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Cicero And Sallust 's ' The Beginning Of The Catiline Conspiracy '

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Cicero and Sallust present very different views of the beginning of the Catiline conspiracy. By making a villain out of Catiline in the name of elevating himself in society, Cicero stands to gain a lot from this prosecution. While enumerating his flaws as a citizen and father Sallust reminds us that Catiline is still human and was not going for the destruction of Rome. The difference between the two men becomes very clear when comparing their accounts. Cicero is presenting his version of events; he is focused on gaining more dignitas, as most Romans are. Cicero is going to present a much more nefarious-seeming Cataline intent on destroying the Roman republic. He accuses Catiline of being a sore loser over his defeat in the consular election the previous year:
But the safety of the commonwealth must not be too often allowed to be risked on one man. As long as you, O Catiline, plotted against me while I was the consul elect, I defended myself not with a public guard, but by my own private diligence. When, in the next consular comitia, you wished to slay me when I was actually consul, and your competitors also, in the Campus Martius, (Cicero, Catilinarian I, V)
These are heavy accusations in Rome and would definitely turn many of Cataline’s sympathizers, if there were any, against him. This seems to at least partially root Cicero’s orations in fact, but at the same time Cicero is striving to raise himself both in the eyes of the current Roman people and posterity. Cicero was

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