Bellum Catilinae 35

Cat. 35.1"L. Catilīna Q. Catulō.

"Lucius Catilina to Quintus Catulus.

Note. The heading of a Roman letter: the writer in the nominative, the recipient in the dative.

Cat. 35.1Ēgregia tua fidēs, rē cognitā, grāta mihi magnīs in meīs perīculīs, fīdūciam commendātiōnī meae tribuit.

Your outstanding loyalty, known by experience and welcome to me in my great dangers, has given me confidence in commending this to you.

Note. re cognita: 'proved by experience'. commendationi meae: dative after tribuit, 'gave confidence to my request', i.e. to what Catiline is about to entrust to Catulus at the end of the letter.

Cat. 35.2Quam ob rem dēfēnsiōnem in novō cōnsiliō nōn statuī parāre: satisfactiōnem ex nūllā cōnscientiā dē culpā prōpōnere dēcrēvī, quam mē dius fidius vēram licet cognōscās.

For that reason I have decided not to prepare a defence of my new course: I have resolved to set out an explanation, from no consciousness of guilt, which, upon my word, you may recognise as true.

Note. me dius fidius: an oath, 'so help me the god of good faith' (Dius Fidius), roughly 'upon my word'. quam ... veram licet cognoscas: licet with the subjunctive without ut, 'you may see that it is true'.

Cat. 35.3Iniūriīs contumēliīsque concitātus, quod frūctū labōris industriaeque meae prīvātus statum dignitātis nōn obtinēbam, pūblicam miserōrum causam prō meā cōnsuētūdine suscēpī, nōn quīn aes aliēnum meīs nōminibus ex possessiōnibus solvere nōn possem— et aliēnīs nōminibus līberālitās Orestillae suīs fīliaeque cōpiīs persolveret— sed quod nōn dignōs hominēs honōre honestātōs vidēbam mēque falsā suspīciōne aliēnātum esse sentiēbam.

Provoked by wrongs and insults, because, robbed of the fruit of my toil and effort, I could not hold the position of dignity due to me, I took up, as is my habit, the public cause of the wretched; not that I could not pay the debts in my own name from my property — and the generosity of Orestilla, from her own and her daughter's resources, would pay those in the names of others — but because I saw unworthy men honoured with office, and felt myself shut out by false suspicion.

Note. non quin ... non possem: 'not that I could not pay': quin introduces a rejected reason. meis nominibus ... alienis nominibus: debts in my own name ... debts in other people's names (that he had guaranteed). Orestilla was Catiline's wife.

Cat. 35.4Hōc nōmine satis honestās prō meō cāsū spēs reliquae dignitātis cōnservandae sum secūtus.

On this account I have followed hopes, honourable enough in my situation, of preserving what is left of my dignity.

Note. Hoc nomine: 'on this account'. honestas ... spes: accusative plural, object of secutus sum.

Cat. 35.5Plūra quom scrībere vellem, nūntiātum est vim mihi parārī.

Though I wanted to write more, word has come that violence is being prepared against me.

Note. nuntiatum est vim mihi parari: impersonal passive with an accusative and infinitive.

Cat. 35.6Nunc Orestillam commendō tuaeque fideī trādō;

Now I commend Orestilla to you and entrust her to your good faith;

Cat. 35.6eam ab iniūriā dēfendās, per līberōs tuōs rogātus.

protect her from harm, I beg you by your children.

Note. defendas: a polite request in the subjunctive. per liberos tuos rogatus: 'asked by (i.e. in the name of) your children'.

Cat. 35.6Havētō."

Farewell."

Note. Haveto: future imperative of haveo (aveo), 'farewell'.