The War with Catiline

Sallust, Bellum Catilinae

Sallust's account of Catiline's conspiracy: the man, the plot, the great debate between Caesar and Cato, and the last battle. 61 sections, 610 sentences, each with an English translation.

Read it with every word glossed and parsed, and keep your place.

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Chapter 1Mind and bodyOmnīs hominēs, quī sēsē student praestāre cēterīs animālibus, summā ope nītī…
Chapter 2How power is won and lostIgitur initiō rēgēs— nam in terrīs nōmen imperī id prīmum fuit— dīvorsī pars…
Chapter 3Doing great deeds and writing themPulchrum est bene facere reī pūblicae, etiam bene dīcere haud absurdum est;
Chapter 4The historian's taskIgitur ubi animus ex multīs miseriīs atque perīculīs requiēvit et mihi reliquam…
Chapter 5Catiline's characterL. Catilīna, nōbilī genere nātus, fuit magnā vī et animī et corporis sed…
Chapter 6The founding of RomeUrbem Rōmam, sīcutī ego accēpī, condidēre atque habuēre initiō Trōiānī, quī…
Chapter 7The young republic's love of glorySed eā tempestāte coepēre sē quisque magis extollere magisque ingenium in…
Chapter 8Fortune and fameSed profectō fortūna in omnī rē dominātur;
Chapter 9Old Roman virtueIgitur domī mīlitiaeque bonī mōrēs colēbantur;
Chapter 10The turning point: Carthage destroyedSed ubi labōre atque iūstitiā rēs pūblica crēvit, rēgēs magnī bellō domitī,…
Chapter 11Ambition, greed and Sulla's armySed prīmō magis ambitiō quam avāritia animōs hominum exercēbat, quod tamen…
Chapter 12The age of luxuryPostquam dīvitiae honōrī esse coepēre et eās glōria imperium potentia…
Chapter 13ExtravaganceNam quid ea memorem, quae nisi iīs quī vīdēre nēminī crēdibilia sunt, ā…
Chapter 14Catiline's followingIn tantā tamque corruptā cīvitāte Catilīna, id quod factū facillumum erat,…
Chapter 15A guilty conscienceIam prīmum adulēscēns Catilīna multa nefanda stupra fēcerat, cum virgine…
Chapter 16The school of crimeSed iuventūtem, quam, ut suprā dīximus, illexerat, multīs modīs mala facinora…
Chapter 17The first meetingIgitur circiter kalendās Iūniās L. Caesare et C. Figulō cōnsulibus prīmō…
Chapter 18The earlier conspiracySed anteā item coniūrāvēre paucī contrā rem pūblicam, in quibus Catilīna fuit.
Chapter 19Piso in SpainPosteā Pīsō in citeriōrem Hispāniam quaestor prō praetōre missus est adnītente…
Chapter 20Catiline's speechCatilīna ubi eōs, quōs paulō ante memorāvī, convēnisse videt, tametsī, cum…
Chapter 21Catiline's promisesPostquam accēpēre ea hominēs, quibus mala abundē omnia erant, sed neque rēs…
Chapter 22The oath in bloodFuēre eā tempestāte quī dīcerent Catilīnam ōrātiōne habitā, quom ad iūs…
Chapter 23Curius, Fulvia and CiceroSed in eā coniūrātiōne fuit Q. Curius, nātus haud obscūrō locō, flāgitiīs atque…
Chapter 24Arms, money and womenIgitur comitiīs habitīs cōnsulēs dēclārantur M. Tullius et C. Antōnius.
Chapter 25SemproniaSed in iīs erat Semprōnia, quae multa saepe virīlis audāciae facinora…
Chapter 26Catiline fails at the pollsHīs rēbus conparātīs Catilīna nihilō minus in proxumum annum cōnsulātum…
Chapter 27Preparations for warIgitur C. Mānlium Faesulās atque in eam partem Etrūriae, Septimium quendam…
Chapter 28A plot to murder CiceroIgitur perterritīs ac dubitantibus cēterīs C. Cornēlius eques Rōmānus operam…
Chapter 29The senate's emergency decreeEa cum Cicerōnī nūntiārentur, ancipitī malō permōtus, quod neque urbem ab…
Chapter 30Alarm in Rome and ItalyPost paucōs diēs L. Saenius senātor in senātū litterās recitāvit, quās Faesulīs…
