C. Cornelius Cegethus 89

vol. IV p.1278-1279

89) C. Cornelius Cethegus

From Cicero, we learn that he was a cousin of L. Piso Caesoninus (p. red. 10; de domo 62; cf. vol. III p.1387 nr. 90) and that he had been in Spain with Q. Metellus Pius, so before 683 = 71, and that there he was suspected of being involved an assassination attempt against Metellus (Sull. 70, cf. vol. III p.1224). From Sallust, we learn that he was still young at the time of the Catilinarian conspiracy (Cat. 52, 33), <20> and that he sat in the senate (ibid. 17, 3). Appian is mistaken in saying that he had been a praetor at the time (bell. civ. II 2). Amongst Catiline’s followers, he was probably the most daring and dangerous, and so, according to certain sources, L. Aemilius Paullus wanted to charge Catiline and Cethegus according to the Lex Plautia de vi in the year 691 = 63, before the intervention of the state (Schol. Bob. Vatin. p.320 Or.; cf. vol. I p.564 nr. 81). Because of this, <30> Catiline also appointed Cethegus leader of the followers he left behind when he left Rome (Cic. Sulla 53. 75. 76; Flacc. 96. Sall. Cat. 32, 2. Liv. ep. CIL. Vell. II 34, 4. Cornel. Sever. in Sen. suasor. 6, 26. Lucan. II 543. VI 794. Iuven. VIII 231. X 287. Schol. Bob. p. 302 Or. Hieron. on Euseb. chron. II 135 w Schöne. Plut. Caes. 7, 2; Cat. min. 22, 1. Appian. bell. civ. II 2). Perhaps the whole conspiracy would have gone differently, <40> had P. Lentulus Sura (nr. 240) not been so far his superior in age and rank, and had Lentulus not utterly got in Cethegus’ way by means of thought-out slowness. For, according to Sall. Cat. 43, 4, he himself was natura ferox, vehemens, manu promptus, maxumum bonum in celeritate putabat (cf. Cic. Cat. III 16 about his furiosa temeritas, IV 12 about his furor); he complained about the cowardice and apathy/slowness[?] of his companions, he relentlessly urged on rapid outbreaks, <50> and he fought against their plan to wait until Saturnalia for these outbreaks (Cic. Cat. III 10. Sall. Cat. 43, 3). It speaks for his heinous and energetic skill, that he took on the most difficult task - Cicero’s murder (Cic. Cat. IV 13. Sall. Cat. 43, 3; about the accounts, differing from each other in the details, in Cic. Cat. I 9. Appian. bell. civ. II 3. Plut. Cic. 16, 1 cf. Buresch Comment. Ribbeck. 232. Willrich De coniur. Catil. fontibus [Göttingen 1893] 29) and as well as this, he demanded the deaths of multiple consuls and praetors (Plut. Cic. 19, 1). His house was the armoury of the conspiracy (Cic. Cat. III 8. Plut. Cic. 18, 2. 19, 1). The discovery of the weapons stored within, and the presentation of the letters which he had handed over to the messengers of the Allobroges, were evidence enough to get him arrested and establish his guilt (Cic. Cat. III 6. 10. 14. Sall. Cat. 44, 1f. 46, 3). <page break 1278/1279> He was first handed over to Q. Cornificius in free custody (Sall. Cat. 47, 4), but when he tried to encourage his followers to free him (ibid. 50, 2. Appian. bell. civ. II 5), the people hurried even more to get a death sentence put upon him, and his own brother supposedly voted in favour of this (Ampel. 19, 12, see Nr. 84). He was brought into Tullianum on the night of the 5th December, and here he was executed in the same way as Lentulus Sura (Cic. Sulla 80. Sall. Cat. 55, 6. Liv. ep. CII. Vell. II 34, 4. Plut. Cic. 22, 2. Appian. bell. civ. II 6). <10>

([Münzer.])

This article is referenced by: Marcius (5)