Lectitō › Sallust › The War with Catiline
Bellum Catilinae 22
The oath in blood
Sallust, Bellum Catilinae. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōCat. 22.1Fuēre eā tempestāte quī dīcerent Catilīnam ōrātiōne habitā, quom ad iūs iūrandum populārīs sceleris suī adigeret, hūmānī corporis sanguinem vīnō permixtum in paterīs circumtulisse: inde quom post execrātiōnem omnēs dēgustāvissent, sīcutī in sollemnibus sacrīs fierī cōnsuēvit, aperuisse cōnsilium suom, atque eō ita fēcisse, quō inter sē fīdī magis forent alius aliī tantī facinoris cōnsciī.
There were at that time some who said that Catiline, after his speech, when he was binding the partners in his crime by an oath, passed round bowls of human blood mixed with wine; then, when all had tasted it after the curse, as is customary in solemn rites, he revealed his plan, and he did this so that they might be more loyal to one another, each sharing the knowledge of so great a crime with the others.
Note. A sensational rumour, which Sallust reports at a distance (Fuēre … quī dīcerent). quō … magis … forent: quō introducing a purpose clause containing a comparative. alius aliī: 'one to another'.
Cat. 22.3Nōnnūllī ficta et haec et multa praetereā exīstumābant ab iīs, quī Cicerōnis invidiam quae posteā orta est lēnīrī crēdēbant atrōcitāte sceleris eōrum, quī poenās dederant.
Some thought that both this and much else besides had been invented by those who believed that the hatred against Cicero which arose later could be softened by the atrocity of the crime of those who had been punished.
Note. Cicero's execution of the conspirators without trial later made him hated; his enemies drove him into exile in 58 BC. Those who wanted to defend him had reason to exaggerate the conspirators' wickedness.
Cat. 22.3Nōbīs ea rēs prō magnitūdine parum comperta est.
In view of its importance this matter has not been sufficiently established by me.
Vocabulary
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| is, ea, id, dem. pron. | this, that; he, she, it, they |
| tempestās, -tātis, f. | weather; storm, tempest |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| dīcō, dīcere, dīxī, dictus | say, speak; diem dīcere, to appoint or set a day |
| ōrātiō, -ōnis, f. | speech; ōrātiōnem habēre, to deliver an oration, speak |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| cum, conj. | when, while, after; since; although |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| iūs, iūris, n. | right, justice, law; iūs dīcere, to pronounce judgment; iūs iūrandum, iūris iūrandī, oath |
| iūrō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | swear; iūs iūrandum, oath |
| populāris, -e | of the people; popular; courting the people (a 'popular' politician) |
| scelus, sceleris, n. | wickedness, crime |
| suus, -a, -um | his, her, its, or their own; his, her, its, their |
| adigō, -ere, adēgī, adāctum | drive, hurl (a weapon) to |
| hūmānus, -a, -um | of man, human |
| corpus, corporis, n. | body |
| sanguis, sanguinis, m. | blood |
| vīnum, -ī, n. | wine |
| permisceō, -miscēre, -miscuī, -mixtus | mix together, mingle |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| patera, -ae f. | a shallow bowl for drinking or pouring offerings |
| circumferō, -ferre, -tulī, -lātus | carry around |
| inde (adv.) | from there; then |
| post, adv. | after, later; prep. with acc., after, behind |
| exsecrātiō, -ōnis f. | curse; an oath with a curse on oneself if it is broken |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| dēgustō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | taste, take a taste of |
| sīcutī (adv.) | just as, as |
| sollemnis, -e | solemn, ritual, customary |
| sacrum, -ī n. | sacred object or rite; sacra: rites, worship |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| cōnsuēscō, -suēscere, -suēvī, -suētus | become accustomed; in tenses of completed action, have become accustomed, be accustomed or wont |
| aperiō, -īre, -uī, -tus | open |
| cōnsilium, -ī, n. | advice; plan, design, purpose; prudence |
| atque, ac (conj.) | and; after comparisons: as, than (ac only before consonants) |
| ita, adv. | in this manner, thus, so; ita ut, as |
| faciō, facere, fēcī, factus | make, do; iter facere, see iter |
| quō, adv. | to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long? |
| inter, prep, with acc. | among, between |
| suī, sibi, sē or sēsē, reflexive pron. | himself, herself, itself, themselves |
| fīdus, -a, -um | faithful, loyal, trustworthy |
| magis, comp. adv. | more, rather |
| alius, -a, -ud | another, other; aliī ... aliī, some ... others |
| tantus, -a, -um | so great or much |
| facinus, facinoris, n. | deed, crime |
| cōnscius, -a, -um | aware, conscious (of) |
| nōnnūllus, -a, -um | not none, some, several |
| fingō, fingere, finxī, fictus | invent, make up |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| multus, -a, -um | much, great; plur., many |
| praetereā, adv. | besides this, besides, moreover |
| exīstimō, -āre, -āvī, -ātus | consider, believe, think |
| ā, ab (prep. + abl.) | away from, from; by (ā only before consonants) |
| invidia, -ae f. | envy, jealousy, ill will |
| posteā, adv. | after this, afterwards |
| orior, -īrī, -tus | arise, come forth, spring up; ortā lūce, at dawn |
| lēniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | soften, soothe, ease |
| crēdō, -dere, -didī, -ditus | believe |
| atrōcitās, -ātis f. | fierceness, harshness, cruelty |
| poena, -ae, f. | penalty, punishment |
| dō, dare, dedī, datus | give |
| nōs | plur. of ego |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| prō, prep. with abl. | before, in front of; for, in behalf of; for, as; in return for, for |
| magnitūdō, -tūdinis, f. | greatness, size |
| parum (comp. minus, superl. minimē) | too little; minimē: least, not at all |
| comperiō, -īre, comperī, compertum | find out, learn |