In Catilinam 3.4

3.8Intrōdūxī Volturcium sine Gallīs;

I brought in Volturcius without the Gauls;

3.8fidem pūblicam iussū senātūs dedī;

I gave him the state's pledge of safety, by order of the senate;

Note. fidem pūblicam: a promise of immunity from the state, so that Volturcius could give evidence safely.

3.8hortātus sum ut ea quae scīret sine timōre indicāret.

I urged him to reveal what he knew without fear.

3.8Tum ille dīxit, cum vix sē ex magnō timōre recreāsset, ā P. Lentulō sē habēre ad Catilīnam mandāta et litterās ut servōrum praesidiō ūterētur, ut ad urbem quam prīmum cum exercitū accēderet;

Then, when he had barely recovered from his great fear, he said that he had instructions and a letter from Publius Lentulus to Catiline, telling him to use a force of slaves and to come to the city with his army as soon as possible;

Note. Everything after dīxit is indirect speech: ā P. Lentulō sē habēre … mandāta et litterās. The two ut clauses give the content of the instructions to Catiline.

3.8id autem eō cōnsiliō ut, cum urbem ex omnibus partibus quem ad modum dēscrīptum distribūtumque erat incendissent caedemque īnfīnītam cīvium fēcissent, praestō esset ille quī et fugientīs exciperet et sē cum hīs urbānīs ducibus coniungeret.

and the purpose was that, when they had set fire to the city on every side, as had been planned and divided up, and made an endless slaughter of the citizens, he should be on hand to catch those who fled and to join up with these leaders in the city.

Note. praestō esset: 'should be on hand'. quī … exciperet … coniungeret: purpose, 'to catch … and to join'.

3.9Intrōductī autem Gallī iūs iūrandum sibi et litterās ā P. Lentulō, Cethēgō, Statiliō ad suam gentem datās esse dīxērunt, atque ita sibi ab hīs et ā L. Cassiō esse praescrīptum ut equitātum in Ītaliam quam prīmum mitterent;

Then the Gauls were brought in and said that an oath and letters to their people had been given them by Publius Lentulus, Cethegus and Statilius, and that they had been instructed by these men and by Lucius Cassius to send cavalry into Italy as soon as possible;

Note. iūs iūrandum: an oath, here a sworn pledge from the conspirators. The Gauls report two things: what they were given (iūs iūrandum … litterās … datās esse) and what they were told to do (ut … mitterent).

3.9pedestrīs sibi cōpiās nōn dēfutūrās.

infantry, they said, would not be lacking.

3.9Lentulum autem sibi cōnfirmāsse ex fātīs Sibyllīnīs haruspicumque respōnsīs sē esse tertium illum Cornēlium ad quem regnum huius urbis atque imperium pervenīre esset necesse: Cinnam ante sē et Sullam fuisse.

Lentulus, moreover, had assured them, on the evidence of the Sibylline oracles and the answers of the soothsayers, that he was that third Cornelius to whom the kingship and rule of this city were destined to come: Cinna and Sulla had been before him.

Note. The Sibylline Books were a collection of oracles kept by the state. Two Cornelii, Cinna and Sulla, had ruled Rome by force; Lentulus (also a Cornelius) had been persuaded that he was the third. esset necesse: 'it was fated'.

3.9Eundemque dīxisse fātālem hunc annum esse ad interitum huius urbis atque imperī quī esset annus decimus post virginum absolūtiōnem, post Capitōlī autem incēnsiōnem vīcēsimus.

He had also said that this year was fated for the destruction of this city and empire, being the tenth year after the acquittal of the Virgins and the twentieth after the burning of the Capitol.

Note. The Vestal Virgins had been tried for unchastity and acquitted in 73 BC; the Capitol burned in 83 BC. The conspirators read both as omens.

3.10Hanc autem Cethēgō cum cēterīs contrōversiam fuisse dīxērunt quod Lentulō et aliīs Sāturnālibus caedem fierī atque urbem incendī placēret, Cethēgō nimium id longum vidērētur.

There had been a dispute, they said, between Cethegus and the others, because Lentulus and the rest wanted the slaughter and the burning of the city to take place on the Saturnalia, while to Cethegus that seemed far too long to wait.

Note. The Saturnalia, Rome's winter festival from 17 December, was a time of feasting when the city would be off its guard. Cethegus wanted to strike sooner.