CATILI NA, Lucius SERGIUS, descended from a patrician but impoverished family, was b. about the year 108 B.C. During his youth, he attached himself to the party of Sulla. His bodily constitution, which was capable of enduring any amount of labor, fatigue, and hardship, allied to a mind which could stoop to every baseness and feared no crime, fitted him to take the lead in the conspiracy which has made his name infa mous to all ages. In the year 68 B.C., he was elected praetor; in 67 B.c., governor of Africa; and in 66 B.C., he desired to stand for the consulship, but was disqualified on account of the accusations brought against him of maladministration in his province. Disap pointed thus in his ambition, and burdened with many and heavy debts, he saw no hope for himself but in the chances of a political revolution, and therefore entered into a con spiracy, including manyother young Roman nobles, in morals and circumstances greatly like himself. The plot, however, was revealed to Cicero by Fulvia, mistress of one of the conspirators. Operations were to commence with the assassination of Cicero in the Campus 3Iartius, but the latter was kept aware of every step of the conspiracy, and contrived to frustrate the whole design. In the night of Nov. 6 (63 me.), Catiline assembled his confederates, and explained to them a new plan for assassinating Cicero; for bring ing up the Tuscan army (which he had seduced from its allegiance), under Manlius, from the encampment at Fmsulte; for setting tire to Rome, and putting to death the hostile senators and citizens. In the course of a few hours, everything was made known to Cicero. Accordingly, when the chosen assassins came to the house of the consul, on pretense of a visit, they were immediately repulsed. On the'fith of Nov., Catiline audaciously appeared
in the senate, when Cicero—who had received intelligence that the insurrection had already broken out in Etruria—commenced the celebrated invective beginning: QuouRque tandem abutere, Catilina, patientia nostral etc. (" How long now, Catiline, will you abuse our patience?") The scoundrel was abashed, not by the 'keenness of Cicero's attack, but by minute knowledge he displayed of the conspiracy. Ilis attempt at a reply was mis erable, and wits drowned in cries of execration. With curses on his lips, he abruptly left the senate, and escaped from Rome during the night. Catiline and Manlius were now denounced as traitors, and an army under the consul, Antonius, was sent against them.
i The conspirators who remained in Rome, the chief of whom was Lentulus, were arrested, tried, condemned, and executed, Dec. 5. The insurrections in several parts of Italy were meanwhile suppressed; many who had resorted to Catiline's camp in Etruria, deserted when they heard what had taken place in Rome, and his intention to proceed into Gaul was frustrated. In the beginning of Jan. (62), lie returned by Pistoria (now Pistoja) into Etruria, where he encountered the forces under Antonius, and, after a des perate battle, in which he displayed almost superhuman courage and enthusiasm, was defeated and slain. The appearance of Catiline was in harmony with his character. He had a daring and reckless look; his face was haggard with a sense of crime; his eyes were wild and bloodshot, and his step unsteady, from nightly debauchery. The history of the Catiline conspiracy is given by Sallust in a remarkably concise and nervous style.