Note 7 — CICERO AGAINST CATILINE

: nihilne—moverunt? “Have the guards nightly stationed on the Palatine nothing daunted you? Nothing, the sentinels of the city; nothing, the trepidation of the people; nothing, the thronging together of all patriotic (citizens); nothing, this most impregnable place for convening the Senate; nothing, the countenances and looks of these?” Observe the emphatic position of nihil in the beginning of successive clauses (anaphora). —Palatii: the Palatine hill was adjacent to the Forum. It was here that Augustus built a splendid mansion: hence our word palace from the residence of the emperor built on the Palatium. In times of danger the Palatium, one of the most important military posts of the city, was occupied by a guard. Originally the word meant the “feeding place:” root pal, pascere: cp. Pales, Palilia. Varro derives it from pal, “to wander:” cp. palor. It may have been the “common” for cattle in early days. Vigiliae: under the republic, on emergencies, the triumviri capitales, aediles or tribuni plebis acting as a kind of police appointed night watches to keep order. —timor populi: cp. Sallust. Cat.: C. 31: immutata urbis facies erat: ex summa laetitia atque lascivia ... repente omnes tristitia invasit. —bonorum omnium: with bonus: cp. ἀγαθός, often used in the sense of “patriotic,” opposed to malus civis, κακός: “unpatriotic.” —locus: the Senate was usually convened on the Kalends, Nones and Ides of each month, and the meeting usually held in the Curia Hostilia. Extraordinary meetings (senatus indictus) as the present one were convened in some temple, or other place consecrated by the augurs. The present meeting was held in the temple of Juppiter Stator, near the via sacra, at the foot of the Palatine, which might be said to be munitissimus from the special guard there as well as from its position. —ora vultusque: the former denotes the natural and habitual state, as expressed by the mouth and the lower part of the face: while the latter indicates the temporary and changing state, as expressed by the motion of the eye and brow.