Lectitō › Cicero › Against Catiline II
In Catilinam 2.12
Precautions, and a warning to those left behind
Cicero, In Catilinam II. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
Tap any word for its meaning and grammar, save words to review, and track your reading.
Read in Lectitō2.26Quae cum ita sint, Quirītēs, vōs, quem ad modum iam anteā dīxī, vestra tēcta vigiliīs custōdiīsque dēfendite;
Since this is so, citizens, defend your homes, as I said before, with watches and guards;
Note. Quae cum ita sint: 'since this is so', a favourite phrase of Cicero. dēfendite: imperative.
2.26mihi ut urbī sine vestrō metū ac sine ūllō tumultū satis esset praesidī cōnsultum atque prōvīsum est.
for my part, I have seen to it and provided that there will be enough protection for the city without alarm for you and without any uproar.
Note. mihi … cōnsultum atque prōvīsum est: impersonal passive, 'it has been seen to and provided by me'. praesidī: partitive genitive with satis.
2.26Colōnī omnēs mūnicipēsque vestrī certiōrēs ā mē factī dē hāc nocturnā excursiōne Catilīnae facile urbīs suās fīnīsque dēfendent;
All your colonists and townsmen, informed by me of Catiline's night departure, will easily defend their cities and territories;
2.26gladiātōrēs, quam sibi ille manum certissimam fore putāvit, quamquam animō meliōre sunt quam pars patriciōrum, potestāte tamen nostrā continēbuntur.
the gladiators, the band he thought would be most reliable for him, although they are better disposed than some of the patricians, will nevertheless be held in check by our power.
Note. Gladiators were kept in training schools; the senate had ordered them moved out of Rome to Capua and other towns so Catiline could not use them.
2.26Q. Metellus quem ego hoc prōspiciēns in agrum Gallicum Pīcēnumque praemīsī aut opprimet hominem aut eius omnīs mōtūs cōnātūsque prohibēbit.
Quintus Metellus, whom, foreseeing this, I sent ahead into the Gallic and Picene territory, will either crush the man or block all his movements and attempts.
Note. Q. Metellus Celer, praetor, had been sent to raise troops in Picenum and the ager Gallicus, the Adriatic coast of Italy.
2.26Reliquīs autem dē rēbus cōnstituendīs, mātūrandīs, agendīs iam ad senātum referēmus, quem vocārī vidētis.
As for the other matters to be settled, hastened and done, I shall now refer them to the senate, which you see being summoned.
2.27Nunc illōs quī in urbe remānsērunt atque adeō quī contrā urbis salūtem omniumque vestrum in urbe ā Catilīnā relictī sunt, quamquam sunt hostēs, tamen, quia nātī sunt cīvēs, monitōs etiam atque etiam volō.
Now, those who have stayed in the city, or rather who have been left in the city by Catiline to destroy the city and all of you, although they are enemies, still, because they were born citizens, I want to warn again and again.
Note. monitōs … volō: 'I want them warned', a perfect participle with volō. nātī sunt cīvēs: they are still citizens by birth, though enemies in fact.
2.27Mea lēnitās adhūc sī cui solūtior vīsa est, hoc exspectāvit ut id quod latēbat ērumperet.
If my mildness has seemed to anyone rather too lax until now, it has been waiting for this: for what was hidden to break out.
2.27Quod reliquum est, iam nōn possum oblīvīscī meam hanc esse patriam, mē hōrum esse cōnsulem, mihi aut cum hīs vīvendum aut prō hīs esse moriendum.
As for what remains, I cannot now forget that this is my country, that I am the consul of these people, that I must either live with them or die for them.
Note. Quod reliquum est: 'as for what remains'. vīvendum … moriendum: impersonal gerundives with mihi, 'I must live … I must die'.
2.27Nūllus est portīs custōs, nūllus īnsidiātor viae: sī quī exīre volunt, cōnīvēre possum;
There is no guard on the gates, no one lying in wait on the road: if any wish to leave, I can shut my eyes to it;
Note. cōnīvēre: 'to shut my eyes', i.e. let them go.
