iam pridem studes, 'have long been desiring.' Cf. the Greek πάλαι ἐπιθυμεῖ.
te ut ulla res frangat? 'What? anything break your resolution?' This is exactly like the exclamatory use of the acc. and inf. in phrases like 'Mene incepto desistere victam?' (Virg. Aen. 1. 37) only here 'ut' with subj. takes the place of the more usual acc. and infin. (i.e. he might have said, 'Tene ullam rem frangere?') Cf. [below §24] 'tu ut illa diutius carere possis?' 'Hoccine ut ego nomine appellem eversores huius imperii?' (pro Sestio §17), 'Utne tegam spurco Damae latus?' (Hor. Sat. 2. 5. 18).
duint. Subj. from 'duo' (perhaps an older form of 'do') with i as the characteristic vowel, in the place of the more usual a, as in 'sim,' 'velim,' 'possim,' 'edim,' etc. The form is found frequently in Plautus, Terence, and old legal phrases. See Roby's Lat. Gr. vol. i. §589.
sed est tanti, 'but it is worth while' (to risk the unpopularity).
privata, i.e. affects me only as a private citizen.
legum poenas, 'the punishment prescribed by the laws.' Cf. 'rei publicae poena' 1. 4.
temporibus rei publicae cedas, 'yield to the exigencies of the state'; 'tempora,' as often, of a political crisis. Catilina is to yield to these in the sense that he is to sacrifice his personal convenience for the public advantage.
ratio, 'sound reasoning,' 'reflection.' The consecutive sentence is best translated by turning 'revocaverit' into a passive, 'you are not the man to have been recalled,' etc.
exsulta, 'revel.' Lit. 'leap about,' 'gambol.' Cf. [§26 below].