Chapter 5, Against Catalina, Campaign and Conspiracy, 63 B.C. Summary and Analysis

In 63 B.C., Cicero started to plan to run for Consul. His main competition came from Caius Antonius, who was often corrupt and Lucius Sergius Catalina, who was formidable. Catalina represented a populist movement that sought to dismantle Sulla's reforms and to weaken the Senate. Cicero had known Catalina for a while and their paths had intertwined for a while. Catalina also had a coterie of young men and spoiled them for their support. But his actions as an administrator in Africa were starting to get him into trouble for extortion, which became known as the first Catilinarian conspiracy. Julius Caesar was a mature politician by then and quietly supported Catalina. Together with Crassus, they seemed to be organizing a kind of coup.

Caesar was becoming center...