Bellum Catilinae 53

Cat. 53.1Postquam Catō adsēdit, cōnsulārēs omnēs itemque senātūs magna pars sententiam eius laudant, virtūtem animī ad caelum ferunt, aliī aliōs increpantēs timidōs vocant.

After Cato sat down, all the ex-consuls, and a large part of the senate as well, praised his proposal and lauded his courage to the skies, while they rebuked one another, calling each other cowards.

Note. 5 December 63 BC. Cato, tribune-elect, has just argued for the death penalty (ch. 52), against Caesar's call for life imprisonment (ch. 51). cōnsulārēs: 'ex-consuls', who spoke first in a senate debate. alius alium: 'one … another', here 'rebuking one another'. laudant, ferunt, vocant: historic presents, vivid narrative.

Cat. 53.1Catō clārus atque magnus habētur;

Cato was held to be a great and distinguished man;

Cat. 53.1senātī dēcrētum fit, sīcutī ille cēnsuerat.

A decree of the senate was passed, just as he had proposed.

Note. Senātī: older genitive of senātus (= senātūs). sīcutī: = sīcut, 'just as'.

Cat. 53.2Sed mihi multa legentī, multa audientī, quae populus Rōmānus domī mīlitiaeque, marī atque terrā praeclāra facinora fēcit, forte lubuit attendere, quae rēs maxumē tanta negōtia sustinuisset.

But as I read much and heard much about the brilliant deeds the Roman people had done at home and in war, on sea and on land, I happened to want to look into what in particular had sustained such great undertakings.

Note. Sallust breaks off for a personal digression. mihi … legentī … audientī: dative with lubuit, 'it pleased me as I read …'. lubuit: older spelling of libuit, impersonal libet 'it pleases'. quae rēs … sustinuisset: indirect question, 'what thing (it was that) had sustained'. maxumē: older spelling of maximē; Sallust likes these archaic -umus forms (optumus, clārissumus).

Cat. 53.3Sciēbam saepenumerō parvā manū cum magnīs legiōnibus hostium contendisse;

I knew that they had often fought with a small band against great legions of the enemy;

Cat. 53.3cognōveram parvīs cōpiīs bella gesta cum opulentīs rēgibus, ad hoc saepe fortūnae violentiam tolerāvisse, fācundiā Graecōs, glōriā bellī Gallōs ante Rōmānōs fuisse.

I had learned that wars had been waged with small forces against wealthy kings, that besides this they had often endured the violence of fortune, that the Greeks had outdone the Romans in eloquence and the Gauls in the glory of war.

Note. Accusative and infinitive after cognōveram, with three infinitives: bella gesta (esse), tolerāvisse, fuisse. ad hoc: 'besides this'. fācundiā, glōriā: ablatives of respect, 'in eloquence', 'in glory'. ante … fuisse: 'had been ahead of, surpassed'.

Cat. 53.4Ac mihi multa agitantī cōnstābat paucōrum cīvium ēgregiam virtūtem cūncta patrāvisse, eōque factum, utī dīvitiās paupertās, multitūdinem paucitās superāret.

And as I turned many things over, it became clear to me that the outstanding courage of a few citizens had accomplished it all, and that this was how poverty had overcome riches and small numbers a multitude.

Note. eōque factum, utī …: 'and by this it came about that …'; eō is ablative of cause and factum (est) is impersonal. utī: older form of ut. Note the paired antitheses: dīvitiās paupertās, multitūdinem paucitās.

Cat. 53.5Sed postquam luxū atque dēsidiā cīvitās corrupta est, rūrsus rēs pūblica magnitūdine suā imperātōrum atque magistrātuum vitia sustentābat ac, sīcutī effētā parentum vī, multīs tempestātibus haud sānē quisquam Rōmae virtūte magnus fuit.

But after the state was corrupted by luxury and idleness, the commonwealth in its turn, by its own greatness, kept on bearing the faults of its generals and magistrates, and, as if its power to bear children were exhausted, for many generations there was hardly anyone at Rome great in virtue.

Note. effētā parentum vī: ablative absolute, 'the power of parents being worn out', the image of a mother past bearing children. sīcutī: 'as if'. multīs tempestātibus: ablative of time, 'for many generations'. vī: the digital text prints uī.

Cat. 53.6Sed memoriā meā ingentī virtūte, dīvorsīs mōribus fuēre virī duo, M. Catō et C. Caesar.

But within my memory there were two men of great virtue but different characters, Marcus Cato and Gaius Caesar.

Note. virtūte, mōribus: ablatives of quality, 'of great virtue, of different character'. dīvorsīs: older spelling of dīversīs. fuēre: = fuērunt, Sallust's favourite form of the 3rd plural perfect.

Cat. 53.6Quōs quoniam rēs obtulerat, silentiō praeterīre nōn fuit cōnsilium, quīn utrīusque nātūram et mōrēs, quantum ingeniō possum, aperīrem.

Since the subject had brought them before me, it was not my intention to pass them over in silence without laying open the nature and character of each, as far as my talent allows.

Note. nōn fuit cōnsilium quīn … aperīrem: 'it was not my plan (to pass them by) without revealing'; quīn after a negative. utrīusque: genitive of uterque, 'of each of the two'.