II

THE FATE OF THE CONSPIRATORS[62]

When the Senate, as I have stated, had gone over to the opinion of
Cato, the Consul, thinking it best not to wait till night, which was
coming on, lest any new attempts should be made during the interval,
ordered the triumvirs to make such preparations as the execution of
the conspirators required. He himself, having posted the necessary
guards, conducted Lentulus[63] to the prison; and the same office was
performed for the rest by the praetors.

There is a place in the prison, which is called the Tullian
dungeon,[64] and which, after a slight ascent to the left, is sunk
about twelve feet under ground. Walls secure it on every side, and
over it is a vaulted roof connected with stone arches; but its
appearance is disgusting and horrible, by reason of the filth,
darkness, and stench. When Lentulus had been let down into this place,
certain men, to whom orders had been given, strangled him with a
cord. Thus this patrician who was of the illustrious family of the
Cornelii, and who had filled the office of Consul at Rome, met with an
end suited to his character and conduct. On Cethegus, Statilius,
Gabinius, and Coeparius, punishment was inflicted in a similar
manner.

During these proceedings at Rome, Catiline, out of the entire force
which he himself had brought with him, and that which Manlius had
previously collected, formed two legions, filling up the cohorts as
far as his numbers would allow; and afterward, as any volunteers, or
recruits from his confederates, arrived in his camp, he distributed
them equally throughout the cohorts, and thus filled up his legions,
in a short time, with their regular number of men, tho at first he had
not had more than two thousand. But, of his whole army, only about a
fourth part had the proper weapons of soldiers; the rest, as chance
had equipped them, carried darts, spears, or sharpened stakes.

As Antonius[65] approached with his army, Catiline directed his march
over the hills, encamping, at one time, in the direction of Rome, at
another in that of Gaul. He gave the enemy no opportunity of fighting,
yet hoped himself shortly to find one, if his accomplices at Rome
should succeed in their objects. Slaves, meanwhile, of whom vast
numbers had at first flocked to him, he continued to reject, not only
as depending on the strength of the conspiracy, but as thinking it
impolitic to appear to share the cause of citizens with runagates.