  the catiline orations or catilinarian orations were speeches given in 63 bc by marcus tullius cicero, the consul of rome, exposing to the roman senate the plot of lucius sergius catilina and his allies to overthrow the roman government. ==the catiline plot and the orations of cicero== catiline, who was running for the consulship for a second time after having lost the first time was an advocate for the poor, calling for the cancellation of debts and land redistribution. cicero, in indignation, issued a law prohibiting machinations of this kind.dio cassius xxxvii.29.1 it was obvious to all that the law was directed specifically at catiline. catiline, in turn, conspired to murder cicero and the key men of the senate on the day of the election in what became known as the second catilinarian conspiracy. cicero discovered the plan and postponed the election to give the senate time to discuss the attempted coup d'Ã©tat. the day after the election was supposed to be held, cicero addressed the senate on the matter and catiline's reaction was immediate and violent. in response to catiline's behavior, the senate issued a senatus consultum ultimum, a kind of declaration of martial law invoked whenever the senate and the roman republic were considered to be in imminent danger from treason or sedition. ordinary law was suspended and cicero, as consul, was invested with absolute power. when the election was finally held, catiline lost again. anticipating the bad news, the conspirators had already begun to assemble an army, made up mostly of sulla's veteran soldiers. the nucleus of conspirators was also joined by some senators. the plan was to initiate an insurrection in all of italy, put rome to the torch and to kill as many senators as they could. through his own investigations, cicero was aware of the conspiracy. on november 8, cicero called for a meeting of the senate in the temple of jupiter stator near the forum, which was used for this purpose only when great danger was imminent. catiline attended as well. it was in this context that cicero delivered one of his most famous orations. ===oratio in catilinam prima in senatu habita===  as political orations go, this was relatively shortâsome 3,400 wordsâand to the point. the opening remarks are still widely remembered and used after 2,000 years: quo usque tandem abutere, catilina, patientia nostra? quam diu etiam furor iste tuus nos eludet? quem ad finem sese effrenata iactabit audacia? how long, o catiline, will you abuse our patience? and for how long will that madness of yours mock us? to what end will your unbridled audacity h
63_BC Orations_of_Cicero Roman_law