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In Catilinam 1.10

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Cicero, In Catilinam I. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.

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1.25Ībis tandem aliquandō quō tē iam prīdem tua ista cupiditās effrēnāta ac furiōsa rapiēbat;

You will go at last where your unbridled and mad desire has long been sweeping you;

1.25neque enim tibi haec rēs adfert dolōrem, sed quandam incrēdibilem voluptātem.

for this brings you no pain, but a kind of incredible pleasure.

1.25Ad hanc tē āmentiam nātūra peperit, voluntās exercuit, fortūna servāvit.

For this madness nature bore you, your will trained you, fortune preserved you.

Note. A tricolon of nature, will and fortune; Cicero often moves in groups of three.

1.25Numquam tū nōn modo ōtium sed nē bellum quidem nisi nefārium concupīstī.

You never wanted peace, nor even war unless it was a wicked one.

Note. nōn modo … sed nē … quidem: 'not only (not) … but not even'. concupīstī = concupīvistī.

1.25Nactus es ex perditīs atque ab omnī nōn modo fortūnā vērum etiam spē dērelictīs cōnflātam improbōrum manum.

You have got together a band of villains, gathered from the ruined and from men abandoned not only by fortune but even by hope.

Note. Nactus es: from nancīscor, 'you have got hold of'.

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1.26Hīc tū quā laetitiā perfruēre, quibus gaudiīs exsultābis, quantā in voluptāte bacchābere, cum in tantō numerō tuōrum neque audiēs virum bonum quemquam neque vidēbis!

What joy you will enjoy there, what delights will make you exult, what pleasure you will revel in, when in all that number of your followers you will neither hear nor see a single good man!

Note. perfruēre, bacchābere: future 2nd person of deponents. bacchor: to rave like a worshipper of Bacchus, an image of frenzy.

1.26Ad huius vītae studium meditātī illī sunt quī feruntur labōrēs tuī, iacēre humī nōn sōlum ad obsidendum stuprum vērum etiam ad facinus obeundum, vigilāre nōn sōlum īnsidiantem somnō marītōrum vērum etiam bonīs ōtiōsōrum.

Those famous labours of yours were practice for the pursuit of this life: lying on the ground not only to lie in wait for an illicit affair but also to commit a crime, staying awake not only plotting against the sleep of husbands but also against the property of peaceful citizens.

Note. Cicero turns Catiline's famous toughness (Sallust praises his endurance of hunger and cold) into a vice: he lay on the ground and stayed awake only for adultery and crime.

1.26Habēs ubi ostentēs tuam illam praeclāram patientiam famis, frīgoris, inopiae rērum omnium quibus tē brevī tempore cōnfectum esse sentiēs.

You have a place to show off that well-known endurance of yours, of hunger, of cold, of the lack of everything, by which you will soon find yourself worn out.

1.27Tantum prōfēcī, cum tē ā cōnsulātū reppulī, ut exsul potius temptāre quam cōnsul vexāre rem pūblicam possēs, atque ut id quod esset ā tē scelerātē susceptum latrōcinium potius quam bellum nōminārētur.

I achieved this much when I kept you from the consulship: that you could attack the republic as an exile rather than harass it as consul, and that what you had wickedly undertaken would be called banditry rather than war.

Note. cum tē ā cōnsulātū reppulī: as consul, Cicero presided over the elections of 63 B.C. in which Catiline lost again; defeated, he turned to open rebellion. exsul … potius … quam cōnsul: 'as an exile rather than as consul'.

