The Fragments of the Histories

Chapter I

Regarding Sallust's Histories

Gaius Sallustius Crispus, having spent the greater part of his life in depravity, turned himself to writing history. The more dishonorable he had been in life, as a glutton and a debauchee, the more bitter he became in his writings as a censor of morals. He did not abandon the political party he had previously followed; on the contrary, even after Caesar's death, he made it his aim, both in his account of the Catilinarian conspiracy, to clear the faction of the populares the democratic faction of every charge of treason, and in his book written on the Jugurthine War, to emphasize as much as possible the inaction, stupidity, and corruption of the optimates the aristocratic faction. While composing this book, he had not yet thought of a larger workSee Jugurtha 95, 2 and Kritz's Prolegomena, p. 14.; but it seems that shortly afterwardLinker has rightly concluded that the Histories were not begun before the year 39, based on a severe criticism by Mark Antony (see fragments III 54 and 55 D)., he began to draft five books of histories, with which he studied to continue the very famous works of Sisenna and Posidonius. He undertook to narrate the period of time that provided him a suitable opportunity to attack the optimates aristocrats, namely the deeds of the Roman people from the death of Sulla to the domination of Pompey. In his histories, he strove intensely to teach how corrupt and weak the rule of the aristocrats, restored by Sulla, had been at that time, and with what severity the faction of the populares democrats had been oppressed by them. Furthermore, he aimed to demonstrate that Pompey was by no means worthy (as Caesar later was) to have the entire Republic entrusted to him alone. In his political faction, he emulated Licinius Macer; in his style of speaking, he emulated Cato. Yet, in the following century, Sallust's works were not read with as much praise as they seem to us to deserve. His style of language, brief and concise and more archaic than was customary, was immediately severely criticized, as in that ancient epigram preserved by Quintilian VIII 3, 28: