of that age for riches, spoils, and power, yet
to Cicero alone they owed the safety and security of all these, for
delivering them from so great and imminent a danger. For though it
might seem no wonderful thing to prevent the design, and punish the
conspirators, yet to defeat the greatest of all conspiracies with so
little disturbance, trouble, and commotion, was very extraordinary. For
the greater part of those who had flocked in to Catiline, as soon as
they heard of the fate of Lentulus and Cethegus, forsook him, and he
himself, with his remaining forces, joining battle with Antonius, was
destroyed with his army.

And yet there were some who were very ready both to speak ill of Cicero,
and to do him hurt for these actions; and they had for their leaders
some of the magistrates of the ensuing year, as Caesar, who was one of
the praetors, and Metellus and Bestia, the tribunes. These, entering
upon their office some few days before Cicero's consulate expired, would
not permit him to make any address to the people, but, throwing the
benches before the Rostra, hindered his speaking, telling him he might,
if he pleased, make the oath of withdrawal from office, and then come
down again. Cicero, accordingly, accepting the conditions, came forward
to make his withdrawal; and silence being made, he recited his oath, not
in the usual, but in a new and peculiar form, namely, that he had saved
his country, and preserved the empire; the truth of which oath all the
people confirmed with theirs. Caesar and the tribunes, all the more
exasperated by this, endeavored to create him further trouble, and for
this purpose proposed a law for calling Pompey home with his army, to
put an end to Cicero's usurpation. But it was a very great advantage for
Cicero and the whole commonwealth that Cato was at that time one of the
tribunes. For he, being of equal power with the rest, and of greater
reputation, could oppose their designs. He easily defeated their other
projects, and, in an oration to the people, so highly extolled Cicero's
consulate, that the greatest honors were decreed him, and he was
publicly declared the Father of his Country, which title he seems to
have obtained, the first man who did so, when Cato applied it to him in
this address to the people.

At this time, therefore, his authority was very great in the city; but
he created himself much envy, and offended very many, not by any evil
action, but because he was always lauding