riety of operations; to concert meafures at home, anfwerable to the ftate of things abroad; and to gain every valuable end, in fpite of oppofition from the envious, the factious, and the difaffected-to do all this, my countrymen, is more difficult than is generally thought. But, befides the difadvantages which are common to me with all others in eminent ftations, my cafe is, in this refpect, peculiarly hard-that whereas a commander of Patrician rank, if he is guilty of a neglect or breach of duty, has his great connections, the antiquity of his family, the important fervices of his ancestors, and the multitudes he has, by power, engaged in his intereft, to fcreen him from condign punishment, my whole fafety depends upon myfelf; which renders it the more indifpenfably neceffary for me to take care that my conduct be clear and unexceptionable. Befides, I am well aware, my countrymen, that the eye of the public is upon me; and that, though the impartial, who prefer the real advantage of the commonwealth to all other confiderations, favour my pretenfions, the Patricians want nothing fo much as an occafion against me. It is, therefore, my fixed refolution, to ufe my beft endeavours, that you be not disappointed in me, and that their indirect defigns against me may be defeated. I have, from my youth, been familiar with toils and with dangers. I was faithful to your intereft, my countrymen, when I ferved you for no reward, but that of honour. It is not my defign to betray you, now that you have conferred upon me a place of profit. You have committed to my conduct the war against Jugurtha. The Patricians are offended at this. But where would be the wifdom of giving fuch a command to one of their honourable body? a perfon of illuftrious birth, of ancient family, of innumerable ftatues, but-of no experience! What fervice would his long line of dead anceftors, or his multitude of motionlefs ftatues, do his country in the day of battle? What could fuch a general do, but, in his trepidation and inex perience, have recourfe to fome inferior commander, for direction in difficulties to which he was not himself equal? Thus your Patrician general would, in fact, have a general over him; fo that the acting commander would ftill be a Plebeian. So true is this, my countrymen, that I have, myself, known those who have been chofen confuls, begin then to read the history of their own country, of which, till that time, they were totally ignorant; that is, they firft obtained the employment, and then bethought themfelves of the qualifications neceffary for the proper discharge of it. I fubmit to your judgment, Romans, on which fide the advantage lies, when a comparison is made between Patrician haughtinefs and Plebeian experience. The very actions, which they have only read, I have partly feen, and partly myfelf atchieved. What they know by reading, I know by action. They are pleafed to flight my mean birth; I defpife their mean characters. Want of birth and fortune is the objection against me; want of perfonal worth, against them. But are not all men of the fame fpecies? What can make a difference between one man and another, but the endowments of the mind? For my part, I fhall always look upon the braveft man as the nobleft man. Suppofe it were enquired of the fathers of fuch Patricians as Albinus and Beftia, whether, if they had their choice, they would defire sons of their character, or of mine; what would they answer, but that they should wish the worthieft to be their fons? If the Patricians have reafon to defpife me, let them likewife defpife their ancestors; whofe nobility was the fruit of their virtue. Do they envy the honours be-' ftowed upon me? Let them envy, likewife, my labours, my abstinence, and the dangers I have undergone for my country, by which I have acquired them. But thofe worthless men lead fuch a life of inactivity, as if they defpifed any honours you can beftow, whilst they afpire to honours as if they had deferved them by the most industrious virtue. They lay claim to the rewards of activity, for their having enjoyed L1 2 the the pleafures of luxury; yet none can be more lavish than they are in praife of their ancestors: and they imagine they honour themselves by celebrating their forefathers; whereas they do the very contrary: for, as much as their ancestors were diftinguished for their virtues, fo much are they difgraced by their vices. The glory of ancestors cafts a light, indeed, upon their pofterity; but it only ferves to fhew what the defcendants are. It alike exhibits to public view their degeneracy and their worth. I own, I cannot boast of the deeds of my forefathers; but I hope I may anfwer the cavils of the Patricians, by ftanding up in defence of what I have myself done. Obferve now, my countrymen, the injustice of the Patricians. They arrogate to themselves honours, on account of the exploits done by their forefathers; whilft they will not allow me the due praife, for performing the very fame fort of actions in my own perfon. He has no ftatues, they cry, of his family. He can trace no venerable line of ancestors.