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M. TULLI CICERONIS ^ CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

H''/™ NOTES

BY

CHARLES E. BENNETT

PROKESSOR OF LATIN IN CORNELL UNIVER8ITY

LEACH, SHEWELL, AND SANBORN BOSTON NEW \'ORK CHICAGO

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copyright, 1897, By CHAULES E. BENNETT.

Norbioob )^rres

J. S. CusliinR i Co. — Berwick & Smith Norwood Masi. U.S.A.

PREFACE

FoR tlie text of this edition, I have endeavored to utilize the critical material that has appeared since the publication of Muller's edition (Leipsic, 1879). In the commentary the aim has been to give only such infor- mation as the student needs for an adequate under- standing of the text. All discussion of moot points, whether of text or interpretation, has been relegated to a Critical Appendix.

To Professor Alfred Gudeman, of the University of

Pennsylvania, Professor H. C. Elmer and Mr. Chas.

L. Durham, of Cornell University, I here extend my

acknowledgment for valuable assistance in the prepara-

tion of this volume.

C. E. B. Ithaca, May 1, 1897.

INTRODUCTION

1. Time of Composition of the de Senectute. — With tlie overtlirow of Poinpey at Pharsalus in 48 b.c. and the con- sequent ascendency of Julius Caesar, Cicero had retired com- pletely from the arena of political life. Resigning himself of necessity to the ceutralizing policy of Caesar, "lie sotrght consolation in his ever favorite pursuit of philosophy, and it is to these closiug years of his life that his chief philosophical worksjbgloug. It is still a disputed question whether the de Senectute was written shortly before or shortly after the assas- sinatiou of Caesar (March 15, 44 n.c). Conservative opinion at present tends to recognize the earlier date as the more probable, and to refer the composition of the work either to the last nionths of 45 b.c. or to the very earliest part (Janu- ary or February) of 44.

2. Atticus. — The essay is dedicated to Cicero^s intimate friend Titus Pomponius Atticus. Atticus was born in 109 b.c, of an old and wealthy equestrian family. From 88 to 65 b.c. he had resided at Athens, devoting his time to literary and philosophical studies. Returning to Rome in 65, he lived on terms of intimacy with the first men of his day. His friend- ship with Cicero had begun early in life, when the two were students together, and is well attested by the sixteen books of letters (Epistulae ad Atticum) which have come down to us. This correspondence begins in 68 b.c. and continues for twenty- five years, ending only a few months before Cicero's death (Dec. 7, 43 b.c). Atticus never entered public life. His death occurred eleven years after that of Cicero, in 32 n.c

3. Occasion of the Dialogue ; its Dramatic Date. — Scipio and Laelius meeting at the house of the elder Cato

yi INTRODUCTION

express their wonder at the cheerfulness with which he bears the burdens of age. Cato's answer leads the young men to request that he will set forth to tliem the means whereby old age may be made easy and happy. In compliance Cato pro- ceeds to consider iu detail the various accusations brought against old age, and to show how groundless these are. The greater part of the work is taken up by Cato's remarks. The participation of Scipio and Laelius in the conversation is so slight that the composition is practically an essay, not a dialogue.

The dramatic date of tlie conversation is 150 b.c, the year before Cato's death.

4. The Interlocutors :

(a) Cnto. " M. Porcius Cato was a Sabine farmer wlio rose from the plough to the highest honors of the Republic. Born in 234 B.C., a soldier at seventeeu, praetor in 198 b.c, and consul in 195 b.c, a veteran in the fields of war and oratory, he was the last representative of old-fashioned, middle-class conservatism, a bitter foe to new men and new manners, a latter-day Cincinnatus. Ile had served from the Trasimene to Zama, in Sardinia, Spain, Macedon, with skill, courage, success. Accused forty-four times, accuser as often, the grey- eyed, red-haired man had literally fought his way up with his rough-and-ready wit, his nervous oratory, liis practical ability and business habits. For thirty-five years the most influential man in Rome, he had acted in every capacity, as general, administrator, and envoy. He was a man whose virtues served his own ends, whose real but well-trumpeted austerity was a stalking-horse for his personal acrimony and ambition. Nar- row, reactionary, and self-righteous, as he was honest, active, and well-meaning, a good hater and a persistent critic, at once a bully and a inoralist, he took np his text daily against the backslidings and iniquities of the time, against Ilellenism, luxury, immorality, and corruption, especially as personified in the Scipios and Flaminini of his day. At bottom he was a genuine man, but it was unlucky that the strongest reform- ing force should have taken shape in this political gladiator

INTRODUCTION Vll

and typical Roraan, this hard-hitting, sharp-witted, keenly commercial, upright, vulgar Philistine." (How and Leigh, History of llonie to the Death of Caesar, p, 303.)

Cato lived to an advanced old age, dying in 149 b.c, the year after the date of the conversation represented in the de Senec- tute. Much has been made of the tradition that in his last years he was an assiduous student of Greek. But it is not likely that his study extended to the imaginative works of Greek literature, the masterpieces of Greek poets and philoso- phers. His interest in Greek was probably solely a practical one, and limited to the use of Greek sources in the composition of his historical work, the Origines. Appreciation for the ideal in literature and art he never possessed ; in fact he cherished the intensest conviction that the indulgence of these sentiments involved a distinct menace to the welfare of the state. Hence it is not credible that in his old age he should have renounced the convictions of a lifetime and have turned with enthusiasm to the models of the creative genius of the Greeks. Only six years before his death, besides giving other evidences of his anti-Hellenic spirit, he had been a prime mover in expediting the departure from Rome of three Greek philosophers, Diogenes, Critolaus, and Carneades, who having come to the city on a diplomatic errand were using their leisure to set forth to the Romans the tenets of their respective schools.

It is, then, an ideal Cato that meets us in the de Senectute, not the real Cato of flesh and blood who opposed so stoutly throughout his whole career the tendencies and sentiments for which he is represented by Cicero as cherishing so lofty an enthusiasm.

(b) Scipio. The Scipio of the de Senectute (the younger Africanus) was a son of Lucius Aemilius Pauhis, the conqueror of Macedonia. The name Scipio he took from his adoptive father, P. Cornelius Scipio (son of the great Africanus), adding the surname Aemilianus in token of his actual descent. Scipio was born about 185 b.c, and was therefore about thirty-five years of age at the time of the alleged dialogue. Though he

Vlll INTRODUCTION

early began to devote himself to tlie profession of arms, lie possessed also decided literary tastes, and cultivated friendly relations with the conteniporary poets Lucilius and Terence. Rumor had it that he even assisted Terence in the composition of his plays. For Cato, Scipio entertained a profound admira- tion, despite the old hostility between the two families, and is said to have taken that sturdy exemplar of the homely virtues as his own model.

(c) Laelius. Gaius Laelius, surnamed Sapiens, was of about the same age as Scipio, and was attached to him by ties of the closest friendship, as his father had been attached to the elder Africanus. Hence Laelius is appropriately made the chief speaker in Cicero's essay on friendship (the Laelius or de Amicitia). Laelius held various public offices, but was chiefly distinguished for his enlightened interest in literature and philosopiiy.

5. Ennius. — Ennius, from whose Annals Cato so often quotes in the de Senectute, was born at Rudiae in Calabria in 239 B.C., and died in 169. Ile was serving as a soldier in the Second Punic War when he attracted the attention and won the friendship of Cato, who brought liim to Rome in 204 b.c. Ilere for a time he gained a livelihood by teaching; later his poetic gifts secured him the powerful support of the ekier Africanus and others. Ennius's chief work is his Annales, of which, unfortunately, only fragments have come down to us. This was an historical poem, and dealt with the story of Roman achievement from the earliest times down to and including the stirring events of Ennius*s own day.

M. TULLI CICERONIS

CATO MAIOR m SENECTDTE LIBER

AD T. POMPONIUM ATTICUM

I. 1. 0 Tite, si quid te adiuero curamve levasso,

Quae nunc te coquit et versat in pectore fixa, Ecquid erit praemi ?

Licet enim mihi versibus eisdem affari te, Attice, qui- bus affatur Flamininum 5

Ille vir haud magna cum re, sed plenus fidei ;

quamquam certo scio non, ut Flamininum,

Sollicitari te, 'IMte, sic noctesque diesque;

novi enim moderationem animi tui et aequitatem teque non cognomen solum Athenis deportasse, sed humani- 10 tatem et prudentiam intellego, Et tamen te suspicor eisdem rebus quibus me ipsum interdum gravius com- moveri, quarum consolatio et maior est et in aliud tempus differenda. Nunc autem visum est mihi de senectute aliquid ad te conscribere. 2. Hoc enim 15 onere, quod mihi commuiie tecum est, aut iam urgen- tis aut certe adventantis senectutis et te et me ipsum levari volo; etsi te quidem id modice ac sapienter sicut omnia et ferre et laturum esse certo scio. Sed mihi,

2 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

cum de senectute vellem aliquid scribere, tu occurre- bas dignus eo munere, quo uterque nostrum commu- niter uteretur. Mihi quidem ita iucunda huius libri confectio fuit, ut non modo omnes absterserit senectu-

5 tis molestias, sed effecerit mollem etiam et iucundam senectutem. Numquam igitur laudari satis digne phi- losophia poterit, cui qui pareat, omne tempus aetatis sine molestia possit degere. 3. Sed de ceteris et diximus multa et saepe dicemus; hunc librum ad te

10 de senectute misimus. Omnem autem sermonem tri- buimus non Tithono, ut Aristo Ceus (parum enim esset auctoritatis in fabula), sed M. Catoni seni, quo maiorem auctoritatem haberet oratio ; apud quem Lae- lium et Scipionem facimus admirantes, quod is tam

15 facile senectutem ferat, eisque eum respondentem. Qui si eruditius videbitur disputare, quam consuevit ipse in suis libris, attribuito litteris Graecis, quarum constat eum perstudiosum fuisse in senectute. Sed quid opus est plura ? lam enim ipsius" Catonis sermo

20 explicabit nostram omnem de senectute sententiam.

II. 4. Scipio. Saepe numero admirari soleo cum

hoc C. Laelio cum ceterarum rerum tuam excellentem,

M. Cato, perfectamque sapientiam, tum vel maxime,

quod numquam tibi senectutem gravem esse senserim,

25 quae plerisque senibus sic odiosa est, ut onus se Aetna gravius dicant sustinere.

Cato. E-em haud sane difficilem, Scipio et Laeli, admirari videmini. Quibus enim nihil est in ipsis opis ad bene beateque vivendum, eis omnis aetas gravis

30 est ; qui autem omnia bona a se ipsi petunt, eis nihil potest malum videri, quod naturae necessitas afferat. Quo in genere est in primis senectus ; quam ut adi-

CHAPTERS I., n. 8

piscantur omnes optant, eandem accusant adeptam; tanta est stultitiae inconstantia atque perversitas. Obrepere aiunt eam citius, quam putassent. Primum quis coegit eos falsum piitare ? qui enim citius adu- lescentiae senectus quam pueritiae adulescentia obre- 5 pit? Deinde qui minus gravis esset eis senectus, si octingentesimum annum agerent quam si octogesi- mum ? praeterita enim aetas quamvis longa cum efiluxisset, nulla consolatione permulcere posset stul- tam senectutem. 5. Quocirca si sapientiam meani lo admirari soletis (quae utinam digna esset opinione vestra nostroque cognomine !), in hoc sumus sapientes, quod naturam optimam ducem tamquam deum sequi- mur eique paremus; a qua non veri simile est, cum ceterae partes aetatis bene discriptae sint, extremum 15 actum tamquam ab inerti poeta esse neglectum. Sed tamen necesse fuit esse aliquid extremum et tamquam in arborum bacis terraeque fructibus maturitate tem- pestiva quasi vietum et caducum, quod ferendum est molliter sapienti. Quid est enim aliud Gigantum 20 modo bellare cum dis nisi naturae repugnare?

6. Laelius. Atqui, Cato, gratissimum nobis, ut etiam pro Scipione pollicear, feceris, si, quoniam speramus, — volumus quidem certe, — senes fieri, niulto ante a te didicerimus, quibus facillime rationibus ingravescen- 25 tem aetatem ferre possimus.

Cato. Faciam vero, Laeli, praesertim si utrique ves- trum, ut dicis, gratum futurum est.

Laelius. Volumus sane, nisi molestum est, Cato, tamquam longam aliquam viam confeceris, quam nobis 30 quoque ingrediendum sit, istuc, quo pervenisti, videre quale sit.

4 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

III. 7. Cato. Faciam, ut potero, Laeli. Saepe enim interfui querelis aequalium meorum (pares autem vetere proverbio cum paribus facillime congregantur), quae C. Salinator, quae Sp. Albinus, homines consu-

5 lares, nostri fere aequales, deplorare solebant, tum quod voluptatibus carerent, sine quibus vitam nullam putarent, tum quod spernerentur ab eis, a quibus essent coli soliti. Qui mihi non id videbantur accu- sare, quod esset accusandum. Nam si id culpa se-

10 nectutis accideret, eadem mihi usu venirent reliquis- que omnibus maioribus natu, quorum ego multorum cognovi senectutem sine querela, qui se et libidinum vinculis laxatos esse non moleste ferrent nec a suis despicerentur. Sed omnium istius modi querelarum

15 in moribus est culpa, non in aetate. Moderati enim et nec difficiles nec inhumani senes tolerabilem senec- tutem agunt, importunitas autem et inhumanitas omni aetati molesta est.

8. Laelius. Est, ut dicis, Cato ; sed fortasse dixerit

20 quispiam tibi propter opes et copias et dignitatem tuam tolerabiliorem senectutem videri, id autem non posse multis contingere.

Gato. Est istud quidem, Laeli, aliqiiid, sed nequa- quam in isto sunt omnia. Ut Themistocles fertur

25 Seriphio cuidam in iurgio respondisse, cum ille dixis- set non eum sua sed patriae gloria splendorem asse- cutum : ' Nec hercule,' inquit, ' si ego Seriphius essem, nec tu, si Atheniensis esses, clarus umquam fuisses.' Quod eodem modo de senectute dici potest. Nec enim

30 in summa inopia levis esse senectus potest ne sapi- enti quidem nec insipienti etiam in summa copia non gravis. 9. Aptissima omnino sunt, Scipio et Laeli,

CHAPTERS III., IV. 5

arma senectutis artes exercitationesqiie virtutum, quae in omni aetate cultae, cum diu multumque vixe- ris, mirificos ecferunt fructus, non solum quia num- quam deserunt ne extremo quidem tempore aetatis (quamquam id quidem maximum est), verum etiam 5 quia conscientia bene actae vitae multorumque bene factorum recordatio iucundissima est.

IV. 10. Ego Q. Maximum, eum qui Tarentum re- cepit, senem adulescens ita dilexi, ut aequalem ; erat enim in illo viro comitate condita gravitas, nec senec- 10 tus mores mutaverat; quamquam eum colere coepi non admodum grandem natu, sed tamen iam aetate provectum. Anno enim post consul primum fuerat, quam ego natus sum, cumque eo quartum consule adulescentulus miles ad Capuam profectus sum quin- 15 toque anno post ad Tarentum. Quaestor deinde qua- driennio post factus sum, quem magistratum gessi consulibus Tuditano et Cethego, cum quidem ille ad- modum senex suasor legis Cinciae de donis et mune- ribus fuit. Hic et bella gerebat ut adulescens, cum 20 plane grandis esset, et Hannibalem iuveniliter exsul- tantem patientia sua molliebat; de quo praeclare familiaris noster Ennius :

Unus homo nobis cunctando restituit rera.

Noenum rumores ponebat ante salutem. 25

Ergo plusque magisque viri nunc gloria claret.

11. Tarentum vero qua vigilantia, quo consilio rece- pit ! cum quidem me audiente Salinatori, qui amisso oppido fuerat in arce, glorianti atque ita dicenti : * Mea opera, Q. Fabi, Tarentum recepisti ' ; ' Certe^ 30 inquit ridens, ^nam nisi tu amisisses, numquam rece-

6 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

pissem.' Nec vero in armis praestantior quam in toga; qui consul iterum Sp. Carvilio collega quie- scente C. Flaminio tribuno plebis, quoad potuit, restitit agrum Picentem et Gallicum viritim contra senatus

5 auctoritatem dividenti; augurque cum esset, dicere ausus est optimis auspiciis ea geri, quae pro rei publi- cae salute gererentur ; quae contra rem publicam fer- rentur, contra auspicia ferri. 12. Multa in eo viro praeclara cognovi; sed nihil admirabilius, quam quo

10 modo ille mortem fili tulit, clari viri et consularis. Est in manibus laudatio, quam cum legimus, quem philosophum non contemnimus? Nec vero ille in luce modo atque in oculis civium magnus, sed intus domique praestantior. Qui sermo, quae praecepta,

15 quanta notitia antiquitatis, scientia iuris augurii ! Multae etiam, ut in homine Romano, litterae ; omnia memoria tenebat non domestica solum, sed etiam externa bella. Cuius sermone ita tum cupide fruebar, quasi iam divinarem, id quod evenit, "illo exstincto

20 fore, unde discerem, neminem.

V. 13. Quorsus igitur haec tam multa de Maximo? Quia profecto videtis nefas esse dictu miseram fuisse talem senectutem. Nec tamen omnes possunt esse Scipiones aut Maximi, ut urbium expugnationes, ut

25 pedestres navalesve pugnas, ut bella a se gesta, ut tri- umphos recordentur. Est etiam quiete et pure atque eleganter actae aetatis placida ac lenis senectus, qua- lem accepimus Platonis, qui uno et octogesimo anno scribens est mortuus, qualem Isocratis, qui eum

30 librum, qui Pauathenaicus inscribitur, quarto et nonar gesimo anno scripsisse se dicit vixitque quinquennium postea ; cuius magister Leoutinus Gorgias centum et

CHAPTERS V., VI. 7

septem complevit annos neque iimquam in suo studio atque opere cessavit. Qui, cum ex eo quaereretur, cur tam diu vellet esse in vita: ' NihU habeo/ inquit, ' quod acGusem senectutem.' Praeclarum responsum et docto homine dignum. 14. Sua enim vitia insipi- r. entes et suam culpam in senectutem conferunt; quod non faciebat is, cuius modo mentionem feci, Ennius :

Sicut fortis equos, spatio qui saepe supremo Vicit Olumpia, nunc senio confectus quiescit.

Equi fortis et victoris senectuti comparat suara. lO Quem quidem probe meminisse potestis ; anno enim undevicesimo post eius mortem hi consules, T. Flami- ninus et M'. Acilius, facti sunt, ille autem Caepione et Philippo iterum consulibus mortuus est, cum ego quinque et sexaginta annos natus legem Voconiam 15 magna voce et bonis lateribus suasi. Sed annos septu- aginta natiis (tot enim vixit Ennius) ita ferebat duo, quae maxima putantur, onera, paupertatem et senectu- tem, ut eis paene delectari videretur.

15. Etenim, cum complector animo, quattuor repe- 2() rio causas, cur senectus misera videatur : unam, quod avocet a rebus gerendis, alteram, quod corpus faciat infirmius, tertiam, quod privet omnibus fere voluptati- bus, quartam, quod haud procul absit a morte. Earum, si placet, causarum quanta quamque sit iusta una 25 quaeque, videamus.

VI. A rebus gerendis senectus abstrahit. Quibus ? an eis, quae iuventute geruhtur et viribus ? nullaene igitur res sunt seniles, quae vel infirmis corporibus animo tamen administrentur ? nihil ergo agebat Q. 30 Maximus, nihil L. Paulus, pater tuus, socer optimi

8 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

viri, fili inei ? ceteri senes, Fabricii, Curii, Corunca- nii, cum rem publicam consilio et auctoritate defende- bant, nihil agebant ? 16. Ad Appi Claudi senectu- tem accedebat etiam, ut caecus esset; tamen is, cum 5 sententia senatus inclinaret ad pacem cum Pyrrho foedusque faciendum, non dubitavit dicere illa, quae versibus persecutus est Ennius :

Quo vobis mentes, rectae quae stare solebant Antehac, dementes sese flexere viai ?

10 ceteraque gravissime ; notum enim vobis carmen est ; et tamen ipsius Appi exstat oratio. Atque haec ille egit septimo decimo anno post alterum consulatum, cum inter duos consulatus anni decem interfuissent censorque ante superiorem consulatum fuisset ; ex quo

15 intellegitur Pyrrhi bello grandem sane fuisse ; et tamen sic a patribus accepimus. 17. Nihil igitur afferunt, qui in re gerenda versari senectutem negaht, similes- que sunt, ut si qui gubernatorem in uavigando nihil agere dicant, cum alii malos scandant, alii per foros

20 cursent, alii sentinam exhauriant, ille autem clavum tenens quietus sedeat in puppi. Non facit ea, quae iuvenes, at vero multo maiora et meliora facit. Non viribus aut velocitate aut celeritate corporum res mag- nae geruntur, sed consilio, auctoritate, sententia ; qui-

26 bus non modo non orbari, sed etiam augeri senectus solet. 18. Nisi forte ego vobis, qui et miles et tribu- nus et legatus et consul versatus sum in vario genere bellorum, cessare nunc videor, cum bella non gero; at senatui, quae sint gerenda, praescribo, et quo modo ;

30 Karthagini male iam diu cogitanti bellum multo ante denuntio ; de qua vereri non ante desinam, quam illam

CHAPTERS VI., VII. 9

excisam esse cogiiovero. 19. Qiiam palmam utinam (li immortales, Scipio, tibi reservent, ut avi reliquias persequare ! cuius a raorte tertius hic et tricesimus annus est, sed memoriam illius viri omnes excipient anni consequentes. Anno ante me censorem mortuus 5 est, novem annis post meum consulatum, cum consul iterum me consule creatus esset. Num igitur, si ad centesimum annum vixisset, senectutis eum suae pae- niteret? nec enim excursione nec saltu nec eminus hastis aut comminus gladiis uteretur, sed consilio, 10 ratione, sententia. Quae nisi essent in senibus, non summum consilium maiores nostri appellassent sena- tum. 20. Apud Lacedaemonios quidem ei, qui am- plissimum magistratum gerunt, ut sunt, sic etiam nominantur senes. Quodsi legere aut audire voletis 15 externa, maximas res publicas ab adulescentibus labe- factatas, a senibus sustentatas et restitutas reperietis.

Cedo, quf vestram rem publicam tantam dmisistis tdm cito ?

Sic enim percontantur in Naevi poetae Lupo ; respon- dentur et alia et hoc in primis : 20

Prov^niebant ordtores novf, stulti, adulesc^ntuli.

Temeritas est videlicet florentis aetatis, prudentia senescentis.

VII. 21. At memoria minuitur. Credo, nisi eam exerceas, aut etiam si sis natura tardior. Themisto- 26 cles omnium civium perceperat nomina; num igitur censetis eum, cum aetate processisset, qui Aristides esset, Lysimachum salutare solitum ? Equidem non modo eos novi, qui sunt, sed eorum patres etiam et avos, nec sepulcra legens vereor, quod aiunt, ne memo- 30 riam perdam ; his enim ipsis legendis in memoriam

10 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

redeo mortuorum. Nec vero quemquam senem audivi oblitum, quo loco thesaurum obruisset; omnia, quae curant, meminerunt, vadimonia constituta, quis sibi, cui ipsi debeant. 22. Quid iuris consulti, quid ponti-

5 fices, quid augures, quid philosophi senes? Quam multa meminerunt! Manent ingenia senibus, modo permaneat studium et industria, neque ea solum in claris et honoratis viris, sed in vita etiam privata et quieta. Sophocles ad summam senectutem tragoedias

10 fecit ; quod propter studium cum rem neglegere fami- liarem videretur, a hliis in iudicium vocatus est, ut, quem ad modum nostro more male rem gerentibus patribus bonis interdici solet, sic illum quasi desipi- entem a re familiari removerent iudices. Tum senex

15 dicitur eam fabulam, quam in manibus habebat et proxime scripserat, Oedipum Coloneum, recitasse iudi- cibus quaesisseque, num illud carmen desipientis vide- retur. Quo recitato sententiis iudicum est liberatus. 23. Num igitur hunc, num Homerum, num Hesiodum,

20 Simonidem, Stesichorum, num, quos ante dixi, Iso- craten, Gorgian, num philosophorum principes, Pytha- goram, Democritum, num Platonem, num Xenocraten, num postea Zenonem, Cleanthem aut eum, quem vos etiam vidistis Komae, Diogenem Stoicum, coegit in

25 suis studiis obmutescere senectus ? an in omnibus his studiorum agitatio vitae aequalis fuit ? 24. Age, ut ista divina studia omittamus, possum nominare ex agro Sabino rusticos liomanos, vicinos et familiares meos, quibus absentibus numquam fere ulla in agro

30 maiora opera fiunt, non serendis, non percipiendis, non condendis fructibus. Quamquam in aliis minus hoc mirum est; nemo eiiijn est tam senex, qui se an-

CHAPTERS VII., VIII. 11

num non putet posse vivere ; sed idem in eis elaborant, quae sciunt nihil ad se omnino pertinere :

Serft arbor^s, quae alterf saeclo prdsint,

ut ait Statius noster in Synephebis. 25. Nec vero dubitat agricola, quamvis sit senex, quaerenti, cui 5 serat, respondere : ' Dis immortalibus, qui me non acci- pere modo liaec a maioribus voluerunt, sed etiam i^osteris prodere.'

VIII. Et melius Caecilius de sene alteri saeculo prospiciente quam illud idem : lo

Edep61, senectus, sf nil quicquam aliiid viti App6rtes tecum, quom advenis, unum fd sat est, Quod dfu vivendo miilta, quae non v61t, videt.

Et multa fortasse, quae volt! atque in ea, quae non volt, saepe etiam adulescentia incurrit. Illud vero 15 idem Caecilius vitiosius :

Tum equidem fn senecta hoc d^puto mis^rrimum, Sentfre ea aetate ^umpse esse odiosum alteri.

lucundum potius quam odiosum. 26. Ut enim adu- lescentibus bona indole praeditis sapientes senes de- 20 lectantur leviorque fit senectus eorum, qui a iuventute coluntur et diliguntur, sic adulescentes senum prae- ceptis gaudent, quibus ad virtutum studia ducuntur; nec minus intellego me vobis quam mihi vos esse iu- cundos. Sed videtis, ut senectus non modo languida 25 atque iners non sit, verum etiam sit operosa et semper agens aliquid et moliens, tale scilicet, quale cuiusque studium in superiore vita fuit. Quid ? qui etiam addiscunt aliquid ? ut et Solonem versibus gloriantem videmus, qui se cotidie aliquid addiscentem dicit senem 30

12 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

fieri, et ego feci, qiii litteras Graecas senex didici; quas quidem sic avide arripui, — quasi diuturnam sitim explere cupieus, — ut ea ipsa milii nota essent, quibus me nunc exemplis uti videtis. Quod cum fecisse So-

5 cratem in fidibus audirem, vellem equidem etiam illud (discebant enim fidibus antiqui), sed in litteris certe elaboravi.

IX. 27. I^ec nunc qiiidem vires desidero adules- centis (is enim erat locus alter de vitiis senectutis),

10 non plus, quam adulescens tauri aut elephanti desi- derabam. Quod est, eo decet uti et, quicquid agas, agere pro viribus. Quae enim vox potest esse con- temptior quam Milonis Crotoniatae? qui cum iam senex esset athletasque se exercentes in curriculo

15 videret, aspexisse lacertos suos dicitur illacrimansque dixisse : 'At hi quidem 7nortui iam sunt.'' Non vero tam isti quam tu ipse, nugator! neque enim ex te umquam es nobilitatus, sed ex lateribus et lacertis tuis. Nihil Sex. Aelius tale, nihil multis annis ante

20 Ti. Coruncanius, nihil modo V. Crassus, a quibus iura civibus praescribebantur ; quorum usque ad extremum spiritum est provecta prudentia. 28. Orator metuo ne languescat senectute; est enim munus eius non ingeni solum, sed laterum etiam et virium. Omnino

25 canorum illud in voce splendescit etiam nescio quo pacto in senectute, quod equidem adhuc non amisi, et videtis annos ; sed tamen est decorus senis sermo quietus et remissus, facitque persaepe ipsa sibi audieii- tiam diserti senis compta et mitis oratio. Quam si

30 ipse exsequi nequeas, possis tamen Scipioni praecipere et Laelio. Quid eniin est iucundius senectute stipata studiis iuventutis ? 29. An iie illas quidem vires

CHAPTERS IX., X. 13

seiiectuti relinquimns, ut adulescentes doceat, insti- tuat, ad onine offici munus instruat? quo quidem opere quid potest esse praeclarius ? Mihi vero et Cn. et P. Scipiones et avi tui duo, L. Aemilius et P. Afri- canus, comitatu nobilium iuvenum fortunati videban- 5 tur, nec ulli bonarum artium magistri non beati putandi, quamvis consenuerint vires atque defecerint. Etsi ista ipsa defectio virium adulescentiae vitiis effi- citur saepius quam senectutis; libidinosa enim et in- temperans adulescentia effetum corpus tradit senectuti. lO 30. Cyrus quidem apud Xenopliontem eo sermone, quem moriens habuit, cum admodum senex esset, negat se umquam sensisse senectutem suam imbecilliorem factam, quam adulescentia fuisset. Ego L. Metellum memini puer, qui cum quadriennio post alterum con- 15 sulatum pontifex maximus factus esset, viginti et duos annos ei sacerdotio praefuit, ita bonis esse viribus extremo tempore aetatis, ut adulescentiam non requi- reret. Nihil necesse est mihi de me ipso dicere, quamquam est id quidem senile aetatique nostrae 20 conceditur.

X. 31. Videtisne, ut apud Homerum saepissime Nestor de virtutibus suis praedicet ? Tertiam iam enim aetatem hominum videbat, nec erat ei veren- dum, ne vera praedicans de se nimis videretur aut 25 insolens aut loquax. Etenim, ut ait Homerus, ' ex eius lingua melle dulcior Jluehat oratio/ quam ad sua- vitatem nullis egebat corporis viribus. Et tamen dux ille Graeciae nusquam optat, ut Aiacis similes habeat decem, sed ut Nestoris; quod si sibi acciderit, non 30 dubitat, quin brevi sit Troia peritura. 32. Sed redeo ad me. Quartum ago annum et octogesimum ;

14 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

vellem equidem idem possem gloriari, quod Cyrus, sed tamen hoc queo dicere, non me quidem eis esse viribus, quibus aut miles bello Punico aut quaestor eodem bello aut consul in Hispania fuerim aut quadriennio

5 post, cum tribunus militaris depugnavi apud Ther- mopylas M'. Glabrione consule, sed tamen, ut vos videtis, non plane me enervavit, non afflixit senectus, non curia vires meas desiderat, non rostra, non amici, non clientes, non hospites. Nec enim umquam sum

10 assensus veteri illi laudatoque proverbio, quod liionet mature fieri senem, si diu velis senex esse. Ego vero me minus diu senem esse mallem quam esse senem, ante quam essem. Itaque nemo adhuc convenire me voluit, cui fuerim occupatus. 33. At minus habeo

15 virium quam vestrum utervis. Ne vos quidem T. Ponti centurionis vires habetis; num idcirco est ille praestantior? Moderatio modo virium adsit, et tan- tum, quantum potest quisque, nitatur; ne ille non magno desiderio tenebitur virium. Olympiae per sta-

20 dium ingressus esse Milo dicitur, cum umeris susti- neret bovem. Utrum igitur has corporis an Pythagorae tibi malis vires ingeni dari ? Denique isto bono utare, dum adsit, cum absit, ne requiras; nisi forte adules- centes pueritiam, paululum aetate progressi adules-

25 centiam debent requirere. Cursus est certus aetatis et una via naturae, eaque simplex, suaque cuique parti aetatis tempestivitas est data, ut et infirmitas puerorum et ferocitas iuvenura et gravitas iam con- stantis aetatis et senectutis maturitas naturale quid-

'M dam habeat, quod suo tempore percipi debeat. 34. Audire te arbitror, Scipio, hospes tuus avitus Masinissa quae faciat hodie nonaginta natus annos;

CHAPTERS X., XI. 15

cum ingressus iter pedibus sit, in equum omnino non ascendere, cum autem equo, ex equo non descendere, nullo imbri, nullo frigore adduci, ut capite operto sit, summam esse in eo siccitatem corporis, itaque omnia exsequi regis officia et munera. Fotest igitur exerci- 5 tatio et temperantia etiam in senectute conservare aliquid pristini roboris.

