Green-Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1844-1884, 1861-03-28
Ancient and Modern Conspirators,

When we read the pages of Salust and the
orations Of Cicero we are ape to congratulate
ourselves that the world moves and that what
with Christianity on the one side and the cdu-
cation Of the people ON the other such charac.
tefs or at least such conspiracies as that Of Cat
ililne, are now rendered impossible And yet
there is not more instructive pages in the his
tory Of mankind for US just now in these United
States than that which tells lis Of this most des
perate and wonderful OF conspirators who died
half century before the birth Of Christ. 4
Washington grand jury has proved this CATH
Tue himself was a worn out first family man,
disspated but desperate, bold, daring, yet
plausible senator, " always arriving as Sui
lust says, " at the immoderator and excessive,
and things out of probability" Yet all his
worst characteristics were so well concealed, that
he arpoared rospectnble enough IN puuiic NE,
to be first QuGstcr andi then an Ambassador
into Mac donia, folowelGby high command in
the army undcr SyllA, whose unscrupulous
agent he became By means Of lists of pro.
scribed persons, he execytd Lynch law upon
numberess persons, and enriched himself BY
selzng and appropriatiug their property.
Such gains seldom last, and he saw no pros
pect Of retrieving his own affairs, but by throw
ing those Of the State into confusion lie there
fore formed a conspiracy with number Of 9th
cr young men Of the first families and political
influence, but diapidated fortunes, to murder
tie Consuls and a sulcicn; number Of the Sen
ators to leave them a working majority, and
then seize the government pomley was sent of
on foreign victories and afterwards induced to
remain neutral, but the conspiritors had gained
over u number OF the old soldiers Of Sylh. 1t
is said that this conspiracy failed twice, through
a mistake in the signals of Catalina.
1t is certain that Catino ran Tor consul and
Cicero ran against him and defeated him The
next year Catiline and his coagit1rs resolved by
force or fraud to effect their object of breaking
up the government, and were as sanguino as
Italy was kept without soldiers except the
veterans of Sylla, who were ready at signal
under Manlius Cicero believed the conspiracy
was going on, but could not prove it, or deemed
imprudent to do SO, though no only escaped AZ
sasslnaton himself by private information of
the whole from the mistress of one of the con
Spritors. At last Catiline having borrowed
large sums of money, and Cicero being well
posted up, accused him publicly IN the Senate,
and got decree passed that "the consuls should
see that the republic received no damage"
This gave Cicero the power to put down the
treason and save Rome from being seized and
if not fired and plundcred.
Yet, so impudent was Catiline, that he with.
stood Cicero, and inyeghed against him and the
government as highly oppressive. At last, en-
ragged that he could not carry the Senate, he
iehed and left them, threatening vengcncc,
as certain Senators did on retiring
The other day. Then he formed u desperate
rebellion, led on his troops, and at last died
vlcn defeated sword in hand, his countcnaco
n death itself, wearing the terrible ferocity
md cruelty Of aspect that made Che poet Virgil
picture his punishment, IN 1artirua, as the
ypc of the irreyocablo doom of the most vile.
What Rome would have been, bat for the
ofty virtue of Cicero, none can tell Cataline,
vas one Of minority, it is true, but it was
ust that sort Of a minority that make up by