-What then? Is it matter of more praise to disgrace one's illuftrious ancestors, than to become illuftrious by one's own good behaviour? What if I can fhew no ftatues of my family? I can thew the ftandards, the armour, and the trappings, which I have myself taken from the vanquished: I can fhew the fcars of those wounds which I have received by facing the enemies of my country. These are my ftatues. These are the honours I boaft of. Not left me by inheritance, as theirs but earned by toil, by abftinence, by valour; amidft clouds of duft, and feas of blood: fcenes of action, where thofe effeminate Patricians, who endeavour by indirect means to depreciate me in your esteem, have never dared to fhew their faces. Salluft. 17. The Character of CATILINE. Lucius Catiline was defcended of an illuftrious family: he was a man of great vigour, both of body and mind, but of a difpofition extremely profligate and depraved. From his youth he took pleasure in civil wars, maffacres, depredations, and inteftine broils; and in thefe he employed his younger days. His body was formed for enduring cold, hunger, and want of reft, to a degree indeed incredible: his fpirit was daring, fubtle, and changeable: he was expert in all the arts of fimulation and diffimulation; covetous of what belonged to others, lavish of his own; violent in his paffions; he had eloquence enough, but a fmall fhare of wisdom. His boundless foul was conftantly engaged in extravagant and romantic projects, too high to be attempted. After Sylla's ufurpation, he was fired with a violent defire of feizing the government; and, provided he could but carry his point, he was not at all folicitous by what means. His spirit, naturally violent, was daily more and more hurried on to the execution of his defign, by his poverty, and the confcioufnefs of his crimes; both which evils he had heightened by the practices above-mentioned. He was encouraged to it by the wickedness of the ftate, thoroughly debauched by luxury and avarice; vices equally fatal, though of contrary natures. Sallust, by Mr. Rofe. 18., Speech of TITUS QUINCTIUS to the ROMANS, when the ÆQUI and VOLSCI, taking Advantage of their intefline Commotions, ravaged their Country to the Gates of ROME. Though I am not confcious, O Romans, of any crime by me committed, it is yet with the utmost fhame and confufion that I appear in your affembly. You have feen it-pofterity will know it in the fourth confulthip of Titus Quinctius, the Equi and Volfci (scarce a match for the Hernici alone) came in arms to the very gates of Rome, and went away again unchaftifed! The courfe of our manners, indeed, and the ftate of our affairs, have long been fuch that I had no reason to prefage much good; but, could I have imagined that fo great an ignominy would have befallen me this year I would, by banishment or death (if all other means had failed) have avoided the ftation I am now in. What! might Rome then have been taken, if thofe men who were at our gates had not wanted courage for the the attempt ?-Rome taken, whilft I was conful!-Of honours I had fuf. ficient of life enough-more than enough-I fhould have died in my third confulate. But who are they that our daftardly enemies thus defpife?-the confuls, or you, Romans? If we are in fault, depofe us, or punifh us yet more feverely. If you are to blame-may neither gods nor men punish your faults! only, may you repent! No, Romans, the confidence of our enemies is not owing to their courage, or to their belief of your cowardice: they have been too often vanquished, not to know both themfelves and you. Difcord, difcord, is the ruin of this city! The eternal difputes between the fenate and the people are the fole caufe of our misfortunes. While we will fet no bounds to our domination, nor you to your liberty; while you impatiently endure Patrician magiftrates, and we Plebeian; our enemies take heart, grow elated, and prefumptuous. In the name of the immortal gods, what is it, Romans, you would have? You defired Tribunes; for the fake of peace, we granted them. You were eager to have Decemvirs; we confented to their creation. You grew weary of thefe Decemvir; we obliged them to abdicate. Your hatred purfued them when reduced to private men; and we fuffered you to put to death, or banish, Patricians of the first rank in the republic. You infifted upon the restoration of the Tribunefhip; we yielded: we quietly faw Confuls of your own faction elected. You have have the protection of your Tribunes, and the privilege of appeal: the Patricians are fubjected to the decrees of the Commons. Under pretence of equal and impartial laws, you have invaded our rights; and we have fuffered it, and we ftill fuffer it. When fhall we fee an end of difcord? When fhall we have one intereft, and one common country? Victorious and triumphant, you fhew lefs temper than we under defeat. When you are to contend with us, you can feize the Aventine hill, you can poffefs yourselves of the Mons Sacer. The enemy is at our