XI. Ne sint in senectute vires. Ne postulantur quidem vires a senectute. Ergo et legibus et institutis vacat aetas nostra muneribus eis, quae non possunt lo sine viribus sustineri. Itaque non modo, quod non possumus, sed ne quantum possumus quidem cogimur. 35. At multi ita sunt imbecilli senes, ut nullum offici aut omnino vitae munus exsequi possint. At id qui- dem non proprium senectutis vitium est, sed commune 15 valetudinis. Quam fuit imbecillus P. Africani lilius, is qui te adoptavit, quam tenui aut nulla potius vale- tudine ! Quod ni ita fuisset, alterum illud exstitisset lumen civitatis; ad paternam enim magnitudinem animi doctrina uberior accesserat. Quid rairum igitur 20 in senibus, si infirmi sunt aliquando, cum id ne adu- lescentes quidem effugere possint? Resistendum, Laeli et Scipio, senectuti est, eiusque vitia diligentia compensanda sunt ; pugnandum tamquam contra mor- bum sic contra senectutem ; 36. habenda ratio valetu- 25 dinis ; utendum exercitationibus modicis ; tantum cibi et potionis adliibendum, ut reficiantur vires, non oppri- mantur. Nec vero corpori solum subveniendum est, sed menti atque animo multo magis; nam haec quo- que, nisi tamquam himini oleum instilles, extinguuntur 30 senectute. Et corpora quidem exercitationum defati- gatione ingravescunt, animi autem exercendo levantur.

16 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

Nam quos ait Caecilius comicos stultos senes, hos sig- nificat credulos, obliviosos, dissolutos, quae vitia suut non senectutis, sed inertis, ignavae, somniculosae se- nectutis. Ut petulantia, ut libido magis est adule-

5 scentium quam senum, nec tamen omnium adulescen- tium, sed non proborum, sic ista senilis stultitia, quae deliratio appellari solet, senum levium est, non om- nium. 37. Quattuor robustos filios, quinque filias, tantam domum, tantas clientelas Appius regebat et

10 caecus et senex; intentum enim animum tamquam arcum habebat nec languescens succumbebat senectuti ; tenebat non modo auctoritatem, sed etiam imperium in suos, metuebant servi, verebantur liberi, carum omnes habebant ; vigebat in illa domo patrius mos et

15 disciplina. 38. Ita enim senectus honesta est, si se ipsa defendit, si ius suum retinet, si nemini emanci- pata est, si usque ad ultimum spiritum dominatur in suos. Ut enim adulescentem, in quo est senile aliquid, sic senem, in quo est aliquid adulescentis, probo;

20 quod qui sequitur, corpore senex esse poterit, animo numquam erit. Septimus mihi liber Originum est in manibus, omnia antiquitatis monumenta colligo, cau- sarum illustrium, quascumque defendi, nunc cum maxime conficio orationes, ius augurium, pontificium,

25 civile tracto, multum etiam Graecis litteris utor Py- thagoreorumque more, exercendae memoriae gratia, quid quoque die dixerim, audierim, egerim, comme- moro vesperi. Haec sunt exercitationes ingeni, haec curricula mentis, in his desudans atque elaborans cor-

30 poris vires non magno opere desidero. Adsum amicis, venio in senatum frequens ultroque affero res multum et diu cogitatas easque tueor animi, non corporis viri-

CHAPTERS XI., XII. 17

bus. Qiias si exseqiii nequirem, tamen me leetnliis meus oblectaret ea ipsa cogitantem, quae iam agere non possem ; sed ut possim, facit acta vita. Semper enim in his studiis laboribusque viventi non intellegi- tur quando obrepat senectus. Ita sensim sine sensu 5 aetas senescit nec subito frangitur, sed diuturnitate exstinguitur.

XII. 39. Sequitur tertia vituperatio senectutis, quod eam carere dicunt voluptatibus. O praeclarum munus aetatis, siquidem id aufert a nobis, quod est in lo adulescentia vitiosissimum ! Accipite enim, optimi adulescentes, veterem orationem Archytae Tarentini, magni in primis et praeclari viri, quae mihi tradita est, cum essem adulescens Tarenti cum Q. Maximo. Nullam capitaliorem pestem quam voluptatem corporis 15 hominibus dicebat a natura datam, cuius voluptatis avidae libidines temere et ecfrenate ad potiendum in- citarentur. 40. Hinc patriae proditiones, hinc rerum publicarum eversiones, hinc cum hostibus clandestina colloquia nasci, nullum denique scehis, nulhim malum 20 facinus esse, ad quod suscipiendum non Hbido volupta- tis impelleret, stnpra vero et adulteria et omne tale flagitium nullis excitari aliis illecebris nisi vohiptatis ; cumque homini sive natura sive quis deus nihil mente praestabilius dedisset, huic divino muneri ac dono nihil 25 tam esse inimicum quam voluptatem ; 41. nec enim libidine dominante temperantiae locum esse, neque om- nino in voluptatis regno virtutem posse consistere. Quod quo magis intellegi posset, fingere animo iube- bat tanta incitatum aliquem vokiptate corporis, quanta 30 percipi posset maxima ; nemini censebat fore dubium, quin tam diu, dum ita gauderet, nihil agitare mente,

18 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

niliil ratione, niliil cogitatione consequi posset. Quo- circa niliil esse tani detestabile tamque pestiferum quam voluptatem, siquidem ea, cum maior esset atque longinquior, omne animi lumen exstingueret. Haec

5 cum C. Pontio Samnite, patre eius, a quo Caudino proelio Sp. Postumius, T. Veturius consules superati sunt, locutum Archytam Nearchus Tarentinus hospes noster, qui in amicitia populi Romani permanserat, se a maioribus natu accepisse dicebat, cum quidem ei

10 sermoni interfuisset Plato Atheniensis, quem Taren- tum venisse L. Camillo, Ap. Claudio consulibus reperio. 42. Quorsus hoc ? Ut intellegeretis, si vohiptatem aspernari ratione et sapientia non possemus, magnam habendam esse senectuti gratiam, quae efficeret, ut id

15 non liberet, quod non oporteret. Impedit enim con- silium vohiptas, rationi inimica est, mentis, ut ita dicam, praestringit oculos nec habet unum cum virtute commercium. Invitus feci, ut fortissimi viri T. Fla- minini fratrem, L. Flamininum, e senatu eicerem

20 septem annis post, quam consul fuisset, sed notandam putavi libidinem. Ille enim, cum esset consul in Gallia, exoratus in convivio a scorto est, ut securi feriret aliquem eorum, qui in vinculis essent damnati rei capitalis. Hic Tito fratre suo censore, qui proxi-

25 mus ante me f uerat, elapsus est ; niihi vero et FLaceo neutiquam probari potuit tam flagitiosa et tam perdita libido, quae cuni probro privato coniungeret imperi dedecus.

XIII. 43. Saepe audivi ex maioribus natu, qui se

30 porro pueros a senibus audisse dicebant, mirari solitum C. Fabricium, quod, cum apud regem Pyrrhum legatus esset, audisset a Thessalo Cinea esse quendam Athenis.

CHAPTERS XII., XIII. 19

qui se sapieiitem profiteretur, eumque dicere omnia, quae faceremus, ad voluptatem esse refereiida. Quod ex eo audientes M'. Curium et Ti. Coruncanium optare solitos, ut id Samnitibus ipsique Pyrrho persuaderetur, quo facilius vinci possent, cum se voluptatibus dedis- 5 sent. Vixerat M'. Curius cum P. Decio, qui quin- quennio ante eum consulem se pro re publica quarto consulatu devoverat; norat eundem Fabricius, norat Coruncanius ; qui cum ex sua vita, tum ex eius, quem dico, Deci, facto iudicabant esse profecto aliquid natura lo pulchrum atque praeclarum, quod sua sponte peteretur, quodque spreta et contempta voluptate optimus quis- que sequeretur. 44. Quorsus igitur tam multa de voluptate? Quia non modo vituperatio nulla, sed etiam summa laus senectutis est, quod ea voluptates 15 nullas magnopere desiderat. Caret epulis exstructis- que mensis et frequentibus poculis, caret ergo etiam vinulentia et cruditate et insomniis. Sed si aliquid dandum est voluptati, quoniam eius blanditiis non facile obsistimus (divine enim Plato escam malorum 20 appellat voluptatem, quod ea videlicet homines capi- antur ut pisces), quamquam immoderatis epulis caret senectus, modicis tamen conviviis delectari potest. C. Duellium M. F., qui Poenos classe primus device- rat, redeuntem a cena senem saepe videbam puer; 25 delectabatur cereo funali et tibicine, quae sibi nullo exemplo privatus sumpserat; tantum licentiae dabat gloria. 45. Sed quid ego alios ? ad me ipsum iam revertar. Primum habui semper sodales. Sodalitates autem Magnae Matris me quaestore constitutae sunt 30 sacris Idaeis acceptis. Epulabar igitur cum sodali- bus omnino modice, sed erat quidam fervor aetatis;

20 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

qua progrediente omnia fiiint in dies mitiora. Neque enim ipsorum conviviorum delectationem voluptatibus corporis magis qnam coetu amicorum et sermonibus metiebar. Bene enim maiores accubitionem epularem

5 amicorum, quia vitae coniunctionem haberet, convi- yium nominaverunt, melius quam Graeci, qui hoc idem tum compotationem, tum concenationem vocant, ut, quod in eo genere minimum est, id maxime probare videantur.

10 XIV. 46. Ego vero propter sermonis delectationem tempestivis quoque conviviis delector, nec cum aequa- libus sohim, qui x^auci admodum restant, sed cum vestra etiam aetate atque vobiscum, habeoque senectuti mag- nam gratiam, quae mihi sermonis aviditatem auxit,

15 potionis et cibi sustulit. Quodsi quem etiam ista de- lectant (ne omnino belhim indixisse videar vohiptati, cuius est fortasse quidam naturalis modus), non intel- lego ne in istis quidem ipsis vohiptatibus carere sensu senectutem. Me vero et magisteria delectant a maio-

20 ribus instituta et is sermo, qui more maiorum a summo adhibetur in poculo, et pocula, sicut in Symposio Xe- nophontis est, minuta atque rorantia, et refrigeratio aestate et vicissim aut sol aut ignis hibernus; quae quidem etiam in Sabinis persequi soleo conviviumque

25 vicinorum cotidie compleo, quod ad multam noctem, quam maxiine possumus, vario sermone producimus. 47. At non est vohiptatum tanta quasi titiUatio in senibus. Credo, sed ne desideratio quidem; nihil autem est molestum, quod non desideres. Bene So-

30 phocles, cum ex eo quidam iam affecto aetate quaere- ret, utereturne rebus veneriis: ' Di meliora!^ inquit; ' lihenter vero istinc sicut ab domino agresti ac farioso

CHAPTERS XIII., XIV. 21

iwofugi.'' Cupidis eniin rerum talium odiosum fortasse et molestum est carere, satiatis vero et expletis iucun- dius est carere quam frui. Quamquam non caret is qui non desiderat ; ergo hoc non desiderare dico esse iucundius. 48. Quodsi istis ipsis voluptatibus bona 5 aetas fruitur libentius, primum parvulis fruitur rebus, ut diximus, deinde eis, quibus senectus, etiamsi non abunde potitur, non omnino caret. Ut Turpione Am- bivio magis delectatur, qui in prima cavea spectat, de- lectatur tamen etiam, qui in ultima, sic adulescentia lo voluptates propter intuens magis fortasse laetatur, sed delectatur etiam senectus procul eas spectans tantum quantum sat est. 49. At illa quanti sunt, animum tamquam emeritis stipendiis. libidinis, ambitionis, con- tentionis, inimicitiarum, cupiditatum omnium secum 15 esse secumque, ut dicitur, vivere ! Si vero liabet ali- quod tamquam pabulum studi atque doctrinae, nihil est otiosa senectute iucundius. Exerceri videbamus in studio dimetiendi paene caeli atque terrae C. GaUum, familiarem patris tui, Scipio ; quotiens illum lux noctu 20 aliquid describere ingressum, quotiens nox oppressit, cum mane coepisset ! quam delectabat eum defectio- nes solis et lunae multo ante nobis praedicere! 50. Quid in levioribus studiis, sed tamen acutis ? quam gaudebat bello suo Punico Naevius ! quam Tru- 25 culento Plautus, quam Pseudolo! Vidi etiam senem Livium ; qui cum sex annis ante quam ego natus sum, fabulam docuisset Centone Tuditanoque consulibus, usque ad adulescentiam meam processit aetate. Quid de P. Licini Crassi et pontificii et civilis iuris studio 30 loquar aut de huius P. Scipionis, qui his paucis die- bus pontifex maximus f actus est ? Atque eos omnes,

22 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

quos coinmemoravi, liis studiis flagrantes senes vidi- mus ; M. vero Oethegum, quem recte ' Suadae medul- lam' dixit Ennius, quanto studio exerceri in dicendo videbamus etiam senem ! Quae sunt igitur epularum

5 aut ludorum aut scortorum voluptates cum his volup- tatibus comparandae ? Atque haec quidem studia doctrinae ; quae quidem prudentibus et bene institutis pariter cum aetate crescunt, ut honestum illud Solonis sit, quod ait versiculo quodam, ut ante dixi, senescere

10 se multa in dies addiscentem, qua voluptate animi nulla certe potest esse maior.

XV. 51. Venio nunc ad voluptates agricolarum, quibus ego incredibiliter delector; quae nec ulla im- pediuntur senectute et mihi ad sapientis vitam proxime

15 videntur accedere. Habent enim rationem cum terra, quae numquam recusat imperiura nec umquam sine usura reddit, quod accepit, sed alias minore, plerumque maiore cum faenore. Quamquam me quidem non fructus modo, sed etiam ipsius terrae vis ac natura

20 delectat. Quae cum gremio mollito ac subacto spar- sum semen excepit, primum id occaecatum cohibet, ex quo occatio, quae hoc efficit, nominata est, deinde tepefactum vapore et compressu suo diffundit et elicit herbescentem ex eo viriditatem, quae nixa fibris stir-

25 pium sensim adulescit culmoque erecta geniculato vaginis iani quasi pubescens includitur; e quibus cum emersit, fundit frugem spici ordine structam et contra avium minorum morsus munitur vallo arista- rum. 52. Quid ego vitium ortus, satus, incrementa

30 commemorem ? Satiari delectatione non possum, ut raeae senectutis requietem oblectaraenturaque noscatis. Omitto enim vira ipsara omnium, quae generantur e

CHAPTERS XIV., XV. 23

terra ; quae ex fici tautulo grano aut ex acini vinaceo aut ex ceteraruni frugum aut stirpium minutissimis seminibus tantos truncos ramosque procreet. Malleoli, plantae, sarmenta, viviradices, propagines nonne effi- ciunt, ut quemvis cum admiratione delectent? Vitis 5 quidem, quae natura caduca est et, nisi fulta est, fertur ad terram, eadem, ut se erigat, claviculis suis quasi manibus, quicquid est nacta, complectitur ; quam ser- pentem multiplici lapsu et erratico ferro amputans coercet ars agricolarum, ne silvescat sarmentis et in lo omnes partes nimia fundatur. 53. Itaque ineunte vere in eis, quae relicta sunt, exsistit tamquam ad articulos sarmentorum ea, quae gemma dicitur, a qua oriens uva se ostendit, quae et suco terrae et calore solis augescens primo est peracerba gustatu, dein 15 maturata dulcescit vestitaque pampinis nec modico tepore caret et nimios solis defendit ardores. Qua quid potest esse cum fructu laetius, tum aspectu pul- clirius ? Cuius quidem non utilitas me solum, ut ante dixi, sed etiam cultura et natura ipsa delectat, admini- 20 culorum ordines, capitum iugatio, religatio et propa- gatio vitium, sarmentorum ea, quam dixi, aliorum amputatio, aliorum immissio. Quid ego irrigationes, quid fossiones agri repastinationesque proferam, qui- bus fit multo terra fecundior ? quid de utilitate loquar 25 stercorandi ? 54. Dixi in eo libro, quem de rebus rus- ticis scripsi ; de qua doctus Hesiodus ne verbum qui- dem fecit, cum de cultura agri scriberet. At Homerus, qui multis, ut mihi videtur, ante saeculis fuit, Laertam lenientem desiderium, quod capiebat e filio, colentem 30 agrum et eum stercorantem facit. Nec vero segetibus solum et pratis et vineis et arbustis res rusticae laetae

24 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

sunt, sed liortis etiain et pomariis, tum pecudum pastu, apium examinibus, florum omnium varietate. Nec consitiones modo delectant, sed etiam insitiones, quibus nihil invenit agri cultura sollertius.

5 XVI. 55. Possum persequi permulta oblectamenta rerum rusticarum, sed ea ipsa, quae dixi, sentio fuisse longiora. Ignoscetis autem ; nam et studio rusticarum rerum provectus sum, et senectus est natura loquacior, ne ab omnibus eam vitiis videar vindicare. Ergo in

10 hac vita M'. Curius, cum de Samnitibus, de Sabinis, de Pyrrho triumphasset, consumpsit extremum tempus aetatis. Cuius quidem ego villam contemplans (abest enim non longe a mea) admirari satis non possum vel hominis ipsius continentiam vel temporum discipliuam.

15 Curio ad focum sedenti magnum auri pondus Samnites cum attulissent, repudiati sunt; non enim aurum ha- bere praeclarum sibi videri dixit, sed eis, qui haberent aurum, imperare. 56. Poteratne tantus animus effi- cere non iucundam senectutem ? Sed venio ad agri-

20 colas, ne a me ipso recedam. In agris erant tum senatores, id est senes, siquidem aranti L. Quinctio Cincinnato nuntiatum est eum dictatorem esse factum ; cuius dictatoris iussu magister equitum C. Servilius Ahala Sp. Maelium regnum appetentem occupatum

23 interemit. A villa in senatum arcessebatur et Curius et ceteri senes, ex quo, qui eos arcessebant, viatores nominati sunt. Num igitur horum senectus misera- bilis fuit, qui se agri cultione oblectabant ? Mea qui- dem sententia haud scio an nulla beatior possit esse,

30 neque solura officio, quod hominum generi universo cultura agrorum est salutaris, sed et delectatione, quam dixi, et saturitate copiaque rerum omuium, quae ad

CHAPTERS XV.-XVII. 26

victiim hominum, ad cultum etiam deorum pertinent, ut, quoniam haec quidam desiderant, in gratiam iam cum voluptate redeamus. Semper enim boni assidui- que domini referta cella vinaria, olearia, etiam penaria est, villaque tota locuples est, abundat porco, haedo, 5 agno, gallina, lacte, caseo, melle. lam hortum ipsi agricolae succidiam alteram appellant. Conditiora facit haec supervacaneis etiam operis aucupium atque veuatio. 57. Quid de pratorum viriditate aut arbo- rum ordinibus aut vinearum olivetorumve specie phira lo dicam ? brevi praecidam : Agro bene culto nihil potest esse nec usu uberius nec specie ornatius; ad quem fruendum non modo non retardat, verum etiam invitat atque allectat senectus. Ubi enim potest illa aetas aut calescere vel apricatione melius vel igni aut vicis- 15 sim umbris aquisve refrigerari sahibrius? 58. Sibi habeant igitur arma, sibi equos, sibi hastas, sibi cla- vam et pilam, sibi natationes atque cursus, nobis seni- bus ex kisionibus multis talos relinquaht et tesseras, — id ipsum ut hibebit, quoniam sine eis beata esse 20 senectus potest.

XVII. 59. Multas ad res perutiles Xenophontis libri sunt; quos legite, quaeso, studiose, ut facitis. Quam copiose ab eo agri cultura laudatur in eo libro, qui est de tuenda re familiari, qui Oeconomicus inscri- 25 bitur ! Atque ut intellegatis nihil ei tam regale videri quam studium agri colendi, Socrates in eo libro loqui- tur cum Critobulo Cyrum rainorem, Persarum regem, praestantem ingenio atque imperi gloria, cum Lysan- der Lacedaemonius, vir summae virtutis, venisset ad 30 eum Sardis eique dona a sociis attulisset, et ceteris in rebus comem erga Lysandrum atque humanum fuisse

26 CATO MAIOR DE SKNECTUTK

et ei quendain consaeptum agrum diligenter consitum ostendisse. Cum autem admiraretur Lysander et pro- ceritates arborum et directos in quincuncem ordines et humum subactam atque puram et suavitatem odorum,

5 qui afflarentur ex floribus, tum eum dixisse mirari se non modo diligentiam, sed etiam sollertiam eius, a quo essent illa dimensa atque discripta ; et Cyrum respon- disse : * Atqui ego ista sum omnia dimensus ; mei sunt ordines, mea discriptio, multae etiam istarum arborum

10 mea manu sunt sataeJ Tum Lysandrum intuentem purpuram eius et nitorem corporis ornatumque Persi- cum multo auro multisque gemmis dixisse : ' Rite vero te, Cyre, heatum ferunt, quoniam virtuti tuae fortuna coniuncta est^ 60. Hac igitur fortuna frui licet seni-

15 bus, nec aetas impedit, quo minus et ceterarum rerum et in primis agri colendi studia teneamus usque ad ultimum tempus senectutis. M. quidem Valerium Corvinum accepimus ad centesimum annum perdux- isse, cum esset, acta iam aetate, in agris eosque coleret;

20 cuius inter primum et sextum consulatum sex et quadraginta anni interfuerunt. Ita, quantum spatium aetatis maiores ad senectutis initium esse voluerunt, tantus illi cursus honorum f uit ; atque huius extrema aetas hoc beatior quam media, quod auctoritatis habe-

25 bat plus, laboris minus ; apex est autem senectutis auctoritas. 61. Quanta fuit in L. Caecilio Metello, quanta in A. Atilio Calatino ! in quem illud elogium :

Hunc unum plurimae consentiunt gentes Populi primarium fuisse virum.

soNotum est totum carmen incisum in sepulcro. lure igitur gravis, cuius de laudibus omnium esset fama con-

CHAPTERS XVII., XVIII. 27

sentiens. Quem virum nuper P. Crassum, pontificem maximum, qiiem postea M. Lepidum, eodem saeerdo- tio praeditum, vidimus ! Quid de Paulo aut Africano loquar aut, ut iam ante, de Maximo ? quorum non in sententia solum, sed etiam in nutu residebat auctoritas. 5 Habet senectus lionorata praesertim taiitam auctori- tatem, ut ea pluris sit quam omnes adulescentiae voluptates.

XVIII. 62. Sed in omni oratione mementote eam me senectutem laudare, quae fundamentis adulescen- lo tiae constituta sit. Ex quo efficitur, id quod ego magno quondam cum assensu omnium dixi, miseram esse senectutem, quae se oratione defenderet. Non cani nec rugae repente auctoritatem arripere possunt, sed honeste acta superior aetas fructus capit auctori- 15 tatis extremos. 63. Haec enim ipsa sunt honorabilia, quae videntur levia atque communia, salutari, appeti, decedi, assurgi, deduci, reduci, consuli; quae et apud nos et in aliis civitatibus, ut quaeque optime morata est, ita diligentissime observantur. Lysandrum Lace- 20 daemonium, cuius modo feci mentionem, dicere aiunt solitum Lacedaemonem esse honestissimum domicilium senectutis ; nusquam enim tantum tribuitur aetati, nus- quam est senectus honoratior. Quin etiam memoriae proditum est, cum Athenis ludis quidam in theatrum 25 grandis natu venisset, magno consessu locum nusquam ei datum a suis civibus ; cum autem ad Lacedaemonios accessisset, qui legati cum essent, certo in loco conse- derant, consurrexisse omnes illi dicuntur et senem sessum recepisse. 64. Quibus cum a cuncto consessu 30 plausus esset multiplex datus, dixisse ex eis quendam Athenienses scire, quae recta essent, sed facere nolle.

28 CATO MAIOR I)E SENECTUTE

Miilta in vestro collegio praeclara, sed hoc, de quo agimus, in priniis, quod, ut quisque aetate antecedit, ita sententiae principatum tenet, neque solum honore antecedentibus, sed eis etiam, qui cum imperio sunt,

5 maiores natu augures anteponuntur. Quae sunt igitur vohiptates corporis cum auctoritatis praemiis compa- randae ? quibus qui splendide usi sunt, ei mihi viden- tur fabulam aetatis peregisse nec tamquam inexercitati histriones in extremo actu corruisse.

10 65. At sunt morosi et anxii et iracundi et difficiles senes. Si quaerimus, etiam avari ; sed haec morum vitia sunt, non senectutis. Ac morositas tamen et ea vitia, quae dixi, habent aliquid excusationis non illius quidem iustae, sed quae probari posse videatur ; con-

15 temni se putant, despici, illudi; praeterea in fragili corpore odiosa omnis offensio est. Quae tamen omnia dulciora fiunt et moribus bonis et artibus, idque cum in vita, tum in scaena intellegi potest ex eis fratribus, qui in Adelphis sunt. Quanta in altero diritas, in

20 altero comitas ! Sic se res habet : ut enim non omne vinum, sic non omnis natura vetustate coacescit. Se veritatem in senectute probo, sed eam, sicut alia, modi- cam, acerbitatem nullo niodo. 66. Avaritia vero senilis quid sibi velit, non intellego; potest enim quic-

25 quam esse absurdius quam, quo viae minus restet, eo plus viatici quaerere ?

XIX. Quarta restat causa, quae maxime angere

^' atque sollicitam habere nostram aetatem videtur,

appropinquatio mortis, quae certe a senectute non

30, potest esse longe. 0 miserum senem, qui mortem

r contemnendam esse in tam longa aetate non viderit !

quae aut plane neglegenda est, si omnino exstinguit

X-

CHAPTERS XVIII., XIX. 29

animum, aiit etiam optanda, si aliqiio eiim deducit, ^ ubi sit futurus aeternus. 67. Atqui tertium certe uihil «^ inveniri potest; quid igitur timeam, si aut non miser post mortem aut beatus etiam f uturus sum ? Quam- quam quis est tam stultus, quamvis sit adulescens, cui 5 sit exploratum se ad vesperum esse victurum ? Quin etiam aetas illa multo plures quam nostra casus mortis habet ; facilius in morbos incidunt adulescentes, gra- vius aegrotant, tristius curantur. Itaque pauci veni- unt ad senectutem; quod ni ita accideret, melius et lo prudentius viveretur. Mens enim et ratio et consilium in senibus est; qui si nulli fuissent, nullae omnino civitates fuissent. Sed redeo ad mortem impendentem. Quod est istud crimen senectutis, cum id ei videatis cum adulescentia esse commune ? 68. Sensi ego in 15 optimo filio, tu in exspectatis ad amplissimam dignita- tem fratribus, Scipio, mortem omni aetati esse commu- nem. At sperat adulescens diu se victurum, quod sperare idem senex non potest. Insipienter sperat. Quid enim stultius quam incerta pro certis habere, falsa 20 pro veris? At senex ne quod speret quidem habet. At est eo meliore condicione quam adulescens, quo- niam id, quod ille sperat, hic consecutus est ; ille vult diu vivere, hic diu vixit. 69. Quamquam, o di boni ! quid est in hominis natura diu ? Da enim summum 25 tempus, exspectemus Tartessiorum regis aetatem (fuit enim, ut scriptum video, Arganthonius quidam Gadi- bus, qui octoginta regnavit annos, centum viginti vixit) — sed mihi ne diuturnum quidem quicquam videtur, in quo est aliquid extremum. Cum enim id 30 advenit, tum illud, quod praeteriit, effluxit; tantum remanet, quod virtute et recte factis consecutus sis ;

^

30 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

liorae qiiidem ceduiit et dies et menses et anni, nec praeteritum tempus umquam revertitur, nec, quid se- quatur, sciri potest; quod cuique temporis ad viven- dum datur, eo debet esse contentus. 70. Neque enim

5 histrioni, ut placeat, peragenda fabula est, modo, in quocumque fuerit actu, probetur, neque sapienti usque ad 'Plaudite' veniendum est. Breve enim tempus aetatis satis longum est ad bene lionesteque vivendum ; sin processerit longius, non magis dolendum est, quam

10 agricolae dolent praeterita verni temporis suavitate aestatera autumnumque venisse. Ver enim tamquam adulescentiam significat ostenditque fructus futuros, reliqua autem tempora demetendis f ructibus et perci- piendis accommodata sunt. 71. Fructus autem se-

15 nectutis est, ut saepe dixi, ante partorum bonorum memoria et copia. Omnia autem, quae secundum naturam fiunt, sunt habenda in bonis. Quid est autem tam secundum naturam quam senibus emori ? quod idem contingit adulescentibus adversante et repug-

20 nante natura. Itaque adulescentes mihi mori sic videntur, ut cum aquae multitudine flammae vis oppri- mitur, senes autem sic, ut cum sua sponte nulla adhi- bita vi consumptus ignis exstinguitur ; et quasi poma ex arboribus, cruda si sunt, vi evelluntur, si matura

25 et cocta, decidunt, sic vitam adulescentibus vis aufert, senibus maturitas ; quae quidem mihi tam iucunda est, ut, quo propius ad mortem accedam, quasi terram videre videar aliquandoque in portum ex longa navi- gatione esse venturus.

