In this, as in so many of the forensic actions of the day, there had been an admixture of violence and law.

We must, I think, acknowledge that there was the same leaven of illegality in the proceedings against Lentulus.

It had no doubt been the intention of the constitution that a Consul, in the heat of an emergency, should use his personal authority for the protection of the Commonwealth, but it cannot be alleged that there was such an emergency, when the full Senate had had time to debate on the fate of the Catiline criminals.

Both from Caesar's words as reported by Sallust, and from Cicero's as given to us by himself, we are aware that an idea of the illegality of the proceeding was present in the minds of Senators at the moment.

But, though law was loved at Rome, all forensic and legislative proceedings were at this time carried on with monstrous illegality.