gates, the Alquiline is near being taken, and nobody firs to hinder it. But against us you are valiant, against us you can arm with diligence. Come on then, befiege the fenate-house, make a camp of the forum, fill the jails with our chief nobles; and, when you have atchieved thefe glorious exploits, then, at last, fally out at the Equiline gate, with the fame fierce fpirits, against the enemy. Does your refolution fail you for this? Go then, and behold from our walls your lands ravaged, your houses plundered and in flames, the whole country laid waste with fire and fword. Have you any thing here to repair thefe damages? Will the Tribunes make up your loffes to you? They'll give you words as many as you please; bring impeachments in abundance against the prime men in the ftate; heap laws upon laws: affemblies you fhall have without end: but will any of you return the richer from those affemblies? Extinguish, O Romans, these fatal di vifions; generously break this curfed inchantment, which keeps you buried in a fcandalous inaction. Open your eyes, and confider the management of thofe ambitious men, who, to make themselves powerful in their party, ftu. dy nothing but how they may foment divifions in the commonwealth.-If you can but fummon up your former courage, if you will now march out of Rome with your confuls, there is no punishment you can inflict which I will not fubmit to, if I do not in a few days drive thofe pillagers out of our territory. This terror of war, with which you feem fo grievoufly ftruck, fhall quickly be removed from Rome to their own cities. Hooke. 19. MICIPSA to JUGURTHA. You know, Jugurtha, that I received you under my protection in your early youth, when left a helpless and hopeless orphan. I advanced you to high houours in my kingdom, in the full affurance that you would prove grateful for my kindness to you; and that, if I came to have children of my own, you would ftudy to repay to LI 3 them them what you owed to me. Hitherto I have had no reafon to repent of my favours to you. For, to omit all former inftances of your extraordinary merit, your late behaviour in the Numantian war has reflected upon me, and my kingdom, a new and diftinguished glory. You have, by your valour, rendered the Roman commonwealth, which before was well affected to our intereft, much more friendly. In Spain, you have raifed the honour of my name and crown. And you have furmounted what is justly reckoned one of the greatest difficulties; having, by your merit, filenced envy. My diffolution feems now to be fast approaching. I therefore befeech and conjure you, my dear Jugurtha! by this right hand; by the remembrance of my paft kindness to you; by the honour of my kingdom; and by the majefty of the gods; be kind to my two fons, whom my favour to you has made your brothers; and do not think of forming a connection with any stranger, to the prejudice of your relations. It is not by arms, nor by treasures, that a kingdom is fecured, but by well affected fubjects and allies. And it is by faithful and important fervices, that friendship (which neither gold will purchafe, nor arms, extort) is fecured. But what friendship is more perfect, than that which ought to obtain between brothers? What fidelity can be expected among ftrangers, if it is wanting among relations? The kingdom I leave you is in good condition, if you govern it properly; if otherwife, it is weak. For by agreement a small state increases: by divifion a great one falls into ruin. It will lie upon you, Jugurtha, who are come to riper years than your brothers, to provide that no mifconduct produce any bad effect. And, if any dif ference fhould arife between you and your brothers (which may the gods avert!) the public will charge you, however innocent you may be, as the aggreffor, because your years and abilities give you the fuperiority. But I firmly perfuade myself, that you will treat them with kindness, and that they will honour and esteem you, as your diftinguished virtue deferves. Salluft. § 20. Speech of PUBLIUS SCIPIO to the ROMAN Army, before the Battle of the TICIN. Were you, foldiers, the fame army which I had with me in Gaul, I might well forbear faying any thing to you at this time: for, what occafion could there be to ufe exhortation to a cavalry that had fo fignally vanquished the fquadrons of the enemy upon the Rhone; or to legions, by whom that fame enemy, flying before them to avoid a battle, did in effect confefs themselves conquered? But, as these troops, having been inrolled for Spain, are there with my brother Cneius, making war under my aufpices (as was the will of the fenate and people of Rome) I, that you might have a conful for your captain, against Hannibal and the Carthaginians, have freely offered myfelf for this war. You, then, have a new general; and I a new army. On this account, a few words from me to you will be neither impronor unfeasonable. per what fort of enemies you are going to enThat you may not be unapprised of counter, or of what is to be feared from them, they are the very fame