Catiline and the "Concordia Ordinum" - Historia Antigua

More documents

Recommendations

Info

CATILINE AND THE CONCORDIA ORDINUM 23 Like all aristocrats who had land but little cash, he needed the consulship and the provincial command that would follow, to rehabilitate his finances.40 But he was by birth one of the nobiles and he considered it his birthright to occupy high office and to become an influential senator.4' Moreover, his was a nobilitas that needed refurbishing. No one in his family had held high office since his great-grandfather, M. Sergius Silus, had reached the praetorship in 197 B.C.42 Not only his own honour but that of his family was at stake. The affront he had received from the Family Compact and his defeat in 64 B.C. by Cicero, a man whose ancestors had never held office, served to embitter him against both the optimates and Cicero and to make him resolve to carry on and try to reach the consulship, come what might. But, although he might differ from his fellow-aristocrats in the intensity of his desire to become consul, the reasons for that desire were the same in his case as in theirs. Prior to 63 B.c., therefore, Catiline was merely a minor figure in political life, exerting himself to the utmost to achieve the consulship and receiving support from Caesar and Crassus. Cicero, as much from personal necessity as from political conviction, was engaged in activity likely to unite the publicani and the optimates in a common front against all disturbers of the peace, whether they were unimportant individuals like Catiline or major figures like Caesar and Crassus. III Cicero began his year as consul by promising to be a consul popularis.43 Events showed, however, that he put his own construction on this term and intended to do what he thought was good for the people rather than what they wanted done. The nature of the support he had received in his election, as well as his own inclination, demanded that he continue to work for harmony between the publicani and the optimates. And this meant in actual fact a vigorous campaign against every proposal or move made by the not inactive opposition.44 A land bill was proposed that would have made its ten commissioners virtual rulers of the Roman Empire. Cicero attacked it, partly on this ground and partly because Pompey was virtually excluded from the commission.45 It was proposed to reinstate the children of the proscribed. Cicero spoke against this, not because it was unjust, but because it 40Cicero's brother Quintus described both Antonius and Catiline as egentes (Commentariolum Petitionis, 8). Cf. ibid., 9 and Gelzer, Die Nobilitdt d. r. R., 19. 41Sallust, De Catilinae Coniuratione, 5. See Q. Cicero, Commentariolum Petitionis, 9, 11 and 12, and Sallust, ibid., 35. 42P. Willems, Le Senat de la rdpublique romaine (Louvain, 1883), vol. 1, 332, n. 60. Gelzer, Die Nobilitdt d. r. R., 28. 43De Lege Agraria, 11. 3. 6 ff. Cf. I. 7. 23. 44A discussion of the proposals is to be found in Hardy, The Catilinarian Conspiracy, 33 ff. 46De Lege Agraria, 11. 6. 15, 9. 23 f.
24 THE PHOENIX might disrupt the commonwealth.46 A prosecution was launched against a senator who had participated in the murder of an insurgent tribune nearly forty years before. Cicero joined in defending him.4' The only real victory for the opposition was the reintroduction of voting procedure for pontiffs, altered by Sulla.48 This resulted in the election of Caesar as pontifex maximus. Everywhere else Cicero carried the day and his defence was not a passive one. On every occasion he took the opportunity of branding his opponents as revolutionaries.49 He and his coalition succeeded in thwarting the troublemakers on all major issues. Even before the election campaign in July, 63 B.c., it must have become apparent to Caesar and Crassus that their attack was too narrowly based and that it had been a mistake to give Cicero any opportunity to swing Pompey's following, primarily the publicani, behind his campaign to maintain the status quo. In other words, they must have seen the necessity of revising their plans in order to have Pompey and his followers on their side. Hardy is of the opinion that the return of Metellus Nepos from Pompey's camp to stand for tribune gave them an opportunity to lay the basis for the First Triumvirate.50 This is quite probable. At any rate, Metellus Nepos was elected, and one of his first acts as tribune was to launch an attack on Cicero. In 62 B.c. he and Caesar fought side by side against the optimates. The decision of Caesar and Crassus to revise their strategy in order to win Pompey and the financiers to their side would not at first necessitate the withdrawal of support from Catiline when he stood for the consulship in July, 63 B.c. They had certainly intended to continue to use him, as Caesar had indicated by allowing his acquittal the year before. It would have been valuable, too, for them to have had a friendly consul in 62 B.c. But the measure of their support would depend on the extent to which he was willing to work in the interests of their new strategy. The groups on which Catiline drew for support in his canvass, however, would make it seem likely that he was not prepared to follow the new strategy but was inclined to take an independent course. His supporters were predominantly anti-optimate in nature: the descendants of the proscribed, bankrupt aristocrats, a band of unprincipled and Bohemian young bloods, and, from the rural areas, dispossessed farmers and Sullan veterans, who had not found the farms to which they had gone sufficiently remunerative.5' But they were the most desperate and militant of the anti-optimates. And the developments 46Quintilian, Institutio Oratoria xx. 1. 85. 47In the speech Pro C. Rabirio Perduellionis Reo. 48Dio Cassius, xxxvII. 37. See Hardy, The Catilinarian Conspiracy, 38, n. 2. 49De Lege Agraria, I. 7. 21, 9. 26, II. 3. 8; Pro C. Rabirio Perduellionis Reo, 1 and 12. s0Hardy, The Catilinarian Conspiracy, 61 f.; 105 f.; 108. "5Pro Murena, 24. 49. See John, Die Entstehungsgesch. d. Cat. Verschw5rung, 740 ff. The most prominent were the calamitosi.
Page 1 and 2: Classical Association of Canada Cat
Page 3 and 4: 16 THE PHOENIX one or two groups co
Page 5 and 6: 18 THE PHOENIX united and led the o
Page 7 and 8: 20 THE PHOENIX his banner.25 This C
Page 9: 22 THE PHOENIX from the other arist
Page 13 and 14: 26 THE PHOENIX one acceptable to cr
Page 15 and 16: 28 THE PHOENIX nothing about it. Me
Page 17: 30 THE PHOENIX The events of 63 B.C

Catiline and the "Concordia Ordinum" - Historia Antigua

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?