Meta Description: Join Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle in the Vomitorium as they dissect Sallust’s Bellum Catilinae. We explore the invention of the historical monograph, the literary archaeology of Rome, and why luxury (luxuria) might be the end of the Republic.
Introduction: Danger in the Vomitorium
Welcome back to the “Vomitorium,” listeners! It is a glorious, fair-weather day here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The swans are gliding, the bullfrogs are croaking, and the wind is rustling through the reeds in a perfect locus amoenus (pleasant place).
However, even in paradise, danger lurks. As hosts Dr. David Noe and Dr. Jeff Winkle point out in Episode 38, there is a partially submerged log outside the studio that looks suspiciously like a freshwater crocodile . Whether it traveled up Highway 131 from Florida or is simply a menacing piece of driftwood, it sets the tone for today’s topic: Hidden Dangers and Moral Decay.
Today, we are diving into the work of Gaius Sallustius Crispus, better known as Sallust. specifically, we are looking at his “Literary Archaeology” of Roman history found in Chapters 6 through 13 of his masterpiece, the Bellum Catilinae (Catiline’s War).
Sallust is the “Bad Boy” of Roman history—a politician failed by his own vices who turned to writing history to save his reputation. He gives us a history of Rome that moves with “rapidity, style, and psychological interest”.
Who Was Sallust? The Novus Homo with a Pizza Box Problem
Before we read his history, we must understand the man. relying on the work of the great Italian scholar Gian Biagio Conte, Dr. Noe paints a picture of a man who was an outsider.
Sallust was born in Sabine territory (like the crotchety Cato the Elder) around 86 BC. He was a Novus Homo (“New Man”), meaning his family had never held high office in Rome. This placed him in the same category as Marius and Cicero—men who had to scrape and claw for respect among the established aristocracy.
The Political Rollercoaster:
- The Popularis: Early in his career, Sallust aligned himself with the Populares (the populist faction, as opposed to the Optimates). He saw the aristocracy as a club of “log-rollers” who kept power for themselves.
- The Expulsion: In 50 BC, Sallust was kicked out of the Senate for “moral turpitude.” While the exact details are lost to history, Dr. Noe speculates it might have been a “leftover pizza box” incident—stealing lunch from the Senate fridge.
- The Comeback & The Fall: He sided with Julius Caesar during the Civil War, which got him reinstated. He rose to the rank of Praetor and was sent to govern the province of Africa Nova. There, he did what Roman governors do: he embezzled. He “robbed them blind”.
- The Retirement: To avoid a second expulsion and a trial, Caesar advised him to retire from public life. He retreated to his massive estate, the Horti Sallustiani (Gardens of Sallust), and turned his energy to writing.
The Invention of the Monograph
Why is Sallust important to the history of literature? Because he essentially invented the Monograph.
Unlike Herodotus, who wrote a sprawling “kitchen sink” history of the world, or Livy, who wrote a massive chronological history of Rome from the beginning, Sallust focused on one specific event.
Dr. Winkle’s Analogy: Think of the difference between a 12-volume encyclopedia on “Nature” versus a documentary titled The Secret Nocturnal Habits of Lions.
- The encyclopedia is broad and shallow.
- The documentary (monograph) is narrow and deep.
The monograph allows the reader to feel like an “insider.” It drills down into a specific moment—in this case, the conspiracy of Catiline—and explores it exhaustively. This genre became incredibly popular in the Renaissance, influencing writers like Leonardo Bruni and Politian (who used Sallust as a model to write about the Pazzi Conspiracy).
The Literary Archaeology: Rome’s Rise and Fall
In Chapters 6–13 of the Bellum Catilinae, Sallust pauses the main story to give us a flashback. He explains how Rome started as a utopia and ended up as a sewer of vice.
1. The Golden Age (Chapters 6-9)
“Urbem Romam… habuere initio Troiani.”
“The city of Rome… was at the outset founded and inhabited by Trojans.”
Sallust describes the founding of Rome as a melting pot. You had the Trojans (civilization/Aeneas) mixing with the Aborigines (noble savages/rustic folk living sine legibus—without laws).
- Concordia: Despite their differences, they merged with “incredible facility.” Harmony created the state (Concordia civitas facta erat).
- Virtue: The early Romans were driven by a “thirst for glory” (Cupido gloriae). They didn’t want money; they wanted honor. They were “greedy for praise, but generous with money” (Laudis avidi, pecuniae liberales).
