Mur. 39.1Quamquam huiusce reī potestās omnis in vōbīs sita est, iūdicēs;And yet the whole power in this matter lies with you, judges; Mur. 39.1tōtam rem pūblicam vōs in hāc causā tenētis, vōs gubernātis.in this case you hold the whole state, you steer it. Mur. 39.1Sī Catilīna cum suō cōnsiliō nefāriōrum hominum quōs sēcum ēdūxit hāc dē rē posset iūdicāre, condemnāret Mūrēnam, sī interficere posset, occīderet.If Catiline, with his council of wicked men whom he led out with him, could judge this matter, he would condemn Murena; if he could kill him, he would put him to death. Mur. 39.1Petunt enim ratiōnēs illīus ut orbētur auxiliō rēs pūblica, ut minuātur contrā suum furōrem imperātōrum cōpia, ut maior facultās tribūnīs plēbis dētur dēpulsō adversāriō sēditiōnis ac discordiae concitandae.For his plans require that the state be deprived of help, that the supply of commanders against his frenzy be diminished, that the tribunes of the plebs be given greater opportunity, once their opponent has been driven out, of stirring up sedition and discord. Mur. 39.1Idemne igitur dēlēctī ex amplissimīs ōrdinibus honestissimī atque sapientissimī virī iūdicābunt quod ille importūnissimus gladiātor, hostis reī pūblicae iūdicāret?Will the most honourable and wisest men, chosen from the most distinguished orders, then give the same judgement as that most ruthless gladiator, the enemy of the state, would give?
Mur. 39.84Mihi crēdite, iūdicēs, in hāc causā nōn sōlum dē Mūrēnae vērum etiam dē vestrā salūte sententiam ferētis.Believe me, judges, in this case you will be passing sentence not only on Murena's safety but also on your own. Mur. 39.84In discrīmen extrēmum vēnimus;We have come into the utmost peril; Mur. 39.84nihil est iam unde nōs reficiāmus aut ubi lapsī resistāmus.there is nothing now from which we can recover ourselves, or where, having slipped, we can make a stand. Mur. 39.84Nōn sōlum minuenda nōn sunt auxilia quae habēmus sed etiam nova, sī fierī possit, comparanda.Not only must the forces we have not be diminished, but new ones must also be procured, if it can be done. Mur. 39.84Hostis est enim nōn apud Aniēnem, quod bellō Pūnicō gravissimum vīsum est, sed in urbe, in forō — dī immortālēs!For the enemy is not at the Anio, which seemed the gravest peril in the Punic war, but in the city, in the forum — immortal gods! Mur. 39.84sine gemitū hoc dīcī nōn potest — nōn nēmō etiam in illō sacrāriō reī pūblicae, in ipsā, inquam, cūriā nōn nēmō hostis est.this cannot be said without a groan — there is even someone in that sanctuary of the state, in the senate house itself, I say, there is someone who is an enemy.
Mur. 39.84Dī faxint ut meus conlēgā, vir fortissimus, hoc Catilīnae nefārium latrōcinium armātus opprimat!May the gods grant that my colleague, a most brave man, may crush this wicked brigandage of Catiline in arms! Mur. 39.84ego togātus vōbīs bonīsque omnibus adiūtōribus hoc quod conceptum rēs pūblica perīculum parturit cōnsiliō discutiam et comprimam.I, in my toga, with you and all good men as my helpers, will by my counsel dispel and suppress this danger which the state has conceived and is bringing to birth. Mur. 39.85Sed quid tandem fīet, sī haec ēlāpsa dē manibus nostrīs in eum annum quī cōnsequitur redundārint?But what, pray, will happen if these things slip from our hands and spill over into the following year? Mur. 39.85Vnus erit cōnsul, et is nōn in administrandō bellō sed in sufficiendō conlēgā occupātus.There will be one consul, and he occupied not in conducting the war but in getting a colleague elected. Mur. 39.85Hunc iam quī impedītūrī sint illa pestis immānis importūna Catilīnae prōrumpet, quā poterit minātur;Those who will hinder him now … that monstrous and ruthless plague of Catiline will burst forth wherever it threatens the people; Mur. 39.85in agrōs suburbānōs repente advolābit;it will suddenly swoop on the lands around the city; Mur. 39.85versābitur in urbe furor, in cūriā timor, in forō coniūrātiō, in campō exercitus, in agrīs vāstitās;frenzy will rage in the city, fear in the senate house, conspiracy in the forum, an army in the Campus, devastation in the countryside; Mur. 39.85omnī autem in sēde ac locō ferrum flammamque metuēmus.and in every dwelling and place we shall fear sword and flame.
Mur. 39.85Quae iam diū comparantur, eadem ista omnia, sī ōrnāta suīs praesidiīs erit rēs pūblica, facile et magistrātuum cōnsiliīs et prīvātōrum dīligentiā comprimentur.All these very things that have long been in preparation will, if the state is equipped with its proper defences, easily be suppressed by the counsels of the magistrates and the diligence of private citizens.