104 



CATHOLIC EPISTLES CATILINE. 



Esq., one of the members of that body; London, 

 18*9, 2 vols. 8vo. 



CATHOLIC EPISTLES ; a name given to seven 

 epistles of the New Testament, because written to 

 Christians in general, and not to believers of some 

 particular place. They are, one of James, two of 

 Peter, three of John, and one of Jude. 



CATHOLIC MAJESTY; a title which pope 

 Alexander VI. gave to the kings of Spain, in memory 

 of the perfect expulsion of the Moors out of Spain, 

 in 1491, by Ferdinand of Arragon. But even before 

 that time, and especially after the council at Toledo, 

 in 589, several Spanish kings liad borne this title. 



CATILINE, Lccius SEKGIUS, was just entering 

 on the age of manhood when Rome became a prey 

 to the rage of Mantis and Sylla. Of patrician birth, 

 he attached himself to the cause of the latter, had 

 some share in his success, and still more in his pro- 

 scriptions. Murder, rapine, and conflagration were 

 the first deeds and pleasures of his youth. His in- 

 fluence on the fortunes of the disordered republic 

 became important. He appears to liave served in 

 the army with reputation. He was peculiarly dan- 

 gerous and formidable, as his power of dissimulation 

 enabled him to throw a veil over his vices. Such 

 was his art, tliat, while he was poisoning the minds 

 of the Roman youth, he gained the friendship and 

 esteem of the severe Catulus. Equally well quali- 

 fied to deceive the good, to intimidate the weak, 

 and to inspire his own boldness into his depraved as- 

 sociates, he evaded two accusations brought against 

 him by Clodius, for criminal intercourse with a ves- 

 tal, and for monstrous extortions, of which he had 

 been guilty while proconsul in Africa. He was sus- 

 pected, also, of having murdered his first wife and 

 his son. A confederacy of many young men of high 

 birth and daring character, who saw no other means 

 of extricating themselves from their enormous debts, 

 than by obtaining the highest offices of the state, 

 having been formed, Catiline was placed at their 

 head. This eminence he owed chiefly to his con- 

 nexion with the old soldiers of Sylla, by means of 

 whom he kept in awe the towns near Rome, and 

 even Rome itself. At the same time, he numbered 

 among his adherents not only the worst and lowest 

 of the riotous populace, but also many of the patrici- 

 ans, and men of consular rank. Every thing favour- 

 ed his audacious scheme. Pompey was pursuing the 

 victories which Lucullus had prepared for him ; and 

 the latter was but a feeble supporter of the patriots 

 in the senate, who wished him, but in vain, to put 

 himself at their head. Crassus, who had delivered 

 Italy from the gladiators, was now striving, with 

 mad eagerness, after power and riches, and, instead 

 of opposing, countenanced the growing influence of 

 Catiline, as a means of his own aggrandizement. 

 Caesar, who was labouring to revive the party of 

 Marius, spared Catiline, and, perhaps, even encour- 

 aged him. Only two Romans remained determined 

 to uphold their falling country Cato and Cicero; 

 the latter of whom alone possessed the qualifications 

 necessary for the task. The conspirators were now 

 planning the elevation of Catiline and one of his ac- 

 complices to the consulship. When this was effect- 

 ed, they hoped to obtain possession of the public 

 treasures and the property of the citizens under vari- 

 ous pretexts, and especially by means of proscrip- 

 tion. It is not probable, however, that Catiline had 

 promised them the liberty of burning and plundering 

 Kome. Cicero had the courage to stand candidate 

 for the consulship, in spite of the impending danger, 

 of the extent of which he was perfectly aware. 

 Neither insults, nor threats, nor even riots and at- 

 tempts to assassinate him, deterred him from his pur- 

 pose ; and, being supported by the rich citizens, he 



gained his election, B. C. 65. All that the [tarty 

 of Catiline could accomplish was the election of 

 Caius Antony, one of their accomplices, as colleague 

 of Cicero. This failure, however, did not deprive 

 Catiline of the hope of gaining the consulship the 

 following ye;tr. For this purpose, he redoubled tin: 

 measures of terror, by which he had laid the founda- 

 tion of his power. Meanwhile, lie had lost some of 

 the most important members of his conspiracy. A n- 

 tony had been prevailed upon or compelled by Circni 

 to remain neutral. Cassar and Crassus had resolved 

 to do the same. Piso had been killed in Spain. 

 Italy, however, was destitute of troops. The veter- 

 ans of Sylla only waited the signal to take up arias. 

 This signal was now given by Catiline. The centu- 

 rion Manlius appeared among them, and formed a 

 camp in Etruria. Cicero was on the watch : a for- 

 tunate accident disclosed to him the counsels of the 

 conspirators. One of them, Curius, was on intimate 

 terms with a woman of doubtful reputation, Fulvia 

 byname, and had acquainted her with their plans. 

 Through this woman, Cicero learned that two knights 

 had undertaken to assassinate him at his house. On 

 the day which they liad fixed for the execution of 

 their plan, they found the doors barred and guarded. 

 Still Cicero delayed to make public the circumstances 

 of a conspiracy, the progress and resources of which 

 he wished first to ascertain. He contented himself 

 with warning his fellow citizens, in general terms, 

 of the impending danger. But when the insurrec- 

 tion of Manlius was made known, he procured the 

 passage of the celebrated decree, that " the consuls 

 should take care that the republic received no detri- 

 ment." It was exceedingly difficult to seize the 

 person of one who had soldiers at his command, both 

 in and out of Rome ; still more difficult would it be- 

 to prove his guilt before those who were accompli- 

 ces with him, or, at least, were willing to make use 

 of his plans to serve their own interest. He had to 

 choose between two evils a revolution within the 

 city, cr a civil war : he preferred the latter. Catiline 

 had the boldness to take his seat in the senate, known 

 as he was to be the enemy of the Roman state. 

 Cicero then rose and delivered tliat bold oration 

 against him, which was the means of saving Rome, 

 by driving Catiline from the city. The conspirators 

 who remained, Lentulus Sura, Cethegus, and other 

 infamous senators, engaged to head the insurrection 

 hi Rome as soon as Catiline appeared at the gates. 

 According to Cicero and Sallust, it was the intention 

 of the conspirators to set the city on fire, and mas- 

 sacre the inhabitants. At any rate, these horrid 

 consequences might have easily followed from the 

 circumstances of the case, without any previous re- 

 solution. Lentulus, Cethegus, and the other con- 

 spirators, in the mean while, were carrying on their 

 criminal plots. They applied to the ambassadors of 

 the Allobroges to transfer the war to the frontiers 

 of Italy itself. These, however, revealed the plot, 

 and their disclosures led to others still more import- 

 ant. The correspondence of the conspirators with 

 their leader was intercepted. The senate had now 

 a notorious crime to punish. As the circumstances 

 of the case did not allow of a minute observance of 

 forms in the proceedings against the conspirators, 

 the laws relating thereto were disregarded, as had 

 been done in former instances of less pressing dan- 

 ger. Caesar spoke against immediate execution, but 

 Cicero and Cato prevailed. Five of the conspirators 

 were put to death. Caius Antonius was then ap- 

 pointed to march against Catiline, but, on the pre- 

 text of ill health, gave the command to his lieuten- 

 ant Petrius. He succeeded in enclosing Catiline, 

 who, seeing no way of escape, resolved to die sword 

 in hand. His followers imitated his example. The 



