Читать книгу The Greatest Works of Roman Classical Literature - Луций Анней Сенека - Страница 450

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In this conspiracy was Q. Curius, a man of no mean family, but loaded with crimes, and, as a mark of disgrace, expelled the senate by the censors. This man had an equal share of levity and audaciousness; whatever he heard he disclosed: nor could he even conceal his own crimes: in a word, he neither considered what he said or did. There had been for a long time a criminal correspondence between him and Fulvia, a lady of quality; but finding himself less agreeable to her than formerly, because his poverty would not suffer him to be so liberal, all on a sudden he began to tempt her with great promises, boasting of seas and mountains of wealth; sometimes he threatened to kill her, if she would not be obsequious: in a word, he behaved more haughtily than he had ever done before. When Fulvia learned the ground of this insolent behavior, she did not conceal what threatened so much danger to the state; but, without mentioning her author, discovered to many all that she had heard of Catiline’s conspiracy. This discovery made the people zealous to confer the consulship on M. T. Cicero: for before this most of the nobility regarded Cicero’s views with envy and indignation, and thought that the consular dignity would be sullied if a new man, however deserving, should be raised to it.16 But when danger threatened, pride and envy disappeared.