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I 111s treatise Was Written after the De Senectute, but in
the fame year. It is appropriately dedica ted by Cicero tollis friend Atticus. The clites speaher is C. Laelius, the friend of the younger Scipio Africanus ; and the supposed time of the dialogue is a seW days aster the death of Scipio B.c. 129), Who Was found dead in his bed, and probably Was murdered. The story of his death is told by
Gracchus, 10). The treati se, lihe the De Senectute, has the character of an esSay rather than of a dialogue, exceptilio introductory pari. Though Cicero has taken many maxims, and even forins of eXpression, from the Greehwriters, this treatise on Friend8hip bears the stamp of originali ty. It was written by a maia Who had great experience of lisse, by a man of a reflecting turn of mind, oneu ho had mingled in some Way in public assairs ever sincehis boyhood; but, above ait, it Was Written by a Roman. The notion os friendship is Roman, not universal; and thetreatise, in order to be sully understood, must be lookod at th resererice to Roman opinions, and with reseretice to the circumstances of the times; the times in Whicli Laelius lived, and of Which he Spealis, and those in whicli Cicero lived, and to which he could only allude under the coveros another name. But though Cicero has not made a perfeci treatise on friend8hip, because he has vie ed it as
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founded on the Roman notions os viriue, and connected with the Roman ideat os a State, he has handled the matterwell, and in an instructive maniter. He who wOuid nowtreat os it froni a different potnt of vie , and in a more ComprehenSive manner, might stili derive something 1 romthe Roman original.
It is a Lind of fashion to print the Cato Major and the Laelius together. They are both practical treatises, and they have a generat resemblance in forna. But old age isa much simpler thing to handie than frientiship ; and those who wili carefulty read the two treatises, will feel that Cicero found it so. The whole argument of the Laelius,
and the connexion of the severat paris, are much more
dissiculi to apprehend; the best proof of whicli is, that
tho Laolius with a class will find plenty to do, is his exposition is to be of any use to the pupiis; for, besides thedissiculty in the argument, the matter generalty is of a Lindiliat requireS a very particular explanation; much morethan the plain blunt discourse of Cato. This treatise should certainlyne ver be read besore the Cato Major, nor With it; but after sonae intervat, When the pupiis are more advanced.
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longili, sor whicli philological studeriis in England are notyet prepared. The texi of the Laelius in Seyffert'sedition is thirty octavo pages; the commentary is 566closely-printed pages, besides an index.
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LAELIUS SIVE DE AMICITIA DIALOGUS.
I. 1. Q. Μucius augur multa narrare de C. Laelio SOCet O ,uo memoriter et jucunde solebat nec dubitare illum in omni sermone appellare Sapientem. Ego autem a patre ita eram deductus ad Scaevolam Sumpta Virili toga, ut quoad possem et liceret a Seni S latere nunquam discederem. Itaque multa ab eo prudenter disputata, multa etiam breviter et commode dicta memoriae mandabam, fierique studebam ejus prudentia doctior. Quo mortuo me ad
I. Q. MuciusJ Q. Μucius Scaevola, a member of tho illustrious family of the Scaevolae, Wascalled tho Augur, to distinguishhim hom Q. Mucius Scaevola, Pontifex Μaximus The Augur married a daughter of C. Laelius, tho Diond of the younger Scipio Africanus. Cicero, as he telis ushere, and in the Brutus c. 26), was indebled to the Augur for partos his legal and political education.
