Chapter 62: Catalina’s Rebellion (2)
Chapter 62: Catalina’s Rebellion (2)
As the day of the coup approached, Catiline grew increasingly restless. He maintained a facade of ignorance, engaging in debates with other senators in the Senate and making insincere appeals to the citizens in the Assembly.
His deception seemed to be working. The Senate remained unaware of Catiline’s plans, a testament to Eustus’s discreet and effective handling of Catiline’s authorization letter.
Despite daily criticisms and demands from Cicero and Cato for Catiline to confess, and the flood of insults from other senators, Catiline remained unfazed. He viewed their anger as the last words of those who would soon meet their end.
“I will make both Cicero and Cato suffer even more before they die,” Catiline thought with grim satisfaction.
On the day of the coup, Catiline surveyed the senators at the meeting. Some of those on the death list were laughing, oblivious to their impending fate.
“Fools. Let’s see if you’re still laughing when the sun rises tomorrow,” Catiline mused.
He maintained his calm demeanor and adjourned the last Senate meeting. Cicero pressed him to confess once more on his way out, but Catiline ignored him, feeling a strange sense of relief at the thought of never hearing Cicero’s voice again.
As soon as the sun set, Catiline summoned his supporters who had gathered in Rome. Over a thousand people assembled, including retired soldiers who had been flocking to Rome for debt relief over the past few months.
They wore armor beneath their togas, armed with hidden swords and spears, looking ready for battle.
“Perfect,” Catiline assessed with satisfaction.
With the battle stance prepared, all that remained was to execute the plan. Catiline looked at his comrades with pride.
“We just have to wait for Eustus to arrive.”
“Yes. Everything is proceeding smoothly. Eustus will be in Rome soon,” Manlius assured him.
“He gathered nearly a thousand supporters in Tuscany. He’s truly talented,” Catiline noted.
Both Catiline and Manlius were confident in the plan’s success.
“Yes. Eustus played a crucial role in this plan. His decision to act secretly was wise. Unlike our previous assassination attempt, the Senate still has no clue about our current scheme.”
“I agree. Keeping the plan under tight security was a good decision to prevent leaks,” Manlius added.
Eustus had not disclosed any details of the operation to anyone but Catiline. The failure of their previous plot reinforced their caution.
Success or failure hinged on their careful planning. Eustus had already proven his capability by assembling supporters under the nose of Rome. With the combined forces of Manlius’s retired soldiers and Eustus’s comrades, their numbers would reach two thousand—enough to take over Rome in a single day.
The plan was to seize the Senate and appoint Catiline as dictator, securing their victory.
Catiline assessed the timing and determined it was time to move. He rallied his fully armed comrades, inspiring them with promises of a better future.
The crowd responded enthusiastically at the end of his speech.
“All debts will be canceled, and we will fairly distribute the property of the senators we eliminate today. This will be a monumental day, marking the end of our miserable past. Brave citizens! Join me in seizing wealth and glory!”
“Woohoo!”
“Long live Catiline!”
“Let’s slaughter all the greedy pigs of the Senate!”
With their spirits high, Catiline and his followers left their hiding place and began their march.
The plan for the revolution was straightforward. Eustus’s group would approach from the west along the Tiber River, joining forces and passing through the Servian Gate before reaching Capitoline Hill, where Jupiter and Juno’s temples stood.
Beyond that, Palatine Hill and Caelian Hill lay ahead, where most of the senators’ mansions were concentrated. If they could subdue these two areas quickly, the coup would be nearly successful.
Catiline, confident in their revolutionary plan, marched with renewed vigor. The journey from their hiding place to the meeting point took less than two hours, and none of the men appeared fatigued.
They finally arrived at the designated meeting spot by the Tiber River, which flowed calmly as always.
“Eustus hasn’t arrived yet,” Manlius observed, scanning the area cautiously. As the battle approached, he had reverted to his battlefield demeanor, his sharp eyes taking in every detail. Even Catiline felt the tension in the air.
“We might be early, or they could be late. Let’s wait an hour,” Manlius suggested.
“But we need to avoid being spotted by passers-by,” Catiline reminded him.
They had chosen a remote location in the upper northwest to minimize the risk of detection. Catiline’s group concealed themselves in the bushes near the river, striving to remain silent.
However, no sign of Eustus’s troops emerged, no matter how long they waited.
“What’s going on?” Catiline’s anxiety was palpable. By now, their allies should have been arriving from the north.
As he began to grow nervous, Manlius tilted his head and listened intently.
“Do you hear that?”
“Hear what?” Catiline asked, his attention focused.
