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What did Cicero accuse Catiline of in his first speech against him?
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Cicero
Marcus Tullius Cicero, detail of a marble bust; in the Capitoline Museums, Rome.
In his first speech against Catiline, delivered in the Senate on November 8, 63 BCE, Cicero denounced him for treason.12
Cicero had been monitoring Catiline’s activities through a network of spies and informers, uncovering his plans to stage an armed insurrection, carry out arson in Rome, and overthrow the Roman Republic. By delivering this impassioned speech, Cicero aimed to expose these seditious intentions and secure the Senate's support to act against the threat. Following the speech, Catiline fled Rome to join his forces in Etruria.12