The Roman Inferiority Complex:
Sallust notes that the Athenians are famous because they had great writers (like Thucydides) to hype them up. The Romans, however, were “doers,” not “talkers.”
“The best citizen preferred action to words and thought that his own brave deeds should be lauded by others rather than that theirs should be recounted by him.”
This reflects the classic Roman anxiety: We build the roads and conquer the world, but the Greeks write the books.
2. The Turning Point (Chapter 10)
When did it all go wrong? For Sallust, the turning point is 146 BC—the destruction of Carthage (Carthago delenda est).
“When Carthage, the rival of Rome’s sway, had perished root and branch… then Fortune began to grow cruel.”
Once the external enemy was gone, the internal rot began. The virtues of the past were replaced by vices:
- Avaritia (Greed)
- Superbia (Arrogance)
- Crudelitas (Cruelty)
- Deos neglegere (Neglecting the gods)
Men began to be “false,” having one thought locked in their breast and another ready on the tongue. The straightforward Roman was replaced by the cunning politician.
3. The Descent into Vice (Chapters 11-13)
The rot accelerated under the dictator Sulla. The victors “knew neither moderation nor restraint.”
Sallust describes a world turned upside down:
- Luxury (Luxuria): Romans began to level mountains and build over the seas just to satisfy their whims.
- Degeneracy: Men “played the woman,” and women “offered their chastity for sale.” They ate before they were hungry and slept before they were tired.
The Hypocrisy Problem: John Lennon in a Toga?
Here is where Dr. Winkle gets annoyed. Sallust writes these fiery condemnations of luxury, greed, and villas “reared to the size of cities.” The Problem: Sallust lived in one of those villas! The Horti Sallustiani were among the most luxurious estates in Rome, paid for by his embezzlement in Africa.
Dr. Winkle compares this to John Lennon writing the song Imagine (“Imagine no possessions…”) while sitting at a white grand piano in the penthouse of the Dakota in New York City. It rings hollow.
Is it rank hypocrisy? Or is it, as Dr. Noe suggests, the “Classic Rightward Turn”? Perhaps the young populist revolutionary grew into a grumpy, wealthy conservative who simply thinks the “kids these days” (Gen Z/Millennials) are ruining everything.
Sallust’s Style: Inconcinnitas
For the Latin students out there, reading Sallust is a unique experience. Cicero writes with Concinnitas: balance, symmetry, roundness, and flow. Sallust writes with Inconcinnitas: asymmetry, jarring transitions, and brevity. He slams conflicting ideas together to keep the reader off balance.
Dr. Winkle compares it to a Rush song in a 5/4 time signature—it’s brilliant, but it makes you a little uncomfortable.
Latin Language Spotlight
Enhance your classical vocabulary with these key terms from the episode:
- Novus Homo: A “New Man” in politics (like Sallust and Cicero).
- Popularis: A populist politician supporting the plebs.
- Bellum Catilinae: “The War of Catiline” (or “Catiline’s War”).
- Mos Maiorum: The custom of the ancestors (what Sallust thought was lost).
- Avaritia: Avarice/Greed.
- Inconcinnitas: A literary style characterized by asymmetry and abruptness.
- Locus Amoenus: A “pleasant place” in literature (or outside the Vomitorium).
Shout-Outs and Sponsors
We must give a special shout-out to Mr. Robert Weathers, a historical interpreter at Colonial Williamsburg. He portrays George Wythe (the first law professor in America and tutor to Thomas Jefferson). Mr. Weathers listens to Ad Navseam while preparing to educate the masses on the 18th century—a true meeting of minds.
This episode is brought to you by:
- Hackett Publishing: For affordable, accessible translations of Vergil, Descartes, and more. Use code AN2021 for 20% off.
- Ratio Coffee: For the perfect pour-over without the plastic taste. Use code ANCO for 15% off.
- Ad Astra Roasters: Veteran-owned specialty coffee from Hillsdale, MI. Use code ANAA for 10% off.
The Gustatory Parting Shot
We end, as always, with a culinary thought. This week, Dr. Winkle brings us lyrics from the band Weezer (from the song “Pork and Beans”):
“I’m going to do the things that I want to do. I ain’t got a thing to prove to you. I’ll eat my candy with the pork and beans. Excuse my manners if I make a scene.”
A sentiment that Catiline—and perhaps the young Sallust—would have heartily endorsed.
Valete!
