Bellum Catilinae 14

Cat. 14.1In tantā tamque corruptā cīvitāte Catilīna, id quod factū facillumum erat, omnium flāgitiōrum atque facinorum circum sē tamquam stīpātōrum catervās habēbat.

In so great and so corrupt a city Catiline kept around himself, like a bodyguard, bands of every kind of scandal and crime, which was the easiest thing to do.

Note. factū: supine in -ū with an adjective, 'easiest to do'. facillumum: Sallust's old-fashioned spelling of facillimum; he likes -umus for -imus (maxumē, pessumum, plurumum), and o for later u (volgus, vostra, novos). tamquam stīpātōrum: 'as if (bands) of bodyguards'.

Cat. 14.2Nam quīcumque inpudīcus adulter gāneō manū ventre pēne bona patria lacerāverat, quīque aliēnum aes grande cōnflāverat, quō flāgitium aut facinus redimeret, praetereā omnēs undique parricīdae sacrilegī convictī iūdiciīs aut prō factīs iūdicium timentēs, ad hoc quōs manus atque lingua periūriō aut sanguine cīvīlī alēbat, postrēmō omnēs quōs flāgitium egestās cōnscius animus exagitābat, iī Catilīnae proxumī familiārēsque erant.

For anyone who was shameless, an adulterer, a glutton, who had squandered his inheritance by gambling, gorging or lust, and anyone who had run up a large debt to buy himself out of some scandal or crime; besides these, all the murderers and temple-robbers from everywhere, men convicted in the courts or fearing trial for what they had done; on top of these, those whom hand and tongue kept fed by perjury or the blood of citizens; in short, all whom disgrace, poverty or a guilty conscience drove on: these were Catiline's closest friends and intimates.

Note. One huge sentence piles up the types of men around Catiline, then sums them up with iī (resumptive: 'these men'). Note the asyndeton (no 'and'): impudīcus adulter gāneō; manū ventre pēne, 'by hand (gambling), belly, lust'. quō … redimeret: quō introduces a purpose clause, 'to buy himself out of'. ad hoc: 'besides'. aes aliēnum: 'debt' (literally 'other men's bronze').

Cat. 14.4Quod sī quis etiam ā culpā vacuos in amīcitiam eius inciderat, cottīdiānō ūsū atque illecebrīs facile pār similisque cēterīs efficiēbātur.

And if anyone still free of guilt had fallen into his friendship, daily contact and temptations easily made him equal and like the rest.

Note. Quod sī: 'but if'. vacuos: old spelling of vacuus (nominative). pār similisque cēterīs: dative with adjectives of likeness.

Cat. 14.5Sed maxumē adulēscentium familiāritātēs adpetēbat: eōrum animī mollēs et aetāte fluxī dolīs haud difficulter capiēbantur.

But above all he sought the friendship of young men: their minds, soft and unsteady because of their age, were caught by his tricks without difficulty.

Cat. 14.6Nam ut quoiusque studium ex aetāte flagrābat, aliīs scorta praebēre, aliīs canēs atque equōs mercārī;

For according as each one's passion burned with his age, to some he supplied mistresses, for others he bought dogs and horses;

Note. From here Sallust uses the historical infinitive: praebēre, mercārī, parcere stand for the imperfect indicative ('he would provide …'), with the subject in the nominative. It gives a rapid, sketch-like effect. quoiusque: old spelling of cuiusque.

Cat. 14.6postrēmō neque sūmptuī neque modestiae suae parcere, dum illōs obnoxiōs fīdōsque sibi faceret.

in the end he spared neither expense nor his own decency, provided he could make them dependent on him and loyal.

Note. dum … faceret: dum with the subjunctive, 'provided that, so long as'.

Cat. 14.7Sciō fuisse nōnnūllōs, quī ita exīstumārent iuventūtem, quae domum Catilīnae frequentābat, parum honestē pudīcitiam habuisse;

I know there were some who believed that the young men who thronged Catiline's house kept their chastity none too honourably;

Note. Scio fuisse nōnnūllōs quī … exīstumārent: relative clause of characteristic, 'some of the sort who thought'. exīstumārent = exīstimārent.

Cat. 14.7sed ex aliīs rēbus magis quam quod quoiquam id compertum foret haec fāma valēbat.

but this rumour gained strength from other things rather than because anyone had found it to be true.

Note. quam quod quoiquam … compertum foret: 'than because it had been found out by anyone'. foret = esset; quoiquam = cuiquam (dative of agent with the participle).