Vocabulary

eō, īre, iī, itusgo
tandem, adv.at length or last, finally
aliquandō, adv.at some time or other; finally, at length
quō, adv.to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long?
tū, tuī, pers. pron.thou, you
iam, adv.now, already
prīdem (adv.)long ago; iam prīdem: long since
tuus, -a, -umthy, thine, your
iste, ista, istud, dem. pron.that of yours, that
cupiditās, -tātis, f.desire, longing, eagerness
effrēnātus, -a, -umunbridled, unrestrained
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
furiōsus, -a, -umraging, mad, frenzied
rapiō, -ere, -uī, -tusseize, snatch
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
enim, conj.for
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
rēs, reī, f.thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really
afferō, afferre, attulī, allātumbring, bring to; cause
dolor, -ōris, m.pain, grief; anger
sed, conj.but
quīdam, quaedam, quoddam, indef. pron.a certain, certain
incrēdibilis, eincredible
voluptās, -tātis, f.pleasure
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
āmentia, -ae, f.madness
nātūra, -ae, f.nature, character
pariō, -ere, peperī, partusbring forth; win, gain
voluntās, -tātis, f.wish, will
exerceō, -ercēre, -ercuī, -ercitusexercise
fortūna, -ae, f.fortune
servō, -āre, -āvī, -ātussave, preserve
numquam, adv.never
nōn, adv.not
modo, adv.only
ōtium, -ī n.leisure, rest; peace, quiet
nē, adv.not; nē ... quidem, not ... even; conj., that not, lest
bellum, -ī, n.war
quidem, adv.in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even
nisi, conj.if not, unless
nefārius, -a, -umwicked, criminal
concupīscō, -cupīscere, -cupīvī, -cupītuslong for, covet
nancīscor, nancīscī, nactusget, obtain, find
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
perditus, -a, -umabandoned, desperate
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
omnis, -eall, every
vērum (conj.)but, but in fact; nōn modo ... vērum etiam: not only ... but also
etiam, adv.and now, also, too, even
spēs, speī, f.hope
dērelinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictusabandon, forsake completely
cōnflō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusblow up, kindle; bring together, scrape together; stir up (hatred)
improbus, -a, -umwicked. in, prep, with acc., into, in, to, upon; with abl., in, on
manus, -ūs, f.hand
hīc, adv.here; hereupon
quī, quae, quod, interrog. pron. adj.what?
laetitia, -ae, f.joy
perfruor, -fruī, -frūctus sumenjoy to the full (+ abl.)
gaudium, -ī, n.gladness, joy
exsultō, -āre, -āvīleap up; exult, revel, run riot
quantus, -a, -umhow great or much?
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
bacchor, -ārī, -ātus sumrevel like a worshipper of Bacchus; rave, run wild
cum, conj.when, while, after; since; although
tantus, -a, -umso great or much
numerus, -ī, m.number
audiō, -īre, -īvī, -ītushear; listen or attend to
vir, virī, m.man
bonus, -a, -umgood
quisquam, quicquam, indef. pron.any one, anything
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
vīta, -ae, f.life
studium, -ī, n.eagerness, zeal; study, pursuit
meditor, -ārī, -ātus sumthink over, plan; practise, train for
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
ferō, ferre, tulī, lātusbear, bring
labor, -ōris, m.labor, toil
iaceō, -ēre, -uīlie, be prostrate
humus, -ī f.ground, earth; humī: on the ground
sōlum (adv.); solum, -ī n.only (nōn sōlum … sed etiam: not only … but also); ground, soil
obsideō, -sidēre, -sēdī, -sessusbeset, besiege
stuprum, -ī n.debauchery, sexual crime
facinus, facinoris, n.deed, crime
obeō, -īre, -iī, -itusgo to meet; attend to, carry out
vigilō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusstay awake, keep watch; be watchful
īnsidior, -ārī, -ātus sumlie in wait, lay an ambush
somnus, -ī, m.sleep, drowsiness
marītus, -ī, m.husband
bonum, -ī n.a good thing, advantage; (pl.) goods
ōtiōsus, -a, -umat leisure, quiet; as noun: a peaceful citizen
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itushave, hold; consider
ubi, adv.where; conj., when
ostentō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusshow, display; show off
praeclārus, -clāra, -clārumvery bright; splendid, remarkable, famous
patientia, -ae f.endurance, hardiness
famēs, -is, abl. famē, f.hunger
frīgus, -oris n.cold
inopia, -ae f.lack, want, scarcity
brevis, -eshort
tempus, temporis, n.time, season
cōnficiō, -ficere, -fēcī, -fectusmake or do completely, complete, finish, accomplish, make; wear out
sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsusperceive, feel
tantum, adv.so much or far, only
prōficiō, -ere, -fēcī, -fectumaccomplish, make progress
cōnsulātus, -ūs m.consulship
repellō, repellere, reppulī, repulsusdrive back or away, repulse, repel
ut, conj.as; when; that; ita ut, as
exsul, -ulis m.exile, banished person
potius (adv.)rather
temptō, -āre, -āvī, -ātustry, attempt
quam, adv.how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
cōnsul, -ulis m.consul (one of Rome's two chief magistrates)
vexō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumharass, ravage
pūblicus, -a, -umpublic, of the state (rēs pūblica: the state)
possum, posse, potuībe able, have power, can
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
scelerātē (adv.)wickedly, criminally
suscipiō, -cipere, -cēpī, -ceptusundertake
latrōcinium, -ī n.robbery, raiding
nōminō, -āre, -āvī, -ātumname, mention
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Cicero, In Catilinam I. Latin text: A. C. Clark, M. Tulli Ciceronis Orationes (Oxford, 1908), public domain; digital text from the Perseus Digital Library, CC BY-SA. Word analysis: LatinCy, then every word checked and corrected by hand. Vocabulary: F. Ritchie (1903, public domain) and entries written for this app. English translation, notes and grammar hints: written for this app.