Manlius's ears picked up a sound that seemed slightly off.
“It sounds like horse hooves…”
Catiline nodded, recognizing the faint echo of hooves. His spirits lifted, thinking this was a sign that their allies had arrived.
“He brought cavalry too. Eustus must have gathered a significant force, which is why he’s late,” Catiline said, reassured.
But Manlius’s expression darkened. Something was wrong. Eustus was expected to come from the north, but the sound of the hooves came from the south, towards Rome.
“Did they accidentally pass the meeting point and are now coming back?” Manlius speculated, though it seemed far-fetched.
Suddenly, a voice called out, “Oh, the reinforcements have arrived!”
Catiline and Manlius turned their heads simultaneously, their eyes widening in shock. A large group, equipped for battle, was approaching. Though it was dark, the flickering torches revealed the unmistakable armor of the Roman regular legion.
Catiline’s face drained of color.
“H-how…?”
The others were similarly stunned into silence, unable to even think of fleeing due to their shock.
Manlius, with his military experience, was the first to react. His urgent voice cut through the night.
“It’s the Senate’s forces! Don’t panic. Our allies will arrive soon. Form a line!”
Despite the initial confusion, the party quickly regained their composure and formed a line. They hoped to hold their ground until Eustus’s reinforcements arrived.
However, Catiline’s despair grew as he observed the line of torches. It appeared to be a fully equipped legion of regular soldiers.
“It doesn’t make sense. How could there be a regular army in Rome? Did Silanus secretly assemble a legion without my knowledge?”
The consul had the authority to command the army, allowing him to assemble a legion with the Senate's consent. It was feasible to form a legion secretly without Catiline’s knowledge. However, such an undertaking would require substantial funds from the treasury.
Given the scale of the expenditure, Catiline would have noticed it.
Fortunately or unfortunately, the answer to this question soon presented itself.
The faces before Catiline were all too familiar.
“Silanus, Cicero, Cato, Lucullus—most of the senators are here. And…”
Among these prominent figures, one young man stood out.
“Marcus… I see. The Crassus family funded the legion once again.”
Catiline understood now why he had been blindsided.
Often, he had stormed out of Senate meetings in feigned anger, a ruse that allowed Silanus to form a legion with the Senate's approval. Crassus had provided the funds for this legion without Catiline’s awareness.
Yet some questions remained unanswered.
How had they discovered Catiline’s plan and assembled a legion? Forming a legion as a precaution made sense, but how did they pinpoint the exact date and location?
‘Did they plant a spy?’
It seemed likely, given the previous leaks about the assassination plot. Still, certain aspects didn’t add up. The security around this plan was tight, and only a few knew the details.
The Roman legion halted a short distance from Catiline’s party.
Silanus, Cicero, and unexpectedly Marcus approached on horseback.
Cicero greeted Catiline with an unusually sarcastic tone.
“Well, Catiline. What brings you to the Tiber River at such an opportune hour?”
“···What are you doing here with fully armed soldiers?”
“We received intelligence about some rogues plotting to threaten Rome. But is it merely coincidence or fate that I see your face?”
“It must be a misunderstanding. We were training here in preparation for any potential danger.”
Even Catiline found this excuse unbelievable. Silanus chuckled and inquired.
“Danger? What danger are you referring to?”
“I feared that the Senate might use force against me. There’s a precedent with the Gracchus brothers.”
“Is that your excuse now?”
Cicero looked at Catiline with a mixture of disbelief, anger, and pity. His previous mocking expression had vanished, replaced by bitterness at seeing the consul make such feeble excuses.
Silanus shook his head and sighed deeply.
“It’s time to end this farce. Young man, you have earned the most credit for this. Finish it yourself.”
“I understand.”
In the midst of the tense silence, Marcus’s voice emerged confidently and emotionlessly.
“Lord Catiline, your conspiracy has been exposed. Please don’t further tarnish your honor—admit your guilt now.”
“Conspiracy? What conspiracy are you talking about? I am the consul of this country. Does training with armed men at the Tiber River prove I’m plotting something? Yes, it might be questionable to move fully armed men without Senate permission, but…”
“Lord Catiline.”
Marcus’s firm and emotionless tone cut off Catiline’s excuses. Though his voice was calm, it reached the senators behind him.
“Lord Catiline has neglected his duty as consul to protect Rome’s security. He has been consumed by his vain desires and abused his authority, leading to chaos and suffering among the citizens and harassment of both debtors and creditors.”
“···What nonsense are you spouting!”
“When your initial plans failed, you devised a terrible conspiracy to overthrow Rome by force. You plotted to assassinate fellow consul Silanus and former consul Cicero.”