2.27quī vērō sē in urbe commōverit cuius ego nōn modo factum sed vel inceptum ūllum cōnātumve contrā patriam dēprehenderō, sentiet in hāc urbe esse cōnsulēs vigilantīs, esse ēgregiōs magistrātūs, esse fortem senātum, esse arma, esse carcerem quem vindicem nefāriōrum ac manifestōrum scelerum maiōrēs nostrī esse voluērunt.
but whoever stirs in the city, if I catch not only any deed of his but even any undertaking or attempt against his country, will find that in this city there are watchful consuls, there are excellent magistrates, there is a brave senate, there are weapons, there is a prison, which our ancestors intended as the avenger of wicked and flagrant crimes.
Note. quī … commōverit … dēprehenderō: future perfects in a general condition about the future, 'whoever has stirred …, if I have caught'. carcerem quem vindicem … maiōrēs nostrī esse voluērunt: 'which our ancestors wished to be the avenger', a double accusative with esse.
Vocabulary
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| Quirītēs, -ium m. pl. | Quirites, the Roman citizens in their civil capacity (used in addressing the people) |
| vōs | plur. of tū |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| modus, -ī, m. | way, manner |
| iam, adv. | now, already |
| anteā, adv. | before |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| vester, -tra, -trum | your |
| tēctum, -ī n. | roof; house |
| vigilia, -ae, f. | watch |
| custōdia, -ae f. | guard, protection |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| dēfendō, -fendere, -fendī, -fēnsus | ward off; defend |
| ego, meī, pers. pron. | I |
| ut, conj. | as; when; that; ita ut, as |
| urbs, urbis, f. | city |
| sine, prep. with abl. | without |
| metus, -ūs m. | fear, dread |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ūllus, -a, -um | any |
| tumultus, -ūs m. | uproar, uprising |
| satis, adv. | enough, sufficiently |
| praesidium, -ī, n. | protection; guard, escort |
| cōnsulō, -ere, -uī, -tus | consult |
| prōvideō, -ēre, -vīdī, -vīsum | foresee; provide for |
| colōnus, -ī m. | settler, colonist; farmer |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| mūniceps, -cipis m. | citizen of a municipium, townsman |
| certus, -a, -um | determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| dē, prep, with abl. | down from, from, out of; about, concerning, of |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| nocturnus, -a, -um | of night, nocturnal; nocturnum tempus, night-time |
| excursiō, -ōnis f. | sally, raid |
| facile, adv. | easily |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| fīnis, -is, m. | end, boundary; plur., borders, territory, country |
| gladiātor, -ōris m. | gladiator; as an insult: cutthroat, ruffian |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| manus, -ūs, f. | hand |
| putō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | think |
| quamquam, conj. | however much, although |
| animus, -ī, m. | mind; heart; spirit, courage |
| bonus, -a, -um | good |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| pars, partis, f. | part, side, direction |
| patricius, -ī m. | patrician, member of the old Roman nobility |
| potestās, -ātis f. | power, authority |
| tamen, adv. | however, yet, nevertheless |
| noster, -tra, -trum | our |
| contineō, -tinēre, -tinuī, -tentus | hold together, keep within, shut up in; bound |
| quīntus, -a, -um | fifth |
| prōspiciō, -ere, -spexī, -spectum | look ahead, provide for (+ dat.) |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| ager, agri, m. | field, land |
| Gallicus, -a, -um | Gallic, of Gaul |
| Pīcēnus, -a, -um | of Picenum, a district on the Adriatic coast of Italy |
| praemittō, -ere, -mīsī, -missum | send ahead |
| aut, conj. | or; aut ... aut, either ... or |
