L’argumentum a continentia alla prova del­l’in­vet­tiva da Scipione a Catilina

The argumentum a continentia in the invective from Scipio to Catiline. Scipio Africanus represents over the centuries – thanks to Ci­ce­ro, Livius and Petrarch – the perfect leader. His sexual continentia is reflected in a mo­derate management of power. But an anti-scipionic tradition circulated in Rome, aimed at compromising his reputation. The rhetoric had a large repertoire of arguments for the demolition of an opponent, based on the emphasis on cha­rac­­ter tendencies or on the insinuation of doubts about morality. This technique is used by Cicero against his adversaries, in his intense political and oratory acti­vi­ty, and above all against Catiline. Condemning the sexual perversions of Catiline and his amici, Cicero presents himself as a defender of an upright ethics, streng­thens his political action and gets rid of those who oppose it.