Catiline, His Conspiracy
Scene 3.8
A
Our Friends, your faces glad me. This will be Our last, I hope, of consultation.
C
So, it had need.
D
We loose occasion, daily.
A
Aye, and our meanes: whereof one woundes me most, That was the fairest. Piso is dead, in Spaine.
C
As we are, here.
E
And, as it is thought, by enuy
Of Pompey's followers.
B
He too is comming backe,
Now, out of Asia.
A
Therefore, what we intend
We must be swift in. Take your seates, and heare.
I have, alreadie, sent Septimius Into the Picene territorie; and Iulius, To rayse force, for us, in Apulia: Manlius at Fesula is (by this time) up, With the old needie troopes, that follow'd Sylla; And all do but expect, when we will give The blow at home. Behold this siluer Eagle, Was Marius standard, in the Cimbrian warre, Fatall to Rome; and, as our Augures tell me, Shall still be so: For which one omenous cause, I have kept it safe, and done it sacred rites, As to a Godhead; in a Chappell built
Of purpose to it. Pledge then all your hands, To follow it, with vowes of death, and ruine, Strooke silently, and home. So waters speake When they runne deepest. Now is the time, this yeare, The twenti'th, from the firing of the Capitol, As fatall too, to Rome, by all predictions; And, in which, honor'd Lentulus must rise A King, if he pursue it.
D
If he do not,
He is not worthy the great destiny.
B
It is too great for me, but what the Gods, And their great loues decree me, I must not Seeme carelesse of.
A
No nor we enuious.
We have enough beside, all Gallia, Belgia, Greece, Spayne, and Africke.
D
Aye and Asia too,
Now Pompey is returning.
A
Noblest Romanes,
Me thinkes our lookes, are not so quicke and high, As they were wont.
D
No? whose is not?
A
We have
No anger in our eyes, no storme, no lightning; Our hate is spent, and fum'd away in vapor, Before our hands be at worke. I can accuse Not any one, but all of slacknesse.
C
Yes,
And be your selfe such, while you do it.
A
Ha?
It is sharply answerd, Caius,
C
Truly, truly.
B
Come, let us each one know his part to do, And then be accus'd. Leaue these vntimely quarrels.
D
I would there were more Romes then one, to ruine.
C
More Romes? More Worlds.
D
Nay then more Gods, and Natures, If they tooke part.
B
When shall the time be, first?
A
I think the Saturnals.
C
It will be too long.
A
They are not now farre off, it is not a month.
C
A weeke, a day, an houre is too farre off, Now, were the fitest time.
A
We have not laid
All things so safe, and readie.
C
While we are laying,
We shall all lie; and grow to earth. Would I Were nothing in it, if not now. These things They should be done, e're thought.
A
Nay, now your reason
Forsakes you, Caius. Think, but what commodity
That time will minister; the Cities custome Of being, then, in mirth, and feast.
B
Loos'd whole
In pleasure and securitie.
W
Each house
Resolu'd in freedome.
D
Euery slaue a master.
E
And they too no meane aides.
D
Made from their hope
Of liberty.
B
Or hate vnto their Lords.
W
It is sure, there cannot be a time found out More apt, and naturall.
B
Nay, good Cethegus,
Why do your passions, now, disturbe our hopes?
C
Why do your hopes delude your certainties?
A
You must lend him his way. Think, for the order, And processe of it.
E
Yes.
B
I like not fire:
It will too much wast my Citie.
A
Were it embers,
There will be wealth enough, rak't out of them, To spring a new: It must be fire, or nothing.
E
What else should fright, or terrefie them?
W
True.
In that confusion, must be the chiefe slaughter.
D
Then we shall kill them brauest.
W
And in heapes.
Strew Sacrifices.
D
Make the Earth an Altar.
E
And Rome the fire.
F
It will be a noble night.
W
And worth all Sylla's daies.
D
When Husbands, Wiues,
Grandsires, and Nephewes, Seruants, and their Lords, Virgins, and Priests, the Infant, and the Nurse Go all to hell, together, in a fleete.
A
I would have you, Longinus, and Statilius, To take the charge of the firing, which must be, At a signe giuen with a trumpet, done In twelue chiefe places of the Citie, at once.
The flaxe, and sulphure, are alreadie laid In, at Cethegus house. So are the weapons.
Gabinius, you, with other force, shall stop The pipes, and conduits: And kill those that come For water.
D
What shall I do?
A
All will have
Employment, feare not: Ply the execution.
D
For that, trust me, and Cethegus.
A
I will be
At hand, with the army, to meete those that scape.
And Lentulus, begirt you Pompey's house, To seise his sonnes aliue: for they are they Must make our peace with him. All else cut off, As Tarquin did the Poppey heads; or mowers A field of thistles; or else, up, as ploughes Do barren lands; and strike together flints, And clods; the ungratefull Senate, and the People: Till no rage, gone before, or comming after May weigh with yours, though Horror leapt her selfe Into the scale: but, in your violent acts, The fall of torrents, and the noyse of tempests, The boyling of Charybdis, the Seas wildnesse, The eating force of flames, and wings of winds, Be all outwrought, by your transcendent furies.
It had bene done, ere this, had I bene Consul; We had had no stop, no let.
B
How find you Antonius?
A
The other has wonne him lost, that Cicero Was borne to be my opposition,
And stands in all our waies.
D
Remoue him first.
C
May that, yet, be done sooner?
A
Would it were done.
D
I will do it.
C
It is my prouince; none vsurpe it.
B
What are your meanes?
C
Enquire not. He shall die.
Shall, was too slowly said. He is dying. That Is, yet, too slow. He is dead.
A
Braue, only Romane,
Whose soule might be the worlds soule, were that dying; Refuse not, yet, the aydes of these your friends: B
Here is Vargunteius holds good quarter with him.
A
And vnder the pretext of clientele And visitation, with the morning Hayle, Will be admitted.
C
What is that to me?
W
Yes, we may kill him in his bed, and safely.
C
Safe is your way, then; take it. Mine is mine owne.
A
Follow him, Vargunteius, and perswade, The morning is the fittest time.
E
The night
Will turne all into tumult.
B
And perhaps
Misse of him too.
A
Intreat, and coniure him.
In all our names.
B
By all our vowes, and friendships.