30 XX. 72. Senectutis autem nullus est certus termi- nus, recteque in ea vivitur, quoad munus oifici exsequi et tueri possis mortemque contemnere ; ex quo fit, ut

CHAPTERS XIX., XX. 31

aniraosior etiam senectiis sit quam adulescentia et for- tior. Hoc illutl est, quod Pisistrato tyranno a Solone responsum est, cum illi quaerenti, qiia tandem re fre- tus sibi tam audaciter obsisteret, respondisse dicitur; ^Seuectute.' Sed vivendi est finis optimus, cum inte- 5 gra mente certisque sensibus opus ipsa suum eadem, quae coagmentavit, natura dissolvit. Ut navem, ut aedificium idem destruit facillime, qui construxit, sic hominem eadem optime, quae conglutinavit, natura dissolvit. lam omnis conglutinatio recens aegre, in- lo veterata facile divellitur. Ita fit, iit illud breve vitae reliquum nec avide appetendum senibus nec sine causa deserendum sit ; 73. vetatque Py thagoras iniussu im- peratoris, id est dei, de praesidio et statione vitae de- cedere. Solonis quidem sapientis elogium est, quo se 15 negat velle suam mortem dolore amicorum et lamentis vacare. Vult, credo, se esse carum suis ; sed liaud scio an melius Ennius :

Nemo me dacrumis decoret neque funera fletu

Faxit. 20

Non censet lugendam esse mortem, quam immortalitas / consequatur. 74. lam sensus moriendi aliquis esse T" • 2_ potest, isque ad exiguum tempus, praesertim sei^i^ost / i, mortem quidem sensus aut optandus aut nulhis est. / i/ Sed hoc meditatum ab adulescentia debet esse, mortem 25 /<f ut neglegamus, sine qua meditatione tranquillo animo /^ esse nemo potest. Moriendum enim certe est, et in- /^> certum an hoc ipso die. Mortem igitur omnibus horis /^^ impendentem timens qui poterit animo consistere ? /y De qua non ita longa disputatione opus esse videtur, 30 ^ 7 cum recorder non L. Brutum, qui in liberanda patria

32 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

est interfectufef/75. noii duos Decios, qui ad volunta- riam mortera cursuni equorum incitaverunt^ )non M. Atilium, qui ad supplicium est profectus, ut fidem hosti datam conservaretyiion duos Scipiones, qui iter 5 ' Poen;s vel corporibus suis obstruere voluerun^, non avum tuum L. Paulum, qui morte luit collegae in Can- nensi ignominia temeritatemj non M. Marcellum, cuius interitum ne crudelissimus a]uidem hostis honore se- ^) ! pulturae carere passus esOed legiones nostras, quod ^j^ scripsi in Originibus, in eum locum saepe profectas 3 f alacri animo et erecto, unde se redituras numquam y : arbitrarentur. Quod igitur adulescentes, et ei quidem P ; non solum indocti, sed etiam rustici, contemnunt, id docti senes extimescent ? 76. Omnino, ut mihi qui- 15 dem videtur, studiorum omnium satietas vitae facit satietatem. Sunt pueritiae studia certa; num igitur .;,' ea desiderant adulescentes ? sunt ineuntis adulescen- - tiae; num ea constans iam requirit aetas, quae media ;• ' dicitur ? sunt etiam eius aetatis ; ne ea quidem quae- 20 runtur in senectute ; sunt extrema quaedam studia ^. senectutis ; ergo, vit superiorura aetatura studia occi- dunt, sic occidunt etiam senectutis ; quod cum evenit, satietas vitae terapus raaturura raortis^ffert.

XXI. 77. Equidera non video, cur, quid ipse sen- 25 tiam de morte, non audeam vobis dicere, quod eo cernere niihi raelius videor, quo ab ea propius absum. Ego vestros patres, tuum, Scipio, tuumque, Laeli, viros clarissimos mihique amicissimos, vivere arbitror, et eam quidem vitam, quae est sola vita nominanda. 30 Nam, dum sumus inclusi in his compagibus corporis, munere quodam necessitatis et gravi opere perfungi- mur ; est enim animus caelestis ex altissimo domicilio

il

CHAPTERS XX. -XXII. 33

depressus et quasi demersus in terram, locum divinae naturae aeternitatique contrarium. Sed credo deos immortales sparsisse animos in corpora humana, ut essent, qui terras tuerentur, quique caelestium ordi- uem contemplantes imitarentur eum vitae modo atque 5 constantia. Nec me solum ratio ac disputatio impulit, ut ita crederem, sed nobilitas etiam summorum pliilo- sophorum et auctoritas. 78. Audiebam Pythagoram Pythagoreosque, incolas paene nostros, qui essent Italici philosophi quondam nominati, numquam dubi- 10 tasse, quin ex universa mente divina delibatos animos haberemus. Demonstrabantur mihi praeterea, quae Socrates supremo vitae die de immortalitate animorum disseruisset, is qui esset omnium sapientissimus ora- culo Apollinis iudicatus. Quid multa? sic persuasi 15 mihi, sic sentio, cum tanta celeritas animorum sit, tanta memoria praeteritorum futurorumque prudentia, tot artes, tantae scientiae, tot inventa, non posse eam naturam, quae res eas contineat, esse mortalem, cum- que semper agitetur animus nec principium motus 20 habeat, quia se ipse moveat, ne finem quidem habi- turum esse motus, quia numquam se ipse sit relictu- rus, et, cum simplex animi esset natura neque haberet in se quicquam admixtum dispar sui atque dissimile, non posse eum dividi ; quod si non posset, non posse 25 interire ; magnoque esse argumento homines scire ple- raque ante quam nati sint, quod iam pueri, cum artes difficiles discant, ita celeriter res innumerabiles arripi- ant, ut eas non tum primum accipere videantur, sed reminisci et recordari. Haec Platonis fere. 30

XXII. 79. Apud Xenophontem autem moriens Cyrus maior haec dicit: ' Nolite arbitrari, o mihi

34 CATO MAIOR DE SKNECTUTE

carissimi filii, me, cum a vohis discessero, nusquam aut nullum fore. Nec enim, dum eram vohiscum, ani- mum meum videhatis, sed eum esse in lioc corpore ex eis rehus, quas gereham, intellegehatis. Eundem igitur esse

5 creditote, etiamsi nullum videhitis. 80. JSfec vero claro- rum virorum 'post mortem honores j^ermanerent, si nihil eorum ij^tsorum animi efficerent, quo diutius memoriam sui teneremus. Mihi qu idem numquayn persuaderi potuit animos, dum in corporibus essent mortalihus, vivere, cum

10 excessissent ex eis, emori, nec vero tum animum esse in- sipientem, cum ex insipienti corp^ore evasisset, sed cum omni admixtione corporis Uheratus purus et integer esse coepisset, tum esse sapientem. Atque etiam cum hominis natura morte dissolvitur, ceterarum rerum perspicuum est

15 quo quaeque discedat; aheunt enim illuc omnia, unde orta sunt, animus autem solus, nec cum adest nec cum discedit, apparet. lam vero videtis nihil esse morti tam simile quam somnum. 81. Atqui dormientium animi maxime declarant divinitatem suam; multa enim, cum

20 remissi et liheri sunt, futura p)yospiciunt. Ex quo intelle- gitur, quales futuri sint, cum se j^icine corporis vinculis relaxaverint. Quare, si haec ita sunt, sic me colitote,^ inquit, ^ ut deum; sin una est interiturus animus cum corpore, vos tamen deos verentes, qui hanc omnem pul-

25 chritudinem tuentur et regunt, memoriam nostri p)ie inviolateque servahitis.^ Cyrus quideiii liaec morieiis ; nos, si placet, nostra videamus.

XXIII. 82. Nemo umquam mihi, Scipio, persuade- bit aut patrem tuum Paulum aut duos avos, Paulum

30 et Africanum, aut Africani patrem aut patruum aut multos praestantes viros, quos enumerare non est necesse, tanta esse conatos, quae ad posteritatis me-

CHAPTERS XXII., XXIII. 35

inoriam pertinerent, nisi animo cernerent posteritatem ad se ipsos pertinere. An censes, ut de me ipse ali- quid more senum glorier, me tantos labores diurnos nocturnosque domi militiaeque suscepturum fuisse, si isdeni finibus gloriam meam, quibus vitani, essem ter- 5 minaturus ? Nonne multo melius fuisset otiosam ae- tatem et quietam sine ullo aut labore aut contentione traducere? Sed nescio quo modo animus erigens se posteritatem ita semper prospiciebat, quasi, cum ex- cessisset e vita, tiun denique victurus esset. Quod 10 quidem ni ita se haberet, ut animi inmortales essent, haud optimi cuiusque animus maxime ad immortali- tatem et gloriam niteretur. 83. Quid, quod sapientis- simus quisque aequissimo animo moritur, stultissimus iniquissimo? Nonne vobis videtur is animus, qui 15 plus cernat et longius, videre se ad meliora proficisci, ille autem, cuius obtusior sit acies, non videre ? Equi- dem efferor studio patres vestros, quos colui et dilexi, videndi, neque vero eos solos convenire aveo, quos ipse cognovi, sed illos etiam, de quibus audivi et legi 20 et ipse conscripsi. Quo quidem me proficiscentem haud sane quis facile retraxerit nec tamquam Peliam recoxerit. Et si quis deus mihi largiatur, ut ex hac aetate repuerascam et in cuiiis vagiani, valde recusem iiec vero velim quasi decurso spatio ad carceres a calce 25 revocari. 84. Quid habet enim vita commodi ? quid non potius laboris ? Sed habeat sane, habet certe tamen aut satietatem aut modum. Non hibet enim mihi deplorare vitain, quod multi, et ei docti, saepe fecerunt, neque me vixisse paenitet, quoniam ita vixi, 30 ut non frustra me natum existimem, et ex vita ita discedo tamquam ex hospitio, non tamquam e domo.

36 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

Commorandi enim natura devorsorium nobis, non habitandi dedit. O praeclarum diem, cum in illud divinum animorum concilium coetumque proficiscar cumque ex liac turba et colluvione discedam ! Pro-

5 ficiscar enim non ad eos solum viros, de quibus ante dixi, verum etiam ad Catonem meum, quo nemo vir melior natus est, nemo pietate praestantior ; cuius a me corpus est crematum, quod contra decuit ab illo meum, animus vero non me deserens, sed respectans

10 in ea profecto loca discessit, quo mihi ipsi cernebat esse veniendum. Quem ego meum casum fortiter ferre visus sum, non quo aequo animo ferrem, sed me ipse consolabar existimans non longinquum inter nos digressum et discessum fore. 85. His mihi rebus,

15 Scipio, (id enim te cum Laelio admirari solere dixisti) levis est senectus, nec solum non molesta, sed etiam iucunda. Quodsi in hoc erro, qui animos hominum immortales esse credam, libenter erro nec mihi hunc errorem, quo delector, dum vivo, extorqueri volo ; sin

20 mortuus, ut quidam minuti philosophi censent, nihil sentiam, non vereor, ne hunc errorem meum philo- sophi mortui irrideant. Quodsi non sumus immortales futuri, tamen exstingui homini suo tempore optabile est. Nam habet natura ut aliarum omnium rerum, sic

25 vivendi modum. Senectus autem aetatis est peractio tamquam fabulae, cuius defatigationem fugere debe- mus, praesertim adiuncta satietate.

Haec habui, de senectute quae dicerem; ad quam utinam perveniatis! ut ea, quae ex me audistis, re

30 experti probare possitis.

NOTES

CHAPTEH I.

Dedication to Atticus

1. 1.1 O Tite, etc. : these three lines, like the two below, are quoted from the Annals of the poet Ennius (see Introd. § 5). In their original context they are addressed by an Epirote shepherd to the Roman general, Titus Quinctius Flamininus ; Cicero here ap- plies them to his friend, Titus Pomponius Atticus (see Introd. § 2).

si quid te adiuero : if I help you at all. Flamininus in 198 b.c. had undertaken the direction of the campaign against Philip V. of Macedon. After landing in Epirus he was much embarrassed in his operations by the mountainous character of the country, until Charopus, a friendly Epirote chief , sent to him the shepherd already mentioned, to act as guide. The shepherd inquires whether he is to receive any reward in case he extricates the general from his present embarrassment ; quid is Accusative of ' Result Produced ' (Internal Object), — rew(?er amj help. A. & G.2 238, b ; B. 176, 2, a; H. 371, I, 2 ; II. adiuero is for the regular adiuvero, with shortening of the u (before a vowel) after the disappearance of the V.

levasso : an archaic future-perfect, equivalent in meaning to the customary form, levavero., though of different formation.

2. coquit: in this flgurative sense of ' vex,' 'harass,' coquo is confined chiefly to poetry.

versat : note the lengtli of the a. This was the original quan- tity of this termination, though it was already tending to become

1 The uumerical references in the notes are to page and line of the text.

2 A. & G. = AUen and Greenough's Latin Grammar ; B. = Bemiett ; H. = Harkness.

37

38 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

shortened in Ennius's day. Bolh he and rhxutus repeatedly treat the termination as short.

3. praemi : nouns in -ium and -ms regularly formed the geni- tive singular in a single i until after tlie time of Cicero. Hence that spelling is uniformly followed in this edition of the de Senectute.

4. licet enim, etc. : for I may address you.

versibus eisdem: in the ideutical lines ; eisdem is here espe- cially emphatic, as shown by its unusual position after its sub- stantive.

0. IUevir: /.<?. the herdsman.

haud magna cum re: poor ; re is liere used in the sense of re familiari, 'property,' ' possessions.'

plenus fidei: i.e. loyal ; in early Latin final s was so lightly sounded that, as in the present instance, it often failed to ' make position.'

fidei : f,des, res, spes regularly formed the genitive and dative in -ei. Here, however, the e is long, Jidei. This seems to have been the original quantity, and appears often in Early Latin.

7. quamquam certo scio: and yet I know for certain ; quam- quam is here corrective, like the Greek KalroL.

9. novi: I am acquainted with, as contrasted with intellego (in the following line), / am aware of the fact.

moderationem et aequitatem : self-control and evenness.

10. cognomen : viz. Attictis, given in consequence of his long residence at Athens and his intimate acquaintance with Greek literature. Cognomen may designate either the family name, i.e. the third of the three names regularly possessed by every Roman (e.g. Cicero in Marcus Tullius Cicero), or a name added to indicate some personal trait or peculiarity, e.g. Sapiens, Africanus, Cuncta- tor. The name Atticus seems to have been applied to Cicero's friend first as a niark of personal distinction, and later to have replaced the original family name.

humanitatem et prudentiam : culture and good sense.

12. eisdem rebus : the allusion is to the existing political situ- ation. According as we place the composition of the de Senectute before or after Caesar's death, the reference will be to Caesar's threatened usurpation of regal power or to Antony's policy of self- aggrandizement.

NOTES 39

me ipsum : tlie thought is inaccurately expressed. We should have expected ego ipse (sc. commoveor), ' by which 1 myself ain disturbed.'

gravius : rather seriously.

18. quarum : for which, an extension of the ordinary force of the Objective Geuitive. B. App.i § 321.

maior : i.e. a larger thenie.

14. visum est mihi : / have decided.

15. ad te conscribere : i.e. to write and send to you ; hence ad with the accusative.

17. senectutis : Gicero was nowsbcty-t^^wn yp^ra ni<i Attin^ic s|xty-four._^ Senectus seems to have been an elastic term among the Romans, as ' old age ' is with us.

18. etsi: corrective, like quamquam above, p. 1, 1. 7.

te quidem : quidem serves to emphasize te, and to suggest a possible contrast between Atticus and Cicero. Cicero is sure that Atticus at any rate will bear old age philosophically, whatever his own attitude may prove to be.

19. Sed occurrebas : i.e. Cicero feels that Atticus, despite his natural equanimity and good sense, may nevertheless appreciate the tribute he offers.

2. 2. eo munere : of that trihute, viz. my essay on old age ; eo here is not correlative with quo, but refers back to the thought involved in scribere.

quo uteretur : a relative clause of purpose. uterque nostrum : i.e. Cicero in the writing and Atticus in the reading.

3. Mihi quidem : to me at any rate ; cf. te quidem, p. 1, 1. 18. 5. effecerit moUem etiam et iucundam senectutem : has

made old age actually easy and pleasant. Note the emphasis pro- duced by placing the predicate adjectives before their substantive, — an eraphasis further increased by the unusual position of etiam (after mollem, instead of before it) .

7. cui qui pareat, etc. : since he who obeys it (philosophy) can pass every period of life without annoyance, lit. he who obeys which can pass. The peculiarity of the passage lies in the fact that cui,

1 Appendix to Bennetfs Latin Granimar.

40 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

while serving to introduce possit, is itself governed by pareat, which is subordinate to possit; possit is a Subjunctive of Charac- teristic witli the accessory notion of cause. A. & G. 320, e ; B. 283, 3 ; jmreat is attracted to the inood of possit.

8. de ceteris : 07i other subjects. Outside of the nominative and accusative Cicero regularly uses an adjective in agreeraent with res, to denote 'other things,' 'raany things,' etc. So here (le ceteris rehus would have been the regular forni of expression ; yet the de Senectute shows several exceptions to this usage.

9. hunc librum : emphatic and contrasted with the writings suggested by de ceteris.

10. tribuimus: Ihaveputinthemouthof. Note the editorial * we.

11. Tithono : tlie son of Laoraedon. In response to theprayers of Aurora, who loved him, the gods had made Tithonus imraortal ; but they did not confer upon hira tlie boon of perpetual youth. Hence he is said to have shrivelled away and finally to have been changed into a grasshopper.

Aristo Ceus : Aristo of Ceos. Aristo was an uniniportant Peri- patetic pliilosopher wlio llourished about 225 b.c. As we gather froni tliis passage, he was the author of a dialogue on old age, in which lie liad made Tithonus the chief speaker. None of Aristo's Avorlis have come down to us.

12. in fabula : in a myth, i.e. in putting ray sentiments in the moutli of a niythical character like Tithonus.

M. Catoni seni : Marcus Cato the Elder (234-149 n.c. See Intn)d. § 4, a). Cicero adds seni to distinguish this Cato frora his own conteraporary, M. Cato, called Uticensis, a great-grandson of the elder Cato.

13. apud quem : in whose presencr, or at nohose house. Laelium et Scipionem : see Introd. § 4, &, c. The participa-

tion of Laelius and Scipio in the conversation is extremely slight ; the de Senectute is in no proper sense a dialogue.

14. facimus: I represent.

admirantes: i.e. expressinfj their admiration.

10. eruditius : said with special reference to attainments in philosophy or literature.

17. in suis libris : of Cato's works tlie only one that has come down to us is the treatise on farming, de Agri Cultura. This work

NOTES 41

shows a total absence of literary skill, and inakes it clear why Cicero shoukl liave thought it necessary to apologize for the elabo- rate form in whicli Cato is made to set forth his views on old age.

quarum constat eum perBtudiosum fuisse: it is doubtful whether Cato's interest ever extended to the liner literary master- pieces of the Greeks. More likely such attention as he is reported to have given to Greek in his old age was confined to historical works in the Greek language ; these probably served as important sources in the composition of his Origines ; see Introd. § 4, a.

10. plura : supply in sense some such word as dicere.

CHAPTERS II.-V.

The young men express their admiration of the imy in which Cato bears the burdens of old age. Cato answers that the complaints against old age are not justijied; it is their authors loho are to blame. Enumeration of the charges brought against old age. Cato proposes to consider these in turn.

21. saepe numero : often ; sometimes written saepenumero.

22. cum . . . tum : not only . . . bnt also.

ceterarum rerum: in other things ; another instance of the extension of the Objective Genitive. See note on quarum con- solatio, p. 1, 1. 13.

23. vel maxime : vel is simply intensive.

24. quod senserim : the indicative is ordinarily used in causal clauses introduced by quod denoting the reason of the speaker, but the subjunctive may be used to indicate the reason of the speaker when the main verb refers to a past state of mind. That is the case here, — saepe numero admirari soleo being equivalent to ' I have often wondered.'

25. Aetna gravius: Cicero regularly confines his use of the Ablative of Comparison to negative expressions, interrogative ex- pressions implying a negative, and a few proverbial phrases such as mclle dulcius, vita carius, Aetna gravius.

27. rem haud sane diMcilem admirari videmini : the thought is inaccurately expressed. Cicero really raeans : ' What you won- der at, Scipio and Laelius, does not seem to me a really difficult

42 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

thiiig.' Cato does iiot mean to say that the young men seem to admire, — for their admiration vvas beyond question, — but simply that the thing which they admire does not seem remarkable to him.

28. Quibus enim, etc. : for to those who have no resources, etc. Quibus is Dative of Tossession.

30. a se ipsi : as usual, tjie intensive is joined with the subject instead of agreeing with the reflexive,

32. est: belongs.

in primis : especially ; sometimes written imprimis.

3. 1. adeptam: here used passively.

3. putassent: this represents a pluperfect indicative of direct discourse (putaveramus). Putaveram is frequently used in Latin, corresponding to the English ' I thought.'

Primum: elliptical, — in the Jirst place (let us inquire).

4. falsum putare : to think what was false ; falsum is here used as a substantive.

qui: how ; qui was originally an ablative or instrumental, but it early acquired tlie adverbial force of 'how.' Traces of its original case function may still be seen in quicum.

adulescentiae senectus, etc. : as liere used, adulescentia is the period from boyliood to old age, i.e. the period of growing powers.

7. quam si : quam si liere has the force of instead of.

8. praeterita aetas . . . cum effluxisset, etc. : the most nat- ural interpretation of this sentence seems to be this : ' even an unlimited period of past time would not be able, when once it was gone, to comf ort tlie f oolish age of these men I am talking about ' ; posset is the apodosis of a contrary-to-fact conditional sentence, the protasis of whicli is implied in quamvis longa (' were it never so long'). The use of the subjunctive in tlie clause cum effluxisset seems perfectly natural in this context, tliough it is differently explained by different scholars, and no exact parallel to the present passage can be cited.

11. opinione vestra : i.e. your good opinion.

12. nostro cognomine : viz. Sapiens ; see note on cognomen, p. 1, 1. 10.

in hoc sumus sapientes : tlie emphasis rests upon the words in hoc; the apodusis correspoiiding to the protasis si . . . soletis is to be supplied in tliought ; we niay understand some such thought

NOTES 43

as, ' I will say,' ' Let rae point out,' Sucli ellipses are frequent in Latin.

13. naturam, optimam ducem, aequimur : this was a cardinal doctrine of tlie Stoics, — ' to live according to Nature,' i.e. Nature's plan.

14. cum . . . discriptae sint: cum lias^a causal force. In view of Nature's wise allotment of tlie otlier parts of life, it is iiot likely tliat she has neglected old age. For a different reading and interpretation of this passage see Critical Appendix.

16. inerti poeta : an unskilful poet.

17. necesse fuit esse aliquid extremum: there had to be something Jinal.

tamquam : here, just as.

19. quasi vietum et caducum, etc. : we have here an instance of what may be called the ' apologetic ' quasi. Both tamquam and quasi are often thus used when the author employs a word or phrase in some unusual figurative sense, where an English writer might have added, 'so to speak,' 'if I may employ that term,' or something of the sort. Thus here the writer apologizes for his bold use of vietus, which properly meant 'bent,' 'twisted,' 'shriv- elled,' but which is here figuratively applied to the conditions of old age. Translate ; something shrivelled, so to speak, and ready to fall with the fulness of time. Aliquid is to be supplied with vietum and caducum.

20. molliter : calmly, patiently.

quid est enim, etc. : ' for what does the battle of the giants with the gods signify but rebellion against Nature.' Cato's last remarks had been devoted to emphasizing the importance of living in accordance with Nature's plan. We must do this, he says; otherwise we shall be rebelling against Nature, and against this the legend of the contest of the giants should warn us. For that legend typifies rebellion against Nature. See Critical Appendix.

22. Atqui: and yet; i.e. despite their agreement with what Cato has said, the young men wish to learn how old age may be made tolerable.

gratissimum : used substantively, — a thiug most loelcome to us.

ut . . . pollicear: to speak (lit. promise) for Scipio too, i.e. as well as for himself .

44 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

24. volumuB quidem certe: Laelius has just said that they both hoped (speramus) to become old, but realizing that this is asserting too much, he at once hastens to qualify this speramus by saying that at least they icished to become old men.

fieri: had the infiuitive depended directly upon speramus, it would regularly have taken the form nosfuturos esse ; but its con- struction is determined by volumus.

28. futurum est: different in force from erit ; erit would have referred the matter distinctly to the future ; fxiturum est indicates rather a present prospect, — ' is likely to prove agreeable.'

29. Volumus sane : ive reallf/ clo icish.

30. tamquam longam aliquam viam confeceris, etc. : the thought from here to the end of the sentence is closely modelled on Plato's Kepublic, I, 328 E.

quam nobis quoque ingrediendum sit: on lohich we too must enter. Tliis impersonal use of the periphrastic conjugation with a direct object occurs but twice in Cicero.

31. istuc . . . quale sit : to see what sort of thing that is to lohich you have come, lit. to see that thing . . . of what sort it is. (Prolepsis or Anticipation. A. & G. 334, c ; B. 374, 5.)

4. 2. pares cum paribus congregantur : note the reflexive meaning of the passive congregantur. For the thought, cf. the English 'Birds of a feather flock together.' In Greek the proverb is as old as Homer ; see Odyss. XVII, 218: cJs aiei Thv ofioiop d^ei eebs ws rbu o/xoTov. French and German also embody the same idea in trenchant form : ' Qui se ressemble s'assemble'; 'Gleich und Gleich gesellt sich gern.'

4. quae . . . deplorare solebant: owing to the interruption caused by the parenthesis, the writer here repeats the thought already expressed in querelis aequaJium, — complaints which they used to make, lit. which things they used to corhplain ; quae is accusative of 'Kesult Produced' (Internal Object). See note on quid, p. 1, 1. 1.

C. Salinator: naval commander in the war against Antiochus,

191 15.0.

Sp. Albinus : consul in 180 n.c.

5. tum . . . tum: partly . . . partly.

6. sine quibus . . . putarent : loithout wh\ch (Jthey said) they

NOTES 46

thought Ufe loas not life; subjunctive in iraplied indirect dis- course.

7. spernerentur : not as strong in meaning as our 'spurn,' 'despise/ but niore nearly equivalent to our 'neglect,' ' sliglit.'

8. essent soliti : subjunctive by attraction.

Qui, etc. : note tlie adversative force of this sentence, — hxit thcse men dkl not seem to me to blame, etc.

id quod esset accusandum : practically a subordinate clause in indirect discourse, non id accusare videbantur being equivalent to non eos id arrusare putabam ; hence the subjunctive.

10. usu venirent : woidd happen, lit. would come by experience.

12. cognovi: here, I have Icnoion.

sine querela : the prepositional phrase is used as an adjective modifier of senectutem.

qui . . . non moleste ferrent : loho by no means regretted, lit. tcho bore it not ill. The object of ferrent is se hixatos esse. Note the litotes in non moleste; except for this \ve should liave had nec (correlative with nec following) instead of e^ . . . non.

15. non in aetate: not in the time oflife.

moderati : o/ selfcontrol ; moderati homines are those qui sibi modorantur.

1(). difficiles : churlish ; hard to manage or hard to please.

inhumani: i.e. devoid of culture {humanitas).

17. importunitas, inhrmaanitas : the.se words convey in sub- stantive form the ideas contained in difficiles and inhumani respec- tively.

omni aetati : to every period of life.

10. dixerit quispiam : some one may say ; potential subjunctive. The perfect subjunctive was originally an aorist, and traces of its aoristic force may frequently be noted, as here.

20. opes : resources, and so influence.

copias : wealth.

dignitatem: high standing, both political and social.

23. sed nequaquam in isto sunt omnia: i.e. the whole case is by no means comprised in that.

^4. ut fertur: the story is taken from PIato's Republic, I, 329 E.

Themistocles : the famous Athenian statesraan, coramander of the Greeks at Salamis.

46 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

25. Seriphio cuidam : a certain Seriphian. Seriphos, one of the Cyclades, was so small and rocky that it became proverbial in antiquity for its iusignificance and barrenness.

ille: i.e. the Seriphian.

27. Nec hercule : supply in sense clarus fuissem.

29. Quod : referring loosely to the lesson of the story just nar- rated.

30. levis: t.e. easy to bear.

ne . . . quidem : ne . . . quidem, as frequently, merely repeats and intensifies the negative idea. A. & G. 209, a, 1 ; B. 347, 2 ; H. 553, 2.

31. nec insipienti, etc. : nor to a fool can it fail to be burden- some, even in the midst of the greatest plenty. Note the chiastic arrangement in nec levis ne sapienti quidem on the one hand, and nec insipienti non gravis on the other.

32. Aptissima omnino . . . arma : altogether the most suit- able weapons; senectutis is a Possessive Genitive, i.e. weapons for old age to use.

5. 1. artes exercitationesque virtutum : liberal arts and the practice of the virtues; artes is here used in the sense of artes liberales. Notice the use of the plural in exercitationes ; repeated instances are thought of.

2. quae : referring to virtutes.

cum diu multumque vixeris : when you have had a long and eventful life ; vixeris is in the perfect subjunctive. Note the indefi- nite second singular. B. 356, 3. Subordinate clauses containing tliis indefinite second person singular stand regularly in the sub- junctive. Cf. p. 12, 1. 11, quicquid agas.

3. ecierunt : equivalent to efferunt, which latter was the current form in Cicero^s day. B. App. § 58, c.

4. deserunt : used absolutely.

6. id quidem : that, of course.

6. conscientia bene actae vitae : the consciousness of having spent one's life well ; cf. post urbem conditam ' after the founding of the city.'

bene factorum : good deeds ; benefacta is often used as a sub- stantive.

8. Q. Maximimi : Qiiintus Fabius Maximus, surnamed Cuncta- tor from his policy of avoiding a pitched battle with Hannibal.

NOTES 47

f Tarentiim recepit : Tarentum had been captured by Hannibal

in 212 ij.c, but Fabius recovered it three years later,

9. senem adulescens : in Latin contrasted words are often put in juxtaposition.

erat enim : for there was.

10. condita : tempered, lit. seasoned (condio).

11. quamquam : corrective, as p. 1, 1. 7.

12. non admodum grandem, etc. : when not so very old, yet well along in life.

13. anno post . . . quam ego natus sum : a year after Iwas born, i.e. in 233 u.c. ; post . . . quam for postquam, as often. Cato's point had been nierely to cite Fabius as an illustration of how ' liberal arts and the practice of the virtues ' make old age pleasant and easy to bear ; but, with an old nian's tendency to indulge in digression, he begins to recount his own experiences as a soldier under Maximus, althougli the recital of these incidents does not in the least serve to illuminate the question at issue. Such digressions, especially in the way of personal reminiscences on Cato's part, meet us frequently in the de Senectute, and consti- tute a striking feature of the art with which Cicero has depicted the character of the aged Cato. Cf. p. 11, 1. 9 ff. ; p. 19, 1. 26 ff.

14. quartum consule : consiil for thefourth time. This was in 214 B.c.

15. adulescentulus : when a young man ; Cato was twenty years old at the time.

ad Capuam : to the neighborhood of Capua.

17. quem magistratum: in English, an office which.

18. cum . . . fuit : the indicative is used to denote the point of time at which.

19. suasor : a supporter.

legis Cinciae : so called f rom the name of the tribune who introduced it, M. Cincius Alimentus. The chief feature of this law was that it forbade advocates to receive fees for professional ser- vice. This provision reraained a principle of Roman law until the reign of Claudius, when it was slightly modified.

21. plane grandis : quite old, implying less, liowever, than admo- dum senex. Tiie time referred to is that previous to Fabius's support of the lex Cincia, which was in 204 ii.c, the year before his death.

48 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

iuveniliter exsultantem : i.e/ exulting in the enthusiasm of young manhood, as opposed to Fabius, who was plane grandis. Hannibal was only thirty-two years old at the time (215 b.c).

22. patientia : endurnnce, persistence.

23. familiaris noster : my intimate friend ; noster for meus, as nos for ego.

Ennius : as verb of the sentence, supply ait, or some such word.

24. Unus homo nobis : the quotation is from the Annals. Virgil imitates this line in Aeneid, VI, 846.

Tu Maximus ille es Unus qui nobis cunctando restituis rem.

restituit : implying that when Fabius took the field the Roman fortunes were at a low ebb. This was particularly the case on the occasion of Fabius's second command, in 215 b.c, the year after the disastrous defeat at Cannae.

25. Noenum : not. The word is best explained as compounded of *noi (a 'byform' of ne, ni) and the enclitic 7ium ; non is a different forinfftion. See Critical Appendix.

rumores: i.e. the popular report that Fabius's avoidance of a direct engagement with Hannibal was prompted by cowardice.

ponebat : note the preservation of the original quantity of the final a ; cf. note on versat, p. 1, 1. 2.

26. plusque magisque : with adjectives and verbs plus denotes a higher degree of intensity, magis, a wider extent of application ; thus here, plus claret = ' has a greater brilliancy ' ; magis claret, = ' diffuses a wider radiance.'

claret : the word is poetical and rare.