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pontificem Scaevolam contuli, quem unum nostrae civitatis et ingenio et justitia praestantissimum audeo dicere. Sed de hoc alias : nunc redeo ad augurem. 2. Quum Saepe multa, tum memini domi in hemicyclio sedentem, ut solebat, quum et ego essem una et pauci admodum familiares, in eum sermonem illum incidere qui tum fere omnibus erat in ore. Μeministi enim profecto, Attice, et eo magis quod P. Sulpicio utebare multum, quum is tribunus plebis capitali odio a Quinto Pompeio qui tum erat consul dissideret, quocum conjunctissime et amanti SSime ViXerat, quanta esset hominum vel admiratio Vel querela. 3. Itaque tum Scaevola, quum in eam ipsam mentionem incidisset, expoSuit nobis sermonem Laelii de amicitia habitum ab illo secum et cum altero genero C. Fannio Μ. F. paucis diebus post mortem Africani. Rus disputationis sententias memoriae mandavi, quas hoc libro eXposui arbitratu meo; quasi enim ipsos induxi loquentes, ne inquam et inquit
P. SulpicioJ Ρ. Sulpicius Rufus,
tribunus plebis, ' B. C. 88, in theconsul ship of L. Cornelius Sulla, and Q. Ρompeius Rufus, Who Wasonco his friend, and astorwards hisenemy. Sulpicius passod Over totho Μarian faction. Cicero speakS
pοWerful Orator. C. Fannio M. F.J That is, Marci filio, ' a common form Ofabridgement, and of expression in Roman inscriptions.
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saepius interponeretur, atque ut tamquam a praesentibus coram haberi sermo videretur. Quum enim Saepe mecum ageres ut de amicitia scriberem aliquid, digna mihi res quum omnium cognitione tum nostra familiaritate visa est. Itaque feci non invitus ut prodessem multis rogatu tuo.
4. Sed ut in Catone Μ ore, qui est scriptus ad te de
senectute, Catonem induXi senem disputantem, quia nulla videbatur aptior persona quae de illa aetate loqueretur, quam ejus qui et diutissime senex fuisset et in ipsa senectute praeter ceteros floruisset; Sic, quum accepisSem VS a
patribus maxime memorabilem C. Laelii et P. Scipionis familiaritatem fuisse, idonea mihi Laelii persona visa est quae de amicitia ea ipsa dissereret quae disputata ab eo
meminisset Scaevola. Genus autem hoc Sermonum, poSi- tum in hominum veterum auctoritate et eorum illustrium,
plus nescio quo pacto videtur habere gravitatis. Itaque ipse mea legens sic assicior interdum ut Catonem non me loqui eXistimem. 5. Sed ut tum ad senem senex de senectute, sic hoc libro ad amicum amicissimus de amicitia
PersonaJ Gabius Bassus Gellius, v. 7) derived the word a
construction Os a persona,' or
mask,' for this Was one of the ordinary significations of the wOrd.
But this etymology may be salalyrejected, though it is dissiculi to
Ρersona' here means the character or condition Os an Oid man.
The Laelii persona' is the character of Laelius. In the laW Writers, personae' signifies persons, thatis, human beings, as invested Mina certain character, by Whicli theybecome objects of laW, as opposed to things Whicli are not perSonS, but cither materiat things, as Objects of property, or legat facis, ascontracis and the like. Gaius says Dig. l. tit. 5. s. 1), omne jus quo utimur Vel ad perSOnas pertinoi vol ad res vel ad actiones
where he ailds, sed prius videamus de personis and he then proceedsto troat de conditione hominum, that is, to treat of the jus personarum,' or the laW that relatesto persons, in the sense abOVe ex plained.
