CATULLUS 68 - Scuola Normale Superiore

later Torquatus tried unsuccessfully to prevent Sulla from prosecuting A. Gabinius on the same charge for
which he had been condemned and thereby to gain readmission to the Senate. 82 He filled a series of minor
offices in the Sixties: those of tresuir monetalis and of quindecimuir sacris faciundis in 65 B.C., and that of
tribunus militum in 61. 83 He appears to have reached the praetorship in 49 B.C. 84 His office catapulted him
into the Civil War, in which he joined the side of Pompey, as did most senators. We find him near Formiae
in January 49 B.C., anxious that Pompey might abandon Italy to Caesar; at the head of six cohorts in Alba in
late February; trying to defend Oricum in Illyria with native troops in the first days of 48 B.C. and
commanding a legion near Durrachium in early July with success in a pitched battle. He also took part in the
African War. After the defeat at Thapsus on 6 April 46 he tried to flee by sea to join the Republicans in
Spain, but at Hippo Regius his ship was surrounded by the enemy and he died, probably by committing
suicide. 85
We have two major sources of information on the personality of L. Manlius Torquatus: Cicero’s speech Pro
Sulla (buttressed by other sources about the trial) and his dialogue De Finibus Bonorum et Malorum. At
Sulla’s trial Torquatus appears to have attacked his friend Cicero for his unprincipled defence of Catiline’s
fellow conspirator Sulla, for his provincial origin and even for his regnum, for the oppressive and almost
autocratic power that he attained by crushing Catiline. 86 Gellius tells us that he directed a highly offensive
taunt against the other counsel for the defence, the highly respectable Q. Hortensius Hortalus, but this
backfired:
82
In the event, Gabinius was condemned by default in absentia, and it is not clear whether it was because of this that
Sulla was readmitted to the Senate, or after another successful prosecution, or because of Caesar’s pardon: see Berry
1996: 12.
83
For the date of the first two offices see Crawford (MRR III.136) against Gruber (MRR II.135 and 485). On his
tribunate see Cic. Sul. 24 with Berry 1996 ad loc.
84
Cic. Fin. 2.74 (dramatic date: 50 B.C., or slightly earlier) implies that he is just about to hold the praetorship. The
traditional view is that he was praetor in 49 B.C., as Caesar writes at B.C. 1.24.3 that L. Manlius (Mallius codd.) praetor
Alba cum cohortibus sex profugit, Rutilius Lupus praetor Tarracina cum tribus. This identification has been called into
doubt by Shackleton Bailey 1968: 4.342f., who commented on Cic. Att. 8.11B.1 nam L. Torquatum, uirum fortem et
cum auctoritate, Formiis non habemus; ad te profectum arbitramur as follows: “It seems hardly credible that C(icero)
should not have added praetorem here, if in fact Torquatus held the office. ... Torquatus had been at Formiae up to 10
February (cf. 147 (VII.23).1), and it is possible that Caesar’s L. Manlius (or Mallius) is a different man. Other
possibilities are that Caesar made a mistake about his office or that praetor after his name is a copyist’s anticipation of
Rutilius Lupus praetor almost immediately following.” However, Münzer (RE, loc. cit.; thus also Neudling 1955: 120)
already pointed out that cum auctoritate in Cicero’s letter could well constitute a reference to Torquatus’ praetorship.
85
Formiae: Cic. Att. 7.12.4; Alba: Caes. B.C. 1.24.2f. with Cic. Att. 8.11b.1 (cfr. 9.6.1); Oricum: Caes. B.C. 3.11.3f;
Durrachium: Lucan, 6.285-288 with the Schol. Bern. ad loc. (199 Usener), and Orosius 6.15.19f.; Hippo Regius: Bell.
Afr. 96 (‘Torquatus’) and Oros. 6.16.4f. (‘T. Torquatus’), cf. Cic. Brut. 265f. and Att. 13.19.4.
86
Cicero defending conspirator: Cic. Sul. 3-10. Provincial origin: Sul. 22-25 with the Schol. Bob. ad loc. (362f. Orelli =
79f. Stangl). Regnum: Sul. 21f.
41