whom, in a former war, you vanquished both by land and fea; the fame, from whom you took Sicily and Sardinia; and who have been these twenty years your tributaries. You will not, I prefume, march against thefe men, with only that courage with which you are wont to face other enemies; but with a certain anger and indignation, fuch as you would feel if you faw your flaves on a fudden rife up in arms against you. Conquered and enflaved, it it not boldnefs, but neceflity, that urges them to battle, unless you can believe that thofe who avoided fighting when their army was entire, have acquired better hope by the lofs of two-thirds of their horfe and foot in the paffage of the Alps. But you have heard, perhaps, that, though they are few in number, they are men of ftout hearts and robust bo dies; heroes, of fuch ftrength and vieffigies! nay, fhadows of men! wretches, gour, as nothing is able to refift.-Mere emaciated with hunger, and benumbed with cold! bruifed and battered to pieces pieces among the rocks and craggy cliffs! their weapons broken, and their horfes weak and foundered! Such are the cavalry, and fuch the infantry, with which you are going to contend; not enemies, but the fragments of enemies. There is nothing which I more apprehend, than that it will be thought Hannibal was vanquished by the Alps, before we had any conflict with him. But, perhaps, it was fitting it fhould be fo; and that, with a people and a leader who had violated leagues and covenants, the gods themselves, without man's help, fhould begin the war, and bring it to a near conclufion: and that we, who, next to the gods, have been injured and offended, fhould happily fi. nish what they have begun. the confcioufnefs of his wicked deed at Saguntum torment him and make him defperate, he would have fome regard, if not to his conquered country, yet furely to his own family, to his father's memory, to the treaty written with Hamilcar's own hand. We might have ftarved him in Eryx; we might have paffed into Africa with our victorious fleet; and, in few days, have deftroyed Carthage. At their humble fupplication, we pardoned them; we released them, when they were closely fhut up, without a poffibility of efcaping; we made peace with them, when they were conquered. When they were diftreffed by the African war, we confidered them, we treated them, as a people under our protection. And what is the return they make us for all these favours? Under the conduct of a hare-brained young man, they come hither to overturn our ftate, and lay wafte our country.-I could wish, indeed, that it were not fo; and that the war we are now engaged in concerned only our own glory, and not our prefervation. But the conteft at prefent is not for the poff ffion of Sicily and Sardinia, but of Italy itfelf: nor is there behind us another army, which, if we should not prove the conquerors, may make head against our victorious. enemies. There are no more Alps for them to pafs, which might give us leifure to raife new forces. No, foldiers; here you must make your stand, as if you were just now before the walls of Rome. Let every one reflect, that he is now to defend, not his own perfon only, but his wife, his children, his helpless infants. Yet, let not private confiderations alone poffefs our minds: let us remember that the eyes of the senate and people of Rome are upon us; and that, as our force and courage fhall now prove, fuch will be the fortune of that city, and of the Roman empire. Hooke. I need not be in any fear that you fhould fufpect me of faying these things merely to encourage you, while inwardly I have different fentiments. What hindered me from going into Spain? That was my province, where I should have had the lefs dreaded Afdrubal, not Hannibal, to deal with. But hearing, as I paffed along the coaft of Gaul, of this enemy's march, I landed my troops, fent the horse forward, and pitched my camp upon the Rhone. A part of my cavalry encountered, and defeated that of the enemy. My infantry not being able to overtake theirs, which fled before us, I returned to my fleet; and, with all the expedition I could ufe in fo long a voyage by fea and land, am come to meet them at the foot of the Alps. Was it, then, my inclination to avcid a conteft with this tremendous Hannibal? and have I met with him only by accident and unawares? or am I come on purpose to challenge him to the combat? I would gladly try whether the earth, within these twenty years, has brought forth a new kind of Carthaginians; or whether they be the fame fort of men, who fought at the Agates, and whom, at Eryx, you fuffered to redeem themselves at eighteen denarii per head: whether this Han-21. Speech of HANNIBAL to the CARnibal, for labours and journies, be, as THAGINIAN Army, on the fame Oche would be thought, the rival of Her. cafion. cules; or whether he be, what his father left him, a tributary, a vaffal, a flave of the Roman people. Did not I know not, foldiers, whether you or your prifoners be encompaffed by fortune with the ftricter bonds and necefL14 fities. |