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scripsi. Tum est Cato locutus quo erat nemo fere senior temporibus illis, nemo prudentior : nunc Laelius et sapiens, Sic enim est habitus, et amicitiae gloria eXcellens de amicitia loquitur. Tu velim animum a me parumper aVertaS, Laelium loqui ipsum putes. C. Fannius et Q. Μucius ad socerum veniunt post mortem Africani: ab his sermo oritur, respondet Laelius, cujus tota disputatio est de amicitia, quam legens tu te ipSum cognOSCOS. II. 6. FANNIUs. Sunt ista, Laeli, nec enim melior Vir fuit Africano quisquam nec clarior. Sed existimare debes omnium oculos nunc in te esse conjectΟS; unum te Sapientem et appellant et existimant. Tribuebatur hoc modo M. Catoni; scimus L. Atilium apud patres nostros appellatum esse sapientem: Sed uterque alio quodam modo ;
Atilius quia prudens esse in jure civili putabatur; Cato
quia multarum rerum usum habebat: multa ejus et in Senatu et in foro vel provisa prudenter Vel acta constanter Vel responsa acute ferebantur : propterea quaSi cognomen jam habebat in senectute sapientis. Te autem alio quodammodo, non Solum natura et moribus, verum etiam studio et doctrina eSSe Sapientem, nec sicut vulgus sed ut eruditi solent appellare sapientem qualem in Graecia neminem; 7. nam qui Septem appellantur, eos qui ista subtilius quaerunt in numero sapientium non habent; Athenis unum accepimus et eum quidem etiam Apollinis oraculo 2. Habebat J Ιt is very dissi
WOrds multa ejus ferebantur 'are parentheticat. Te autem alio quodam-in
feri0res put .J A long and confused sentenco, Whicli presentS nodissiculty in tho meaning, but is irregular in iis structure. See
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sapientissimum judicatum; hanc esse in te sapientiam existimant ut omnia tua in te posita ducas humanosque casus virtute inferiores Butes.J Itaque eX me quaerunt, credo item ex hoc Scaevola , quonam pacto mortem Africani seras; eoque magiS quod his proximis Nonis, quum in hortos D. Bruti auguris commentandi causa, Ut aSSOlet, Venissemus, tu non adfuisti qui diligentissime semper illum dioni et illud munus solitus esses obire. 8. SCAEVOLA. Quaerunt quidem, C. Laeli, multi, ut est a Fannio dictum; sed ego id respondeo quod animadverti, te dolorem quem acceperis quum Summi viri tum amicissimi morte serre moderate; nec potuiSSe non commoveri nec fuisse id humanitatis tuae ; quod autem his Nonis in nostro collegio non adfuisses valetudinem cauSam non maestitiam fuisse. LAELIUS. Recte tu quidem, Scaevola, 't vere. Nec enim ab isto ossicio quod semper usurpavi quum valerem abduci incommodo meo debui, nec ullo casu arbitror hoc constanti homini posse contingere ut ulla intermissio fiat ossicii. 9.
Tu autem, Fanni, qui mihi tantum tribui dicis quantum
Commentandi causa,J We must suppose that the Augurs mel Occasionalty to deliberate commentari) on such matters as bolongedio thoir dutios; and that theΝOnae Were a usual day for meet-ing may be inferred DOm this passage and DOm another De Divin. i. 41 . Non adfuisti qui olitus esses JΤhis is generalty rendered, yOuWere nos present, though you Were accustomede and there is per-haps no objection to it. This use of qui' in such clauses is muchoastor to Dei and undorstand, thanto explain. Qui-solitus esses' is ovidently to be talion with tho subject tu,' as iis eXponent, RS more particularly determining tho predication in non adfuisti; ', and this is plain in a Latin Sentence, Dr, though it implies an assirmation, tho assirmation is subordinate tolliat contained in tho indicativo
In no*tro collegioJ In collegio
adesse' Was a usual formula, RS RP-
tion os Usucapio Dig. 41. tit. 3. s. 2) ; but it also is used to signifythe preservation of a legat right by
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ego nec agnosco nec postulo, facis amice ; sed, ut mihi videris, non recte judicas de Catone. Aut enim nemo,
quod quidem magis credo, aut Si quisquam, ille sapiens fuit. Quomodo, ut alia omittam, mortem filii tuliti Μο- mineram talium, vide ain Gallum; sed hi in pueris;
Cato in persecto et spectato Viro. 10. Quamobrem cave
Catoni anteponas ne istum quidem ipsum quem Apollo, ut ais, sapientissimum judicavit. Hujus enim facta, illius
dicta laudantur. De me autem, ut jam cum utroque loquar, sic habetote.