27. Tarentum: made emphatic by its position, — in case of Tarentum, noio.

28. Salinatori : Cicero's memory is probably inaccurate in this reference to Salinator, It was Titus Livius Macatus who lost Tarentum. The same error occurs also in Cicero's de Oratore, II, 273.

30. Mea opera : through my instrumentality ; the chief empha- sis rests upon mea.

6. 1. praestantior : supply em^ in toga : i.e. in peace, civil life.

NOTES 49

2. qui consul iterum : for he, when consnl a second time (228 B.c.) ; the relative clause begins a justification of the statement just made.

quiescente : i.e. taking no side in the niatter.

3. C. Flaminio: in 232 b.c, in opposition to the expressed policy (auctoritas) of the senate, Flaminius had secured the pas- sage of an agrarian law providing for the distribution of certain lands in northern Italy among the citizens of Rome. Cicero seems to be in error in making Fabius and Carvilius coUeagues in 232 B.c. Their consulship v/as in 228 b.c, but the fact of Fabius's sturdy opposition to Flaminius's law is beyond question.

4. agrum Picentem et Gallicum: the Ficene lands lay near the Adriatic, east of Umbria and north of the Sabine territory ; the ager Gallicns was slightly further north.

contra senatus auctoritatem : an auctoritas senatus wassimply an expression of opinion by way of formal resolution ; it had no binding force.

5. dividenti : i.e. trying to secure the division ; the participle has a conative force.

6. optimis auspiciis : under most favorable auspices ; ablative of Attendant Circumstance. B. 221.

7. ferrentur : were proposed ; legem ferre is the technical phrase for introducing a bill for enactment.

8. Multa : eraphatic, — many are the excellent qualities which I came to know in that hero.

9. nihil admirabilius : nothing worthier of admiration ; supply cognovi.

quam quo modo : than the way in which ; cf. quem magistratum gessi, 'an office which Iheld,' p. 5, 1. 17.

10. mortem fili : this son, who also bore the name Q. Fabius Maximus, had been consul in 213 b.c, and died about 205, shortly before his aged father.

11. in manibus: in circulation, i.e. may still be read. This phrase, however, sometimes has another meaning. See, for ex- ample, p. 10, 1. 15, quam in manihus hahebat, ' which he had in hand,' i.e. was engaged upon.

laudatio: i.e. landatio funehris, the funeral eulogy. quam cum legimus : and lohen loe read it.

50 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

12. contemnimus : regard as insignificant {in coniparison) ; contemno is usually less strong than the P]nglish 'despise.'

in luce atque in oculis civium : in the public vieio and before the cyes of his fellow-citizens ; lux in the sense of ' publicity ' is a frequent figure in Latin,

13. magnus : supply erat ; ct praestantior, above, p. 6, 1. 1 intus domique : in the privacy of his home ; liendiadys.

14. quae praecepta : ichat good advice !

15. notitia : familiarity.

scientia: theoretical knoidedge, knowledge of the principles.

16. Multae litterae: i.e. much knowledge of books or litera- ture.

ut in homine Romano : for a Boman ; ut is here restrictive. In such cases the expression is elliptical. Tlius here we might supply litterae inveniuntur, — ' so far as literary knowledge is found in a Roman»' Cicero evidently recognizes that as a class his countrymen were not conspicuous for a profound knowledge of books. Such preeminence was never a prevalent ideal with the Romans.

omnia : with hella.

17. domestica: /.e. wars in which Romans were engaged.

18. externa: wars which other nations waged. Cuius : = et eius.

ita : ita does not modify cupide, h\it fjniebar, and simply serves to anticipate the quasi-clause.

19. illo exstincto : Fabius died in 203 b.c.

20. fore, unde discerem, neminem : / sJiould have nobody to learnfrom; unde, by a common idiom, is here equivalent to a quo ; the clause unde discerem is a relative clause of purpose. Special emphasis rests upon neminem^ as is shown by its unusual position at Lhe eud of the sentence.

2 1 . Quorsus : why ?

igitur : now, — a mere particle of transition, as frequently. haec tam multa : object of dixi or some similar verb to be supphed.

22. quiaprofecto : because, ofcourse. nefas dictu : an outrageous thing to say.

miseram fuisse talem senectutem : the emphasis rests equally

NOTES 51

upon talem senectutem, and miseram. We may render : that wretchedness characterized such an old age. Grammatically fuisse is the subject of esse, but logically it is difficult to dissociate it from the notion of saying involved in dictu. In fact, Cicero would probably have written dicere instead of dictu, except that this would have given us an awkward succession of infinitives, esse, dicere, fuisse.

23. Nec = et . . . non.

24. Scipiones aut Mazimi : i.e. men like Scipio or Maximus. This generic use of the plural of proper names is common. Cf. p. 8, 1. 1, Fabricii, Curii, Coruncanii. In making Cato refer thus cordially to Scipio here and elsewhere in the de Senectute, Cicero apparently forgets the bitter feeling which had existed between the two men.

ut, ut, ut, ut : notice the emphasis gained by the repetition of the particle, — anaphora.

25. pedestres : on land ; for terrestres, as often,

26. Est etiam : there is also, i.e. as well as the old age of men who, like Fabius, have beeu active in the field, there is also the peaceful old age of those who have passed a life of devotion to literature or philosophy.

quiete et pure atque eleganter actae : qniete is opposed to the stir and activity of a public life ; pure refers to the refined character of the pursuits aUuded to, while eleganter implies that they call for the exercise of taste and discrimination.

27. placida ac lenis senectus : a tranquil and peaceful old age. The thought of this sentence is somewhat condensed. Two ideas are combined in a single expression : (1) There is also the old age of a life spent in retired pursuits. (2) Such an old age is peaceful and tranquil.

qualem accepimus Platonis : abbreviated for qualem accepi- mus fuisse senectutem Platonis. Plato, pupil of Socrates and founder of the Athenian Academy, lived from 429 to 347 b.c.

28. imo et octogesimo : unus for primus as often in such combinations.

29. scribens est mortuus : best taken literally. Another ac- count reports him to have died at a wedding feast. Petrarch and Leibnitz also are said to have died pen in hand.

52 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

Isocratis : orator and rhetorician (436-338 u.c). He is said to have trained more famous orators than any other rhetorician of antiqiiity.

30. librum : speech, as often.

Panathenaicua : this oration, delivered at the Panathenaic festival, was a defeiice and eulogy of Athens as the great civilizing force of Ilellas.

32. Leontinus Gorgias : Goi^gias of Leontini (in Sicily), 480- 373 B.c. He was a fanious sophist and rhetorician.

centum et septem complevit annos : i.e. rounded out the sum of one hundred and seven years.

7. 2. cur tam diu vellet esse in vita : implying that he might have terminated life by suicide, a step which was lield by the Stoics and Epicureans to be justifiable under certain circum- stances.

3. Nihil habeo quod accusem : / have no reason to hlaine. The exact nature of the subjunctive after nihil habeo quod and nihil est qnocl is uncertain.

4. Praeclarum responsum : in apposition with the previous sentence.

5. docto homine : a scholar.

Sua enim vitia, etc. : the emphasis rests upon sua and suam^ — for ^tis their own defects and their ownfaults that fools lay to the charge of old age.

G. quod : i.e. he did not lay his own defects to old age.

8. Sicut fortis equos, etc. : cited from the Annals.

fortis equos : a gallant steed; equos was the spelling of Ennius, and continued regularly in vogue till about the time of Cicero's death. Cicero, accordingly, probably wrote equos, equom (not equus, equum), although editors hesitate to introduce this spelling into our texts. See B. App. § 57.

spatio supremo : in the final lap. In the Greek stadium the chariots raced seven times around the course.

9. Vicit Olumpia : has loon an Olympic victory ; Cognate Accusa- tive, A. & G. 238, a; B. 170, 4, a ; H. 371, II. The expression is an imitation of the Greek 'OMfnna vlkSlv. In words borrowed from the Greek, i; was transliterated by Latin u in Ennius's day, and in fact for a century after his death. B. App. §1,6.

NOTES 63

confectus quiescit : the final s does not 'make position.' See note on plenns, p. 1, 1. 6.

10. victoris : liere used as an adjective. suam : sc. senectutem.

11. Quem meminisse : wlien used of persons in tlie sense of 'recall,' memini regularly takes the accusative.

probe : = bene.

12. hi consules : the present co7isuls, i.e. those for the year 150 B.C., when the conversation is represented to have taken place.

T. Flamininus: not the Titus Flamininus mentioned p. 1, 1. 1.

13. M' : the apostrophe is probably a relic of an early 31 made with five strokes which occasionally appears in archaic inscrip- tions (/W).

14. iterum : this applies to Philippo only. Gaepio and Philip- pus were colleagues in 169 b.c.

15. legem Voconiam : so called from the tribune Quintus Voconius Saxa, who introduced it. The purpose of the law was to restrict tlie amount of money bequeathed to women, and so to check tlieir extravagance, as well as to prevent the growing ten- dency toward the alienation of property from the great families. Cato's speech in support of tliis law seems to liave been mucli read in antiquity, and was still extant in Livy's tiine.

16. bonis lateribus : Insttj lungs.

20. Etenim : grammatically etenim introduces repterio, — for., lohen I think it over, I Jind four reasons lohy old age seems loretched. Logically, however, it anticipates the clause Earum . . . videamus, which practically means 'No one of these four reasons is sound ' ; so that the paragi-aph as a whole might be loosely paraphrased thus : ' For of the four reasons which, upon consider- ation, I find advanced in support of the wretchedness of old age, — of these four reasons not one is sound.' This brings the thouglit into close connection with tlie assertion that Ennius actually seemed to enjoy old age, and furnislies the transition from the introductory portion of the essay to the discussion proper.

complector : in this figurative sense the phrases complector animo, complector mente are regularly combined with a direct object; here we may supply in sense rem, ' the subject.'

54 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

21. quod avocet, quod faciat, etc. : the subjunctive indicates that the reason is not the speaker's, but exists in the mind of some one else, viz. of those who think old age wretched.

22. alteram : = secimdam, as often.

25. quamque iusta : quamque = et quam.

CHAPTERS VI.-VIII.

The first charge against old age : It withdraws men from active pursuits. Trtie, hut not from all, as shown in the lives of Fabri- cius, Curius, Coruncanius, Appius Claudius, and others. '■'■Old men for counsel; young menfor action.'''' . Nor is loss of memory a necessary result of old age : xoitness Sophocles. 3Iany old men even continue the personal supervision of their farms. Old men may continue their earlier studies, or begin neio studies; Cato cites himself as an instance.

27. A rebus gerendis senectus abstrahit: merely a state- ment of the first objection brought against old age.

Quibus : with omission of the preposition, which has just been expressed with rebus. "VVith relatives and interrogatives, such omission is frequent.

28. an eis : is it not merely from those? When, by ellipsis of the tirst member of a double question, an stands alone, its force must be determined according to tlie content of the omitted member. Here we may supply utrum omnibus, — is it from all matters or (simply) from those?

iuventute et viribus : the strength of youth, — hendiadys.

2J). igitur : merely inferential, — are there, then, no pursuits, etc. ?

quae . . . administrentur : which are performed, — not may be or can be. The subjunctive is one of Characteristic.

vel infirmis corporibus : even though the body is feeble ; vel is intensive.

30. tamen : i. e. in spite of f eeble bodies. But to us the thought seems sufficiently clear without this particle.

nihil, ergo, agebat, etc. : was it nothing, then, that Maximus did ? Notice the anaphora in nihil, nihil, nihil.

31. L. Paulus, pater tuus : Lucius Aemilius Paulus, conqueror

NOTES 55

of the Macedonian king Perseus at Pydna in 108 u.c. Scipio was the son of this Paulus, and received the naine of Scipio as a result of his adoption by L. Cornelius Scipio, son of the conqueror of Hannibal. To the name of his adoptive father, Scipio added the cognomen Aemilianus, taken from the gentile name (Aemilius) of his actual father, Paulus.

8. 1. fili mei: Cato's son, Marcus Porcius Cato, married Aemilia, Paulus's daughter. He died wlien praetor elect in 152 B.O., and is touchingly alluded to again uear the close of this dia- logue, p. 36, 1. 6 ff.

ceteri senes: i.e. the other old men whom every one at once recalls.

Fabricii, Curii, Coruncanii : tlie generic plural, as Scipiones, Maximi, p. 6, 1. 24, i.e. Fabricius, Curius, Coruncanius, and men of that stamp. Fabricius, famous for the simplicily and integrity of his character, was especially conspicuous in the war against Pyrrhus (281-275 n.c). Curius was a contemporary of Pabricius, and like him served with distinction in the war against Pyrrhus. Coruncanius, though the least famous of tlie three men here men- tioned, was accounted one of the niost remarkable cliaracters of his day (consul 280 n.c), and achieved success in war with the Etruscans, as well as against Pyrrhus.

2. cum . . . defendebant: the c?nn-clause here seems to be 'explicative,' like Cicero's cum tacent, clamant, ' their silence is a shout' ; so here, was their defence of the state inactivity (nihil agebant) !

3. Ad Appi Claudi, etc. : Appius Claudius, hesides being old, was also blind ; lit. to the old age of Ap^pins it toas added that he voas blind. Appius was censor in 312 h.c, and consul in 306 and 295. The Appia Via was constructed under his supervision.

5. ad pacem . . . faciendum : faciendum is to be taken with pacem as well as with foedus.

7. persecutus est : has set forth.

8. Quo vobis, etc. : the citation is from the Annals ; vohis is the so-called Ethical Dative.

rectae quae stare solebant: rectae seems here used figiira- tively for sound, sane, and to be contrasted with dementes in the next liuc.

56 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

9. Antehac : liere dlssyllabic by synezesis.

dementes : with adverbial force, — senselessly ; mentes dementes illustrates the figure called oxymoron (' contradiction '), sense^ess senses.

viai : archaic genitive, dependent upon quo, — lit. whither of the warj.

10. ceteraque : i.e. the other poiuts of Appius's speech. gravissime : most impressively.

carmen : the poem, passage.

11. et tamen: and apart from that, i.e. apart from Ennius's account, Appius's own speecli is also preserved. It was still extant a liundred years later in Cicero's day.

13. cimi . . . interfuissent censorque . . . fuisset : we have here an illustration of the most extreme development of the cum- clause of situation or circumstance. All temporal notion has van- ished, and only the circumstantial force is left. The nearest English equivalent is the awkward nominative absolute, — twelve years having intervened hetween the two consulships, and the censor- ship having preceded his first consulship. Other instances of the same use of cum may be seen p. 13, 1. 15, cum pontifex maximus factus esset, 'having been made pontifex maximus' ; p. 18, 1, 9, cum ei sermoni interfuisset Flato, ' riato having been present at that conversation.'

14. ex quo intellegitur: from lohich it is (readily) under- stood.

15. Pyrrhibello: Ablative of Time.

grandem sane: qnite an old man; he had been elected to the censorship in 312 b.c. As the oflfice of censor was one of great dignity, it is unlikely that Appius was less than forty years of age at the time he filled it. This would make him over seventy years old at the time referred to.

16. sic : viz. that he was able to determine the public policy at this advanced age.

nihil afferunt: adduce no argument, i.e. no argument that proves old age wretched.

17. similesque sunt ut si qui . . . dicant: the diction is clumsy and unusual ; evidently Cicero has combined two forms of expressing the same idea :

NOTES r>7

(1) They are like those who say (eornm similes sunt qui ilicnnt).

(2) As if any persoiis shouUl say (nt si qui dicant) See Criti- cal Apppiidix.

scandant, cursent, ezhauriant, sedeat : tlie subjunctives are due to the indirect discourse.

21. quietus : without movinrj (from his place). non facit : sc. senec.tus.

22. non viribus aut velocitate, etc. : these phrases are made eniphatic by their position, — His not by strength of body, or by speed of movement or swiftness, that grent matters are accomplished ; corporum limits viribus as well as vclocitate and celeritate.

24. consilio, auctoritate, sententia: deliberation, injluence, judyment.

quibus, etc. : an illustratiou of the construction called dirb koivoO ('in common'), by which a single word or phrase is made to Umit two different words, each in a different construction. Thus here qnibus is Ablative of Separation with orbari, but Ablative of Specification with augeri, lit. (qualities) of which old age is not only not loont to be deprived, but in respect to which it is even wont to be increased (i.e. more liberally endowed), See Critical Appendix.

26. Nisi forte : this phrase regularly, as here, implies that the supposition is absurd.

miles et tribunus et legatus et consul: note the emphasis gained by the polysyndeton, et . . . et . . . et . . . et. There were six tribuni militum in a legion ; they commanded in turn, each for two months. The legatus stood next to the commander- in-chief, and was under his immediate supervision ; the consnl, when he took the field, was the commanding general.

27. vario genere : the English idiom is varioiis kinds.

28. nunc videor, etc. : join rmnc closely with cnm, — now that. 30. male iam diu cogitanti: which has long been plotting

mischief

bellum multo ante denuntio : Cato means tliat he declares war against Carthage long before the actual commencement of hostilities. He saw the approaching confiict, and did his best to precipitate it, regularly ending his speeches in the Senate with the declaration : censeo Karthaqinem esse delendam.

58 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

9. 1. Quam palmam: this glory, i.e. of destroying Carthage. Cicero cleverly utilizes tlie subsequent overtiirow and destruction of Carthage by Scipio in 140 u.c. (four years after the date of tliis dialogue).

2. ut . . . persequare : explsinsitory oipalmain, — of complet- ing ichat \joiir grandfather left undone; the reference in avi is to the elder Scipio, the hero of the Second Punic War.

3. tertius et tricesimus amius : tliis is inaccurate. Scipio died in 185 h.c, thirty-five years before the date of the dialogue.

excipient: lit. take np, i.e. one after anotlier, and so transmit, perpetuate. Cf. Livy, XXXVIII, 22. 3, pugnam excipere.

6. cum . . . creatus esset : having been chosen consul a second time in my consulship. Tlie ci(m-clause is like cum . . . inter- fuissent, p. 8, 1. 13.

7. Num igitur, etc. : igitur as p. 7, 1. 29.

8. paeniteret: referring to present time, — icould he now be regretling? Had Scipio lived to his liundredth year, he would have been eighty-four at tlie time of the dialogue ; hence the use of the imperfect tense.

9. nec enim . . . uteretur : no ! for he xoould not be making use.

excursione, saltu: i.e. in mihtary operations.

10. consilio, ratione, sententia : see note on p. 8, 1. 24, con- silio, auctoritate, sententia ; ratio is reason, i.e. the exercise of the reasoning faculties.

11. quae nisi essent, etc. : unless these qualities loere in old men.

12. simamum consilium : the highest deliberative body.

13. quidem: infact.

14. ut sunt : just as they are (old men). The reference is to the yipovres or councillors (lit. old me7i), who formed the so-called yepovala. Cicero's point is that, while the Roraans called their councillors senatores (a word suggesting senex), the Lacedaemo- nians callcd their councillors senes outright.

15. Quodsi voletis : if you loill (only), — not so strong as loish in this instance.

16. ezterna : foreign history.

18. cedo : tell me. The verse is an iambic tetrameter (or

NOTES 69

octonarius) and consists of four iainbic dipodies, or in all eight feet. Its scansion is :

Cedo qui | vestram | rem pii | blicam | tantam a | misis | tis tam | cito

Its metrical scherae is :

ww^l |_Z.|v^_ll_^| |_^|w_.

As may be seen from this sclieme, the spondee and anapaest {kj Kj Z.) may be used in place of the iambus (v^ _£ )• The so- called ictus is prominent only in alternate feet.

qui: how?

19. in Naevi poetae Lupo: in '-The Wolf ofthe poet Haevius. Naevius was one of the very earliest Latin writers (269-199 b.c). Of his numerous works, Bellum Punicum (a poem in Saturnian measure on the First Punic War), tragedies and comedies, only a few brief fragments have come down to us. The play from which the above line is quoted was also called the Alimonia Romuli et Remi, and dealt witli tlie story of the twins. It belongs to the class of plays known as fabulae praetextae or historical dramas, of which Naevius is known to have composed tliree. It lias been conjectured that the words above cited were addressed by Amulius to the ambassadors of the Veientian King Vibe, wlio was a refugee at the Alban court. The answer to the question is given in the words : Proveniebant oratores, etc. See Critical Appendix.

respondentur et alia et hoc in pritnis : other replies are given, but this in particidar.

21. Froveniebant oratores, etc: also an iambic tetrameter. The scansion is:

Proveni | ebant | ora | tores || novi | stult' adu | lesce'n | tuli

The metrical scheme is :

_^^w| |_/.| l|v^^|_ww|_^|w_

In the first and sixth feet, a dactyl is substituted for the normal iarabus.

stulti, adulescentuli : fools, boys. The point is not that these particular youths were fools, but that youths who undertake to

60 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

wrest tlie control of government froui older men, are fools as a class (Meissner).

22. Temeritas est videlicet, etc. : rashness, it is plain to see, is a characteristic of tjonth (Jlorentis aetatis).

24. At memoria miiiuitur: hut, it is alleged, memory is im- pairexl. This use of at to introduce the view of an opponent is very common in argumentation.

Credo : I sitppose so ; not ironical.

nisi eam exerceas: nnless you exercise it; the second singu- lar is used of an indefinite subject precisely like our English 'you.'

25. natura tardior : naturally rather dull.

26. perceperat : kneio^ lit. had acquired.

27. qui Aristides esset, etc. : to rjreet Aristides as Lysimachus. As object of salutare understand e^im, to which Lysimachum stands in the relation of predicate accusative. There is a certain dry humor in the .illustration chosen by Cato. The rivalry between Themistocles and Aristides had been so keen that Themistocles was hardly likely to forget his old opponent or to confuse him with another man. Lysimachus was Aristides's father.

28. Equidem: while not etymologically connected with ego, this word in Cicero is regularly equivalent to ego quidem, ' I for my part,' 'I at least,' etc.

29. qui sunt : loho are still living.

30. nec sepulcra legens, etc. : nor am I afraid of losing my memory by reading epitaphs, as they say.

quod aimit : quod refers loosely for its antecedent to the idea suggested by the context, viz. : Those who read epitaphs, lose their memory. Doubtless this saying was largely true, in so far, at least, as those who were found engaged in studying the tombstones were already old men of waning faculties.

31. his ipsis legendis : by reading these very tombstones.

10. 1. quemquam senem : ariy old man. The use of quisquam (for ullus) as an adjective, though not frequent, is well attested for Cicero, e.g. de Ofiftciis, III, 101, civi cuiquam.

2. omnia quae curant : all things in which they take interest.

3. vadimonia constituta : the bail they have given, lit, the bail Jixed, viz., by the court.

NOTES 61

4. Quid iuriB consulti, etc. : senes belongs witli all these nomi- natives, — hoio is it in cnse of affcd Imcyers, aged pontiffs, aged augiirs, aged philosophers, lit. jnrists as old men, augxirs as old men, etc. Some verb is to be supplied in sense with these words, fecerunt, for exaniple.

6. Quam multa meminenmt: Jioio many things they (are obliged to) remember ; i.e. the very nature of their profession obliges them to possess retentive memories.

G. Manent: emphatic by position.

ingenia : facnlties.

modo permaneat, etc. : provided only interest and industry continne.

8. honoratis : this word does not here mean lionored, but designates men distinguished by holding public offices, honores.

9. Sophocles : the greatest of the Greek tragedians. He lived from 496-406 b.c. Seven of his tragedies have come down to us.

10. quod propter studium cimi . . . videretur : and ichen in conseqiience of this pursuit he seemed.

11. a filiis: the common account attributes this action to a single son, lophon ; but the whole story is apocryphal.

12. quem ad modum male rem gerentibus, etc. : jnst as fathers loho mismanage their estates are wont to be removed from

(control of) their property, lit. it is icont to be interdicted to fathers from their property ; patribus is dative of reference ; boiiis, ablative of separation. A. & G. 225, d, N. 1 ; B. 188, 1, a.

nostro more : this Roman custom was legally recognized in the Laws of the Twelve Tables (about450 u.c).

13. quasi desipientem : as being in his dotage.

15. eamfabulam: the play.

quam in manibus habebat : which he had in hand, on which he was engaged. For another sense of in manibns, see p. 0, 1. 11.

16. et proxime scripserat : and upon which he had just been writing. The pluperfect here, in addition to its usual force, seems to denote the act as in process.

Oedipum Coloneimi : the Oedipus at Coldnus. Coloneus is an adjective. The play lias come down to us, and represents the aged Oedipus arriving in his wanderings at the Attic deme of Colonus. The tradition is that the passage chosen by the poet for recitation

62 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

on the occasion referred to was the magnificent choral ode in praise of Athens (verses 668-719), a part of which runs as follows:

Of all the lands far famed for goodly steeds, Thou com'st, O stranger, to the uoblest spot,

Colonos, glistening bright, Where, evermore, in thickets freshly green,

The clear-voiced nightiugale

Still haunts, and pours her song,

By purpUng ivy hid, And the thick leafage sacred to the God.

— Plumptre's Translation.

17. num illud carmen, etc: whether that poem seemed (the toork) of a dotard.

18. sententiis : votes.

liberatus : in the judicial sense, — acquitted.

19. Homerum, Hesiodum, etc. : the enumeration of distin- gulshed names embraces three classes ; poets (Homer, Hesiod, Simonides, Stesichorus) , rhetoricians (Isocrates, Gorgias), philoso- phers (Pythagoras, Democritus, etc), It should be borne in mind that Cato here mentions only those poets, rhetoricians, and philoso- phers who lived to an advanced age.

Hesiodum : Hesiod, a native of Ascra in Boeotia, flourished about 750 n.c, His greatest work, the Works and Days ('E/)7o Kal 'lifx^pai.) suggested much to Virgil in the composition of the Georgics.

20. Simonides : Simdnides. There were two poets of this name, — Simonidcs of Amorgos and Simonides of Ceos. The latter was the more famous of the two ; he flourished at the time of the Per- sian wars (490-480 b,c,), and composed the extant epigram in honor of the Spartans who fell at Thermopylae.

Stesichorum : Stesichorus, a famous lyric poet of Hfmera in Sicily. He flourished about600 b.c. All his works are lost barring a few fragments. It is said that a nightingale sang upon his lips at his birth.

Isocraten, Gorgian : see note on p. 6, 11, 29, 32. Isocrates, though of the 8d declension, forms its accusative after the analogy of Greek nouns in -es of the Ist declension. Similarly Xeno- craten below.

NOTES 63

21. Pythagoram : PytMgoras of Samos, foiinder of the Pythag- or^an school. He fiourished in the latter half of the sixth century B.c. Mysticisin was a pronounced feature in his system ; his most famous doctrine was the tlieory of transmigration of souls (Metempsychosis) .

22. Democritum : Demdcritus, of Abd6ra in Thrace, 460-361 B.c, one of the earliest representatives of the atomic theory.

Xenocraton: Xen6c7'ates, of ChalcMon, 396-314 b.c, a pupil of Plato, and one of his successors in the presidency of the Academy, — a post which he occupied for twenty-five years.

23. Zenonem: Zeno, of Citium in Cyprus, about 350-250 b.c. He was founder of the Stoic school, of which he was for nearly sixty years the president.

Cleanthem: Cleanthes, of Assos, 300-220 b.c, a Stoic and a disciple of Zeno.

24. Diogenem Stoicum : Di6rjenes, the Stoic, not to be con- founded with Diogenes, the Cynic. He had visited Rome in 155 B.c, five years previous to the time of this dialogue, and was evi- dently an old man at that time, though the years of his birth and death are unknown. He had come to Rome in company with Carneades and Critolaus as an ambassador, and during his stay had begun to expound his philosophical vievvs. Cato's opposition to Greek ideas was so deeply rooted that he took the lead in securing Diogenes's departure from the city. The enthusiasm, therefore, with which Cicero makes Cato refer to Diogenes is not in keeping with the facts.

26. Age : come !

27. ista divina studia : viz., poetry, philosophy, etc.

ex agro Sabino rusticos : farmers in the Sahine territory.

29. numquam fere : scarceli/ ever.

30. maiora: important, lit., greater (tlian ordinary).

non serendis, etc. : not in the loay of planting, gathering, or storing the crops. Notice tlie zeugma in serendis fructihus ; accuracy would call for some such word as seminihus. The use of the ablative here without in is extremely peculiar ; most scholars explain the construction as an ablative absolute. Observe that non here does not counteract the negative force of numqxiam, but repeats and emphasizes it. A. & G. 209, a, 2 ; B. 347, 2 ; H. 653, 2.

64 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

31. inaliis: in other things ; aliis is here contrasted with the following quae sciunt nihil ad se omnino pertinere, and hence prac- tically means : in matters that concern them. On the use of neuter adjectives as substantives in oblique cases, see note on p. 2, 1. 8.

32. senex : here with adjective force.

11. 1. idem : nominative plural, — they also.

2. pertinere : in the sense of vitally concern.

3. Serit arbores, etc. : this hne is a Bacchlac Tetrameter :

By a metrical license the i of serit is here long. Note that a long syllable may be substituted for the short of the Bacchlus.

quae . . . prosint : to benejit, — relative clause of purpose.

alteri saeclo : the next (lit. the other) generation. Note that saeclum is the original form of this word, whence saeculum by the development of a parasitic vowel. B. App. § 91.

4. Statius : Caecilius Statius, by birth an Insubrian Gaul. He was a comic poet, and lived about 220-166 b.c. Only fragments of his works remain.

in Synephebis : in his Synephebi, the title of a play. Tlie original was by the Greek poet Menander ; Caecilius translated and adapted it for Koman audiences.

5. quamvis sit senez : however old he may be. quaerenti : to (the person) inquiring.

9. melius : supply some such verb as dicit., — Caecilius gives us a better sentiment (lit. says better) loith regard to the old man, etc. The passage from et melius to sed videtis, sixteen lines below, is really a digression from the point at present under discussion. Cato is endeavoring to show that old men even superintend the work on their own farms. In developing this point he quotes two passages from Statius in support of his contention. These two citations lead to others, which, though they are concerned with the general subject of old age, are nevertheless not germane to tlie present topic, viz., the allegation that old age withdraws men from active occupation. See the note on p. 5, 1. 13.

10. quam illud idem ; than he does in lohat follows, lit. than the same (Caecilius says) the following.

11. Edepol, senectuB, etc. : these lines are quoted from Sta-

NOTES 65

tius's Plocium (The Necklace), Like the couplet below, they are lainbic Trimeter (Senarii). The metrical scheme is :

v^v^-^|w — I ^l |v_/wj1|w

_^|__|_^| v^_| _ A. I w_

_^|__|_Jl| w_| _ ^ I w_

Anapaests and spondees are freely substituted for the iambus in all feet except the last ; in the last line diu makes one syllable by synezesis. nil . . . viti: no other evil ; Q-^itc^jmw is redundant.

12. Apportes : shotikl bring.

quom : the earlier form of cum, and possibly still in common use when Cicero wrote the de Senectute. sat : sat for satis is coramon in archaic Latin,

13. quae non volt, vldet: the subject is general, — one sees many things that one does not icish; volt, the early form of vult, may have been still the prevailing form in Cicero's day. In the next two lines voU is written by most editors, on the assumption that Cicero intentionally reproduces the diction of Caecilius.

15, IUud vero, etc, : biU the following utterance of the same Caecilius is still icorse, lit. the same Caecilius (says) the following icorse.

17. Tum equidem, etc. : quoted from Caecilius's Ephesio. The metrical scheme is :

ww^lv^ — I ^l w |wj1|v-/

_^|w_|_ji|_ww|_Z.|w_

The dactyl replaces the iambus in the fourth foot of the second line ; eumpse is read as a dissyllable by synezesis,

senecta : poetical and post-Augustan for senectus.

deputo : ante- and post-classical for puto.

