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In Catilinam 2.3

The men Catiline left behind

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

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2.5Itaque ego illum exercitum prae Gallicānīs legiōnibus et hōc dīlēctū quem in agrō Pīcēnō et Gallicō Q. Metellus habuit, et hīs cōpiīs quae ā nōbīs cōtīdiē comparantur, magnō opere contemnō, conlēctum ex senibus dēspērātīs, ex agrestī luxuriā, ex rūsticīs dēcoctōribus, ex eīs quī vadimōnia dēserere quam illum exercitum māluērunt;

And so I utterly despise that army of his, compared with the Gallic legions and this levy which Quintus Metellus has held in the Picene and Gallic district, and these forces which we are raising every day, an army collected from desperate old men, from rustic profligates, from country bankrupts, from men who preferred to jump their bail rather than desert that army;

Note. prae: 'in comparison with'. Q. Metellus Celer was raising troops in northern Italy against the rebels. vadimōnia dēserere: 'to forfeit their bail', i.e. to fail to turn up in court. Cicero mocks Catiline's army as old men, bankrupts and men dodging lawsuits.

2.5quibus ego nōn modo sī aciem exercitūs nostrī, vērum etiam sī ēdictum praetōris ostenderō, concident.

they will collapse if I show them not only the battle line of our army but even a praetor's edict.

Note. ostenderō, concīdent: future perfect in the 'if' clause, future in the main clause, the normal Latin pattern for a future condition.

2.5Hōs quōs videō volitāre in forō, quōs stāre ad cūriam, quōs etiam in senātum venīre, quī nitent unguentīs, quī fulgent purpurā, māllem sēcum suōs mīlitēs ēdūxisset: quī sī hīc permanent, mementōte nōn tam exercitum illum esse nōbīs quam hōs quī exercitum dēseruērunt pertimēscendōs.

These men whom I see flitting about in the Forum, standing at the senate house, even coming into the senate, who glisten with perfume and shine in purple, I would rather he had led out with him as his soldiers; if they stay here, remember that it is not so much that army as these men who deserted the army that we must fear.

Note. Hōs ... māllem sēcum ... ēdūxisset: 'I would rather he had led these men out with him'. The perfumed, purple-clad young men are Cicero's picture of the decadent rich. pertimēscendōs (esse): passive periphrastic, 'must be feared', with nōbīs as the dative of agent.

2.5Atque hōc etiam sunt timendī magis quod quid cōgitent mē scīre sentiunt neque tamen permoventur.

And they are the more to be feared because they realize that I know what they are planning and yet they are not moved.

2.6Videō cui sit Āpūlia attribūta, quis habeat Etrūriam, quis agrum Pīcēnum, quis Gallicum, quis sibi hās urbānās īnsidiās caedis atque incendiōrum dēpoposcerit.

I see to whom Apulia has been assigned, who has Etruria, who the Picene district, who the Gallic, who has demanded for himself these plots in the city of murder and arson.

Note. Each quis begins an indirect question, so the verbs are subjunctive. Cicero claims to know the conspirators' assignment of Italy region by region.

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2.6Omnia superiōris noctis cōnsilia ad mē perlāta esse sentiunt;

They realize that all the plans of the night before last have been reported to me;

2.6patefēcī in senātū hesternō diē;

I revealed them in the senate yesterday;

Note. hesternō diē: the First Catilinarian had been delivered in the senate the day before, 8 November.

2.6Catilīna ipse pertimuit, profūgit: hī quid exspectant?

Catiline himself took fright and fled: what are these men waiting for?

2.6Nē illī vehementer errant, sī illam meam prīstinam lēnitātem perpetuam spērant futūram.

They are badly mistaken indeed if they hope that my former leniency will last for ever.

Note. Nē here is the emphatic particle (also spelled nae), 'truly', not the negative. It always stands with a pronoun: nē illī ... errant, 'they really are mistaken'.