Catiline tried to interrupt again, but Marcus pulled out a piece of paper from his chest.
“Here is Lord Catiline’s detailed plan to assassinate two fellow senators. I obtained this document and immediately advised Cicero and Silanus to cancel their morning meeting.”
Cicero nodded with a sigh of relief.
“Dear senators, what Marcus said is true. Thanks to him, Silanus and I were able to avoid Catiline’s dreadful conspiracy.”
“Lord Cicero, in his concern for the Senate’s honor, gave Lord Catiline a chance to confess. But Lord Catiline did not repent; instead, he persisted in his schemes, deluding himself with the idea of becoming a dictator.”
The mention of “dictator” made Catiline’s heart race. Manlius’s face also showed disbelief. By now, it seemed that every detail of the rebellion, including the plans, had leaked.
But Catiline still clung to hope. No concrete evidence had been presented to directly prove his guilt, and he could argue that the evidence was fabricated.
As he prepared to make this argument, Marcus anticipated his move and produced more documents.
“This is an order to recruit participants for the rebellion in Tuscany. It bears your seal, proving your identity and status as consul. And this list details the senators marked for death by your rebellion, including not only Silanus and Cicero but also Cato, Caesar, and Lucullus.”
“That’s absurd…!”
Catiline attempted to shout a rebuttal, but the sight of the documents left him stunned. Marcus was holding the very letter of authorization Catiline had given to Eustus.
Marcus continued reading from the death list, which not only named the targets but also detailed how they were to be killed and how their assets were to be distributed.
The senators named on the list were furious, realizing how close they had come to losing their lives and fortunes. Their anger was palpable.
At the same time, they were relieved to see how close they had come to disaster.
“If it weren’t for this young man who uncovered the plot, we could have been in grave danger.”
“Indeed. We owe him a tremendous debt.”
The senators’ praise was well-deserved. Unlike the feeble plot of history, Catiline’s current scheme was genuinely dangerous. He had effectively used his consul authority to secretly gather supporters and plan a surprise uprising.
Even if he had failed, he would have taken a significant number of senators down with him.
As the senators hurled insults and accusations at him, Catiline’s focus remained fixed on the death list in Marcus’s hand. His mind raced with panic.
‘How did Marcus get hold of this… Oh no!’
For a moment, Catiline lost his balance and staggered from the shock. It felt as if something torn apart was being forcibly put back together.
“Could it be… Eustus…?”
The realization hit him hard. He wanted to scream that it was a lie and shake his head in disbelief. Something had gone terribly wrong.
Catiline tried to calm his racing heart and clear his thoughts. Eustus belonged to the equestrian class, and most equestrians were under Crassus’s influence. Eustus was the one who had asked for more time to plan the assassination carefully, who had detailed the methods for the assassins, and who insisted on making a death list with clear criteria for killing and sparing.
He had kept the plan’s progress secret, claiming that security was crucial. Catiline had been deceived by the seals of people supposedly agreeing to join the rebellion in Tuscany, which were likely falsified.
The fact that all of Catiline’s plots were now in Marcus’s hands was clear evidence of this betrayal.
“From the beginning… I was completely played…?”
Catiline muttered to himself in a daze, unable to stay still. He then glared at Marcus with eyes full of hatred and shouted, “This is a trap! I-I fell into his trap! He sent a spy to manipulate my actions! I—”
In his frantic outburst, Catiline faced Marcus’s bitter smile.
“Catiline, you had a chance to resolve this, but you ruined it yourself. Along the way, you had several opportunities to stop, but you made your own choices. Blaming others for your decisions only diminishes your own worth.”
Catiline had no retort. Eustus had frequently questioned his resolve, and Catiline himself had made the choices that led to this point. If Catiline had chosen to abandon everything and flee abroad, Marcus would have allowed it. But Catiline refused to give up anything, driven by his ambition and pride—ambition and pride that outstripped his abilities.
The senators watched, admiring Marcus’s composed and courteous demeanor as he cornered Catiline. Many felt satisfaction seeing Catiline, who had feigned ignorance of his charges, now being driven into a corner.
A young man, not yet a senator, had successfully impeached Rome’s current consul. Marcus’s restraint and composure only endeared him more to the old senators, who were impressed by his professionalism.
Crassus looked at his son with undisguised pride. The senators were reminded that this was the same young man who had passionately argued to protect the republic during the Verres trial.
Having presented all the evidence, Marcus left the final blow to Cicero. Cicero stepped forward, pointed his finger at Catiline, and began to speak, his eloquence shattering the rebel’s dreams of dictatorship.