I.a knowing of a thing together with another person, joint knowledge, consciousness (in good prose, and very freq.).
I. A joint knowledge of something, a being privy to, a knowing along with others, privity, cognizance, etc.
(α).
With gen. subj.: “omnium horum,” Cic. Cat. 1, 1, 1; so, “hominum,” id. Fin. 2, 9, 28: “plurium,” Liv. 2, 54, 7: “liberti unius,” Tac. A. 6, 21; cf. Suet. Calig. 56 al.: “generis humani,” Tac. Agr. 2.—
(β).
With gen. obj. (thus for the most part in Tac.): “in conscientiam facinoris pauci asciti,” Tac. H. 1, 25: “facti,” id. A. 2, 22: “conjurationis,” id. H. 1, 42: “stupri,” Dig. 48, 5, 29.—Plur.: “consilia conscientiaeque ejus modi facinorum,” Cic. Clu. 20, 56. —
(γ).
Absol.: “non modo eos persequi, ad quos maxime culpa corrupti judicii, sed etiam illos, ad quos conscientiae contagio pertinebit,” Cic. Verr. 2, 5, 71, § 183: “qui non modo a facti verum etiam a conscientiae suspitione afuit,” id. Cael. 10, 23: “nocte perfugit Tanagram, suam conscientiam metuens,” Liv. 33, 28, 10: “simulare,” Tac. A. 2, 40; 4, 3; cf. id. H. 1, 28; Curt. 7, 1, 31.—
II. Consciousness, knowledge, feeling, sense.
A. In gen. (rare).
(α).
With gen.: “unde haec illis tanta modestia, nisi a conscientiā virium et nostrarum et suarum?” Liv. 8, 4, 10 (cf. γ); so, “contracti culpā periculi,” id. 3, 2, 11: “suae infirmitatis,” Quint. 1, 2, 10: “rebellionis,” Tac. A. 12, 31; cf. “defectionis,” id. Agr. 16: “victoriae,” id. ib. 27: “unionum in somno quoque,” Plin. 33, 3, 12, § 40: “amissae fortunae,” a recollection, Flor. 2, 12, 10: “ipsa pulcherrimi facti,” Cic. Phil. 2, 44, 114: “officii mei benevolentiaeque,” id. Fam. 3, 7, 6 fin.: “scelerum tuorum,” id. Pis. 17, 39; cf. Sall. C. 5, 7: “peccatorum,” Cic. Par. 5, 3, 40: “culpae,” Liv. 28, 19, 1 et saep.—In plur., Cic. Clu. 20, 56: “te conscientiae stimulant maleficiorum tuorum,” id. Par. 2, 2, 18; cf. under B. 2.—*
(β).
With de: satisfactionem ex nullà conscientiā de culpā proponere decrevi, Cat. ap. Sall. C. 35, 2; cf. conscius, I. δ—
(γ).
With rel.-clause (very rare): “illi conscientia, quid abesset virium, detrectavere pugnam,” Liv. 3, 60, 6; 28, 19, 5.—
(δ).
Absol.: ut nostram stabilem conscientiam contemnamus, aliorum errantem opinionem aucupemur, self-consciousness, Cic. Fin. 2, 22, 71: “illud se tacere suam conscientiam non pati,” Liv. 5, 25, 6: “in veris quoque sufficit conscientia,” consciousness, Quint. 11, 1, 17: sine hac quidem conscientiā ipsa illa ex tempore dicendi facultas inanem modo loquacitatem dabit, without this feeling, equiv. to without this persuasion, id. 10, 3, 2: “quamvis capite defectionis ablato manebat plerisque militum conscientia,” Tac. H. 1, 5.— So pregn., with ne, a conscientious fear, guilty fear, Tac. Agr. 42.—
B. In partic., a consciousness of right or wrong, the moral sense, conscience: “magna vis est conscientiae ... in utramque partem, ut neque timeant qui nihil commiserint et poenam semper ante oculos versari putent qui peccarint,” Cic. Mil. 23, 61; cf.: “et virtutis et vitiorum grave ipsius conscientiae pondus,” id. N. D. 3, 35, 85: “bona conscientia turbam advocat, mala etiam in solitudine anxia atque sollicita est,” Sen. Ep. 43, 5: “ad purgandam publicam conscientiam,” Just. 31, 4, 3: “recta,” a good conscience, Cic. Att. 13, 20, 4; cf. “egregia,” Liv. 29, 33, 9: bona, Cels. ap. Quint. 2, 15, 32; Quint. 6, 1, 33; 9, 2, 93; Tac. Agr. 1: “optima,” Plin. Ep. 1, 12, 3: “salvā bonā conscientiā,” Sen. Q. N. 4, praef. § “15: integra,” Front. 1, 9, 3; Lact. 5, 19, 32: “mala,” a bad conscience, Sall. J. 62, 8; Quint. 12, 1, 3: “infelix,” id. 6, prooem. § 10.—*
b. Prov.: “conscientia mille testes,” Quint. 5, 11, 41.—
2. Sometimes absol. for a good, or for a bad conscience.
a. A good conscience: “mea mihi conscientia pluris est quam omnium sermo,” Cic. Att. 12, 28, 2; cf.: “illud est hominis magni ... maximi aestimare conscientiam mentis suae, etc.,” id. Clu. 58, 159: “in quibus ego nec dissentire a nostris salvā gratiā nec consentire salvā conscientiā possum,” Sen. Ep. 117, 1: “ad sacrificium integrā conscientiā venire,” Lact. 5, 19, 32; Front. Strat. 1, 9, 3.—
b. A bad conscience: “hunc tu quas conscientiae labes in animo censes habuisse?” Cic. Off. 3, 21, 85; id. Cat. 2, 6, 13; id. Leg. 1, 14, 40; Sall. C. 15, 4; id. J. 35, 4; Quint. 5, 13, 46.—In the same sense: “animi,” Cic. Fin. 2, 16, 53; 2, 17, 54; id. Att. 13, 49 fin.; Caes. B. C. 3, 60; Phaedr. 3, prol. 47; and in plur.: “suae (quemque) malae cogitationes conscientiaeque animi terrent,” Cic. Rosc. Am. 24, 67.
