THE

ARGUMENT.

THE Confpiracy having been detected, Ci

cero fummoned an Affembly of the Roman People, and in the following Oration laid before them the Particulars of the Discovery; and exhorts them to celebrate a Thanksgiving to the Gods, which had been decreed by the Senate, in bis Honour, for the Prefervation of Rome and her Citizens.

VOL. II.

F

M. T.

M. T.

CICER O's

THIRD

ORATION

AGAINST

CATILINE.

O Day you behold, O Romans! your Country, your Lives, your Liberties, your Properties, your Wives and Children, this august Seat of Empire, this fair, this flourishing City, preferved and restored to you, by the diftinguifhing Love of the Immortal Gods, ever watchful for your Welfare; and by Means of my Toils, my Counfels, my Dangers, refcued

from

from Fire and Sword; nay, let me add, out of the Jaws of impending Fate.

AND if the Days of our Prefervation are equally joyous, equally distinguished, as those of our Birth; because the Pleasure of Deliverance is certain, but the Condition of Life precarious; on our Deliverance we reflect with Delight; in our Birth we exift without Consciousness; believe me, fince our Gratitude and Veneration has made the Name of the Founder of Rome immortal as the Gods; the Man who faved the fame City, with all its Acceffions of Strength and Wealth, ought by you and your Posterity to be revered: For by me were those Flames, that were ready to inwrap the Temples, the Domes, the Dwellings, and the Walls of this City, extinguished; by me, was the Dagger, when pointed at the Bofom of your Country, blunted; and the Weapons aimed at your Throats, were by me averted. All these Circumstances, as they have already been explained, laid open, and proved by me before the Senate, I will now, Romans, in a few Words, exprefs to you, that you may be no longer, as hitherto, at a Lofs to comprehend how important, and how evident they are, by what Means traced out, and in what Manner discovered. F 2

IN

In the first Place, ever fince Catiline, a few Days ago, broke out of the City, and had left the Accomplices of his Treafon, with the boldest Ringleaders of this Rebellion at Rome; the End of all my Vigilance, of all my Care, has been, how we might be beft fecured from fuch Variety of Danger, from fuch a Mine of Mischief; for when I threw Catiline out of Rome, (for I now dread no Reproach from that Word, all I have now to fear is, from his being fuffered to depart alive,) as I aimed at pulling his Confpiracy up by the Roots, I was in Hopes, that he would either be followed by the reft of his Affociate Crew; or that they who remained, muft be difabled and difconcerted through his Abfence. And as I perceived, that the most bold and bloody of all the Confpiracy remained here with us and within Rome; my painful Endeavours by Day and Night were, that I might come at the Knowledge, the Proof of their Intentions and Actions: That fince you could not reconcile the Enormity of their Guilt to your Belief, and therefore were inclined to distrust what I faid, I might difpofe Matters in fuch a Manner, as to unite all in the Means of your Safety by

you

proving to your strongest Convicton, the Im

minence

b

a

minence of your Danger. As foon, therefore, as I found that Publius Lentulus had been tampering with the Commiffioners of the Allobroges in order to kindle a War beyond the Alps, and create Commotions in Gaul, and that they had been fent to their Countrymen with a Commiffion to communicate on the Road their Credentials and Inftructions to Catiline; that Vulturcius was fent to attend them, and that they had likewife entrusted him with Letters

F 3

a This Lentulus had been Prætor and Conful before this Time, but was expelled the Senate by the Cenfors. To recover the Senatorian Dignity, he was obliged to put in for being Pretor a fecond Time, during which Prætorship, he was put to Death for this Confpiracy.

Thefe were Gauls, who paffing the Alps, fettled on the Italian Side, in thofe Parts now called Savoy and Piedmont. They were a brave People, and maintained a War with the Romans for a long Time; but before this had been totally fubdued, and governed by the Roman Prætor, who had the Care of Gallia Narbonenfis. About the Time of the breaking out of this Confpiracy, they had fent Embaffadors to Rome, to complain of the Oppreffion and Extortion of their Governor. Lentulus took this Opportunity of increafing the Strength of the Confpiracy, by promifing the Allobroges an Abatement of their Taxes, if they would rife in Favour of Catiline, and affift him with their Forces. The Embassador after fome Deliberation, refolved to discover the Affair to 2. Fabius Sanga, their Patron at Rome, who immediately disclosed it to Cicero. The Conful advised them to agree with the Confpirators, and get a Covenant from them figned by the principal Men, to carry home to their Constituents. This the Confpirators confent to, and at the fame Time defre to take Catiline's Camp in their Way; for which Purpose they fend one of their Party Vulturcius, along with them, with Letters to their General. Cicero getting Notice of this from the Embaffadors, took the whole Party Prifoners upon the Road, and by this Means had full Proof against Lentulus, and the other Heads of the Plot, whom he immediately feized.