Bellum Catilinae 29

Cat. 29.1Ea cum Cicerōnī nūntiārentur, ancipitī malō permōtus, quod neque urbem ab īnsidiīs prīvātō cōnsiliō longius tuērī poterat neque, exercitus Mānlī quantus aut quō cōnsiliō foret, satis compertum habēbat, rem ad senātum refert, iam anteā volgī rūmōribus exagitātam.

When these things were reported to Cicero, he was alarmed by a double danger: he could no longer protect the city from plots by his own private measures, nor did he know for certain how large Manlius' army was or what it intended; so he brought the matter before the senate, which had already been stirred up by the talk of the people.

Note. ancipiti malo: a 'two-headed' danger, from Catiline in the city and Manlius in Etruria. exercitus Manli quantus aut quo consilio foret: indirect question; Manli is the regular contracted genitive of Manlius. satis compertum habebat: habeo + perfect participle, 'he had it established'.

Cat. 29.1Itaque, quod plērumque in atrōcī negōtiō solet, senātus dēcrēvit, darent operam cōnsulēs, nē quid rēs pūblica dētrīmentī caperet.

And so, as is usually done in a dangerous crisis, the senate decreed that the consuls should see to it that the state suffer no harm.

Note. This is the senatus consultum ultimum, the 'final decree', which urged the consuls to protect the state by any means. darent operam consules, ne ...: the words of the decree are reported without ut, a regular official formula. ne quid ... detrimenti: quid (indefinite after ne) with a partitive genitive, 'any harm'. Cicero quotes the same formula in In Catilinam I, 4.

Cat. 29.3Ea potestās per senātum mōre Rōmānō magistrātuī maxuma permittitur: exercitum parāre, bellum gerere, coercēre omnibus modīs sociōs atque cīvīs, domī mīlitiaeque imperium atque iūdicium summum habēre;

By Roman custom this is the greatest power the senate grants to a magistrate: to raise an army, wage war, restrain allies and citizens in every way, and hold supreme command and jurisdiction at home and in the field;

Note. Sallust explains the effect of the decree: the list of infinitives (parare, gerere, coercere, habere) stands in apposition to potestas. domi militiaeque: locatives, 'at home and on campaign'. maxuma is Sallust's spelling of maxima.

Cat. 29.3aliter sine populī iussū nūllīus eārum rērum cōnsulī iūs est.

otherwise, without an order of the people, the consul has no right to any of these things.

Note. sine populi iussu: normally only a vote of the people could authorise these powers; the decree's legal force was disputed, and the execution of the conspirators later cost Cicero his exile in 58 BC.