Vocabulary

itaque, adv.and so, accordingly, therefore
ego, meī, pers. pron.I
ille, illa, illud, dem. pron.that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc
exercitus, -ūs, m.army
prae (prep. + abl.)in comparison with; because of
Gallicānus, -a, -umstationed in Gaul, Gallic (of legions)
legiō, -ōnis f.legion
et, conj.and; et ... et, both ... and
hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron.this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter
dēlēctus, -ūs m.choice, selection
quī, quae, quod, rel. pron.who, which
in, prep. with acc. and abl.with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on
ager, agri, m.field, land
Pīcēnus, -a, -umof Picenum, a district on the Adriatic coast of Italy
Gallicus, -a, -umGallic, of Gaul
quīntus, -a, -umfifth
habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itushave, hold; consider
cōpia, -ae, f.supply, abundance; plur., forces, troops
ā, ab (prep. + abl.)away from, from; by (ā only before consonants)
nōsplur. of ego
cottīdiē, adv.daily, every day
comparō, -parāre, -parāvī, -parātusprepare, collect
magnus, -a, -umlarge, big, great, mighty; loud
opus, operis, n.work, task
contemnō, -ere, -tempsī, -temptusdespise, scorn, think little of
conligō, -ligere, -lēgī, -lēctusgather together, collect
ex, ē (prep. + abl.)out of, from; of (ē only before consonants)
senex, senis, m.old man
dēspērō, -spērāre, -spērāvī, -spērātusdespair
agrestis, -eof the country, rustic; boorish
luxuria, -ae f.luxury
rūsticus, -a, -umrural, of the country
dēcoctor, -ōris m.bankrupt, spendthrift
is, ea, id, dem. pron.this, that; he, she, it, they
vadimōnium, -ī n.bail, a promise to appear in court
dēserō, -serere, -seruī, -sertusdesert
quam, adv.how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible
mālō, mālle, māluīwish rather, prefer
nōn, adv.not
modo, adv.only
sī, conj.if
aciēs, -ēī, f.line of battle
noster, -tra, -trumour
vērum (conj.)but, but in fact; nōn modo ... vērum etiam: not only ... but also
etiam, adv.and now, also, too, even
ēdictum, -ī n.proclamation, edict (of a magistrate)
praetor, -ōris m.praetor (legātus prō praetōre: officer with a praetor's powers)
ostendō, -tendere, -tendī, -tentusstretch out before, show, explain
concidō, -ere, concidīfall down, collapse
videō, vidēre, vīdī, vīsussee; pass., seem
volitō, -āre, -āvīfly about; flit, swagger about
forum, -ī n.market place, public square
stō, stāre, stetī, statusstand
ad, prep. with acc.to, toward; at, near; for
cūria, -ae f.senate house
senātus, -ūs m.senate
veniō, venīre, vēnī, ventuscome
niteō, -ēre, -uīshine, glisten, be sleek
unguentum, -ī, n.ointment
fulgeō, -ēre, fulsīflash, shine, glitter
purpura, -ae f.purple dye; purple cloth
suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron.himself, herself, itself, themselves
suus, -a, -umhis, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their
mīles, mīlitis, m.soldier
ēdūcō, -dūcere, -dūxī, -ductuslead out, draw
hīc, adv.here; hereupon
permaneō, -manēre, -mānsi, -mānsusremain
meminī, meminisseremember
tam, adv.so
sum, esse, fuī, futūrusbe
pertimēscō, -ere, -timuībecome very afraid, dread
atque, ac (conj.)and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants)
timeō, -ēre, -uīfear
magis, comp. adv.more, rather
quod, conj.that, in that, because
quis, quid, interrog. pron.who? which? what?
cōgitō, -āre, -āvī, -ātusconsider, think over
sciō, -īre, -īvī, -ītusknow
sentiō, sentīre, sēnsī, sēnsusperceive, feel
neque or nec, conj.and not, nor; neque ... neque, neither ... nor; neque enim, for ... not
tamen, adv.however, yet, nevertheless
permoveō, -ēre, -mōvī, -mōtummove deeply, influence
attribuō, -ere, -tribuī, -tribūtumassign, allot
urbānus, -a, -umof the city (Rome), urban
īnsidiae, -ārum, f. plur.ambush; plot, stratagem
caedēs, -is, f.cutting down, killing, slaughter
incendium, -ī n.fire, burning
dēposcō, -ere, -poposcīdemand, call for
omnis, -eall, every
superior, -ius, adj.higher; former, previous, preceding
nox, noctis, f.night
cōnsilium, -ī, n.advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence
perferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātusbear through, bear, endure; weather
patefaciō, -facere, -fēcī, -factusthrow, or lay open, open
hesternus, -a, -umof yesterday, yesterday's,
diēs, -ēī, m. and f.day
ipse, ipsa, ipsum, intensive pron.self, himself, herself, itself, themselves; often to be rendered by very
profugiō, -ere, -fūgīflee, escape
exspectō, -spectāre, -spectāvī, -spectātuslook out for, wait for, await, expect; wait
nae, nē (adv.)truly, indeed (always with a pronoun)
vehementer, adv.violently, vehemently; earnestly; exceedingly, greatly
errō, -āre, -āvī, -ātuswander, stray; be mistaken
meus, -a, -ummy, mine
prīstinus, -a, -umformer
lēnitās, -ātis f.gentleness, slowness
perpetuus, -a, -umcontinuous, perpetual; in perpetuum, for all time, forever
spērō, -āre, -āvī, -ātushope
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Cicero, In Catilinam II. 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.