in the State.
He was made first aedile, then praetor, then governor of Africa, a
province covering the region which now bears the names of Tripoli and
Tunis. At the end of his year of government he returned to Rome,
intending to become a candidate for the consulship. In this he met with
a great disappointment. He was indicted for misgovernment in his
province, and as the law did not permit any one who had such a charge
hanging over him to stand for any public office, he was compelled to
retire. But he soon found, or fancied that he had found, an opportunity
of revenging himself. The two new consuls were found guilty of bribery,
and were compelled to resign. One of them, enraged at his disgrace, made
common cause with Catiline. A plot, in which not a few powerful citizens
were afterwards suspected with more or less reason of having joined, was
formed. It was arranged that the consuls should be assassinated on the
first day of the new year; the day, that is, on which they were to enter
on their office. But a rumor of some impending danger got about; on the
appointed day the new consuls appeared with a sufficient escort, and the
conspirators agreed to postpone the execution of their scheme till an
early day in February. This time the secret was better kept, but the
impatience of Catiline hindered the plot from being carried out. It had
been arranged that he should take his place in front of the
senate-house, and give to the hired band of assassins the signal to
begin. This signal he gave before the whole number was assembled. The
few that were present had not the courage to act, and the opportunity
was lost.

The trial for misgovernment ended in an acquittal, purchased, it was
said, by large bribes given to the jurymen and even to the prosecutor, a
certain Clodius, of whom we shall hear again, and shall find to have
been not one whit better than Catiline himself. A second trial, this
time for misdeeds committed in the days of Sulla, ended in the same way.
Catiline now resolved on following another course of action. He would
take up the character of a friend of the people. He had the advantage of
being a noble, for men thought that he was honest when they saw him thus
turn against his own order, and, as it seemed, against his own
interests. And indeed there was much that he could say, and say with
perfect truth, against the nobles. They were corrupt and profligate
beyond all bearing. They sat on juries and gave false verdic