Catiline's Effronery

Chapter I- 1

I ask you how much you abuse, Catiline, out patience? For how long does that fury of yours elude us still? To what end will the unbridled boldness will display itself? Not the night guard of the Palatine Hill, Not the watchfulness of the city, not the fear of the people, not the assembly of the good citizens, no this very fortified place of the senate holding, not of these senators and the expression on the faces moved you? Do you not feel that your plans are revealing? Do you not see that now your conspiracy is to be held now constricted in the knowledge of all these men? Whom of us do you think does not know which night before did you do? What did you do the night before last? Where were you? Whom were you calling together? Which plans did you take; what plan do you do you think to ignore?

Chapter I-2

O what times! O what customs! The senate understands these things, the counsel sees; nevertheless this man lives. He lives? More than that he comes into the senate also, he becomes a participant of the public plans, he marks and designates each one of us with his eyes for murder. However, we brave men, seem to satisfy the state, if we avoid the madness and weapons of this scoundrel. Catiline, it ought to have been that you ought to be led to death by the order of the counsel a long time ago. Destruction ought to be born against you, which you plan against us.

Chapter I-3

A very honorable man indeed, Publicus Scipio, as pontifex maximus killed Tiberius Gracchus, slightly disturbing the condition of the state: will we consuls, tolerate desiring Catiline to destroy the whole world with murder and fires? For I pass by that too old case, that fact that Gaius Servinus Ahala killed Spurius Maelius, eager for a revolution, by his hand. There was, there was that such courage formerly in this state, so that the brave men might restrain a dangerous citizen with a more violent punishments than the fiercest enemy. We have a very violent and serious decree of the senate against you, Catiline, the plan of the republic is not lacking nor the boldness of this rank; we, We consuls, I say frankly, lack.

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