| opprimō, -primere, -pressī, -pressus | press against, overpower, crush |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| mōtus, -ūs m. | motion, movement; uprising |
| cōnātus, -ūs, m. | attempt, effort |
| prohibeō, -hibēre, -hibuī, -hibitus | hold back, prevent, hinder |
| reliquus, -a, -um | left, the remaining, the other, the rest of |
| autem, conj. | moreover; but, however; now |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| cōnstituō, -stituere, -stituī, -stitūtus | set together or up; appoint; determine |
| mātūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | ripen; hasten |
| agō, agere, ēgī, āctus | drive; do; pass, lead; grātiās agere, see grātia |
| senātus, -ūs m. | senate |
| referō, referre, rettulī, relātus | bring or carry back, return; pedem referre, to draw back, retire, retreat; grātiam referre, see grātia |
| vocō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | call, summon |
| videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsus | see; pass., seem |
| nunc, adv. | now |
| remaneō, -ēre, -mānsī | stay behind, remain |
| adeō (adv.) | so far, to such a degree; so |
| contrā, prep, with acc. | against, contrary to |
| salūs, salūtis, f. | safety, deliverance, escape |
| relinquō, -linquere, -līquī, -lictus | leave behind, leave |
| hostis, -is, m. and f. | enemy, foe |
| quia (conj.) | because |
| nāscor, -ī, nātus sum | be born; rise, begin |
| cīvis, -is, m. and f. | citizen, fellow-citizen, subject |
| moneō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | warn |
| etiam, adv. | and now, also, too, even |
| volō, velle, voluī | wish |
| meus, -a, -um | my, mine |
| lēnitās, -ātis f. | gentleness, slowness |
| adhūc, adv. | to this point, up to this time, yet, still |
| sī, conj. | if |
| quis, qua, quid, indef. pron. | any one, anybody, anything, some one, somebody, something |
| solūtus, -a, -um | loose, free; lax, easygoing |
| exspectō, -spectāre, -spectāvī, -spectātus | look out for, wait for, await, expect; wait |
| lateō, -ēre, -uī | lie hid, be concealed |
| ērumpō, -ere, -rūpī, -ruptum | burst out, sally |
| nōn, adv. | not |
| possum, posse, potuī | be able, have power, can |
| oblīvīscor, -līvīscī, -lītus | forget |
| patria, -ae, f. | fatherland, country |
| cōnsul, -ulis m. | consul (one of Rome's two chief magistrates) |
| cum, prep, with abl. | with |
| vīvō, vīvere, vīxī, vīctus | live |
| prō, prep. with abl. | before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for |
| morior, morī, mortuus | die |
| nūllus, -a, -um | not any, none, no |
| porta, -ae, f. | gate; door |
| custōs, -ōdis m. | guard |
| īnsidiātor, -ōris m. | a man lying in ambush; (pl.) the ambushers |
| via, -ae, f. | road, way |
| exeō, -īre, -iī, -itus | go out |
| cōnīveō, -ēre, -nīvī/-nīxī | close the eyes; shut one's eyes to, overlook |
| vērō, adv. | in truth, indeed; however |
| commoveō, -movēre, -mōvī, -mōtus | move, rouse; disturb |
| modo, adv. | only |
| factum, -ī n. | deed, act |
| sed, conj. | but |
| vel | or; vel … vel: either … or |
| inceptum, -ī n. | beginning, attempt, undertaking |
| dēprehendō, -ere, -hendī, -hēnsus | catch, seize, overtake; detect |
| sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsus | perceive, feel |
| vigilō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | stay awake, keep watch; be watchful |
| ēgregius, -a, -um | outstanding, excellent |
| magistrātus, -ūs m. | magistrate, official |
| fortis, -e | brave |
| arma, -ōrum, n. plur. | arms, weapons |
| carcer, -eris, m. | prison |
| vindex, -icis m. | avenger, punisher; protector |
| nefārius, -a, -um | wicked, criminal |
| manifestus, -a, -um | plain, clear; caught in the act |
| scelus, sceleris, n. | wickedness, crime |
| maiōrēs, -um m. pl. | ancestors |