The Conspiracy Of Catiline
(Sallust)
Sallust exaggerated in describing Catiline and his intentions, as did Cicero who portrayed him as a monster of wickedness. Catiline decided to burn down Rome, as he was defeated in his candidacy to the consulship. The man, who had been at the beginning described as a brave soldier, of a noble birth, suddenly became a traitor, an agitator; rousing the rabble and common Romans after his failure to obtain a consulship.
Sallust and Cicero did so to impress the senate to incriminate Catiline of grave charges so that the sentence would be severe too. Being a good writer, an orator, Sallust managed to enhance and aggravate accusations brought against Catiline. But in his book, before he began to describe the conspiracy and explain the events in details, he preferred to depict the Romans, showing them in a very good light. He said that they were men of action; outshining their Greek neighbours. The Romans preferred deeds to words, contrary to the Greeks who owed their renown to the exploits of the historians who overrated it.
For his conspiracy, Catiline began to gather poor and young people who had no share or part to play in the senate or the consulship; they were completely ignored and forgotten by their leaders. The first attempt to denounce the conspiracy was done by a woman named Fluvia who was the mistress of Quintus Curius, a member of the conspiracy. The information caused the people to entrust the consulship to Cicero despite his being an outsider, an immigrant.
What made some people ready and eager to conspire was the fact that they remembered the men who had served under Sulla. Most of them had been common soldiers and had become rich and risen to be senators. The second denunciation of the conspiracy was done by the Allobroges when they were approached by Umbrunus who asked them to take part in the war as Catiline?s allies. Cicero was immediately informed of the plot. When people heard about the plan they praised Cicero to the skies.
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