Cicero's "In Catilinam" First Speech Translation
Chapter I.
1. I ask you, Catiline, how far will you abuse our patience? For how much longer still will that madness of yours mock us? To what limit will that unrestrained audacity of yours display itself? Hasn’t the nightly garrison on the Palatine moved you at all, nor the patrols of the city, nor the fear of the people, nor the gatherings of all good men, nor this most fortified place for holding the senate, nor the faces and expressions of these men? Do you not realize that your plans lie exposed? Do you not see that your conspiracy is already being kept restricted by the knowledge of all these men? Which of us do you think does not know what you did last night, what you did the night before, where you were, whom you assembled and what plan you adopted?
2. O what times! O what conduct! The senate understands these things; the consul sees him; still this man lives: He lives? On the contrary, in truth, he even comes into the senate, he takes part in the public meeting, he notes and singles out with his eyes each one of us for death. On the other hand, we brave men, seem to be doing enough for the republic if we simply avoid the madness and missiles of that man. Catiline, you ought to have been led to death by the order of the consul a long time ago and the destruction, which you are contriving against us, ought to be brought against you.
3. And in truth, a very distinguished man, Publius Scipio, the Pontifex Maximus, as a private man, killed Tiberius Gracchus who was only slightly shaking the state of the republic. Shall we the consuls prefer Catiline, who desires to destroy the world with slaughter and conflagrations? For I pass over those excessively old events, such as Gaius Servilius Ahala, who killed with his own hand Spurius Maelius, as he was eager for revolution. There existed, there once existed in this republic such virtue that brave men would restrain a dangerous citizen with harsher punishments than their bitterest enemies. We have a decree of the
1. I ask you, Catiline, how far will you abuse our patience? For how much longer still will that madness of yours mock us? To what limit will that unrestrained audacity of yours display itself? Hasn’t the nightly garrison on the Palatine moved you at all, nor the patrols of the city, nor the fear of the people, nor the gatherings of all good men, nor this most fortified place for holding the senate, nor the faces and expressions of these men? Do you not realize that your plans lie exposed? Do you not see that your conspiracy is already being kept restricted by the knowledge of all these men? Which of us do you think does not know what you did last night, what you did the night before, where you were, whom you assembled and what plan you adopted?
2. O what times! O what conduct! The senate understands these things; the consul sees him; still this man lives: He lives? On the contrary, in truth, he even comes into the senate, he takes part in the public meeting, he notes and singles out with his eyes each one of us for death. On the other hand, we brave men, seem to be doing enough for the republic if we simply avoid the madness and missiles of that man. Catiline, you ought to have been led to death by the order of the consul a long time ago and the destruction, which you are contriving against us, ought to be brought against you.
3. And in truth, a very distinguished man, Publius Scipio, the Pontifex Maximus, as a private man, killed Tiberius Gracchus who was only slightly shaking the state of the republic. Shall we the consuls prefer Catiline, who desires to destroy the world with slaughter and conflagrations? For I pass over those excessively old events, such as Gaius Servilius Ahala, who killed with his own hand Spurius Maelius, as he was eager for revolution. There existed, there once existed in this republic such virtue that brave men would restrain a dangerous citizen with harsher punishments than their bitterest enemies. We have a decree of the