18. ea aetate : at that time of life; tlie phrase limits sentire. eumpse: i.e. eum + pse (B. App. § 190), archaic for ipsinn;

cf, ipse for *is;pse ; eumpse is the subject of esse, and is equivalent to se ipsum, 'oneself,'

odiosum : a bore.

alteri: sc. aetati, i.e. to the young, lit, to the other period of life. See Critical Appendix,

Q6 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

19. lucundum potius quam odiosum : preserve the ellipsis in translation.

24. nec minus intellego : the inaccuracy of expression is identical with that noted p. 1,1. 11, te suspicor eisdem rebus qui- bus me ipsum commoveri. What Cato really nieans is : / see that I am no less agreeable to you than you actualhj are to me. Strictly the Latin should be : nec minus intellego me vobis esse iucundum quam mihi vos estis.

25. Sed videtis : Cato here returns froin his somewhat lengthy digression (see above on 1. 9), and resumes the point under dis- cussion, viz., the activity of old men.

ut senectus, etc, : hoio old age, etc. ; indirect question.

26. verum etiam : bitt even.

27. agens et moliens : doing and undertaking ; this predicate use of the present participle is rare.

tale scilicet, etc. : some such thing^ of course, as, etc. The occupation of the old man will depend upon his earlier pursuits.

28. Quid? etc. : what ofthose toho, etc. ?

29. ut et Solonem versibus gloriantem videmus : et before Solonem is correlative with the et before ego below, but should not be rendered in English translation. Solon is the famous Athenian lawgiver, 638-558 b.c. He was a poet as well as a states- man, and numerous fragments of his works have come down to us. The line here referred to by Cicero is cited by Plutarch in his life of Solon, c. 31, yrjpdaKb} d' alel TroXXd 5i5a(TK6/j.€vos. On glovi- antem videmus, see A. & G. 292, e ; B. 337, 3 ; H. 535, 4.

12. 1. et ego feci: and (jiist as) I have done. senex : rvhfni an old man.

2. sic avide : so eagerly. See Critical Appendix.

3. nota essent : became known, familiar.

quibus me nxmc exemplis uti videtis : which you now see me using as examp^les ; exernplis stands in predlcate relation to quibus, which depends directly upon uti. The passage is some- what apologetic. Cicero evidently feels that his picture of Cato attributes to the old Roman a greater familiarity with Greek thought and letters than he actually possessed ; hence the attempt to account for the origin of the alleged learning. See Introd. §4, a.

NOTES 67

4. quod cum . . . audirem : qnod refere to the idea of con-

stantly adding to one's knowhnlge or acconipli.shnients.

5. in fidibus : in case of the Ujre.

vellem : apodosis of a conditional sentence of the contrary-to- fact type, with omitted protasis.

6. discebant fidibus: used to learn the lyre, lit. learn xcith the lyre. B. 218, 7. Many scholars suggest supplying canere, ' play,' here.

in litteris certe : on literature at any rate, i.e. if not on any- thing else.

CHAPTERS IX. -XI.

The second charae: Old aae /^^frff ^^^ styp^^ir^th nf yniith. Bnt old age does not need great strength. Moreover, by temperance one can preserve one''^ youthfiil vigor even to an advanced old age, as shown by numerous instances, — Cyrus, Metelhis, Masi- nissa.

8. desidero : feel the need of, the lack of.

9. locusalter: the second point.

10. non plus : the negative as p. 4, 1. 30.

11. Quod est : xohat you have ; the antecedent of qnod is eo. On the use of the oblique cases of pronouns in the neuter, see p. 2, 1. 8.

quicquid agas : clauses introduced by indefinite relatives (quis- quis quicumque, etc.) ordinarily stand in the indicative ; but all subordinate clauses expressed in the indefinite second singular regularly take the subjunctive.

12. Quaevoz: what utterance ?

13. Milonis Crotoniatae : Milo of Crotdna, in southern Italy, a fatnous atlilete of the sixth century b.c. He won repeated victories in the Olympic and Pythian games.

qui cum, etc. : for when he was, etc.

16. hi quidem : almost these, alas !

17. isti : sc. sunt mortui.

ex lateribus : in consequence of yotir wind ; latera is used as above, p. 7, 1. 10, lungs.

19. Nihil, nibil, nihil : note tlie anaphora.

68 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

Sex. AeliuB : Sextus Aelins, consul 198 b.c, famous as a jurist and an orator. He wrote a commentary on tlie Twelve Tables.

20. Ti. Coruncanius : see note on p. 8, 1. 1.

modo : recently.

P. Crassus : the use of modo would suggest that the reference is to some one nearer the present time than either Coruncanius or Aelius. Publius Licinius Crassus, consul in 171 n.c, naturally sug- gests himself as the person Cicero has in mind. That Crassus, how- ever, was not eminent as a jurist, and Cicero has probably confused him with P. Licinius Crassus Dives, pontifex maximus in 212 b.c. and consul in 205, a man famed for his knowledge of pontifical law.

iura praescribebantur : laios icere interpreted.

22. est provecta : continued. prudentia : xoisdom.

Orator metuo ne languescat : as the order of the words shows, Orator is here empliatic, — as regards the orator, Ifear Jie may become feehle.

23. senectute : causal. munus eius : his function.

24. Omnino canorum illud, etc. : to be sure that melodious qualiti/ in the voice somehov) even improves in old age. Note the mixed metaphor in canor\tm . . . splendescit ; splendesco properly applies only to what presents itself to the eye. Omnino is con- trasted with sed tamen, — ' to be sure the voice improves ; yet apart from that an old man's talk is often engaging.'

27. et videtis annos : though grammatically co-ordinate with what precedes, this clause is logically subordinate, being equiva- lent to ' old though I am ' or ' in spite of my years.'

sed tamen est, etc. : but yet the quiet and unimpassioned con- versation of an old man has a grace about it.

28. quietus et remissus : quietus = ' witliout movement,' as contrasted with the lively gesticulation of the orator ; remissus = • without passion,' i.e. without the mental and moral excitement of the orator.

facit sibi audientiam : gains itself a hearing.

29. compta et mitis : smooth and easy.

Quam si • . . nequeas : if you shotild be unable to practise this ; quam refers to oratio.

NOTES 69

30. Scipioni et Laelio: <( Scipio (tnd a Laclias.

31. seuectute stipata studiis iuventutis : an old age thronged with eager youths, lit. loith the eagerness of youth ; the ab.stract for the concrete. Notice the alliteratiou iii senecttite stipata studiis.

32. An ne illas quidem vires, etc. : or do we leave to old age not even the strength to teach young men; illas vires is explained by the foUowing ?/f-clauses.

13. 1. instituat : instruct.

2. ad omne offici mtmus : for the performance of every duty, lit. for all performance of duty.

instruat: prepare, equip; cf. instrumentum, ' outfit,' 'equip- ment,' instructus, ' fitted out,' 'equipped.'

quo quidem, etc. : and than this task xohat can be more glorious !

3. Cn. et P. Scipiones : these were respectively the uncle and father of the elder Africanus. They both rendered iniportant ser- vices in the earlier lialf of the Second Punic War, and fell in Spain in 212 b.c. Note the plural in Scipiones ; this is usual when two persons of the same family are combined by a copulative conjunction.

4. avi tui duo, L. Aemilius et P. Africanus : Lucius Aemilius (Paulus), the father of Lucius Aemilius Paulus Macedonicus, the conqueror of Perseus, was the actual grandfather of the younger Scipio ; Publius Africanus was his adoptive grandfather.

6. bonarum artitmi : liheral arts.

non beati putandi : are to he thought other than happy ; cf. p. 4, 1. 31, non gravis ; sunt is to be supplied with. putandi.

7. quamvis consenuerint vires, etc. : however much their strength may have loaned and failed.

8. Etsi: corrective.

10. effetum : best taken as in predicate relation to corpus, — hands the body over to old age all worn out, i.e. in a state of exhaustion.

11. Cyrus: Cyrus the Elder, king of Persia, the liero of Xeno- phon's Cyropaedfa. He lived from 599 to 529 b.c. The conversa- tion here referred to is given in Cyropaedia, VIII, 7, 6.

apud Xenophontem: in Xenophon, i.e. in his writings, — a common use of apud.

70 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

14. Metellum: consul in 251 n.c, in the First Punic War ; he died in 221.

15. memini puer: the expression is inexact. Cicero has evi- dently combined two ideas :

(1) ' As a boy, I noticed that Metellus was strong.'

(2) ' I now remember that Metellus was strong.' English admits the same form of expression, however.

cum factus esset : the mm-claase is purely circumstantial, — having heen made pontifex maximus ; see note on p. 8, 1. 13.

17. esse : the present infinitive occurs repeatedly with memini where in Engli.sh we should expect the perfect.

19. nihil necesse est : it is not at all necessary.

20. id quidem : i.e. to speak of one's self. senile : characteristic of old men.

22. Videtisne : donH you see ; when appended to the verb, -ne frequently has the force of nonne. A, & G. 210 ; B. 162, 2, c.

ut: how, as above, p. 11, 1. 25.

23. praedicet : here, boasts.

24. nec erat ei verendum : 7ior did he have occasion to fear.

25. vera praedicans : iyi telling the trnth.

26. insolens aut loquax : arrogant or garrulous.

ex eius lingua melle dulcior, etc : from Ilomer, Iliad i. 249, ToO Kai (XTrb yXucrcrrjs /xAiros yXvKlwv phv avSr].

27. quam ad suavitatem : for which eloqiience.

28. et tamen : i.e. in spite of his lack of bodily strength.

29. dux ille Graeciae : the reference is to Agamemnon ; ille when following a substantive regularly means, as here, thatfamous, that well-knoion.

nusquam : i.e. nowhere in Ilomer. ut . . . habeat : the clause is the object of optat. Aiacis similes : in Cicero similiSy when governing words desig- nating persons, is regularly foilowed by the genitive.

30. sed ut Nestoris : elliptical for sed ut decem Nestoris similes habeat. Agamemnon's longing for ten warriors like Nestor is found in Iliad ii. 371.

quod si sibi acciderit : if thisfortune should be his ; acciderit is in the subjunctive by attraction to sit peritura.

NOTES 71

14. 1. vellem equidem idem possem gloriari : tconld that I could make the same boast; vellem is \n the subjunctive as express- iiig thie apodosis of a contrary-to-fact conditional sentence, the protasis of which is omitted, — / loould wish (were it possible) ; possem is logically the object of vellem, being developed froni an original optative subjunctive, — icould I were ahle ; ut is, accord- ingly, regularly absent in this idiom. B, 200, 1, a. .

idem : ' Accusative of Result.' A. & G. 238 h ; B. 17G, 2, a.

sed tamen hoc queo dicere, etc: the thought is inaccurately expressed ; what Cato means is : ' Though I am not as strong as I once was, yet I can say that old age has not entirely shattered rae.' Instead of this, the clause me . . . esse is made principal instead of subordinate, while afflixit and desiderat are put in the indicative instead of in the infinitive. Logically the thought demanded : hoc queo dicere, cum eis virihus non sim quihus fuerim, tamen me non afflixisse senectutem, non curiam desiderare. Note that queo unac- companied by a negative is rare.

2. eis viribus : Ablative of Quality.

3. miles bello Punico: in 217 b.c. quaestor eodem bello : in 204 b.c.

4. consul in Hispania : in 195 b.c. In honor of Cato's suc- cesses here, the Senate decreed a three days' thanksgiving. Cato declared that he had captured more cities in Spain than he had spent days in the province.

5. tribunus militaris: this was in 191 b.c, in the war against Antiochus.

cum depugnavi : cum with the indicative to denote the point of time at which ; depugno is ' to fight it out,' ' fight to the end.'

7. non, non, etc. : observe the emjDhasis produced by the repe- tition of the non.

9. clientes : including not only his political followers at Rome, but also those foreign nations or cities whose protector he was. Cicero (Brutus 20, 80) tells us that Cato in the la.st year of his life publicly spoke in defence of his clients, the Lusitanians, who had been the victims of the treachery of Servius Galba.

hospites : (juest-friends ; strangers at Rome who had relations of hospitality with Cato.

Nec enim : nor indeed.

72 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

11. mature fieri senem, etc. : the saying obviously means: ' Begin early to exercise the discretion of age, if you would live to a good old age.' Cato's criticism of the proverb is based upon a misinterpretation of its real significance. Ile takes it as though it were intended to mean : 'Begin early to cultivate the inactivity of age, if you would reniain an old man long.' The infinitive with moneo is less common than a subjunctive clause, but is admis- sible wlien moneo lacks a personal object.

12. me senem esse mallem: volo, nolo, malo more com- monly take the infinitive without subject accusative to denote another action of the same subject ; mallem here represents the apodosis of a contrary-to-fact conditional sentence, the protasis of which is omitted, — / should prefer (were I hold enough to express a preference). Cf. the use of vellem, above, 1. 1.

13. ante quam essem : subjunctive by attraction. convenire me : = to have an interview with me.

14. cui fuerim occupatus : lit. to whom I have been engaged, i.e. whom I have refused to see. The subjunctive is one of Char- acteristic.

At minus habeo : at, as above, p. 9, I. 24, introduces the view of an opponent, — biit, you may urge, etc.

15. T. Ponti centurionis : the centurions were usually men of great strength and stature. Nothing further is known of the Pontius here referred to.

17. praestantior : a better man.

Moderatio modo virium adsit : let there only be a control over one^s strength. The subjunctive is Jussive, with the acces- sory force of a Proviso.

18. ne ille : such a man, 1 assure ijou ; this is the asseverative ne. In its use it is restricted to combination with pronouns, — personal, demonstrative, and possessive. It regularly precedes the vvord which it emphasizes.

non desiderio tenebitur : will not be possessed with longing for, i.e. vvill not feel the lack of. Cf. desidero, above, p. 12, 1. 8.

19. Olympiae per stadium, etc. : according to the story Milo had carried the animal daily as it grew. Quintilian, I, 9. 5.

20. cum sustineret bovem : carrying an ox ; another circum- stantial cHW-clause ; see note ou p. 8, 1. 13.

NOTES 73

21. igitur : merely transitional, as p. 7, 1. 29. has corporis : sc. vires.

Pythagorae : Pythagoras was a townsnian of Milo, a fact wliich lends additional force to the coniparison.

22. utare : tlie comniand is general ; hence the indefinite second singuhir. A. & G. 206, a ; B. 350, 8 ; H. 484, IV, n. 2.

23. dum adsit, cum absit : tlie subjunctive is the result of attraction. Notice the chiastic arrangement in :

utare, dum adsit : ciim absit, ne requiras.

ne requiras : this form of proliibition is unusual in prose ; noli with the infinitive is far commoner. The subject of reqniras is geueral, just as was the case with utare.

nisi forte : see note on p. 8, 1. 26.

24. pueritiam, adulescentiam : boyhood, yonmj manhood. paululum aetate progressi: referring to those in middle life.

25. Cursus est certus aetatis : there is a regular course of life.

26. suaque . . . tempestivitas : and to each part of life its proper character (lit. seasonableness) is allotted.

27. infirmitas puerorum : the helplessness of children.

28. ferocitas : impetuosity. gravitas : steadiness.

iam constantis : already settled, i.e. middle (life).

29. naturale quiddam : a certain natural {prodnct), as shown by percipi, ' to be reaped.'

30. quod debeat : Subjunctive of Characteristic.

31. hospes tuus avitus : the guest-friend ofyour grandfather, i.e. of the elder Africanus, between whom and Masinissa there existed a strong friendship.

32. Masinissa : king of the Numidians. In the Second Punic War he was at the outset an ally of the Carthaginians, but later became a supporter of tlie Romans.

hodie: i.e. still. 15. 1. pedibus : onfoot.

omnino non ascendere : does not mount at all. 3. imbri : imber is not properly an i-stem, but has taken on the i-stem inflection in the ablative singular. capite operto : Ablative of Quality.

74 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

4, siccitatem : soundness ; siccUas, lit. 'dryness,' is opposed to that pliysical state in which the body is affected with unwhole- some humors.

6. officia et mirnera : functions and duties ; a favorite phrase with Cicero. The two words are hei*e closely synonymous, and illustrate Cicero's fondness for grouping synonyms in pairs.

Fotest, etc. : as the position indicates, potest is specially emphatic, — it is possihle, therefore, for exercise and self-control to preserve, etc,

8. Ne sint, etc. : granting that there is not strength in old age, lit. let there not be strength.

9. a senectute : of old age.

10. muneribus eis quae, etc. : military service is meant.

11. non modo : here used for non modo non. This occurs regularly when the idea modified by non modo (non) is reserved for a second member introduced by ne . . . quidem.

quod non possumus : as antecedent of qxiod, understand id, Accusative of llesult with cogimur. A. & G. 238, b ; B. 176, 2, b ; H. 371, II.

13. At multi : at is here again used to introduce the view of an imaginary opponent ; but below in at id quidem, at introduces Cato's own reply.

14. nullum offici aut omnino vitae munus exsequi : no function of duty or any function of life at all. Under ofjici munera would fall obligations to the state, to one's family, or friends ; under vitae munera, the ordinary care of oue's person and attention to one's personal wants.

16. valetudinis : primarily health, but unless accompanied by some such word as bo7ia, it ordinarily means poor health; so here.

P. Africani : son of the elder Africanus ; his feeble health pre- vented his entering public life.

18. Quod ni ita fuisset : imless this had been so ; on ni for nisi, see note on p. 29, 1. 10.

alterum lumen : the second light ; the elder Africanus was the first.

illud: he (i.e. Africanifilius), attracted from ille by the neuter predicate noun, lumen.

exstitisset: lit. loould have stoodforth.

NOTES 75

10. paternam : his father'' s.

21. in senibus : in case of old men.

22. Resistendum : emphatic, as shown by the positiou, — the thing to do, Laeliiis and Scipio, is to resist old age.

24. pugnandum : sc. est. tamquam, sic : just as, so. 20. utendum : one must use. tantum cibi: {only) so much food.

27. ut reficiantur vires, non opprimantur : Subjunctive of Kesult.

28. subveniendum est : we must come to the relief of.

29. menti atque animo : wlien used with precisiou mens refers to the iutellect, animus to the feelings and will ; together the two words embrace all the mental and moral faculties.

haec quoque : i.e. mens and animus.

30. nisi tamquam, etc. : tamquani (• apologetic' ; see note on p. 3, 1. 19) modifies the entire phrasc lumini oleum instilles, — 'unless, so to speak, one keeps pouring oil into the lamp,' i.e. the oil of study and reflection into the lamp of the mind ; on instilles, cf. p. 14, 1. 22, with note.

31. corpora quidem : quidem serves merely to emphasize coi'- pora, and so to heighten the antithesis between corpora ingrave- scunt and aninii levantur.

32. exercendo : by exercising them. Ordinarily the subject of the gerund is the same as tliat of the verb with which tlie gerund is gram- matically connected. Xot so here ; the subject of levantur is animi ; while the subject of exercendo is general, ' by a man's using them.'

16. 1. quos ait, etc. : (those) whom Caecilius characterizes as foolish old men, fit subjects for comedy ; ait here takes tlie construction (unusual for this verb) of two accusatives, direct object and predicate accusative.

comicos, stultos senes : the quotation is from Caecilius's Epiclerus ('The Heiress').

hos significat, etc. : hy these he means, etc. ; lit. he means these (as being) credulous, etc. ; here again we have two accusa- tives, direct object and predicate accusative, a construction not elsewhere found with significo ; but cf. Cic. de Finibus, II, 14, 45, Honestum igitur id intellegimus.

76 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

2. credulos: the credulous father is a stock figure of Latin coiuedy.

disBolutos : shattered, hroken doion.

quae vitia: faults which ; cf. qiiem magistratum, p. 5, 1. 17.

3. inertis, ignavae : iners iuiplies merely a lack of activity, iynaviis refers rather to the dislncliuatiou to be active.

4. petulantia, libido : imntomiess, Inst.

6. sed non proborum : bict (merely) of those who are not upright; non prohorum is less abrupt than improborum would have been.

seniles : = senum, — tlie adjective for the genitive of the sub- stantive, as often in Latin.

7. deliratio : dotage.

9. tantam, tantas : i.e. so great, as is well known, hence nearly equivaleut to magnam, permagnam.

Appius : Appius Claudius Caecus ; see p. 8, 1. 3.

10. intentum : stretched.

11. languescens : the participle has tlie force of an adverb, — feeblij.

12. auctoritatem : referring possibly to the patria potestas, whicli gave the father absolute control over his children.

imperium : stronger thau auctoritas; technically imperium designated the absolute power with whicli tlie higher Roman magistrates (consul and praetor) were formally invested by the Comitia Curiata. Tlie word is here figuratively applied to a pri- vate individual.

13. verebantur : reverenced.

14. patrius : inherited from thefathers, i.e. 'the good old.' mos : in Euglish we sliould employ the phiral.

15. Ita enim: for on this condition ; ita is explained by the following si-clauses.

honesta : honorable, held in honor.

IG. emancipata est: is in hondage, lit. is sold; emancipare l)rimarily meant ' to transfer,' and was used not only of property and slaves, but also of freemen. Later it came to be used of the formal act of sale by wliich slaves were Hberated, and so acquired the meaning set free, — the exact opposite of the meaning in our ge.

NOTES 77

18. senile aliqiiid : « tonch of Ihe old man.

20. quod qui sequitur : he who makett this his ohject.

21. septimus liber Originum : Cato's Origines was an histori- cal work. The second aud third books treated of the origin and settlement of the Italian towns, whence the title of the work. Of the remaining books, the first dealt with the regal period, the fourth and fifth with the First and Second Punic wars ; the sixth and seventh brought the history down to Cato's own day.

est in manibus : i. e. is uncler way ; cf . habebat in manibus, p. 10, 1. 15.

23. nunc cum maxime: noio especially^ just now. This ex- pression, which is fairly frequent, results from an ellipsis ; thus here the full thought would have been expressed by nunc conjicio cum maxime conficio, ' I am now preparing, at a time when I am especially preparing,' i.e. 'I am preparing now especially.' Some- times cum maxime alone stands in the same sense.

24. conficio : i.e. prepare for publication. One hundred and fifty of Cato's speeches were known to Cicero, as he himself else- where tells us, Brntus, 17, 65.

ius augurium, pontificium, civile : ins augurinm was the codc of the augurs ; the ius pontificinm emanated from the pontifices, who had the oversight and direction of the religious observances of the state ; ins civile seems here to be contrasted with ius augurium and ius j)ontificium, i.e. the secular jurisprudence is opposed to the religious.

25. multum utor : make mttch use. On this adverbial use of multum, originally an Accusative of Ilesult, see A. «& G. 238, a ; B. 170, 3.

Pythagoreorum more : in the so-called 'Golden Verses' (xpvo-a eTrrj), formerly attributed to Pythagoras, occur the Unes :

fjL^5' vTTVop fjLaXaKOiaiv iir' ^fifxaa-i. irpoaSi^affdai irplv tQv T}iM€pivCjv epyujv rpli ^Kaarov iireXOeiv ' rri] irapi^r]v ; tL 8' epe^a; tL fwt 5iov ovk iTeXiaOr) ; dp^dfxevos 5' 6.Tr6 irpwTov iwi^idi Kal fieTiireiTa SetXA fiiv iKirpri^as iinTcXrfaaeo XP^*'"'"^ 5^ Tfpirov.

26. ezercendae memoriae gratia : to be taken only with com- memoro, not with Pythagoreorum more.

78 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

28. Haec : imusual form for hae, but found occasionally else- where in Cicero.

exercitationes ingeni : intellectual pursuits are contrasted with athletic training.

haec curricula mentis: as contrasted with the wrestling- or boxing-ground.

29. desudans : de- is intensive, as in depugnavi, p. 14, 1. 5.

30. desidero : as p. 12, 1. 8.

Adsum amicis : 7 assist my friends ; adesse is used especially in the sense of rendering legal assistance.

31. ultroque : o/ my own motion. The Roman senators in debate were not held closely to tlie question before the house. Cato, therefore, simply means tliat when he addressed the senate he exercised his parliamentary privilege, and brought up such matters as he saw fit.

32. easque tueor : Imaintain them, defend them, i.e. in debate. 17. 1. Quas exsequi nequirem : see note on p. 12, 1. 29,

qiiam si exsequi nequeas. lectulus : a sort of reading-couch or sofa.

2. ea ipsa cogitantem : planning those very things.

quae iam agere non possem : even tho7igh I could not carry them into execution; quae possem is a relative clause denoting a condition contrary to fact.

3. ut possim : emphatic by position, — that I can do so, is the result of my past life.

4. viventi : agreeing with ei understood, which is Dative of Agent witli i7itellegitur, — for hy a man living constantly in these pursuits and lahor, it is not noticed, etc.

5. Ita sensim, etc. : so gradually does life wane ; this is the ' retrospective ' ita ; i.e. the particle looks back to the preceding sentence, of which it furnishes a justification ; obBerve the alliter- ation in sensim sine sensu senescit.

CHAPTERS XII. -XVIII.

The third charge : Old age is devoid of pleasures. So much thlTheiter. 'FlmsWe reaiiy a oane, and the source of all evil. Condemnation of Epicurus^s theory that voluptas is the summum

NOTES 79

bonum. This ideal un-Roman. Ohl men not excluded from moderate physical enjoyment. Possibilities of intellectual pleas- ures, — literatnre, law, etc. The deli<jhts of farmimj surpass all others. Cato''^ own enthusiasm for the life of the farm. Xeno- pho7i^s endorsement. The satisfaction of loielding personal injlu- ence. The respect accorded old men of character.

0. quod . . . dicunt, etc. : the fact that they say it is devoid of pleasnres ; explanatory of tertia vituperatio. voluptatibus : i.e. bodily pleasures.

10. aetatis : here, old age.

11. accipite enim . . . veterem orationem : for listen to the loords uttered long ago.

12. Archytae: Archytas, of Tarentum, a famous Pythagorean philosopher who flourished about 400 n.c. He was eminent also as a mathematician, statesman, and general.

14. adulescens : as a young man ; in apposition with the sub- ject of essem.

Tarenti cum Q. Maximo : see p. 5, 1. 16.

16. a natura : nature is here personified ; hence the employ- raent of the preposition.

cuius voluptatis avidae : through eagerness for which, lit. eager for lohich pleasure ; but the repetition of the antecedent in the relative clause cannot be reproduced in English.

17. temere: blindly ; temere was originally the locative of a lost nominative temus, meaning ' darkness ' ; hence ' in the dark,' 'blindly,' later 'rashly,' ' heedlessly.'

ad potiendum ; for attaining it ; i.e. pleasure.

20. malum facinus : evil deed ; facinus here has its original force of 'act,' 'deed,' which is regular in early Latin. Cicero usually employs it in the sense of ' crime.'

22. impelleret : sc. homines.

23. flagitiimi: the voot Jlag-, appearing also in flagro, flamma, means ' to burn ' ; hence flagitium was primarily ' a burning shame.'

nisi : than, except.

24. cumque : a7id while. homini: i.e. mankind.

80 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

sive natura sive quis deus : he it nature or some god ; Cato does not attempt to deterinine which it was.

26. muneri ac dono : hoon and gift. The two words are here closely synonymous. When used with precision, donum is the general terni, mu7ius is more specific, being restricted to gracious gifts, or gifts bestowed for a special purpose.

27. libidine dominante: the ablative absolute here denotes both time and circumstance, — ' while lust is master' or 'under the rule of lust.'

temperantiae : Dative of Possession, — self-control has no place. neque omnino, etc. -. nor can virtue gain a footing at all in the realm of pleasure.

29. fingere animo : to imagine, conceive of; animo is ablative.

30. tanta, quanta, etc. ; just as much pleasure as coukl pos- sihltj he enjoyed; observe the emphasis secured by the position of maxima at the end of its clause.

32. tam diu dum : so long as ; an unusual form of expression for tam diu quam diu, or quam diu alone ; yet tam diu dum occurs in Cat. III, 16.

ita gauderet: took enjoyment in thisway, i.e. in unrestrained self-indulgence.

agitare : pursue.

18. 1. ratione : to be joined with conse^wi.

3. siquidem : here in the secondary meaning of since ; it is used differently above, p. 17, 1. 10.

maior atque longinquior : more intense and longer continued.

5. C. Pontio : his fuU name was Gaius Pontius Herennius. Ilis son, Gaius Pontius Telesinus, defeated the Komans at the battle of the Caudine Forks.

Caudino proelio : this disastrous defeat of the Roman arms occurred in the Second Samnite War, 321 b.c. The Roman army was forced to go ' under the yoke.'

7. locutum Arcbytam: supply esse ; the infinitive depends upon accepisse.

Nearchus : a philosopher of the Pythagorean school. hospes noster : noster for meus, as frequently.

8. qui . . . permanserat : ?(?/<o had remained loyal to the Roman people. Many of the Tarentines, through jealousy of

NOl-ES 81

Rome, had sympathized with the Carthaginians and had handed the city over to Hannibal in 212 n.c.

9. cum . . . interfuisset : Plato the Athenian having heen present at that conversation ; here again cmjh is entirely devoid of temporal force, and the clause is purely circumstantial ; see note on p. 8, 1. 13. The ctim-clause is to be taken, of course, only with locutum (esse).

11. L. Camillo, Ap. Claudio consulibus : this was in the year 349 b.c. Plato's last visit to Italy is said to have occurred in 361 n.c. Cicero, therefore, is probably in error here.

12. Quorsus hoc : supply dixi or some such word.

ut intellegeretis : the imperfect is used because the M<-clause is felt as depending upon dixi or some other verb of saying to be supplied, — / said this in order that ijou might understand. Hence also the other subordinate subjunctives in this passage are in the imperfect. In English we should use the present.

13. magnam . . . gratiam : great gratitude ought to be enter- tained toward old age.

14. quae efficeret, etc. : the relative clause has causal force, — lit. since it brings it about that that is not pleasant, lohich ought not (to be).

15. liberet : from libet.

16. ut ita dicam : so to speak ; the phrase is introduced as an apology for the unusual metaphor mentis oculos.

18. invitus feci ut eicerem : a periphrasis for invitus eieci. Special emphasis rests upon invitus, — it loas unwiUingly that I removed.

T. Flaminini : already mentioned p. 1, 1. 1.

19. L. Flamininiun : he had served under his brother in the Macedonian War..

e senatu eicerem : this was in 184 n.c. The censors possessed the right of degrading any citizen whose conduct in their opinion raerited punishment.

20. post quam consul fuisset: the subjunctive here is due entirely to attraction, the clause being felt as an integral part of the thought begun in ut eicerem. Flaraininus had been consul in 192 B.c. Hence the interval was really eight years, not seven, as stated by Cicero.

82 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

notandam : notare was the technical term for designating the official action of the censors in rebuking the conduct of a citizen, just as nota was used of the ' mark ' or ' brand ' put upon him.

21, libidinem : imntonness.

cum esset consul in Gallia : when he was in Gaul in his consulship. GalUa in Cato's time applied only to cis-Alpine Gaul, i.e. northern Italy.

22. a scorto : according to the account given by Livy XXXIX, 42, the scortitm referred to was not a woman, but a young lad with whom Flaniinirms sustained immoral relations. Livy further adds that the man executed was a noble Boian who had fled to Flami- ninus for protection.

securi feriret : behead, lit. strike with the axe. Livy says Flamininus stabbed the Boian with his own hand.

24. Tito censore : in 189 b.c. The censors were chosen every five years, but held office for eighteen months only.

25. elapsus est : i.e. escaped punishment.

mihi et Flacco : Cato and Flaccus were censors in 184 b.c. In 195 they had been colleagues in the consulship.

