Lewistown gazette. [volume] (Lewistown, Pa.) 1843-1944, 1861-08-21
MISCELLANEOUS,
CATALINES CONSPIRACY.

! When the Roman Commonwealth
nearly two thousand years snce-was at
the height ofits glory and its power, at the
period when Caesar and Pompey and An
thony were her soldiers, and names as H.
lustrlous as Cicero and Hortensius and Sal
lust adorned her literary annals, when her
armies had tripmphed in Asia and Africa,
and the then known world, almost, was
at her feet, one Of those mighty conspira-
| cles broke out, not iutrequent in great
| States where power tcmpts ambition, which,
but for the genius and courage of Cicero,
! would have destroyed the liberties and peo
! pie oi Rome. Need we remind our read
ers OF the famous, or rather the infamous,
CatalIpc Conspiracy, plot which will ever
be, to all ages, the very synonym Of audac-
Ity and wlckedness, almost sublime in their
character, overnatched at last, however, by
olOquepce and patriotism.
AS something not irrelevant to the times
in which we live, we propose briefly to re-
count the chief features in this gigantic
and marked attempt to overthrow, for sell
fish aims, the liberties of great Common
wealth we propose to remind those who
would rest in supine Indifference, under
the illusion that the liberties Of a people
can take care of themselves, that freedom
as often perishes through lack of care and
vigilance on the part of those who are con
stltuted It's defenders, as well as by the di-
rect attacks of selfish ambition.
The first Of the two called the Cataline
Conspiracies' broke out abQ4t sixty-ive
years before the date of the Christian era.
and was caused 10y the disqualification of
Cataline, the descendant Of an ancient pa
trician family, as a candidate for the con
sQlship. The purpose then contemplated
was to slay their successful rivaIs-the new
Consuls-Cetta and Torquatus Failing in
this attempt, Cataline thon determined to
organize more extensive conspiracy
The time was propitious to his schemes.
Rome was full OF men Of desperate for
tunes and eager 70: any change Bhich
might bring them wealth and considera-
tion, the Roman populace were restless and
discontented, and ready to follow at the
bidding Of almost any demagogue, whilst
the soldiers Of Scylla, having squandered
the wealth gotten in the wars of Asia,
hoped to profit anew in those scenes of
blood which in other lands had given them
riches and power.
Among such men Cataline found plenty
of followers, and some, too, of consular dig
pity-those who had held prominent posi-
tions in the State. The first step toward
hoped for success on the part of Cataline
Was to obtain one of the two Consularships
his old fellow coaSpirator, Anfronius, the
other. In this they were doomed to disap-
pointment, as they were beaten by Cicero
and Antonius. Made more eager by the
disappointmont, Cataline fell to work to
gain adherents in all parts of Italy, espe-
cially amongst the veterans of Scylia, by
the aid Of Manlius. But Cicero, by vari-
Gus ingenious schemes, kept himself ad-
vised of their plans, and at length, openly
in the Senate, accused Cataline for his con-
templated treachery to the State, charge,
of course, treated by Cataline in his usual
way, with audacious and contemptuous de-
nial
Once more, as the time came around,
Cataline was rejected for the Office of Con-
sui, and Cicero, advised of bis plaps,
charged him-adducing the proofs-with
designing the destruction of the Common
wealth. Gataline attempted, with his usu-
al insolent audacity, to defend himself, but
his words were drowned by the shouts of
traitor and parricide' hurled upon him
by the whole assembly, and he thereupon
retired from the Senate, and soon after
from the city. At this time there was no
standing army in Rome, nor any regular
guards within the city, but on the discov-
cry fthis terrible conspiracy strong gar
rison was placed in the Palatium, which
was the highest hill in Rome, and served
as citadel, and at the same time parties
of citizens were ordered to patrol the
streets, under the command of the inferior
magistrates, to prevent the ccnspirators
from setting fire to the city in the night.
1t was then the famous decree was pas
sed, which for the time invested the Con
suls with power, military and civil that