ΙΙΙ. Ego si Scipionis desiderio me moVeri negem, quam
id recte faciam viderint sapientes; Sed certe menti ar. Moveor enim tali amico orbatus, qualis, ut arbitror, nemo UnqUam erit, Ut confirmare poSSum, nemo certe fuit. Sed non egeo medicina: me ipse consolor et maxime illo solatio quod eo errore careo quo amicorum decessu plerique
angi solent. Nihil enim mali accidisse Scipioni puto ; mihi
accidit si quid accidit. Suis autem incommodis graviter angi non amicum sed seipsum amantis est. - 11. Cum illo Vero quis neget actum eSSe praeclare Τ Νisi enim, quod ille minime putabat, immortalitatem optare vellet, quid non
Cato in perfecto, &c.J In thecase os in the matter of a full-grom man ' &c. as the words in pueris' shoW. Cato's son had been elected praetor besore his death praetor designatus.' He Was
spectatus,' that is, he had givenproof of his morit. In the Ep. ad Div. V. 12) there is the eXpreS-sion; auctoritas clarissimi et spectatissimi viri et in rei publicae maximis gravisSimisque causis cogniti, ' &c. I. Ego, &c.J Ego' is used When tho Ι' is omphatic, and it is placed horo in iis emphatic position. Αs to negem,' is Ι wero todeny,' mentiar,' Ι should Ee.' Seo De Sen. 19.
autem' is never first in a sentence.
conceived the thought of Wishing. Here the meanings of volo' and opto' aro clearly distinguished. See Do Sen. I. Lambinus findsa dissiculty in the eXpresSion ΟΡ-tare vellet, ' and assirms, that vello' and optare' mean nearly the same
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est adeptus quod homini fas esset optaret qui summam Spem civium, quam de eo jam puero habuerant, continuo adolescens incredibili virtute superavit; qui consulatum petiit nunquam, factus est conSul bis; Drimum ante tem pus ; iterum sibi suo tempore. reipublicae paene Sero; qui, duabus urbibus eversis inimicissimis huic imperio, non modo praesentia verum etiam futura bella delevit. Quid dicam do moribus facillimis i de pietate in matrem l liberalitate in sororest bonitate in suosl justitia in omnes lΝota sunt vobis. Quam autem civitati carus fuerit maerore funeris indicatum est. Quid igitur hunc paucorum annorum accessio juvare potuisset 8 Senectus enim quamvis non sit graVis, ut memini Catonem anno ante quam mortuus est mecum et cum Scipione disserere, tamen aufert eaui viriditatem in qua etiamnum erat Scipio. 12. Quam
obrem vita quidem talis fuit vel fortuna vel gloria ut nihil
posset accedere: moriendi autem sensum celeritas abstulit.
Quo de genere mortis dissicile dictu est; quid homines ut suspicentur videtis. Hoc tamen vere licet dicere, P. Sci-
οὐ pioni ex multis diebus quos in vita celeberrimos laetissimosque viderit illum diem clarissimum fuisse, quum Senatu dimisso domum reductus ad veSperum est a Patri-
Press one thing immediatoly sol lowing another, as in this paSSage. Sibi suoJ Forcellini compares this With other passages, in Which suo sibi' occurs, as in the Prologus of tho Captivi os Plautus v. 50), ita nune ignorans Suo sibi servit patri. V But this and the lilio passages are manifestly different hom tho texi, Whichmeans that he was made consul a second time, and in due time, at theproper time, as regards himself, but almost too late for the state. Tho tWo cities are Numantia in Spatia, and Carthage. EtiamnumJ Somo of tho AISS. havo etiam nunc,' and Others, otiam tunc.' Both the forms, otiamnum' and etiam nunc,' occur in the printed texis of Latinauthors. Ιf etiamnum' is right, it is obviousty only a euphonicform of etiamnunc,' as Some editions have it here.