Chapter 31Cicero attacks Catiline in the senateQuīs rēbus permōta cīvitās atque inmūtāta urbis faciēs erat.
Chapter 32Catiline leaves Romeincendium meum ruīnā restinguam."
Chapter 33Manlius' letter to Marcius Rex"Deōs hominēsque testāmur, imperātor, nōs arma neque contrā patriam…
Chapter 34Catiline's lettersAd haec Q. Mārcius respondit, sī quid ab senātū petere vellent, ab armīs…
Chapter 35Catiline's letter to Catulus"L. Catilīna Q. Catulō.
Chapter 36Catiline declared a public enemySed ipse paucōs diēs conmorātus apud C. Flāminium in agrō Arrētīnō, dum…
Chapter 37Why the common people favoured CatilineNeque sōlum illīs aliēna mēns erat, quī cōnsciī coniūrātiōnis fuerant, sed…
Chapter 38Party strife since 70 BCNam postquam Cn. Pompeiō et M. Crassō cōnsulibus tribūnicia potestās restitūta…
Chapter 39The few in powerSed postquam Cn. Pompeius ad bellum maritumum atque Mithridāticum missus est,…
Chapter 40Umbrenus sounds out the AllobrogesIgitur P. Umbrēnō quoidam negōtium dat, utī lēgātōs Allobrogum requīrat eōsque,…
Chapter 41The Allobroges choose RomeSed Allobrogēs diū in incertō habuēre, quidnam cōnsilī caperent.
Chapter 42Unrest in the provincesĪsdem ferē temporibus in Galliā citeriōre atque ulteriōre, item in agrō Pīcēnō,…
Chapter 43The plan for the night of the risingAt Rōmae Lentulus cum cēterīs, quī prīncipēs coniūrātiōnis erant, parātīs ut…
Chapter 44The letter to CatilineSed Allobrogēs ex praeceptō Cicerōnis per Gabīnium cēterōs conveniunt.
Chapter 45The ambush at the Mulvian bridgeHīs rēbus ita āctīs, cōnstitūtā nocte quā proficīscerentur Cicerō per lēgātōs…
Chapter 46The conspirators before the senateQuibus rēbus cōnfectīs omnia properē per nūntiōs cōnsulī dēclārantur.
Chapter 47Volturcius and the Gauls give evidenceVolturcius interrogātus dē itinere, dē litterīs, postrēmō quid aut quā dē causā…
Chapter 48Tarquinius accuses CrassusIntereā plēbs coniūrātiōne patefactā, quae prīmō cupida rērum novārum nimis…
Chapter 49Catulus and Piso try to implicate CaesarSed īsdem temporibus Q. Catulus et C. Pīsō neque pretiō neque grātiā Cicerōnem…
Chapter 50Attempts at rescue; the debate beginsDum haec in senātū aguntur et dum lēgātīs Allobrogum et T. Volturciō,…
Chapter 51Caesar: no new punishment"Omnīs hominēs, patrēs cōnscrīptī, quī dē rēbus dubiīs cōnsultant, ab…
Chapter 52Cato: they must diePostquam Caesar dīcundī fīnem fēcit, cēterī verbō alius aliī variē…
Chapter 53Cato carries the dayPostquam Catō adsēdit, cōnsulārēs omnēs itemque senātūs magna pars sententiam…
Chapter 54Caesar and Cato comparedIgitur iīs genus aetās ēloquentia prope aequālia fuēre, magnitūdō animī pār,…
Chapter 55The execution in the TullianumPostquam, ut dīxī, senātus in Catōnis sententiam discessit, cōnsul optumum…
Chapter 56Catiline's army in the hillsDum ea Rōmae geruntur, Catilīna ex omnī cōpiā, quam et ipse addūxerat et…
Chapter 57Trapped near PistoriaSed postquam in castra nūntius pervēnit Rōmae coniūrātiōnem patefactam, dē…
Chapter 58Catiline's last speech"Compertum ego habeō, mīlitēs, verba virtūtem nōn addere, neque ex ignāvō…
Chapter 59The battle lines at PistoriaHaec ubi dīxit, paululum conmorātus signa canere iubet atque īnstrūctōs ōrdinēs…
Chapter 60Catiline's last fightSed ubi omnibus rēbus explōrātīs Petrēius tubā signum dat, cohortīs paulātim…
Chapter 61After the battleSed cōnfectō proeliō, tum vērō cernerēs, quanta audācia quantaque animī vīs…

Sallust, Bellum Catilinae. Latin text: A. W. Ahlberg (Teubner, 1919), 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.

The War with Catiline

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