27. quae coniimgeret : Clause of Characteristic with accessory notion of cause, since itjoined.

imperi dedecus: disgrace to the imperium, with which the consul had been formally invested. See note on p. 16, 1. 12.

30. porro : in turn, lit. further on. More commonly porro looks forward to the future.

mirari : i.e. express his wonder.

81. Fabricium : see note on p. 8, 1. 1.

apud Pyrrhum: i.e. at Pyrrhus's headquarters. In 281 b.c. Pyrrlius had crossed over from Epirus to Italy to assist the Tarcn- tines in war against the Romans.

32, Cinea : Cineas, a valued adviser of Pyrrhus. He had been a pupil of Demosthenes, and was distinguisliod as an orator.

quendam : the reference is to Epicurus, founder of the philo- sophical school that bears his name. Epicurus was bom at Samos 342 B.c, and taught at Athens from 306 till his death in 270 b.c. He did not, however, as here intimated, make sensual pleasure the chief end of life. It was happiness in the sense of the high- est bodily, mental, and spiritual tranquillity (dra^a^fa) that he

NOTES 88

declared to be the snmimm bonnm. Yet his doctrines easily came to be iiiisunderstood and perverted, so that ultimately Epicurean- ism becauie synonymous with pliysical self-indulgence.

19. 1. se sapientem profiteretur : sH np for a philosopher.

2. ad voluptatem : i.e. to pleasure as a standard or ideal.

3. Curium, Conmcanium : see p. 8, 1. 1. optare : i.c to express tlie wish.

4. ut id Samnitibus . . . persuaderetur : that the Samnites and Pijrrhus himself miyht he convinced of this ; id is the Accusa- tive of Result retained in the passive.

G. Vixerat : i.e. had been intimate.

P. Decio : his f uU name was PubUus Decius Mus.

7. eum : i.e. Curius.

8. se devoverat : this was in 295 n.c. at the Battle of Sentlnum, in which the Romans defeated the combined forces of the Gauls and Samnites. Decius's grandfather, P. Decius Mus, had previ- ously offered his life in the same way at the Battle of Veseris, 340 B.c. The act of devotio was a formal one, and was accom- panied by a regular ceremonial. The citizen who thus 'devoted himself ' put on the cinctiis Gabimis, and mounting a charger rode to death in the midst of the enemy. The sacrifice was believed to propitiate the gods of the lower world, and thus to ensure victory.

9. cum . . . tum : 7iot only . . . but also.

ex eius, quem dico, Deci facto : from the act of him tohom I mention, viz., Decius.

10. natura pulchrum atque praeclarum : naturally noble and glorious.

11. quod sua sponte peteretur, etc. : to be songhtfor its oim sake, and for all the best men to pursne, scorning and despising pleasure; the subjunctives are not merely subordinate clauses in indirect discourse, but are relative clauses of purpose as well, and would be in the subjunctive even in direct statement.

13. Quorsus: elliptical, as p. 6, 1. 21.

14. vituperatio nulla: i.e. constitutes no ground of blarae.

16. Caret . . . caret : in the first caret the idea of deprivation is prominent, in the second tlie idea of avoiding.

17. frequentibus poculis : round after ronnd of cups.

18. si aliquid dandimi est: if some concession must be made.

84 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

20. divine : hardly stronger than the English^neZi/ or admirably. escam malonim: the hait of sin; nialorum is Possessive Geni-

tive. Cf. Plato, Timaeus, 09 I), tjSovtjv fjL^ia-Tov KaKov di\eap.

21. quod videlicet : evidently because.

24. C. Duellium: he had defeated tlie Carthaginian fleet off Mylac, a town on the nortli coast of Sicily, in 200 b.c.

25. senem : Duellius was probably seventy-five years old when Cato was a lad of ten.

20. delectabatur : Cato began by citing Duellius as an illustra- tion of liis assertion that old men can enjoy moderate banciuets, but having once mentioned DuelHus he goes on after tlie rambling fashion of an old man to relate other circumstances whicli have no connection whatever witli the point at issue. Cf. the similar digressions, p. 5, 1. 13 ; p. 11, 1. 9 ; p. 24, 1. 23.

nuUo exemplo : icithout precedent, lit. in accordance tcith no example.

27. privatus : as a private citizen.

28. alios : supply commemorem, or some such word. iam : straightway.

29. Primiun: in the first place ; primum leads us to expect deinde later on, instead of which the second point is introduced by ego quoque, p. 20, 1. 10.

sodales : this corresponds approximately to our ' club-friends ' ; a sodalis was a member of a sodalitas, a club organized sometimes for social purposes only, at other times, as here, for the mainten- ance of a special ritual. In either case banqueting seems to have been a recognized feature of the organization.

30. Magnae Matris : i.e. in honor of the Great Mother of the gods, Cybele. Ilcr Greek designation of /xeydXr] fnfjTrfp suggested the name of tlie Mcgalesian Games (Ludi Megalenses).

me quaestore : 204 n.c.

31. sacris Idaeis acceptis : the ablative absolute here denotes time, — at the time the Idaean worship was introduced. The wor- ship of Cybele is called Idaean because one of her chief sanctuaries was situated on Mount Ida in the Troad. The cult of Cybele was introduced in accordance with the directions of an oracle, which had bidden the Romans to bring to the city a meteoric stone wor- shippcd as thc image of Cybele atPessTnus in Galatia.

Epulabar igitur : igitur is merely transitional, as p. 7, 1. 29.

NOTES 86

32. omnino modice : moderately loithal.

aetatis: \\qvg, of youth.

20. 1. qua progrediente : and as life advances ; qtia, thougli referring to aetatis, does not refer to it in the sense of youth, — the meaning which aetatis lias in coiniection witli fervor, — but in the general sense of life.

omnia fiunt mitiora : i.e. all pleasures grow less keen, lose their edge.

3. coetu amicorum et sermonibus : the logical contrast is not so inuch between voluptatibus and coetu et sermonihus, as between corporis and coetu et sermonibus. Cato means to say that he gauged his enjoyments not so mucli by pleasures of the body as by those derived from meeting his friends and talking with them.

4. Bene enim, etc. : for our fathers did well in calling the reclining of friends at table a ^- convivium,' because it involved a living together.

7. tum compotationem, tum concenationem : noto a dnnk- ing together, now an eating together; the Greek designations referred to are a-vfnrSa-iov and avp8enrvov.

8. quod in eo genere minimum est : ichat is of least conse- quence in that sort (of thing), i.e. the niere satisfaction of the appetite as opposed to the delights of social intercourse.

11. tempestivis conviviis : protracted banquets ; a convivium tempesfivum was one that began early, before tlie usual time (2 or 3 P.M.), and so lasted long.

12. qui pauci admodum: very few of ichom; for quorum pauci admodnm.

cum vestra aetate : i.e. witli those of your time of life.

14. quae auxit : the relative clause here has causal force, — since it has increased.

auxit, sustulit : note the adversative asyndeton, — has in- creased, . . but has removed. B. 340, b.

IG. ne videar : explaining the purpose of the assertion.

omnino : i.e. war to the knife, lit. allogether.

17. cuius est . . . naturalis modus: a certain measure of which, perhaps, isjustijied by natnre.

18. ne in istis quidem ipsis voluptatibus : even in those very pleasures; ne . . . quidem after a negative, as p. 4, 1. 30.

86 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

sensu: feeJuKj.

19. magisteria : lit. presidencies^ i.e. the custom of having a presiding officer {magister hibendi) at a banquet to direct the drinking and the talk. The magisCer bibendi was usually chosen by a throvv of the dice.

20. qui a summo adhibetur in poculo : lohich is held over the loine, beyinning at the head ofthe table, lit. from the top.

22. minuta atque rorantia : rorantia defies translation ; the word is here used by Cicero to render the Greek ^Trt^eKcifw of Xenophon, Syinposium, ii. 26. L.iterally roro means 'to bedew,' 'moisten' ; here it suggests the few drops (as of dew) which the cups contained.

refrigeratio aestate : a cool apartment in summer ; the temporal ablative aestate serves (quite irregularly) as an attributive modifier of refrigeratio, corresponding to hibernus with sol and ignis.

23. sol aut ignis hibemus : sun or fire in lointer. quae quidem : a programme which, in fact.

24. in Sabinis : on my Sabine farm. Sabinis is masculine. By a peculiar idiom the llomans used the name of a people dwell- ing in a district to designate an estate situated there ; hence mei Sabini, mei Tusci, lit. my JSabines, my Tuscans, in the sense of 'my Sabine estate,' ' my Tuscan estate.'

conviviiun vicinorum compleo : fi.ll up the feast with my neighbors. Verbs of filling are more commonly construed wlth the ablative, but occasionally take the genitive after the analogy of jylenus.

25. ad multam noctem quam maxime possumus: as far into the night as possible.

27. quasi titillatio: titillatio properly means 'tickling' ; here it is transferred to denote keenness of sensation ; hence the ' apolo- getic' quasi; see note on p. 3, 1. 19.

28. desideratio : longing ; the word does not occur elsewhere in this sense.

nihil autem est molestum, etc. : the thought is inaccurately expressed. Cicero really means : ' the lack of a thing that you do not want, is not annoying.'

20. Bene Sophocles : sc. dixit.

31. uteretume rebus veneriis : enjoyed the delights of love.

NOTES 87

Di meliora: elliptical for di meliora duint (= dent), — Ueaven forhid ! 'V\\g quotation is f rom Plato, Republic, I, 329 C.

32. istinc : i.e. ab istis rebns veneriis.

21. 2. satiatis et expletis : the two words are closely synony- mous ; see note on p. 15, 1. 5.

3. Quamquam: corrective; see p. 1, 1. 7.

4. hoc non desiderare: this absence of longing ; hoc limits the substantive iilea represented by the intinitive.

5. bona aetas : i.e. youth.

6. libentius : with greater zest. primum : in the first place {I will say).

7. potitur : apparently used to avoid the repetition of frtiitur, which has already occurred twice in the sentence.

8. Turpione Ambivio : Ambivius Turpio, an actor and theat- rical manager of the time of Terence, in whose plays he often apijeared. When the praenomen is omilted the two other names are occasionally transposed as here. Such transposition is rela- tively rare in Cicero, but occurs with great frequency in later writers, especially Tacitus.

9. in prima cavea : in the front part of the theatre ; the name cavea, lit. hollow space, was applied to the sloping rows of seats in a theatre.

spectat : used absoUitely, — looks on.

delectatur tamen, etc. : yet he also is pleased xoho looks on from the back part (of the theatre) ; supply cavea with ultima, and spectat with qui.

11. propter: adverbial, — (from) near at hand.

12. tantum quantum sat est: modifying delectatur ; the ex- pression is periphrastic for the simple satis, ' sufficiently ' ; sat, for satis, is archaic.

13. At illa quanti sunt animum . . . secum esse, etc. : but what a precious thing it is for the mind to be with itself, etc. lUa is explained by the foUowing appositional inflnitives esse and vivere. The singular, illud, might have been used instead of illa ; quanti is Genitive of Value.

14. tamquam emeritis stipendiis libidinis: having finished the service of lust, so to speak ; stipendia emereri lit. means to $erve out oiie^s campaigns, i.e. to serve the number prescribed by

88 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

law. The boldness of the figure calls forth the ' apologetic ' particle tamqtiam. The Roniau writers are particularly foncl of military figures.

15. secumque, ut dicitur, vivere : iit dtcitur, like quod aiunt, p. 9, 1. 30, indicates that tlie expression was a current or proverbial one.

16. aliquod tamquam pabulum, etc. : some food for study, so to speak ; pahulum is properly fodder for animals ; hence the 'apologetic' tamquam.

18. otiosa : i.e. free frora public service or responsibility.

- Exerceri : engaged. On the reading see Critical Appendix.

19. paene : limiting caeli et terrae.

C. Gallum : Gaius Sulpicius Gallus, a man eminent as an astron- omer. Ile served under L. Aemilius in the campaign against Per- seus, and by his prediction of an eclipse saved the army from panic. In 106 n.c. he filled the oflBce of consul.

20. patris tui : i.e. Aemilius Paulus.

21. describere : i.e. to draw some chart astronomical or geo- graphical.

oppressit : snrprised.

22. quam delectabat eum : how it delighted him! The sub- ject of delectahat is praedicere.

23. multo ante: i.e. long before the actual eclipse.

24. levioribus : less severe.

acutis: i.e. demanding ^e€nnes.s, acumen.

25. bello Pimico Naevius : the allusion is to Naevius's cele- brated epic poem in Saturnian verse on the First Punic War, in which Naevius had taken an active part. Only a few fragnients of this work have come down to us.

quam Truculento Plautus, quam Pseudolo: T. Maccius Plautus, the greatest Komau writer of comedy, lived from 254 to 184 K.c. Aniong tlie twenty plays of Plautus that have been pre- served, the Truculentus takes low rank ; the Pseudohis, on the other hand, is one of tlie best.

26. Vidi etiam senem Livium: I saio Livius too when hewas an old man. Tlie reference is to Livius Andronlcus (283-204 n.c), not to be confounded with tlie historian Livy (Titus Livius Pata- vinus) , who lived more than two centuries later. Livius Andronl-

NOTES 89

cus, though not the first Latni writer, was the real pioneer of Roman literature. Ile had conie to Kome as a slave after the capt- ure of Tarentuni (275 u.c), and in 240 n.c, six years before the birth of Cato, had brought out the first play at Rome. One of his most celebrated works was the translation of the Odyssey into Saturnians.

27. cum fabulam docuisset : having hrought out a play ; another circumstantial CMw-chiuse ; see p. 8, 1. 13 ; fabulam docere^ lit. 'teach a play,' i.e. teach the actors their parts, is the regular phrase for ' bringing out a play.'

29. Quid: lohf/?

30. P. Licini Crassi : see note on p. 12, 1. 20.

31. huius P. Scipionis: the Publius Scipio now living; the reference is to P. Cornelius Scipio Nasica Corculum.

his paucis diebus : a few days ago, lit. in the course of these few days. 22. 1. senes: when old men.

2. M. Cethegum: mentioned p. 5, 1. 18, as a colleague of Tuditanus in the consulship (204 b.c).

Suadae medullam : the quintessence (lit. marroxo) of Persua- sion, i.e. of eloquence. Suadae is a translation of the Greek

3. exerceri : as p. 21, 1. 18.

6. comparandae : sc. sunt, deserve to be compared.

7. prudentibus et bene institutis : in case of wise and well- trained men ; Dative of Reference.

8. honestimi : i.e. does its author credit : honestus when applled to thiiigs often means ' conferring honor.'

illud Solonis quod ait: that observation of Solon, ichich he makes.

9. versiculo quodam: see note on p. 11, 1. 30. The verse was a dactylic pentameter ; hence the diminutive versiculus, as denot- ing a verse shorter than the hexameter.

13. nec : correlative with et after senectute.

14. ad sapientis vitam : i.e. to the (ideal) life of a philosopher. proxime accedere : to make the nearest approach.

15. Habent rationem, etc. : the whole passage abounds in mer- cantile figures: habent rationem, ' keep account' ; mmquam recu-

90 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

sat imperium, ' never refuses tlieir draft' ; nec umquam sine usura reddit, 'iiever passes a dividentl.' See Critical Appendix.

cum terra : loith Mother Earth ; terra is here pei"sonified, being conceived as the banker witli whom account is kept.

17. alias: liere = somef «hcs, correlative witli the following jj^e- rumque.

19. vis ac natura : power and nature.

20. Quae cum, etc. : explanatory of the foregoing sentence, — for lohen she, etc.

gremio : 07i her l/osom : the ablative is strictly instrumental, though doubtless possessing, even to tlie lloman mind, a sUght locative force.

moUito ac subacto : hroken tip and made mellow, i.e. by plough- ing; hysteron proteron, B. 374, 7 ; II. 630, V. 2.

21. primum occaecatum, etc. : Jiist she holds it in hiding, from which (circumstance) the (process) lohich accomplishes that is called ^ occatio'' (Jiarrowing) . Cicero means that tlie Romans applied the name occatio to harrowing because that operation hid (occaecavit) the seed under the surface of the soil ; but this ety- mology, like so many others suggested by ancient writers, is purely fanciful and phonetically impossible.

22. quae hoc efficit, nominata est : both the relative quae and the subject of nominata est have been attracted into the gender of the predicate noun occatio. Logically we should have expected quod and nominatxim est, but attraction is practically the rule in cases like this.

deinde tepefactum vapore, etc. : then when she has warmed it (the seed) with the heat of her embrace, she makes it expand ; note the hendiadys in vapore et compressu.

23. elicit: hrings forth.

24. herbescentem viriditatem : the green-growing plant, lit. the bladed greenness.

stirpium : we should have expected stirpis.

25. erecta : with reflexive force, — raising itself.

26. vaginis: i.e. each new joint is protected by a sheath or bract.

iam quasi pubescens : tvith the down of youth, so to spenk, already upon it ; pubesco strictly applies to boys whose cheeks are

NOTES 91

just beginning to show the down of youth. Cicero here applies the word to a growing plant, but witli an apology (qitasi) for the boldness of tlie tigure.

e quibus : i.e. froni the vuginae.

27. fiindit: brings forth ; suggesting abundance.

spici ordiue structam: arranged in regular ears, lit. in the orderliness of the ear. Note that Cicero here uses spicum, i; the usual word is spica, ae.

29. Quid: wh)j/

ortus, satus : ortus seems to refer to the springing up of vines, satus to tlieir planting. Observe the use of the plural to denote repeated instances.

30. ut noscatis : not the purpose of satiari, but of Cato's state- raent, — ' this I say that you niay Ivnow.'

32. vim ipsam : i.e. the natural capacity. omnium : neuter ; = omnium rerum ; see note on p. 2, 1. 8. quae generantur e terra : a circumlocution for plants, for whicli Latin has no single word. 23. 1. tantulo : i.e. so tiny as we know them. acini vinaceo : the stone of a grape.

3. procreet : Subjunctive of Cliaracteristic, with accessory notion of cause, — since it brings forth.

Malleoli, plantae, sarmenta, viviradices, propagines : mal- lets, sprouts, cuttings, divisions, layers. A " layer " (propago) is a shoot whose tip, either naturally or artificially, has become em- bedded in tlie earth and has talten root. Our common raspberry propagates itself naturally in this way. A " division " {yiviradix) is the name technically applied to a vertical section of a plant, re- taining a part of tlie stem and root of tlie parent. " Cuttings" (sarmenta) are clipped from terminal twigs ; cf, sarpo, ' prune/ ' clip the ends.' " Sprouts" (plantae) are the slender shoots that spring up about the base of a slirub or tree, or at times appear sporadically on the trunk itself. " Mallets " (tnalleoli) differ from "cuttings" in that they are cut in the particular shape indicated by their name.

4. nonne efficiunt ut delectent : merely a periphrasis for nonne delectant ? Cf. p. 18, 1. 18, invitus feci ttt eicerem.

6. quemvis : i.e. even the least appreciative observer.

92 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

ciim admiratione delectent: i.e. fill witli admiration and delight.

6. natura caduca est : is naturally trailing. fertur: sinks.

7. eadem : to be taken with vifis, — the vine again.

8. serpentem multiplici cursu et erratico : winding in mani- fold and straggling course.

9. ferro : i.e. the pruning-knife.

10. ars agricolarum : the skilful hushandmen, the abstract for the concrete.

11. nimia : too far.

12. in eis : i.e. in those shoots.

quae relicta sunt : viz. , af ter pruning, hence those shoots which have not been clipped in the pruning process.

tamquam ad articulos : at the joints, so to speak; articulus properly applies to the joint in an animal organism ; hence the necessity of some apologetic particle here.

13. ea quae gemma dicitur : by attraction for id quod gemma dicitur (see note on p. 22, 1. 22) ; gemma meant originally ' out- growth,' 'bud' (gemma for *gen-ma, root gen-, seen in gen-us, genitus) ; the meaning 'gem,' 'jewel,' was a secondary develop- ment. Cicero apparently imagined the reverse to be true.

14. suco : moisture.

16. nec . . . et : correlative, as p. 22, 1. 13.

17. ardores : the plural as in ortus, satus, p. 22, 1. 29.

18. cum . . . tum : either . . . or.

fructu laetius, aspectu pulchrius : pleasanter to enjoy, fairer to behold. Notice that laetus is here transferred in meaning from glad to gladdening ; so below, 1. 32 ; fructu and aspectu are nouns, not supines.

20. adminiculorum ordines : rows of stakes, to support the vines.

21. capitum iugatio : joining the tops of the stakes by cross- pieces, a method still practised in Italian vineyards.

religatio et propagatio : tying up and training ; religatio occurs only here ; propagatio refers to guiding the course of the new growth and giving the fresh shoots the proper direction.

23. aliorum immissio: the allowing others to groio, viz., those

NOTES 93

spoken of above as quae relicta siint; immissio occurs only here in this seuse, but immitto iu the seuse of ' let grow ' is well attested.

24, repastinationesque : i.e. diggiug up the earth with the pastinum, a two-prouged fork.

26. dixi : i.e. about those things.

eo libro, quem de rebus rusticis scripsi : the reference is to Cato's de Agricultura, a work on fanuing, wliich has come down to us. The discussion of nianuriug is in chapter 28 of that treatise.

27. de qua doctus Hesiodus : about ichich Ilesiod, tcith all his learning, said never a icord, thouijh he lorote onfarming. On Hesiod, see note on p. 10, 1. 19. Hesiod's treatinent of farining is found in his Works and Days. Note the fine scorn of Cato at this serious defect in the work of his Greek predecessor.

28. At Homerus : Homer, in Cato's opinion, has done some- what better.

29. multis ante saeculis fuit : lived many generations earlier ; fuit = vixit.

Laertam lenientem desiderium : Laertes endeavoring to as- suage the longing ; couative use of the present participle. The alki- siou seeras to be to the picture of Laertes giveu iu Odyssey, XXIV, 226, but in that passage there is no mention of mauuriug. Laertes is simply represeuted as digging about the roots of tlie plants.

30. quod capiebat e filio : which he felt for his son, viz., the absent Ulysses, lit. ivhich he took from (in consequence of) his son.

colentem et eum stercorantem : tliese show tlie means, — assuaging his longing hy tilling the ground and manuring it. When two verbs goveru the same object, it is unusual to express the pronoun with the second as here.

31. facit : represents.

segetibus : standing crops of grain ; this and the following ablatives denote cause.

32. res rusticae : farm life. laetae : pleasant, as above, 1. 18. 24. 1. hortis : vegetahle gardens.

2. florum omnium : flowers of all kinds.

3. consitiones, insitiones : planting (of trees), grafting.

94 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

5. Fossum persequi : / might enumemte. The Latin com- monly employs tlie indieative of possitm in cases like this, where the English idiom vvould lead us to expect the subjunctive.

6. ea ipsa : sc. oblectamenta, — these very attractions.

7. longiora : i.e. have been dwelt upon at too great length. Ignoscetis autem : but pardon me ; as frequently, the future

indicative has imperative force.

8. provectus sum : / have been carried on. loquacior : rather talkative.

9. ne videar : see note on ne indixisse videar, p. 20, 1. 16. Ergo in hac vita : the emphasis rests upon the phrase in hac

vita, — this, noio, is the kind of life in which Manius Curius spent the close of his days.

10. Curius : see note on p. 8, 1. 1. de Samnitibus : over the Samnites.

12. Cuius quidem, etc. : the mention of Curius's name irre- sistibly leads Cato to relate a famous incident ilhistrative of Curius's character. That Cato himself feels this to be a digres- sion, is clearly shovvn by the words below (1. 19) : sed venio ad agricolas, ne a me ipso recedam.

15. Samnites . . . repudiati sunt: this incident occurred after tlie subjugation of the Samnites. Curius had become their patronus at Rome, and the gold had been brought as a gift, not as a bribe ; nevertheless hc refused it.

16. non enim : 7ion belongs closely with aurum habere, — fie said it loas not the possession of gold that seemed excellent to him, but commanding those who had it.

18. Poteratne: -ne regularly derives its force from the con- text ; here it is equivalent to num.

19. non iucundum : other than pleasant. Cf. p. 4, 1. 31, non gravis.

20. ne a me ipso recedam : lest I wander from my subject.

In agris: emphatic, — the country in those days tms the home of senators ; tum does not refer to tlie time of Curius, but simply in a general way to the early days. Cincinnatus lived a century and a half before Curius.

21. id est senes : i.e. senator hy its very derivation implies senex.

NOTES 95

si quidem aranti, etc. : aranti is the empliatic word, — ifindeed L. Qiiinctius Cincinnatus ims ploughingy wlieti the news xcas hromjht, etc.

L. Qxiinctio Cincinnato : Cincinnatus was twice dictator, 458 and 439 n.c.

22. esse factum : we should have expected dictum esse, dicta- torem dicere being the technical phrase for 'to appoint a dictator.'

23. cuius dictatoris iussu: bij ichose command ichen dictator ; another digression ; see note on p. 5, 1. 13.

24. Sp. Maelium : viz. in 439 n.c. In a time of great scarcity Maelius had sold gi'ain at a merely nominal price, and thus in- curred the charge of aiming at regal power. When suminoned before Cincinnatus, he refused to appear. Thereupon Ahala attacked and killed him ; but for this high-handed act, he was himself arraigned, and escaped punishment only by witlidrawing into voluntary exile.

occupatum interemit : forestalled and put to death ; occupatum means that Ahala prevented Maelius from executing his alleged design.

25. A villa, etc. : Hwas from their countrij estates that Ciirius and the 7'est loere summoned.

20. ceteri senes: i.e. the others wliom everybody recalls.

ex quo : in consequence of xohirh.

viatores: lit. travellers ; the very name of the oflficials who gave the notification is held by Cato to show that the men notified lived at a distance from the city.

27. horum qui: not, of those loho (which would be eorum qui), but, ofthese men (I have mentioned)., in as much as they, etc.

28. agri cultione : for the usual agri cultura.

mea quidem sententia: in my opitiion, at least, whatever others may think.

29. haud scio an nulla, etc. : / am inclined' to think that none, etc. This is the regular force of haud scio an in Cicero. B. 300, 5.

30. officio : as regards the occupation, lit. fnnction, duty.

31. salutaris : wholesome.

25. 1. ad cultum deorum: i.e. the farm supplies the first fruits and the victims offered to thc gods.

96 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

2. ut in gratiam iam cimi voluptate redeamus : so that we are already ijcttiiKj on ijood tcrms ayain with j^leasure ; alludiiig to Cato's earnest invective against pleasure in chapter xii.

4. olearia: sc. cella. Butter was practically unknown to the Ronians ; olive oil took its place, as it does still in Italy.

penaria : sc. cella^ pantry.^ larder.

5. locuples: i'.e. richly supplied.

porco, haedo, agno, gallina: pork, kid's flesh, lamh, p>oultry ; all these words are here used with collective force.

6. lam : moreover; here used as a particle of transition.

7. succidiam alteram : the second meat siipply, lit. the second flitch ; succidia properly designates a ' side ' or ' flitch ' of bacon. Cato means that the products of the garden are so many and so valuable that they constitute a safe reliance, should flesh be lacking.

Conditiora, etc. : foioling and hunting give these things (i.e. the attractions already enumerated) a greater zest hy occupying one's leisure. Special emphasis rests upon conditiora, but it is very difficult to bring this out in translation.

11. brevi praecidam : I will cut off (allfnrther remarks) with (this) hrief statement. As object of praecidam understand sermo- nem or some similar word ; hrevi is explained by what follows.

Agro bene culto, etc. : the emphasis rests on agro^ — as com- pared with a well-tiUed farm nothing can he, etc.

13. invitat atque allectat : synonyms, as p. 15, 1. 5.

14. illa aetas : i.e. men of that time of life.

15. calescere vel apricatione melius vel igni : hask more comfortahly in the snn or hy the fire.

10. aquis : this probably refers to baths. refrigerari : cool themselves ; reflexive.

Sibi habeant : let them keep to themselves ; as subject of haheant understand iuvenes.

17. clavam : the clava was a kind of foil used by soldiers in practice.

18. pilam : various games of ball were played by the Romans, but none in which the bat was used.

19. ex lusionibus multis : ont of many sports.

talos et tesseras : tali, lit. ' knuckle bones,' were dice with

NOTES 97

four flat sides and two round ones ; the tesscrae Iiad six sidcs like our (lice.

20. id ipsum ut lubebit : even that (thnj may do or not) as they please; i.e. they niay eithergrant the dice or withhold thein ; id ipsum is the object of some verb to be supplied, —faciant, ft)r exaniple.

24. copiose : eJoqnenthjyWt. ahiindantly, JnlUj.

25. qui est, qui inscribitur : we should naturally expect a connective with qni inscrihitur, — 'and which is entitled ; ' its absence is usually explained as due to the parenthetical nature of the clause qui est de tuenda re.

de tuenda re familiari : on the care ofp>roperty. Oeconomicus : this work, as its name suggests, treats of the management of an estate (ol/cos, vofiiu}). 2G. ut intellegatis : see note on p. 22, 1. 30, ut noscatis. regale: princely, i.e. worthy of a prince.

27. in eo libro : viz, in chapter iv., sections 20-25. loquitur cum Critobulo : in conversation loith Critohulus says;

Critobulus was a disciple of Socrates.

28. C^rnun minorem, Persarum regem : Cyrus, the Younger, who fell at Cunaxa (401 n.c.) in the attempt to wrest the throne from his brother Artaxerxes. See Xenophon, Anabasis, I, 7-9. Cyrus was never king, but simply the son of King Darius, and satrap of the provinces of Lydia, Phrygia, and Cappadocia ; hence re(jem in this passage means no more than ' prince,' ' ruler.'

29. Lysander Lacedaemonius : the distinguished Spartan leader ; he commanded at Aegospotami, 405 n.c.

30. vir summae virtutis : a man of the greatest ahility ; virtutis here cannot refer to high moral worth ; Lysander's character was not above reproach.

ad eum Sardis : to him at Sardis. Sardis (^SdpScu) is accu- sative plural. A. & G. 259, h ; B. 182, 2, h. Sardis was the capital of Cyrus's satrapy.

31. a sociis: i.e. the Lacedaemonians and the other Pelopon- nesian states that were leagued against Athens in the Peloponnesiaii War. Cyrus assisted Lysander and the Spartans with large sums of money in this struggle. Ilis objcct was to secure Spartan assistance in carrying out his designs upon the throne of Persia.

98 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

et (ceteris) : et is correlative witli et following/msse. 32. hiunanum : kindly.

26. 1. consaeptum agrum : park ; this phrase is used to ren- der the Greek irapdbciaos ; hence the absence of et before consitum. consitum : planted with trees, in rows or groups.

2. proceritates : the plural, because there were raany trees (arbores), eacli of which was procera.

3. in quincuncem : quincunx was the name of the five-spot on a die !•*• Hence in qui)icuncem is used to designate an arrange- ment of trees by which the lines run diagonally as in the following diagram :

4. subactam : i.e. carefuUy cultivated. Cf. p. 22, 1. 20. puram : i.e. free from weeds, stones, etc.

5. afflarentur : ivere icafted.

eum dixisse : dependcnt on loquitur above.

7. dimensa atque discripta: laid oxit and arranged; note the passive uso of the deponent dimensa; cf. adejUam, p. 3, 1. 1.

8. ego ista sum dimensus : ego is emphatic ; / am the one loho laid out thcse things that you see.

mei sunt ordines, etc. : mine are the roios, mine the arrange- ment.

11. purpuram : i.e. his purple robe. nitorem corporis : the elegance of his person.

12. multo auro multisque gemmis : Ablative of Quality. Rite, etc. : with reason do they call yo7i happy.

