Self-Restraint, Invective, and Credibility in Cicero's First Catilinarian Oration

The First Catilinarian, in comparison with other Ciceronian political speeches commonly considered invectives, is extraordinarily sparing in its use of the standard invective themes. This article will first demonstrate the remarkable paucity in the speech of the invective loci that Cicero's audiences would properly expect. Then it will offer an explanation for Cicero's restraint grounded in the circumstances of the speech and the expectations of Cicero's audience for the veracity of invective.