Skidmore College
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[Blank space]
| October |
| November |
| December |
| January (62 BCE) |
| References |
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In October of 63 BCE the second Catilinarian
conspiracy went into action, with (if we can believe the accounts) Catiline
and Cicero embroiled in a complicated cat-and-mouse game—the one acting,
the other reacting, and vice versa.
What follows is the fruit of student research
into the movements of both men in the latter months of 63. The sections
are arranged side by side.
The sections on October were written by A. Cencini
and L. Berenson (Cicero) and Hanna Liverant (Catiline). The sections
on November were written by D. Benincasa and M. Mucha (Cicero) and C. Dunn
and B. Vancik (Catiline). S. Stuart (Catiline) and E. Levy (Cicero)
wrote on December-January.
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Cicero
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Catiline
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20
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An anonymous letter, presumably drafted by Catiline or
one of his conspirators, made its way to the doorstep of Crassus and many
members of the Senate. This letter contained a warning to the recipients
to leave the city, threatening death and destruction to the whole city—and
mentioned the date of October 27th, which was to be the day the attacker's
forces would strike the city. |
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21
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Cicero presented the letters to the members of the senate
as proof that Catiline was indeed a real threat to the safety of the Roman
people. Cicero also argued that Manlius would initiate a rebellion
on the 27th and that Catiline would massacre the nobles burn
the city on the following day. These chargeswere verified by Quintus Arrius,
who stated that he had witnessed Manlius mustering troops in the areaaround
Etruturia. Cicero was charged with protecting the city of Rome through
the senatus consultum ultimum (ultimate decree of the Senate), which
made Cicero responsible for striking down the terrible conspiracy that
threatened the city, and gave him ultimate responsibility and latitude
with which to deal with the impending problem. He then gave Metellus the
job of protecting Rome from external threat and put himself in control
of internal affairs. |
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27
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When the 27th rolled by without event, the Roman people
became suspicious of Cicero, surmising that this may have been a simple
plot on his part to rally support and power from the people, inventing
a time of need by means of which he could strengthen his political power. |
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28
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The Roman people's faith in Cicero was renewed, as reports
came in from the countryside warning of the buildup of troops. At
this point, under the auspices of the lex Plautia de vi, Cicero
ordered the indictment of Catiline, which was executed by Lucius Aemilius
Paulus. |
Following reports of military activity in the country
but still playing the stunned innocent, Catiline offered himself to the
care of Cicero or Metullus (custodia libera) as a sign of his "good
faith." Naturally, neither man wanted the scourge of Catiline to
befall his house, and they both declined his offer. |
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Cicero
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Catiline
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1
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Catiline tried and failed to seize Praeneste. |
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6
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A meeting of the conspirators was called in the evening
at the house of M. Porcius Laeca. It was decided that Catiline would
leave Rome and head for Etruria in order to prepare to march on Rome with
his army. Catiline and his men also decided how to split up Italy,
choosing certain sections to be attacked by specific men. The conspirators
would also try to enlist the help of the gladiators at Capua. The final
plan of action was to have two men greet Cicero the following morning and
assassinate him, which also failed. |
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7
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Cicero avoided an morning assassination attempt made
by the conspirators. He had been informed of the attempt by Fulvia,
the aristocratic mistress of one of Catiline’s supporters, and had his
house well fortified. |
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8
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The next day Cicero convened the Senate and delivered
his First Catilinarian, in which he charged him with certain crimes
and urged him to flee Rome |
Catiline showed up and sat in the senate that day as
if nothing was wrong, but he ended up sitting alone. He gave a speech
in response to Cicero, calling for the senators to look at his ancestry,
which was extremely ancient and powerful, and to look as well at the lack
of proof that Cicero had. However, the Senate, angry at his actions,
shouted him down.
Catiline fled Rome. Some of his fellow conspirators
stayed in Rome, while others, such as Tongilius, Publicius, and Minucius,
traveled with him to Etruria. Along the way he stopped in Forum Aurelium,
and then in Arctium, and gave out weapons to the people. Catiline
took up the insignia of the consul, and also carried with him the silver
eagle standard of Rome. |
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9
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Cicero delivered his Second Catilinarian to the
general public. He talked about how great a victory it was to have
Catiline out of Rome. He also assured the public that everything
was under control, and that the common people had nothing in common with
Catiline and his conspirators. He emphasized that he was on the side
of the people and Catiline was not, and said that he (Cicero) had sacrificed
his popularity with certain nobles in order to protect the common people
from Catiline’s plots. |
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15
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Catiline and his army arrived in Faesulae, where they
discovered that they had been declared hostes, or public enemies. |
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end
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Toward the end of November a few of Catiline's lieutenants
started some small uprisings on the countryside, but they were captured,
tried, and imprisoned. Only Catiline's army in Eturia was large enough
to march on Rome, but only one quarter of it was armed. He had to
wait.
Also at the end of November, the conspiracy had sought
the help of the Allbroges, a tribe from Gaul. Approached for support
because they were in financial debt to Rome, the Allbroges agreed to help
by creating a diversion in Gaul, but secretly decided that it would be
more beneficial to act as spies for the government. |
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Cicero
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Catiline
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2
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After the Gauls reneged on their offer to aid the conspirators,
they contacted the patron of their tribe in Rome, Quintus Fabius Sanga,
who notified Cicero immediately. Cicero instructed the beserkers to continue
playing along with the conspirators, but to ask for written information
on the plot. An envoy was created to meet with Catiline leaving the city
on December 2, and two letters were sent from Lentulus. Cicero, learning
this, notified two praetors who formed an attack squadron to ambush the
posse on the Mulvian bridge that night. As soon as the Gauls realized who
the ambushers were, they surrendered themselves and the letters, the necessary
evidence. |
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3
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The next morning the letters were delivered to Cicero.
He brought the "big five" conspirators remaining in the city, Lentulus,
Cethegus, Statilius, Gabinius, and Caeparius to the temple of Concord,
where he and the patres conscripti had already gathered, and conducted
an inquisition that found the conspirators to be guilty. Cicero was
hailed as a hero; he launched his Third Catilinarian to the
expectant masses, and the city rejoiced. |
On the same day, the house of C. Cornelius Cethegus,
a conspiracy leader, was searched and arms for the rebel army were found,
and both the leaders of the conspiracy and the Allbroges testified against
Catiline in the temple of Concord. |
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5
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The majority of senators agreed with the death penalty
for the currently incarcerated prisoners as well as those still to be apprehended
until Caesar spoke, warning against the implications of the oligarchy taking
such drastic measures against the populace. He argued against a rash
decision while the senators were still full of passion and instead suggested
property confiscations and life imprisonments in Roman towns. Cicero
delivered the Fourth Catilinarian, followed by a rousing speech from the
young Marcus Cato. The senators were then fully persuaded that a
harsh sentence would dissuade Catiline from marching against Rome on the
17th. |
Those conspirators who had been arrested were hanged.
Lentulus had to resign as praetor and he was defrocked. Catiline's conspiracy
in Rome had failed. The original plan was to rise up and assassinate
both Cicero and other senators on the seventeenth, but he was forced to
delay once more. |
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Cicero
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Catiline
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early
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Catiline tried to move his troops through the Apennines
but was met there by Metellus Celer, with Antonius and his army coming
from the rear. Catiline was a proud man and could not surrender.
That day every single Catilinarian soldier fought to his death. |
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After the death of Catiline on the battlefield, Cicero
left his office "at the peak of his political power and popularity."
He was honored with the title pater patriae for having saved the
country from ruin with his flowing oratory and swift action. |
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References.
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Last modified 21 March 1999
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