13. f erunt : the subject is general, — people.

quoniam virtuti tuae fortxma coniuncta est: as shown by the word order, the emphasis rests upon virtuti, — loith reason do people call you happy, since it is to inherent worth (virtus) that your prosperity is joined. Cyrus's virtus is recognized by Lysander in his personal attention to the improvement of his estate ; fortuna

NOTES 09

refcrs to his advantages as a prince, — purpitra, nitor, gemmnc, aurum. See Critical Appendix.

14. Hac igitur fortuna: this now is the happy lot ; irjitnr, as so frequently, siniply resumes the substance of the foregoiiig dis- cussion, — here of chapters xv. and xvi, on the delights of fann life.

15. aetas : old age.

impedit : the object {nos) is omitted, being readily supplied In thought froni the following quominus clause,

et (ceterarum rerum) et (agri colendi) : the EngHsh idiom here is either . . . or.

16. usque ad ultimimi : iip to the very last.

17. M. Valerimn Corvinum : in the Gallic War of 349 n.c. M. Valerius Corvinus defeated a gigantic Gaul in single combat. During the struggle a raven {corvus) is said to have perclied upon Corvinus's helmet, and to have lent him assistance by flying in the face of his antagonist ; whence the surname Corvinus.

18. perduzisse : sc. studia agri colendi, — continued the pur- suits offarming.

19. cum esset . . . coleret : still remaining on the farm and cultivating it after his life was already spent ; aetas here covers tlie period of an ordinary lifetime, corresponding to our " tliree score years and ten." For the c?n>i-clauses, sce note on p. 8, 1. 13; for acta aetate we sliould have expected exacta aetate.

20. primiun et sextum consulatum : Corvinus's lirst consul- ship was in 349 b.c, his sixth in 299. Cicero's reckoning, there- fore, betrays an error.

22. maiores : supply in sense nostri.

ad senectutis initium : up to the heginning of old age, i.e. from birth. Old age (seiiectiis) properly began at sixty, but Cicero is here tliinking rather of tlie aetas seniorum, tlie time when men became exempt from military service ; this was at forty-six.

esse voluenmt : alloioed, lit. xoished to be.

23. cursus honorum : the technical expression denoting official career, inckiding all offices from the quaestorship to the consulship,

huius extrema aetas : the latter part of his life.

24. hoc : explained by the clause quod habebat. auctorltatis : influence.

100 (JATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

25. apez: the croroning glory ; apex prinuirily designated the pointed piece of wood inserted in the top of the cap worn by the flainens.

20. fuit : sc. auctoritas.

L. Caecilio Metello : see note on p. 13, 1. 14.

27. A. Atilio Calatino : Calatinus was twice consul (258 and 254 n.c.) and once dictator (249 b.c.) in the First Punic War.

illud : the following.

elogium : epitajyh. The word is derived from the Greek iXeyeTov, ' epitaph,' ' sepulchral inscription.' English eulogy is not re- lated.

28. Hunc unum : this man above all others. gentes : used in the technical sense.

29. populi : with viruni.

30. carmen: i.e. the entire epitaph, of which Cato cites only two lines.

incisum : explanatory of notum est ; the epitaph is familiar because engraved upon his tomb.

in sepulcro : Calatinus was buried on the Appian Way, near the tombs of the Scipios.

31. gravis, cuius esset, etc. ; a man of weight, since all were unanimous in his praise; fama omnium is literally the 'report of all,' i.e. the reputation which all men gave him, The clause cuius esset is one of Characteristic, with the accessory notion of cause ; the clause, however, does not give the reason for Calatinus's influ- ence, but simply a reason why we may infer that he was influential.

27. 1. Quem virum nuper, etc: what a man we saic recently in Publius Crassus f lit. lohat a man we saio Publius Crassusf video here takes two accusatives, direct object and predicate accu- sative, like verbs of calling, regarding, etc. On Crassus, see note on p. 12, 1. 20.

2. Lepidxmi: pontifex maximus 180 b.c. He twice led the Roman armies against the Ligurians, and was loug princeps senatus (' leader of the house ').

3. Paulo : see note on p. 13, 1. 4.

4. Maximo : see p. 5, 1. 8 ff.

quorum non in sententia solum : not merely in whose opinion ; sententia probably alludes to the formal expression of opinion

NOTES 101

when a vote was taken in the Senate. Each senator, as callcd upon, rose and explained his vote,

0. honorata: i.e. the old age of a man who had heUl oflBces (Jwnores).

7. pluris : of more account.

9. in omni oratione : in everything I say.

11. constituta sit : i.e. has heenfirmUj established. Ex quo efticitur : and so it comes abont.

id quod . . . dixi : a thing which I once remarked.

12. assensu omnium : i.e. on the part of all.

miseram esse, etc. : logically this clause is tlie subject of effici- tur, and would normally have been expressed by ut misera sit senectus quae se defendat^ — and so it comes about (as I once remarked) that that old age is wretched ichich has to defend itself by apologies. But the proximity of dixi has evidently caused the writer to forget the structure of the sentence as begun with effici- tur, and to make the clause which should have depended upon efficitur depend upon dixi instead. Tliis has also involved the change of defendat to defenderet., according to the " sequence of ten.ses."

13. Non cani nec rugae, etc. : non is emphatic, — not gray hair nor lonnkles can suddenly lay hold on influence ; with cani understand capilli; this omission is elsewhere confined to poetry.

15. fructus capit auctoritatis extremos : reaps influence as its final product ; auctoritatis is Appositional Genitive, — ihe prod- uct, influence (A. & G. 214, /; B. 202; II. 390, VI.); extremos is made empliatic by its position at the end of the sentence.

16. haec : explained by the following infinitives. honorabilia : i.e. tokens of lionor ; honorahilis occurs only here

in good Latinity.

17. salutari : the reference is probably to the morning visit or salutatio, which the friends of a prominent man were wont to pay.

appeti : to he sought out.

18. decedi, assurgi : these two infinitives, being intransitive, are used impersonally, — to have people make way for one, rise in one's presence, lit. (for) it to be withdraimi, to be risen.

deduci, reduci, consuli: a return to the personal construc- tion ; deduco is the technical term for a formal escort of a raan

102 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

from his house to the Foriim, reduco of the escort back to his house ; consuli means merely to have one's opinion asked on any matter of importance.

19. ut quaeque optime morata est : according as each is most highhj civilized, lit. best mannered.

22. honestissimum : most honoraUe.

23. nusquam enim, etc. : for nowhere is so viuch regard paid to age ; we should have expected this to be expressed as Lysander's tliought, and accordingly to be in the infinitive dependent upon dicere above, but Cato gives it as his own justification of Lysander's statement.

24. quin etiam : why actually.

memoriae proditum est : the story goes, lit. it has heen handed down to memory.

25. ludis : Ablative of Time. The reference is probably to the festival of the great Dionysia, which occurred annually in March, and was celebrated with dramatic performances.

26. magno consessu : Ablative Absolute with adversative force, — although the throng was great, implying that among so many some one might have been expected to offer the old man a seat.

28. qui consederant : an explanatory clause of the writer, and hence in the indicative.

certo in loco : special seats in the orchestra were reserved for ambassadors and other distinguished guests.

29. omnes illi : they all.

30. sessum : to a seat, lit. to sit doxon ; snpine of sedeo, used to express purpose after the idea of motion involved in recepisse.

31. dizisse : dependent upon proditum est above.

32. iacere nolle : not so much loere unxoilling to do it, as lacked the dis^position to do it.

28. 1. vestro coUegio : so,. augurum.

3. sententiae principatmn tenet : enjoys precedence in giving his opinion; i.e. in voting the augurs gave their opinions in the order of age.

honore antecedentibus : including all ofiBcial positions, political or sacerdotal.

4. cum imperio : see note on p. IG, 1. 12.

notp:s 103

7. quibus qui, etc. : those %cho hdve made a Jine usr n/ these, viz. of tlie praemiis awtoritatis.

8. fabulam aetatis: the drama o/ life, a coniiiion lif^ure iii all languages.

peregisse : to have acted throwjh t<> the end.

tamquam inexercitati histriones : like iintrained players.

9. corruisse : to have broken doion.

10. At sunt : at as p. 9, 1. 24, and frequently.

morosi: capricious ; by derivatioii morosns uwnufi fitll nf spe- cial habits (mores), lience crotchety, capricious.

11. morum : of the character.

13. non illius quidem : not, to be sure, a jrtst one ; when an object lias two attributes connected and contrasted hyquidem . . . sed, the demonstrative pronoun (or personal pronoun) is usually present with the former attribute.

14. sed quae videatur: but such as seems capable of being approved; this is a Clause of Characteristic, and constitutes the second of the two attributes limiting excusationis.

contemni, despici, illudi : these words form a climax, — igtiored, despised, made sport of.

10. omnis offensio : every slight ; offensio is liere used passively, i.e. a being offended.

17. dulciora : i.e. less annoying.

bonis : modifying both moribus and artibus.

19. qui in Adelphis simt : wlio appear in the Adelphi, an extant coinedy of Terence (about 185-159 n.c).

20. Sic se res habet : so it is (actuaUy) ; sic is best taken as referring back to the mellowing effects of good character and good breeding.

21. Severitatem : strictness merely, a common meaning of the word.

23. Avaritia vero: but what sense avarice can have in an old man, I do not understand ; avaritia is emphatic by position, but it is difficult to bring this out in Englisli translation, except by vocal stress.

25. quo viae minus, etc. : i.e. to seek more funds in propor- tion as the remainder of the journey diminislies ; quo and eo are Ablatives of Degree of Difference.

17

104 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

CHAPTERS XIX.-XXIII.

The fourth charge : Old age is not far from death. But death ^l/ is no evil. After death imist come either immortality or annihila- tion. Death too may come at any time of life; the young are not exempt, as we have often learned by sad experience. The old man is superior, in fact, to the young man; the one has realized what the other can only hope for. '^Act icell thy part; there all the honor lies.'''' Examples of Romans loho have set death at natight. Plato''^ argimients for the immortality of the soul. Cyrus''^ views. Paulus, Africanus, and others showed by their deeds their faith in immortality. Contemplation of the serene happiness of the future life.

28. Bollicitam habere : to keep in a state of unrest.

30. esse longe : we should have expected abesse here instead' of esse.

31. contemnendam : i.e. to be regarded with indifference ; cf. note on p. 6, 1. 12.

29. 1. etiam (optanda): even. aliquo : the adverb.

__2. sit futurus : is destined to be.

r

tertium nihil : no third cdie¥iiaUm.

3. non miser : non is to be combined closely with miser.

4. beatus etiam : happy even ; etiam receives additional em- phasis by being placed after the word which it limits.

Quamquam : corrective.

5. quamvis sit adulescens : hoicever young he be.

cui sit exploratum : the expression is inexact. Cicero does not mean : ]Vho is so foolish as to have discovered ? but Who is so foolish as to think he has discovered ?

G. Quin etiam : as p. 27, 1. 24.

7. aetas illa : i.e. persons of that tirae of life.

casus mortis: i.e. the active life of young men makes them more liable to accidents.

9. tristius curantur: they are treated by the application of severer remedies ; the frailer health of the aged calls for less heroic treatment.

NOTES 106

10. ni : in classical prose ni is found almost exclusively in legal fonnulas and cotlo(iuial phrases.

melius et prudentius viveretur: life icould be better and icisei', lit. it icould 1)e lircd, otc.

11. Mens, ratio, consilium : ratio ('reason') and consilium ('deliberation') are special functions of mens (' intellect').

12. qui si nulli fuissent: and if there had never been any, sc. senes.

18. ad mortem impendentem : to death as (something) im- minent.

14. Quod est istud, etc. : hoic is that a charge against old age ? i.e. how does it constitute a valid charge ? Qriod as inter- rogative adjective means ' what kind of ? ' Hence here quod cri- men, ' what kind of a charge,' in the sense how does it constitute a charge ? istud refers to tlie general idea of death impending, and is the subject of est ?

id : i. e. the f act that death is imminent. ei : viz. senectuti.

15. cum adulescentia : cf. commune tecum, p. 1, 1. 16. Sensi, etc. : sensi is emphatic, — ice have had experience, I in

the case of my most excellent so7i, you in the case of your brothers; sensi is singular because agreeing with the nearer subject, ego. in optimo filio: Cato's son died in 152 ii.c. while praetor-elect.

16. exspectatis . . . fratribus: a peculiar expression for: brothers who were expected to arrive at the highest honor. Cato refers to the two sons of Lucius Aeinilius Paulus, one of whom, aged 12, died five days before his father's triumph, the other, aged 14, three days after the triumph.

18. quod idem, etc. : lohich the old cannot likewise hope, lit. ichich same thing, etc.

19. Insipienter sperat: i.e. he is foolish to cherish such a hope ; insipienter is emphatic.

20. incerta pro certis habere : to regard as certain what is uncertain.

21. At senez, etc. : but, it is alleged, the old man has not even anything to hope for ; the clause quod speret is one of purpose.

22. At est : at here introduces Cato'8 own reply to the argu- ment of his imaginary opponent.

106 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

23. ille, hic : ille refers to the youth, hic to the old man, as the one really nearer in thought, though not last mentioned in the preceding context.

26. Tartessiorum : the Tartessians dwelt in southern Spain.

27. ut scriptum video : viz. in Herodotus, I, 163. Gadibus : the niodern Cadiz.

28. centum viginti : there are other indications in Latin litera- ture that one hundred and tvventy years was regarded by the Romans as the ultimate limit to which the life of man might extend.

29. sed mihi, etc. : there is a slight anacoluthon here ; we should have expected this clause to be introduced by tamenj since da and exspectemus have the force of ' though you grant,' ' though we look forward to.'

30. in quo est: we might have expected the Subjunctive of Characteristic here ; but the indicative is regularly used in any characterizing clause that has the force of a condition ; thus here in qiio est, etc. = if there is something Jinal in it.

31. quod praeteriit, eflfluxit: what has passed has vanished; cf. p. 3, 1. 8.

tantum remanet : there remains only so much.

32. consecutus sis: the indefinite 2d singular; hence the subjunctive.

30. 1. horae et dies et menses et anni: note the rlietorical force of the polysyndeton. B. 341, 4, h; H. 636, III. 1. The asyndetic form of expression is, liowever, much more usual.

2. quid sequatur: i.e. what the future will he ; the clause is the logical subject of sciri potest.

4. Neque enim: for neither ; neque is correlative with neque in 1. 6.

5. bistrioni . . . peragenda fabula est : i.e. the actor, in order to please his audience, does not need to act through the piece, — does not need to appear in every act.

modo probetur : provided only he meet approval. in quocumque fuerit: the subjunctive is purely the result of attraction.

6. neque sapienti usque ad Plaudite veniendum est: nor does a wise man need to come to the very '■Plaudite ' (o/ life).

NOTES 107

Plaudite was tbe regular appeal made by one of the troupc at the close of the play ; hence, in a transferred sense, it means 'the end,' 'conchision.'

9. processerit : as subjeet supply in sense quis, ' one.'

10. vemi temporis suavitate: the pleasant sjmnfj-time.

11. tamquam: tamquam qnnUties the entire phrase adulescen- tiam signijicat, — tijpifies youth, as it icere.

12. ostenditque fructus futuros : i.e. gives proniise of the fruits that are to conie.

13. tempora: seasons.

demetendis et percipiendis : reaping and gathering ; another illustration of Cicero's fondness for grouping synonyms in pairs. Cf. p. 15, 1. 5, officia et munera; percipio is here used in the sanie sense as p. 10, 1. 30.

15. ante partorum bonorum : of hlessings previov^ly acquired.

17. sunt habenda : are to be reckoned.

18. quod idem : ichich likewise.

19. adversante et repugnante natura : the Ablative Absolute here has adversative force, — though nature resists and rebels.

21. utcmn: aswhen. flammae vis : a vigorous flame.

22. nuUa adhibita vi : xoithout the application of any force.

23. consumptus ignis exstinguitur : a fire is extinguished as a result of burning out ; consumptus takes the chief stress in this sentence, and is used in a middle sense, — having burnt itself out.

quasi: here equivalent to sicut; this use is archaic.

24. si matura: \ve should liave expected sin instead of si to introduce this second protasis. B. 306, 3.

25. sic . . . vis auiert : the empluxsis rests upon vis, — .so His force that takes life from the young ; adulescentibus is dative. A. & G. 229 ; B. 188, 2, d ; H. 385, II. 2.

26. quae quidem, etc. : grammatically quae can refer only to maturitas, but such is not CiceroVs meaning ; the logical ante- cedent is the substance of the whole preceding .sentence ; hence, this thought is so pleasant to me.

27. quo propius accedam : Subjunctive by Attraction ; we should have expected tliis clause to be followed by one containing a comparative with eo, corresponding to quo propius.

108 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

31. recte vivitur : i.e. one is justified in remaining alive.

quoad possis : as long as one can ; the indefinite 2d singular leads to the use of the subjunctive. See note on cum vixeris, p. 5, 1.2.

munus offici exsequi et tueri : to discharge and attend to the jierformance of one''^ dutij.

31. 2. hoc illud est, etc. : this is the significance ofthefamous reply of Solon.

Pisistrato : tyrant of Athens in the sixth century b.c. Plutarch, in his life of Solon, chap. 31, says this reply was made to inquir- ing friends ; yet lie elsewhere confirms the account here given.

3. illi: i.e. Fisistratus.

qua tandem : tandem emphasizes the interrogative, — what pray !

4. audaciter : archaic for audacter.

obsisteret: Solon's opposition was directed against Pisistra- tus's usurpation in 560 n.c.

5. ' Senectute ' : sc. fretus ; Solon was seventy-five years old at this time.

integra mente certisque sensibus : with the mind sound and the faculties unimpaired.

7. coB.smentavit : put together. dissolvit : takes apart.

10. lam: now., continuing the argument; so below, 1. 22. omnis conglutinatio recens : lit. evei^y construction when

fresh, i.e. everything newly made. inveterata : if of long standing. '.

11. illud breve vitae reliquum : reliquum is here a substan- tive, — an infrequent use of tlie word.

12. nec sine causa deserendum sit: i.e. suicide must not be resorted to except in a special exigency.

13. vetatque: -que is here 'epexegetic,' i.e. explanatory of what has just preceded, — and so, a7id accordingly.

14. praesidio et statione : post and station.

15. elogium : here in the sense of 'couplet.' The Greek lines are:

Mr]8i fioi &K\avaTos ddvaros fid^Koi., dXXA <f)l\oiai KaWelTTOifjLi davwv &\yea /coi oroi^axdj.

NOTES 109

se negat velle : says he does not wish.

16. suam mortem : suam is einphatic ; these lines of Solon were dlrected against Minnierinus, a conteniporary eUf^iac poet, who had given expression to a contrary sentiment.

17. Vult, credo, se esse carum: the constrnction of intinilive with subject accusative aftor ndo, iioht, mnUt, is less usnal, if the subjects of the niain and dependent verbs are the saine ; but it is pennissible in case of esse and passive infinitives. H. .'Wl, iv. a. Cf. p. 14, 1. 12, me senem esse maUem.

haud scio an melius Ennius : I am inclined to think Ennius titters a hetter sentiment; with melins understand sonie such verb as dicat; cf. p. 11, 1. 9, melius; 1. 10, vitiosius. On haxul scio an, cf. note on p. 24, 1. 29, haud scio an nuUa beatior possit.

19. Nemo me dacrmnis decoret, ctc. : dacruma is an archaic form of lacruma. Notice the alliteralion in dacrumis decoret, and in fnnera fletn faxit; Jletu is Ablative of Attendant Circumstance. B. 221. faxit is an archaic forni of fecerit (perfect subjunctive) ; as subject supply in sense quisquam from nemo. The second line is given in fuU by Cicero, Tusculan Disputations, I, 34 :

Faxit. Cur? Volito vivos per ora virum.

' Whij f I still Uve andflit abont in the uiouths of meu.'

22. lam: as above in 1. 10. f^At'" (^vfcc*^ w-tv-^ (A. c» ^,

23. isque : -que is here adversative, f ad exigumn tempus : i.e. only for a short time.

24. aut nullus est : nuUus here has the force of an emphatic non; est is almost equivalent to adest ; hence is not present.

25. hoc meditatum ab adulescentia debet esse : this (lesson) ought to be rehearsed l»j ns from yonth up ; meditor is to go over a thing again and again by way of preparation, as a le.sson or a speech ; hoc is explained by the following ut mortem negleyamus, i.e. the lesson is : 'disregard of death.' Notice the passive use of the participle of meditor, like adeptam, p. 3, 1. 1 ; dimensa, p. 20, 1. 7. The tense of meditatnm esse is also peculiar ; we should have expected the present, but with debeo and oportet the perfect infini- tive occasionally appears used for tlie present. A. & G. 288, (/ ; B. 270, 2, a.

26. sine qua meditatione: a practice xcithout ichich.

110 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

27. Moriendum emm certe est: moriendum takes the em- pbasis, — for clie we surely must.

et incertimi an: and possibly, lit. and it (is) uncertain (ichether at some or other time) or.

28. Mortem . . . impendentem: as the position shows, this phrase takes the chief emphasis of thpsentence, — with death im- minent at all hours, hoiv can one 'mio fears it be of a tranquil heart? qui is the interrogative adverb ; as subject of poterit an indefinite quis must be suppiied iu thought ; consistere literally means ' to stand firm,' and so, ' to be tranquil.'

30. non ita longa : i.e. not very long.

cum recorder : lohen I recall ; the clause, however, is strongly causal ; hence tlie subjunctive. " "^

31. L. Brutum : tliis and the following accusatives Decios, Atilium, are to be taken as the subjects of some A«i*M;o be supplied from profectas (esse) in 1. 10 of the following page.

in liberanda patria : the Tarquins, after their expulsion, en- deavored to regain the throne ; Brutus, while resisting their attempts, was killed in single combat with Arruns Tarquinius.

32. 1. duos Decios : see note on p. 19, 1. 6.

2. M. Atilium : Marcus Atilius Regulus, tlie famous general of the First Punic War. The story of his return to Carthage to keep his plighted faith is probably apocryphal.

4. duos Scipiones : see p. 13, 1. 3. -f''v

5. Poenis: dative of reference, — lit. to obstruct the loay to the Carthaginians.

vel : intensive.

6. avum tuum : this is addressed to Scipio. His grandfather by blood, L. Aemilius Taulus (father of Macedonicus, conqueror of Perseus), had commanded at the disaster of Cannae, 216 b.c.

coUegae : C. Terentius Varro.

7. M. Marcellum : M. Claudius Marcellus, an eminent general of the Second Punic War. He was lured into ambush and slain by the troops of Hannibal in 208 n.c.

8. interitum: ?:.e. his dead body.

crudelissimus hostis: HannibaPs conduct never justified this epithet. He was characterized rather by generosity and eveu chivalry.

1

NOTES 111

10. in OriginibuB : sec notc on p. 10, 1. 21.

13. indocti : refening particularly to lack of training iii plii- losophy.

rustici : i.e. not merely devoid of the higher culture, but lacking all traiuuig whatsoever. The Komau army was recruited chiefly from the couutry districts.

14. Omnino : all in all.

10. studia certa : dejinite interests, pursuits.

18. constans iam aetas: like iam constantis aetatis, p. 14, 1.28; iu the preseut passage uote that /am, at variauce with the usual practice, follows the word it modifies.

19. ne ea quidem : i.e. old age does not pine even for the occupatious of middle life, much less, then, ^or those of youtli and boyhood. r /.. / ' i

21. ergo: purely transitional. ..j'' . .

23. matiirum : best taken as a predicate modifier of tempus, lit. Priiigs the time of death ripe, i.e. makes the time ripe for death.

24. cur non audeam : why I shonld not venture ; the indirect question here represents a Deliberative Subjunctive of direct discourse.

25. quod: relative, referring to 7?/KZ/;)se se«i/a7n.

20. eo melius quo ab ea propius absum : the hetter^ the nearer I am to it ; nearuess from a thing is a favorite mental attitude with Latin writers.

cernere : discern ; used of clear vision.

27. tuumque, Laeli : Laelius's father also bore the name C. Laelius ; he was au iutimate friend of the elder Africauus.

31. munere quodam necessitatis : i.e. a fuuctiou imposed by necessity.

32. est animus caelestis, etc. : tho sonl isfrom heaven ; animus is furthcr modified by the participle depressus, 'lowered.'

33. 1. quasi demersus : quasi apologizes for the figure ; demergo ordiuarily applies to what is sunk iu water.

4. qui terras tuerentur : to care for, protect, the earth, lit. lands. Cf. Cic. de Kepublica, VI, 15, 15, homines hac lege sunt generati, qui tuerentnr iJhnn glohum quem in hoc templo medium vides, quae terra vocatur.

caeleBtixua : = caelestium rerum ; of celestial things; on the

112 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

rare substantive use of neuter adjectives outside of the nominative and accusative, cf. note on p. 2, 1. 8.

6. ratio, disputatio: 7'eflection, discussion.

7. nobilitas : reputation.

8. Pythagoram: see note on p. 10, 1. 21.

9. incolas paene nostros : tlie seat of tlie Pythagorean school ■was Crotona in southern Italy.

qui essent nominati : this clause seems to be introduced merely as an explanation of the speaker, and as such would naturally have stood in the indicative. The subjunctive indicates tliat it is here felt to be a part of the indirect discourse.

n. ex universa mente divina : i.e. from the world-soul.

delibatos : i.e. souls which are emanations of tlie world-soul ; deliho literally means to take a taste or a sip of sometliing ; then figuratively to draio, pluck, gather.

12. haberemus : in Englisli we should use the present ; but in Latin even subordinate clauses expressing general trutlis conform to the sequence of tenses.

quae . . . disseruisset : implied indirect discourse, — the views which Socrates loas said to have setforth. A. & G. 341 ; B. 323.

13. immortalitate animorum : note tlie plural in animorum.

14. esset iudicatus : Subjunctive by Attraction ; the clause is an integral part of the clause on which it depends. A. & G. 342 ; B. 324, 1; 11.529, II. 1).

15. Quid multa : sc. dicam. Cf. quid opus est plura, p. 2, 1. 19. sic persuasi mihi, sic sentio : sic is explained by what follows.

The arguments for the soul's immortality are four in number:

(1) Its capacity {cum tanta celeritas, etc).

(2) Its original activity (cumque agitetur, etc).

(3) Its indivisibility (ciun simplex animi esset natura, etc).

(4) Its preexistence {scire pleraque ante quam, etc).

16. celeritas: i.f?. the rapidity of thouglit.

17. memoria praeteritorum futurorumque prudentia: note the chiastic arrangement. On the substantive use of praeteritorum and futurorum, see note on caelestium in line 4. Observe that prudentia here has its primitive meaning of ' foresight.'

18. tot artes: such as rhetoric, music, geometry, astronomy, etc ; each of these was an ars, — ars rhetorica, ai^s musica, etc

NOTES 113

tantae scientiae : so many hranches of knoicledge ; the plural of scientia is extremely rare, but its occurrence is justified by the neighboring phirals, tot arte», tot inventa.

20. semper agitetur: is always artive ; agitHur has here a reflexive or uiiddle sense, — lit. moves itself; cf. erecta, p, 22, 1. 25.

21. quia se ipse moveat: this is said in justification of the previous statement nec principium motus haheat^ and does not refer at all to agitetur.

ne finem quidem, etc. : no end of motion either.

22. numquam sit relicturus: ahnost e^iuivalent to 'can never leave. '

23. cum simplez animi esset : the previous dependent clauses (beginning with 1. 10) ; cum sit, quae contineat, cumque agitetur, quia moveat, quia sit relicturiis, have all depended upon persuasi taken as a principal tense, but with hne 23 persuasi conies to be felt as historical ; hence the secondary sequence in esset, haheret, posse, foUowed, however, by a return to primary sequence in nati sint, discant, etc. In English we should render the imperfects of this passage by presents.

simplez: i.e. as opposed to composite.

24. dispar atque dissimile : for the combination of synonyms, see note on p. 15, 1. 5.

25. quod si non posset : and if U (the soul) cannot, i.e. can- not be divided ; with i)osset supply dividi f rom the preceding (/jt?/</j posset.

non posse interire : sc. animum.

20. magnoque esse argumento : and (I am convinced, —per- suasi mihi) that it is (for) a great argument, viz. in favor of the immortality of the soul ; the subject of esse is homines scire, etc. ; i.e. knowledge anterior to birth is a great argument.

27. quod pueri iam discant: this gives the reason, not for men's foreknowledge, but for our feeling assured of such fore- knowledge. The force of the clause may best be seen in the follow- ing free paraphrase of the wliole passage, beginning with magnoque argumento : ' and I am convinced that a strong argument in favor of iramortality is furnished by the fact that men know many things before they are born, — and that they do is clear, because cliildreu, when they are learning difficult subjects, lay hold of innumerable

114 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

things so rapidly that they seem not to be learning them then for the first time, but to be remembering and recalling them.'

30. haec Platonis fere : these are suhstantially (the arguments) ofPlato ; tliey are taken chiefly from Plato's Phaedo and Phaedrus.

31. autem: again ; used to introduce other arguments in sup- port of the sours immortality.

32. Cynis maior : Cyrus the Elder ; see note on p. 13, 1. 11. haec dicit: the passage is in the Cyropaedia, VIII, 7, 17.

Though attributed to Cyrus, these views are really Xenophon's, and were gathered by him from the teachings of Socrates, like those of Plato above enumerated. 34. 2. nuUum: non-existent ; cf. nullus, p. 31, 1. 34.

4. Eundem esse : that it still exists.

5. creditote : f or the use of the f uture tense here, see note on attribuito, p. 2, 1. 17.

nuUum : here equivalent to non.

Nec clarorum virorum post mortem honores permanerent : i.e. the souls of great men after deatli consciously endeavor to keep alive their fame among posterity ; only so, it is urged, can we account for the perpetuation of their glory,

7. quo teneremus : we should have expected ut teneremus, itt being the regular particle to introduce a substantive clause after efficio ; quo, however, occurs occasionally for ut when tlie substan- tive clause contains a comparative, as here. Cf. Pliny, Epistles, VI, 19, quo sint plura venalia efficiunt. The usage is doubtless influenced by the employment of quo for ut in clauses of pure purpose which contain a comparative.

8. Mihi quidem numquam persuaderi potuit: / at least could never be convinced, lit. it could never be convinced to me.

9. dum essent, cum excessissent, cum evasisset, cum coepisset: in Latin all these clauses, following the principle for the ' sequence of tenses,' stand in the iiiiperfect and pluperfect, since vivere, taking its time from potuit, is liistorical; in English we should use the present and perfect, viz. while they are, when they have departed, when it has gone out, when it has begun. Similarly we should render vivere, emori, etc, by the present, — live, die, etc. Note the adversative asyndeton in vivere, emori, — live while they are in the body, but die when they have departed.

N0TE8 115

10. insipientem : without consciousness.

13. tum esse sapientem : is then retdly conscious ; esse de- pends upon mihi persnasmn est to be supplied in thouglit froni viihi numquam persuaderi potuit.

14. ceterarum rerum: dependent upon quaeque ; ceterarum means Hherest' as opposed to animus ; for this proleptic use of ceteri, cf. ceteris, p. 2, 1. 8.

18. Atqui : noio. 22. colitote : venerate.

24. hanc omnem pulcbritudinem : i.e. all this beautiful universe.

26. servabitis : the future indicative, as often, has here the force of an imperative.

27. nostra: i.e. views of our own countrymen as opposed to those of a foreigner like Cyrus.

31. multos : here as elsewhere for multos alins.

