12G
lIISTOUIOATi ItKAIHNrt.
VOL. VI IT.
power of his oloquoncc. Lit the tumble
invective which he delivered in the Sen
ate on the morning after the secret meet
ing of the Oth of November, 03, he so
moved his colleagues by the sly words of
Ins silvery tongue, Unit even the conspira
tors themselves wore silent; tind Catalinc
overawed and brow-beitcn fearing to ruin
the project by an answer, loft the Senate,
and quitted the City for the camp of
Manlius.
Do not think thai we would exonerate
Catalinc from all blame, it is only to show
that he was a better man and of nobler
impulses than is generally supposed.
His support was strong, and upon his
arrival in Etruria many enrolled them,
solves with him, but the treacherous (lis
covery of all plans and preparations in
the City had early checked proceedings,
and rendered an outburst impossible.
How strangely the terrified people wore
with him, heart and soul, is shown in the
fact that when the Senate offered an am.
nesty to all who should quit the rebels,
and sue pardon; with great rewards to
whomsoever would give information, not
a soul could be found so treacherous, and
not a single soldier deserted the camp.
Cicero neglects to mention this little fact.
Catalinc being away, the management
of city affairs fell to incompetent men,
who were caught in a neatly planned
trap of Cicero's, and summarily arrested.
On the 5th of December, the Somite met to
determine the penalty which the prisoners
should suffer, for an attempt at rescue by
an excited populace was loured. Thon
came the mosi atrocious ant of all. The
fiery oratory of an emboldened Cicero,
again turned witli its magic the Human
will, and tho heroic Statilius Cethegus,
Gaturlus and Cieparius, with the high
born Sentulus, were strangled that night
by the public execiilionei in aloathesome
dungeon. This was a palpable violation
of the first principles of the Roman Con
stitution, for Hint solemnly declares Unit
no Roman cilizon should be put to death
until sentenced by tho -whole bodv of the
people in their camitta. Cicero was pub.
licly accused of this crime afterwards by
Mctellus Color, in tho Forum, but the
acciihor's voice was drowned by the cries
of Cicero's clique. "We can exclaim in
Cicero's very words in his famous speech
against Vcrrcs: "Had any prince, or any
stale, committed the same outrage against
the privileges of Roman citizens, should
we not think wo had sulllcient reason for
declaring war against them?"
Cataline's last struggles were worthy of
a Tell, a L'Oervelure or a Kosciusco. Ho
had an army of about five thousand men,
many of whom were not fully armed, but
were devoted to their cause, to Manlius
and to Catalinc. Hemmed in among the
mountains by two armies, Catalinc had to
risk an engagement and throw his little
band upon the enemy, nobly discharging
the duty of a general and a most skillful
soldier. His eye and hand ranged the
the whole field, he brought up new col
umns to support those hotly pressed; he
withdrew tho wounded and the weary to
a place of safety, and supplied their
places with eager and fresh troops; he
flew from rank to rank with words
of cheer for his men, and strove by
heroic deeds of daring valor to turn the
fortunes of tho day. Rut when he saw
his companions slaughtered on all sides,
his companies broken and wasted, and
his brave Manlius pierced by a deadly
spear, he plunged headlong into tho
midst of the enemy, and fell piorced by
many spears. When found, after tho bat
tic. far ahead of his own troops, lie bore,
even in his dcatli throes, the triumphant
smile of n conqueror and a patriot.
C. C. C.
HISTORICAL READING.
'I OT WITHSTANDING a person who
H. possesses little knowledge of historv
is looked upon as a being remarkably ig.
norant, few histories are so written as to
he attractive to tho general reader. Tils,
tory affords interesting reading fo almost
