Catilinarian Orations Passage 14

in exsilium eiciebam quem iam ingressum esse in bellum videram ? etenim , credo, Manlius iste centurio qui in agro Faesulano castra posuit bellum populo Romano suo nomine indixit, et illa castra nunc non Catilinam ducem exspectant, et ille eiectus in exsilium se Massiliam, ut aiunt, non in haec castra confert . O condicionem miseram non modo administrandae verum etiam conservandae rei publicae! nunc si L. L ucius Catilina consiliis, laboribus, periculis meis circumclusus ac debilitatus subito pertimuerit, sententiam mutaverit, deseruerit suos, consilium belli faciendi abiecerit, et ex hoc cursu sceleris ac belli iter ad fugam atque in exsilium converterit, non ille a me spoliatus armis audaciae, non obstupefactus ac perterritus mea diligentia, non de spe conatuque depulsus, sed indemnatus innocens in exsilium eiectus a consule vi et minis esse dicetur: et erunt qui illum, si hoc fecerit, non improbum sed miserum , me non diligentissimum consulem sed crudelissimum tyrannum existimari velint!

Was I driving into exile a man whom I saw had already entered upon war? For I suppose that the centurion Manlius, who established a camp in the territory of Faesulae, has declared war on the Roman people in his own name, that the camp is not now awaiting Catiline as its commander, and that Catiline, driven into exile, is making his way to Massilia, as they say, rather than to that camp. What a wretched condition, not merely for governing but even for preserving the republic! Now if Lucius Catiline, hemmed in and weakened by my plans, efforts, and dangers, should suddenly become frightened, change his mind, desert his followers, abandon his plan for making war, and turn from this course of crime and war toward flight and exile, it will be said not that he was stripped by me of the weapons of his audacity, stunned and terrified by my vigilance, and driven from his hope and attempt, but that an uncondemned and innocent man was driven into exile by the consul’s force and threats. And there will be people who want him, if he does this, regarded not as wicked but pitiable, and me not as a most vigilant consul but as a most cruel tyrant!

Chassais-je en exil un homme que j’avais vu déjà engagé dans la guerre ? Car, à ce que je crois, ce centurion Manlius, qui a établi son camp dans le territoire de Fésules, a déclaré la guerre au peuple romain en son propre nom ; ce camp n’attend pas aujourd’hui Catilina pour chef ; et celui-ci, chassé en exil, se rend, dit-on, à Marseille plutôt que dans ce camp. Ô condition misérable, non seulement pour gouverner, mais même pour sauver la République ! Si maintenant L. Catilina, encerclé et affaibli par mes desseins, mes travaux et les dangers que j’ai courus, prend soudain peur, change d’avis, abandonne les siens, renonce à son projet de guerre et détourne le chemin de son crime et de la guerre vers la fuite et l’exil, on dira non qu’il a été dépouillé des armes de son audace par moi, non qu’il a été frappé de stupeur et de terreur par ma vigilance, non qu’il a été repoussé de son espoir et de son entreprise, mais qu’innocent et sans condamnation, il a été chassé en exil par la force et les menaces du consul. Et il s’en trouvera pour vouloir qu’on le tienne, s’il agit ainsi, non pour un scélérat, mais pour un malheureux, et moi non pour un consul très vigilant, mais pour un tyran très cruel !