(Picture: Cicero Denouncing Catiline by Cesare Maccari)I've just spent an entire semester scrupulously deciphering and interpreting Sallust's Bellum Catilinae (War of Catiline). Catiline seems to have led quite a notorious life since all the prose I have read in college has been about this man. Apparently, he posed a great threat to the Roman republic and had tried to procure a consulship position for himself several times, using violence as a last resort.
It has been a tedious and incredibly challenging semester, but the story has been quite interesting. I find that much of Roman politics foreshadows the situations and procedures that take place nowawadays in the US. It's fascinating to see how history actually does repeat itself.
Anyway, below is my polished translation of an excerpt from Sallust for my final exam. I spent about 6 hours on it, consulting several commentaries and dictionaries. In this paragraph, Sallust pauses in his narrative to remark on the current state of the Roman republic, and how far-reaching Catiline's influence had become.
Latin: Ea tempestate mihi imperium populi Romani multo maxume miserabile visum est. Cui cum ad occasum ab ortu solis omnia domita armis parerent, domi otium atque divitiae, quae prima mortales putant, adfluerent, fuere tamen cives, qui seque remque publicam obstinatis animis perditum irent. Namque duobus senati decretis ex tanta multitudine neque praemio inductus coniurationem patefecerat neque ex castris Catilinae quisquam omnium discesserat: tanta vis morbi ac veluti tabes plerosque civium animos invaserat.
English: At that time, it seems to me that the empire of Rome was in a most exceedingly pitiable state. Although everything from the rising to the setting sun, since they had been conquered, was subject to her arms, and although at home peace and prosperity abounded, which mortals believe to be the foremost, nevertheless, there were citizens who, with obstinate wills, would proceed to destroy themselves and the republic. For despite the two decrees of the senate, not one out of such a multitude of people had been induced by motives of reward to lay open the conspiracy, nor had any one of them deserted the camp of Catiline: such was the potency of the disease that, like a plague, had invaded many of the minds of the citizens.
I have to say that my professor for this class, Serena Connolly, is the best professor I've had at Rutgers. She has excellent communication skills, is patient and willing to help students in any way possible, is not a slacker and makes us work hard, and she is also very knowledgeable in her field. To give you an example, Prof. Connolly met with each student individually after our midterm to discuss our exam and anything we would like to work on. I would recommend all classics majors to take her classes. Professors like her make studying worth it.