32. tanta esse conatos : loould have attempted so great enttr- prises ; we should have expected conaturos fuisse, since the in- finitive represents the apodosis of a condition contrary-to-fact in indirect discourse. A. & G. 337, 6, 2; B. 321, 2, a ; H. 527, III.

quae . . . pertinerent : the clause expresses purjxise, — to have to do icith the memory of posterity, i.e. deeds which they intended should have to do with posterity.

35. 1. nisi cemerent: had they not discerned; in conditions contrary-to-fact, the imperfect subjunctive is used in preference to the pluperfect, to denote a continued action belonging to past time. A. and G. 308, a; B. 304, 2; 11. 510, N. 2. Tlie same thought occurs also in Cicero's oration for Archias, § 28 f.

2. An censes: yoti donH think, do you. Wlien by the ellipsls of the first member of a double question an stands alone, its force must be determined from the context ; here an ■= num ; p. 7, 1, 28, it was equivalent to nonne. B. 102, 4, a.

ut aliquid glorier : to hoast a hit ; cf. idem gloriari, p. 14, 1. 1.

4. si essem terminaturus : Cato really means si credidissem me terminaturum esse.

6. otiosam : see note on otiosa, p. 21, 1. 18.

8. nescio quo modo : somehow.

116 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

9. ita : correlative witli the following quasi, as p. C, 1. 18.

cum excessisset: the subjunctive is purely the result of attraction.

10. victurus esset : i.e. truly live. Cf. p. 32, 28.

quod ni ita se haberet : unless it were so ; quod is further ex- plaincd by tlie appositional clause ut . . . essent; on ni see note on p. 20, 1. 10.

11. ut animi immortales essent : that souls are immortal ; for the imperfect, see note on p. 18, 1. 18, possemus.

12. haud niteretur and haud retraxerint (line 22, below) : in his orations, Cicero confines the use of haud to adjectives, adverbs, and the verb scio ; in the philosophical writings it occure with other verbs, as here.

optimi cuiusque animus : the souls of all the best men, lit. the soul of each hest man.

maxime niteretur : i.e. strive in proportion to their strength of character, hence the best men the most earnestly.

immortalitatem et gloriam : hendiadys.

13. Quid, quod : xohat of thefact that ?

15. iniquissimo : sc. animo ; loith thegreatest reluctance. qui plus cernat et longius : which sees deeper and farther ; for the force of plus, cf. note on p. 5, 1. 26.

17. illeautem: i.e. ille animus. non videre : to fail to see.

18. eiferor : / am carried away.

19. aveo : used of intense and eager longing ; cf. avidus.

20. cognovi : I have known,

21. quo quidem, etc. : and xohen I set out for them; quo here = ad quos, just as tmde often = a quibus, a quo.

22. retraxerit, recoxerit : Potential Subjunctive, but differing only slightly in force from a future indicative.

tamquam Peliam recoxerit: hoil me back to life again like Felias. Cicero seems to have confounded Pelias with Aeson ; it was the latter wliom Medea restored to life by boiling.

23. ex hac aetate: at (lit. from) my present time of life.

24. repuerascam : only here apparently in this sense ; the clause ut repnerascam is the object of largiatur.

25. quasi decurso spatio ad carceres a calce revocari:

NOTES 117

quasi modifies the entire expression, — o/lfer finishing the rottrae to be recalled from the goal to the starting-point, so to speak. The comparison is borrowed from the race-course ; carceres were the stalls at the end of tlie course, from which the chariots started ; the calx (lit. lime) was a chalk-line marking the limit of the race.

qnid laboris : sc. habet.

27. Sed habeat sane : biit grant that it rcalhj has (adran- tages); habeat is a Jussive Subjunctive with concessive force.

A. & G. 200, c ; B. 278 ; II. 484. III.

29. et ei docti : and, those too, philosophers.

36. 1. Commorandi, non habitandi: /or tarrying at, notfor dwelling in ; a peculiar use of the genitive of the gerund to denote purpose.

6. ad Catonem memn : i.e. his son, mentioned p. 8, 1. 1.

nemo vir : a stronger nemo ; sometimes we find nemo homo.

8. quod contra, etc. : lohereas on the conlrary mine onght to have been burned by him ; quod is governed by contra, lit. opposite to which ; on the anastrophe of the preposition see A. & G. 208, N. ;

B. 144, 3; II. 509, II. 1. See Critical Appendix.

9. memn : i.e. meum corpus cremari. animus : i.e. the soul of his son.

10. quo : = ad quae, as above, p. 35, 1. 21.

mihi ipsi esse veniendum : that I myselfmust come. 12. non quo aequo animo ferrem : not that I bore it icith resignation. A. & G. 321, K. ; B. 280, 1, b ; H. 510, 2.

14. digressum et discessum : parting and separation ; the synonyms as p. 15, 1. 5.

His rebus : emphatic by position, — these are the things wherehy old age is easy to me.

15. id : emphatic, — for Hwas that you said yo\i wondered at ; id anticipates levis est senectus.

17. in hoc : explained by the foUowing (/7«'-clause, — in this, viz. that Ibelieve the souls ofmen to be immortal.

18. mihi : Dative of Separation, 20. mortuus : when dead.

ut censent: modifying nihil sentiam.

quidam minuti philosophi : certain petty philosophers ; the

118 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

reference is to the Epicureans, who denied the immortality of the soul.

nihil sentiam : i.e. have no consciousness.

21. philosophi mortui irrideant : they will be unable to scoff if death brings annihilation, for they too will be annihilated.

25. peractio tamquam fabulae : the last act of a play, so to speak ; peractio is f ound only here.

28. Haec babui quae dicerem : this was what Ihad to say on old age ; haec is emphatic ; qnae dicerem is a clause of purpose.

29. re eacperti : by actual experience^ lit. experiencing it infact; re is opposed to quae audivistis.

CRITICAL APPENDIX

TnE best critical edition of the de Senectute is that by C. F. W. Miiller in the Teubner edition of Cicero'8 Works. Leipsic, 1879. Muller's edition was based upon the foUowing Mss. :

Leidensis (L), at Leyden.

Parisinus (P), at Paris.

3 Monacenses (BIS), at Munich.

Erfurtensis (E), at Erfurt.

Bernensis (N), at Berne.

2 Rhenaugienses (RQ), at Rheinau.

Since the publication of Muller's edition the following new manuscript material has become available :

2 Leidenses (V, v).

Ashburnhamensis ( Ashb) .

Harleianus 2682 (H).

Bruxellensis (Br), along with some others of less importance. Dahl has also published a new recension of P and some of the inferior Paris Mss.

L and P are traditionally regarded as the best Mss., so much so that their agreement has been thought to indicate the true read- ing with great certainty. But they repeatedly agree in readings deraonstrably false, and the whole subject of the relative impor- tance of PL as compai*ed with other Mss., as well as of the rela- tion of the Mss. to each other, is one that still awaite satisfactory settlement.

1, 1. te:^ te is supported by scant Ms. authority, most Mss. reading ego. ^eid thinks Cicero wrote erjo and that te crept into

iThis appendix is devoted chiefly to a discussion of the passages (some fifty in nuraber) where I have deviated froni the textof Miillcr ; also to a coDsideration of passages whose interpretation is disputed. 119

120 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

the few Mss. having that reading from the te of line 2, immedi- ately below. But erjo, if read here, would necessarily be emphatic, and an emphatic ego is distinctly out of place in this passage. I have consequently preferred te^ at variance with nearly all recent editors. It is not impossible that quid te became quit te, and this again, by haplography, quit e, which was interpreted as quit (i.e. quid) ego ; or ego may have been the arbitrary alteration of some copyist who failed to see the construction of te.

17. me ipsum : me etiam ipsum is the reading of L and is adopted by Sommerbrodt, Miiller, and most subsequent editors ; but the locution et . . . et etiam is an extremely unusual one. Merguet, in his Lexikon zu den Phil. Schrifteu des Cicero, I, p. 860 b, cites three instances, but none of them is at all parallel to the present passage. The two instances of et . . . et etiam occurring in the Speeches, pro Plancio, 91, and pro Murena, 45, are also quite different.

2. 6. laudari satis digne : the reading of most Mss. ; LE have digne satis laudari, a reading adopted by Sommerbrodt and Miiller. But in Cicero's Speeches and Philosophical Works, according to Merguefs Lexika, no instance occurs where satis is postponed after adjectives or adverbs. Verr. I, 82 we find satis digne persequi ; post red. in Sen. 19 satis digne loquetur.

11. Ceus : this was the Ciceronian orthography. Cius belongs to the time of the Empire. See Georges Lexikon der lat. Wort- formen, s.v. Similarly Cicero wrote Antiochea, Alexandrea.

31. potest malum videri : this is the reading of most Mss. ; L has malum potest videri, followed by Muller. But this violates Cicero's diction : with potest videri a predicate adjective always stands immediately before videri.

3. 1. adeptam: the Mss. vary between adepti ahd adeptam. I have adopted adeptam as the difficilior lectio.

9. nulla consolatione : most Mss. read consolatio ; but con- solatione has the support of EI, and is demanded by the sense.

15. discriptae: the Mss. waver between discriptae an d de.<?crip- tae. Keid prefers descriptam in the sense of ' written out,' ' worked out' ; but actumfahulae descrihere, so far as I am able to discover, could mean only ' to transcribe (from a copy).'

20. Quid est enim, etc. : the favorite interpretation of this pas-

CRITICAL APPENDIX 121

sage is : ' For what is waging war with thc Gods after the manner of the Giants, if rebellion against Nature is not.' It is perfectly true that tlie Latin might mean that ; but there is nothing to restrict us to that view. To me the interpretation given in the commentary seems the more natural. After defending it with classes for some years, I have recently discovered that it was advocated by Nauck nearly half a century ago.

4. 28. esses: this is the reading of all Mss. but LE. Reid objects to esses on the groundthat tlie quick succession oifuissem, esses, ftdsses is un-Ciceronian. Tiiis is doubtless true ; but I am inclined to think that perspicuity demands esses, and this consider- ation would liave been paramount with Cicero.

5. 25. Noenum : noennm (Lachmann's conjecture for non enim of the Mss.) is commonly explained as the original of n5n; but such an etymology is phonetically difficult ; noenum would have become nunum (just as early Latin oitilis became Htilis), but not nonum, non. Scholars now explain non as consisting of no (a by- form of ne) + the asseverative -ne, seen for example in Plautus in Tune, 'yes, you.'

26. plusque : Bernays' conjecture for postque of the Mss. Many editors retain postque and interpret ' both afterwards and more especially now' ; but this does violence to the language. Such an idea, moreover, would have been extremely unnatural.

29. fuerat in arce : most Mss. read fugerat in arce, except that L and Br have fuerat and V has fuerat. Of recent editors, Anz, Kornitzer, Schiche, Sommerbrodt, all write fuerat in arce. Miiller and others read fugerat in arcem, but in arcem fttgere seems a strange expression for withdrawing from the walls of a town to the citadel.

6. 21. Quorsus : the reading of all Mss. but L.

26. quiete et pure atque eleganter : Reid's note on the use of connectives in this passage has been widely copied by subse- quent editors. Reid maintains that in enumerations of the form A + (Bi 4- B2) the -f outside the bracket is expressed by et, the -|- inside by atque (ac). But the instances oi et . . . atque cited by Merguet, Lexikon zu den philosophi.schen Schriften, fail in a num- ber of cases to support this view.

30. quarto et nonagesimo : Reid writes quarto nonageaimo^

122 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

stating that et is omitted by Cicero iii expressions of tliis kind when the smaller nuuiber precedes, except wheu it is unus. Yet Reid himself reads tertiiis et tricesimus iu de Seu. 19, and quartum et octogesimum, de Sen. 32, and Merguefs Lexika show tliat et is never omitted by Cicero iu the Orations in expressions of this type, aud only once iu the Pliilosophical Works, viz. de Officiis, II, 29, sexto tricesimo, and here it is so likely that et should have fallen out between -o and t-, that, iu view of Cicero's prevailing usage, I should unhesitatingly write sexto et tricesimo for that passage.

7. 12. undevicesimo : Miiller writes xmdevicensimo on the authority of L alone.

16. suasi : the Mss. read suasissein, except P and H 2682. Of these H 2082 has sitasisset and P seems origiually to have had the same reading, the final m being plainly a correction of some other letter. Now the reading suasisset points clearly to an earlier suasi. set, i.e. suasi. Sed. (Final (Z ofteu appears as « iu Mss.) The indicative is the natural constructiou liere. Hale, CM7n-Con- structious, p. 189, felt tlie difficulties of suasissem, though he defends it.

23. omnibus fere : Miiller, with most Mss., reads/ere omnibus; PE have omnihus fere. The latter is probably the true reading, as shown by the fact that in the twenty or raore instances in Cicero's Orations and Philosophical Works, in wliich omnis limiting a sub- stantive is modified by fere, fere iuvariably follows. See the Merguet Lexika.

8. 17. Bimilesque sunt ut si qui : to the similar uses cited by other editors, I would add Plautus, Cistellaria, 472, Simile est ius lurandum amantum qnasi ius confusicium.

21. Non facit ea, etc. : most Mss. read in impVh nonfaciat ea, quae iuvenes, at . . . fac.iat. But V has non facit, while vS have meliora facit. Assuming that Cicero wrote facit . . . facit, it is easy to see liow the formcr facit could have been changed to the subjunctive by some copyist wlio imagined the clause to be a continuation of the previous subjunctive clauses. The second facit, stauding immediately under the first, might then easily have become corrupted to faciat. Mtiller reads /aciaf . . . faciat, and expresses amazement at the attitude of reccnt editors, most of whom read facit \n one or both places. Muller evidently takes

CRITICAL APPENDIX 123

iuvenes as referring to the crew, but nothing has been said to indi- cate that the gubernatur was a sencx, whereas the point of the whole passage is to assert (wliat lias just been denied in the words : in re gerenda versari senectutem negant) tliat old age (the antith- esis of iuvenes) does do something.

2i. quibus non modo non orbari, sed etiam augeri senectus solet : with augeri some editors take quibns as Ablative of Means ; augere, in the sense of ' endow,' ' make great,' may take an Ablative of Means, but here the notion is ' to be increased, made greater,' so that the Ablative seems rather one of Specification.

29. et quo modo ; Karthagini, etc. : Miiller marks a lacuna after quo moclo ; I share his suspicion that tlie text is corrupt ; but feeling the need of a reading which shall make sense for the ordi- nary student, I have printed the common restoration of the pas- sage.

9. 1. excisam : Ilahn, followed by Reid, would read exscisam (from exscindo), on the ground that exscindo is the proper word for 'razing' a city ; but unanimous testimony in a number of instances shows that excido as well as exscindo is used in this sense.

19. Sic enim percontantur in Naevi poetae Lupo : Miiller reads Sic enim percontantur t ut est in Naevi poetae Ludo. 1 have arbitrarily omitted ut est of the Mss. for the sake of making a readable text. No phausible emendation has yet been offered. In reading Lupo for the Ms. Ludo, I have foUowed Ribbeck's con- jecture. Liido admits of no satisfactory interpretation. It can hardly mean ' school ' ; nor does it seem natural to take it as ' The Lydian' (Ai/56s), since none of the numerous titles of Naevius's plays shows that he employcd national names to designate his pieces. Least of all can ludus be taken in the general sense of ' play ' (fabula). The elevated style of the two lines quoted suggests that they are from one of Naevius's praetextae. Ribbeck accordingly proposed to read Lupo here. In the Festschrift zum siebzigsten Geburtstage Otto Schade dargebracht (Konigsberg, 1896), p. 399 ff., Hermann Reich, in assigning the two lines to the Alimonia Remi et Romuli, is in complete agreement with Ribbeck, if we only assume with Schanz (Romische Literaturgeschichte, I, p. 32) that the Lupus and Alimonia Reml et Romuli were one and the same praetexta.

124 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

Tbe title Lupus (for lupa) may have been chosen by Naevius in consequence of the ambiguity of the feminine form (^lupa 'har- lot').

21. stulti, adulescentuli : this punctuation is Meissner's. See Commentary.

10. 4. Quid iuris consulti, etc. : Miiller punctuates Quid ? iuris consulti, etc. I have foUowed Reid.

19. num Hesiodum : Miiller omits num, though the word is found in all Mss. I follow most recent editors (Sommerbrodt, Schiche, Anz, Kornitzer) in retaining it.

11. 18. alteri: aUevi is commonly taken as meaning ' one's neighbor,' a well-recognized usage, but hardly appropriate in this connection. As shown by the foUowing context (lucundum potius quam odiosum. Ut enim adulescentihus sapientes senes delectantur . . . sic adulescentes senum praeceptis gaudent), Cato is rebutting the charge that old men are disagreeable to young men. I have, therefore, taken alieri as for alteri aetati. This is made grammati- cally easy, owing to the presence of ea aetate at the beginning of the same line.

12. 2. sic avide : many editors take sic as correlative with the following quasi ; but this is awkward ; sic for tam occurs repeatedly in Cicero, and it is unnatural to dissociate sic avide ; the two words would inevitably be felt as belonging together.

8. Nec nunc quidem : it is not necessary here to take Nec . . . quidem as used for et ne . . . quidem, as Lahmeyer and Sommer- brodt do. In fact, it is questionable whether nec . . . quidem could properly be so taken ; the expression is extremely rare, and in the few instances cited seemsto differ little from an emphatic nec.

11. agas: so Mtiller and the Mss. Reid reads agis. He argues that (1) the subjunctive does not occur in Cicero after quisquis, quicunque, and the like, unless in oratio obliqua or by attraction of the indicative into the mood of a neighboring sub- junctive. (2) After quod est, agas would be doubly peculiar. But I can see no difference between the present passage and Tusc. Disp. I, 14, quasi non necesse sit quicquid reticeas id aut esse aut non esse. Ilere quicquid reticeas is not in oratio obliqua, nor does it depend upon another subjunctive. Cf. also de Off. III, 13, 57, Neque enim id est celare, quicquid reticeas. In all these cases I

CRITICAL APPENDIX 125

should attribute the employment of the subjunctive to the indefi- nite 2d singular. Hence Quod est, but quicquid agas.

28. persaepe ipsa : this is tlie reading of all Mss. but L, which has per se ipsa, adopted by Miiller. I have written persaepe, not only because it seems to me to make much better sense, but because it is palaeographically easier to explain per se ipsa of L f rom the correct reading persaepe ipsa (in Mss. of ten persepe ipsa) than vice versa.

13. 1. relinquimus: this is the readingof most Mss. L alone has relinquemus. I see no reason for adopting this with Miiller, especially as relinquimus gives a more vivid sense.

8. ista ipsa : most Mss. have this ; LP have ipsa ista, adopted by Miiller. But even the consensus of two such Mss. as L and P does not warrant us in running counter to Ciceronian usage. In some thirty-three cases in the Orations and Philosophical W.orks where ipse and iste are combined the order is invariably iste ipse, never ipse iste ; so regularly ea ipsa, haec ipsa, etc.

16. 8. Ne sint: only II has this, P lias ne desint, E nec desint. Other Mss. read Non sunt, adopted by Miiller and most recent editors. Ilowever, the use of Non sunt here in the sense demanded by the context, viz. ' Granted that there is not strength in old age,' seems to me unparalleled. Ilence I write Ne sint.

21. 8i sunt: the Mss. are divided ; LPER read sint; BISVv have sunt. Miiller reads sint. But su7it seems to make slightly better sense.

24. morbum : this is the reading of all Mss. but L ; L reads morborum vim, followed by Miiller.

17. 4. viventi: it is common to insist that viventi does not limit intelUfjitur directly as a Dative of Agency ; but while that construction certainly is not frequent with the uncompounded tenses of the passive, yet indubitable instances do occur, and I see no difficulty in recognizing this as one of them. Certainly to take viventi as governed by obrepat rather than intellegitur is to mis- conceive the force of the passage, as well as the significance of the Latin word-order.

19. 30. Magnae Matris : in the Mss. tliese words follow sacns Idaeis. With Sommerbrodt, Anz, and Kornitzer, I adopt Brieger's transposition.

126 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

21. 18. Exerceri videbamus: exerceri is my own suggestion for mori oi the Mss., wliicli I agree witli Miiller in regarding as corriipt, altliougli Kornitzer and others defend it.

19. Gallum : the reading of all Mss. except P, which has Galum, followed by Miiller.

22. 0. comparandae : the commentators quite generally as- sume that this is to be taken in the sense of 'can be compared' ; but there is no difficulty in taking it in the regular sense of ' de- serve to be compared.'

IQ. recusat imperium : it is perhaps doubtf ul whether imperium can have the technical mercantile sense suggested in the notes, but the preceding and following plirases are clearly technical mercan- tile expressions, and it seems to me probable that this also is. After taking this view of the passage for some years I discovered that Dr. Peabody in his Euglish translation puts the same inter- pretation iipon it. Lunak, Philologus, 52, p. 347, proposes im- pendium recusat, a conjecture origiiially made by Paulus Manutius and which has never found favor. Lunak cites ad Att. V, 1. 4, recusat impendium etfaenus.

26. e quibus : tliis is the reading of all Mss. except L, which has ex, adoptcd by Miiller.

31. requietem : the reading of all Mss. except L, which has requiem, adopted by Miiller. But except in pro Archia 13, Cicero seems to have regularly written reqxiietem.

23. 12. tamquam ad articulos : Egbert urges that tamquam is unnecessary here, articulus being the regular word for the knots or joints in a cutting. But articulus does not occur prior to Cicero, nor in any writer after him until the elder Pliny.

15. dein: practically all Mss. (LPVv with others) read this. Miiller reads deinde, apparently under tlie impression that L had that.

24. 6. ea: this is the reading of all Mss. except L; L has haec, adopted by Miiller.

9. Ergo : Several editors, I observe, explain e7'go as meaning 'for this purpose,' ' with this object in view,' viz. tlie enjoyment of the delights of farming ; but I know no such meaning for ergo; here it seems to bc used, as so frequently, merely to resume an interrupted train of thought.

CRITICAL APPENDIX 127

13. a mea : the Mss. read me, foUowed by Miiller ; mea is Mahly's conjecture, which Miiller pronounces probable, though not necessary. I have written mea because I caunot find any warrant for the use of tlie personal pronoun in the sense here demanded. The examples usually cited from Terence in support of me seem to me of a different nature ; mea admirari, moreover, would easily have become me admirari. Of recent editors, Meiss- ner, Anz, Kornitzer, Schiche read mea.

31. quam: the Mss, have qua;' most editors take this as for qua, i.e. quam (cf. p. 23, 1. 22, qiiam dixi), but Miiller writes de qua. One of the inferior Paris Mss. collated by Dahl has quam.

25. 20. ut lubebit : the Mss. as a rule read utrum, adopted by Miiller and almost all recent editors. I quite agree with Reid, however, that utrum here cannot be construed without violating recognized usage ; ut has no Ms. authority, but, according to Otto, is read in several of the early printed editions.

26. 3. directos : this is the Ms. reading, and in the sense of ' arrange ' is preferable to derectos. Miiller writes derectos on the authority of Nonius.

13. virtuti tuae : with tlie exception of Nauck, the editors seem to me to misinterpret Cicero's meaning. Tlie position of the words clearly shows that the stress is upon virtuti tuae ; had tlie empha- sis been upon fortuna, that word would have stood either immedi- ately after quoniam or (better) at the very end of the sentence. Sommerbrodt is apparently keenly conscious of the force of these considerations, as well as of tlie fact that the Greek original which Cicero here translates is dyadbs yap wv eySat/u.omy, ' f or 'tis as a possessor of personal worth that you are so happily situated.' Sommerbrodt is prevented from giving these considerations their proper weight (me iudice) by the unnecessary and (under the cir- cumstances) extremely improbable viewthat /or«?ma in the phrase Ilac igitztr fortuna refers to fortuna in the passage under discus- sion. Hac igitur fortuna, ' this lot now,' refers rather in ageneral way to the kind of life described in the two preceding chapters (xv, xvi), vfheresis fortnna in the passage under discussion refers to the special material advantages of Cyrus (purpura, aurum, gemmae, etc); igitur then is simply resumptive of the thought interrupted at the close of chapter xvi.

128 CATO MAIOR DE SENECTUTE

30. totum carmen : LP V liave this reading. Other Mss. omit totum ; so Mliller. To me it is more likely tliat totum (espeeially after notum) slioulcl have dropped out of those Mss. in which it is lacking, than that it should have been inserted in those Mss. in which it is found.

27. 29. omnes illi: Reid takes illi as dative. But no such strong demonstrative referring to the old man would be in place here, wliereas illi (referring to the Lacedaemonians) is necessary with omnes ; othcrwise the Latin means the whole audience. It is evidently to avoid this misconception that illi is used by Cicero.

29. 22. quoniam : the Mss. read cum, which is impossible here. Lambinus conjectured quod, adopted by Miiller. I have adopted Reid's conjecture, quoniam^ believing that Cicero would hardly have wrltten quod id quod. Assuming that Cicero wrote quoniam, we have only to suppose that this became corrupted to quom (an easy change, especially as quoniam was often abbreviated as glh). Cicero probably regularly wrote quom for the conjunction. The copyists have changed this regularly to cum. Hence the Ms. cum in the presept passage could easily go back (through quom) to an original quoniam, as conjectured by Reid. Hale, Cww-Coustruc- tions, p. 243 (German ed. p. 302), defends the Ms. reading cum.

30. 24. vi evellimtur : I am at a loss to understand the par- tiality of all recent editors for vix evelluntur, the reading of P L Br. It is urged that Cicero would not have nsed vis four times in five lines ; but if he could use it thrice in this compass, he certainly might four times, especially if the sense demanded. It is also urged that vi is redundant with evelluntur, since every act of plucking necessitates the exercise of force. On the other hand, it is scarcely less than ridiculous and in direct contradiction of the experience of every lad of enterprise to say that apples are ♦plucked with difftculty,' or that they 'can hardly be pulled off.'

32. possis : the reading of all Mss, except PL, which have possit (L posset) adopted by Miiller ; but the subjunctive is anom- alous here, except in the indefinite 2d singular. The 3d singular would demand the indicative.

mortemque contemnere : these words are bracketed as an interpolation by Mullcr and others. The evidence is hardly suffi- cient, to my mind, to warrant this attitude.

CRITICAL APPENDIX 129

31. 15. elogium est: the reading of most Mss. ; est is omitted by LP. Haliii and Baiter, followed by Miiller, transpose elogium est of the Mss., and read est elogium. I see no justification of this.

19. dacrumis : this is Bergk's conjecture, which I have adopted on account of the alliteration. Sommerbrodt, Meissner, Anz, Kor- nitzer, among recent editors, read dacrumis ; Miiller, lacrumis.

31. cum recorder: this is the reading of most Mss. ; SE, fol- lowed by Sommerbrodt and Reid, have recordor; but the cum- clause here is in meaning essentially causal, and the subjunctive is to be preferred.

32. 24. Equidem non: the reading of most Mss. LP have No7i e7iim, followed by Miiller. It is easier to account for non enim in LP on the basis of an original equidem non, than to account for equidem non of the other Mss. on tlie basis of an origi- nal non enim. Assuming that equidem once became corrupted to enim non, the transposition non enim would be the next step.

27. tuum, Scipio, tuumque, Laeli : most Mss. have P. Scipio, tuqne C. Laeli, and this is read by Miiller ; LP have tu, Scipio, tuque Laeli. I have foUowed Anz and Kornitzer in adopting Schiche's conjecture, thus omitting the praenomina, which seem quite out of place here.

35. 6. multo melius ; this is the reading of E alone. The other Mss. have melins multo, adopted by Miiller. But out of some two hundred occurrences of multo witli comparatives in Cicero's Pliilosopliical Works, multo follows tlie comparatives in only three instances, Ac. II, 82 ; Fin. III, 41 ; IV, 9. Hence I fol- low E, and should suspect the three exceptional cases.

36. 8. quod contra : Reid and others take contra here as an adverb, and seem to regard quod as an Accusative of Specification, a construction which Delbrilck with reason refuses to recognize for the prose of the Ciceronian era. See his Vergleicliende Syntax, I, p. 392.

26. defatigationem : the Mss. vary between defatigationem and defectionem. Miiller and several other recent editors read defectionem ; but dofatigationem seems a much more natural antithesis of saturitas thau would defectionem.

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SENECA, Select Letters. By E. C. Winslow, A.M.

TACITUS, Annals, Book I and Selections from Book II, based upon the edition of Nipperdey-Andresen. By E. M. Hyde, Ph.D., Pro- fessor in Lehigh University.

TACITUS, Agricola and Germania, based upon the editions of Schwei- zer-Sidler and Drager. By A. G. Hopkins, Ph.D., Professor iu Hamilton College. Ready.

TACITUS, Histories, Book I and Selections from Books II-V, based upon the edition of WolfE. By Edward H. Spieker, Ph.D., Pro- fessor in the Johns Hopkins University.

TEBENCE, Adelphoe, for rapid reading. By William L. Cowles, A.M., Professor in Amherst College. Ready,

TEBENCE, Phormio, based upon the edition of Dziatzko. By Her- BERT C. Elmer, Ph.D., Assistant Professor in the Cornell Uni- versity. Ready.

TIBULLUS AND PBOPEBTIUS, Selections, based upon the edition of Jacoby. By Henry F. Burton, A.M., Professor in the University of Rochester.

VALEBIUS MAXIMUS, Fifty Selections, for rapid reading. By Chables S. Smith, A.M., College of New Jersey. Ready.

3

VELLEIUS PATEECULTJS, Historia Romana, Book II. By F. E.

RocKwooD, A.M., Professor iu Buckiiell Uuiversity. Eeady.

VEEGIL, Books I-VI. By E. Antoinette Ely, A.M., Clifton

School, aud S. Frances Pellett, A.M., Biughamton High

School, N.Y. VERGIL, The Story of Tnrnus from Aen. VII-XII, for rapid reading.

By MosES Slaughter, Ph.D., Professor iu lowa College. Ready. VIRI ROMAE, Selections. By G. M. Whicher, A.M., Packer Col-

legiate lustitute. Ready.

LATIN COMPOSITION, for coUege use. By Walter Miller, A.M.,

Professor iu the Leland Stauford Jr. Uuiversity. Ready.

LATIN COMPOSITION, for advanced classes. By H. R. Fairclough,

A.M., Professor iu tlie Lelaud Stauford Jr. University. HAND-BOOK OF LATIN SYNONYMS. By Mr. Miller. A FIRST BOOK IN LATIN. By Hiram Tuell, A.M., Principal of

the Milton High School, Mass., and Harold N. Fowler, Ph.D.,

Western Reserve University. Ready.

EXERCISES IN LATIN COMPOSITION, for schools. By M. Grant

Daniell, A.M., formerly Priucipal of Chauucy-Hall School,

Boston. Ready.

A NEW LATIN PROSE COMPOSITION. By M. Grant Daniell,

A.M. Ready.

THE PRIVATE LIFE OF THE ROMANS, a manual for the use of

schools aud colleges. By Harriet Waters Preston and Louise

DoDGK. Ready.

GREEK AlfD ROMAN MYTHOLOGY, based ou the recent work of

Steuding. By Karl P. Harrington, A.M., Professor in the Uni-

versity of North Caroliua, and Herbert C. Tolman, Ph.D., Pro-

fessor iu Vanderbilt University. Ready.

ATLAS ANTIQUUS, twelve maps of the ancient world, for schools and

colleges. By Dr. Henry Kiepert, M.R. Acad. Berlin. Ready.

Tentative arrangements have been made for other books not ready to be announced.

LEACH, SHEWELL, & SANBORN,

Boston, New York, and Ghicago. 4

1 i PA	Cicero, Marcus Tullius
6296	Cato maior de senectute
C2
1897

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