NOTES. (continued 2)
J. S. (John Selby) Watson translation
[293] Into the foremost ranks—In primam aciem. Whether Sallust means that he ranged them with the eight cohorts, or only in the first line of the subsidia, is not clear.
[294] A certain officer of Faesulae—Faesulanum quemdam. "He is thought to have been that P. Furius, whom Cicero (Cat., iii. 6, 14) mentions as having been one of the colonists that Sylla settled at Faesulae, and who was to have been executed, if he had been apprehended, for having been concerned in corrupting the Allobrogian deputies." Dietsch. Plutarch calls this officer Furius.
[295] His freedmen—Libertis. "His own freedmen, whom he probably had about him as a body-guard, deeming them the most attached of his adherents. Among them was, possibly, that Sergius, whom we find from Cic. pro Domo, 5, 6, to have been Catiline's armor bearer." Dietsch.
[296] The colonists—Colonis. "Veterans of Sylla, who had been settled by him as colonists in Etruria, and who had now been induced to join Catiline." Gerlach. See c. 28.
[297] By the eagle—Propter aquilam. See Cic. in Cat., i. 9.
[298] Being lame—Pedibus aeger. It has been common among translators to render pedibus aeger afflicted with the gout, though a Roman might surely be lame without having the gout. As the lameness of Antonius, however, according to Dion Cassius (xxxvii. 39), was only pretended, it may be thought more probable that he counterfeited the gout than any other malady. It was with this belief, I suppose, that the writer of a gloss on one of the manuscripts consulted by Cortius, interpreted the words, ultroneam passus est podogram, "he was affected with a voluntary gout." Dion Cassius says that he preferred engaging with Antonius, who had the larger army, rather than with Metellus, who had the smaller, because he hoped that Antonius would designedly act in such a way as to lose the victory.
[299] To meet the present insurrection—Tumulti causa. Any sudden war or insurrection in Italy or Gaul was called tumultus. See Cic. Philipp. v. 12.
[300] Their temples and their homes—Aris atque focis suis. See c. 52.
[301] LX. In a furious charge—Infestis siqnis.
[302] Offering but partial resistance—Alios alibi resistentes. Not making a stand in a body, but only some in one place, and some in another.
[303] Among the first, etc.—In primis pugnantes cadunt. Cortius very properly refers in primis to cadunt.