracy was Q. Curius, a man of no mean family, but loaded with crimes, and, as a mark of disgrace, expelled the senate by the censors. This man had an equal share of levity and audaciousness; whatever he heard he disclosed: nor could he even conceal his own crimes: in a word, he neither considered what he said or did. There had been for a long time a criminal correspondence between him and Fulvia, a lady of quality; but finding himself less agreeable to her than formerly, because his poverty would not suffer him to be so liberal, all on a sudden he began to tempt her with great promises, boasting of seas and mountains of wealth; sometimes he threatened to kill her, if she would not be obsequious: in a word, he behaved more haughtily than he had ever done before. When Fulvia learned the ground of this insolent behavior, she did not conceal what threatened so much danger to the state; but, without mentioning her author, discovered to many all that she had heard of Catiline’s conspiracy. This discovery made the people zealous to confer the consulship on M. T. Cicero: for before this most of the nobility regarded Cicero’s views with envy and indignation, and thought that the consular dignity would be sullied if a new man, however deserving, should be raised to it. 16But when danger threatened, pride and envy disappeared.

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Accordingly, when the assembly for elections was held, M. Tullius and C. Antonius were declared consuls, which was a heavy blow to the conspirators. Catiline’s fury, however, was not in the least abated; he exerted himself every day more and more; provided magazines of arms in all the most convenient places of Italy; borrowed money, either on his own credit or that of his friends, and conveyed it to Fæsulæ, to one Manlius, who first began the war. At this juncture he is said to have engaged in his interest great numbers of all ranks; some women were drawn over to his cause, with whom a taste for expense had formerly been supported by their gallantries: but as a passion for luxury survived the decay of their charms, a load of debt had necessarily followed. By their means he expected to bring over to his party the city slaves to set fire to the city, and either engage their husbands, or in case of refusal have them slain.

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Among these was Sempronia, a woman of masculine spirit, and who had often been engaged in many daring and hardy enterprises. In her person and family, in her husband and children, she was abundantly happy. With no inconsiderable tincture of Greek and Roman literature, she could sing and dance with greater elegance than was needful or becoming in a modest woman. 17She had also other accomplishments of the same cast; numerous, indeed, though little useful, except as the instruments of luxury; the charms of which were ever dearer to her heart than the graces of modesty or the praise of virtue. On money she set no value; none whatever on reputation: and in affairs of the heart, she was sometimes more ready to make the first advances, than wait to receive them. She had often forfeited her faith, perjured herself to avoid paying her debts, been privy to murders,—in a word, her extravagance and indigence had carried her to the utmost excesses of wickedness. Notwithstanding all this, she had a great deal of wit, could compose verses, was very facetious in conversation, could talk modestly, tenderly, or satirically; in short, she excelled in humour and pleasantry.

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Having taken these measures, Catiline, notwithstanding his late repulse, declared himself a candidate for the consulship against the ensuing year, in hopes, if he should be chosen, of using Antonius as he pleased. Nor was he inactive in the mean time; but contriving endless machinations for the destruction of Cicero, who was not wanting in dexterity and subtlety to defeat them; for, from the beginning of his consulship, he had successfully employed Fulvia to engage, by force of promises, Q. Curius, whom we have already mentioned, to discover all Catiline’s designs: and by promising a province to his colleague, he had prevailed on him not to act against the state. Besides, he had always about him a number of his friends and clients to guard his person. When the day of election came, Catiline, finding that neither his suit for the consulship, nor his plots to cut off Cicero in the field of Mars, had succeeded, determined on open war, and to try the utmost extremities, since his secret attempts had ended in disappointment and infamy.