15, I A, I ad haec omnia una consolatio est. In all these passages the verbal noun in -tio conveys the notion of possibility. ut ne: n. on 42, 1. 26. 28 20 non dignos: put for indignos, apparently because of digni autem following. § 79. quibus in ipsis: probably not put for in quibus ipsis, but rather quibus is a dative (dativus commodi); 'who possess (lit. 'for whom there is ') in themselves some reason for securing affection'. rarum genus: cf. n. on 67, 1. 10 indigna homine dubitatio. Aristotle Eth. Nic. 8, 3, 8 σπανίας δὲ εἰκὸς τὰς τοιαύτας (φιλίας) εἶναι· ὀλίγοι γὰρ οἱ τοιοῦτοι. 30 omnia praeclara rara: the omission of the predicate is particularly common in proverbs, where also assonance (praecl-ara r-ara) is much sought after. For the ellipse cf. Acad. I, 14 sus Minervam (docet); Pis. 69 claudus pilam (iacit). So in Greek xaλeñà tà kaλά. 31 32 33 2 3 4 in suo genere perfectum: so Tusc. 5, 37 natura quidquid genuit in suo quidque genere perfectum esse voluit. neque...et: n. on 75, 1. 22. amicos tamquam pecudes: the same comparison is used by Plato in the Theaetetus 174 D τυραννόν τε γὰρ ἢ βασιλέα ἐγκωμιαζόμενον ἕνα τῶν νομέων ἡγεῖται (ὁ φιλόσοφος) ἀκούειν εὐδαιμονιζόμενον πολὺ βδάλλοντα. Cf. the trite line of Ovid, Pont. 2, 3, 8 volgus amicitias utilitate probat. nec ipsi sibi etc.: 'nor do they take themselves as examples to shew what and how great the power of this friendship is'. haec vis: i.e. vis huius naturalis amicitiae. et...et: after the negative (nec) aut...aut would have been more usual. Cf. que for sed in 30, p. 38, l. I n. ipse se: n. on 5, 1. 28. 6 quod idem: these words go together, as in 13, 1. 22. 8 9 alter idem: cf. 23, 1. 6 verum amicum qui intuetur tamquam exemplar aliquod intuetur sui; Arist. Eth. Nic. 9, 4, 5 čσTɩ yàp ỏ piλos äλλos aúrós; Fam. 2, 15, 4 alterum me. § 81. bestiis etc. for the arrangement of the epithets in two groups, one of three and another of two, Nauck well compares Tusc. 1, 64 omnia, supera infera, prima media ultima. Nägelsbach quotes Fam. 13, 29, 5 rogo ut hanc rem | suscipias, meum putes esse | enitare contendas efficias. 10 14 16 17 ut: for this following on apparet cf. n. on 50, 1. 5 veriora esse ut. se ipsae: above, 1. 4; below, l. 14. The principle that self-preservation is the first instinct of animals formed the starting-point of the Stoic Ethics. Cf. Fin. 3, 16 sq. pariter...nascitur: 'is born with every creature in an equal degree'. ad quas se applicent: n. on 49, p. 43, 1. 32. quanto id magis: n. on quam id recte in 10, 1. 8. unum ex duobus: cf. 92, 1. 31 ut unus quasi animus fiat ex pluribus. § 82. ne dicam: the phrase is elliptic-hoc dico ne dicam, and impudenter, which may be regarded as in inverted commas, stands as object of dicam. Cf. n. on 48, 1. 18 non dico. 18 habere talem amicum etc.: the theory that friendship is based on want of resemblance and not on resemblance enters into the Platonic 20 21 Lysis 215 C sq. Cf. especially 215 D μάλιστα τὰ ὁμοιότατα πρὸς ἀλληλα φθόνου τε καὶ φιλονεικίας καὶ ἔχθρας ἐμπίπλασθαι τὰ δὲ ἀνομοιόTara pilías. Aristotle, Eth. Nic. 8, 8, 6 sq. decides that it is almost entirely the lower kind of friendship (n dià tò xpσμov) which is based on lack of resemblance. par est...quaerere: cf. §§ 32, 51. ipsum in agreement with aliquem (rvd) unexpressed. Cf. 59, 1. 29 ut si (quis) esset osurus; where Cobet needlessly alters esset into esses. quam iam dudum tractamus: cf. 65, p. 49, 1. 2 eam quam iam dudum tracto constantiam. 22 confirmari potest: 'may be strengthened'. 23 24 25 27 cupiditatibus: those mentioned in §§ 61, 62 as frequently bringing destruction to friendships. aequitate iustitiaque: aequitas is the view of justice taken by a man of high principle and honour, iustitia the legal or technical view. neque quicquam etc.: cf. §§ 36-40. inter se: alter alterum; cf. Roby § 2306. 30 31 § 83. libidinum etc.: 'that in friendship the gate is open to unrestrained passion and sin'. virtutum...comes: Aristot. Eth. Nic. 8, 1, 1 piλía čσri aperŃ TIS ἢ μετ ̓ ἀρετῆς; Plato Lysis 214 D ὁ ἀγαθὸς τῷ ἀγαθῷ μόνος μόνῳ φίλος, ὁ δὲ κακὸς οὔτ ̓ ἀγαθῷ οὔτε κακῷ οὐδέποτε εἰς ἀληθῆ φιλίαν ἔρχεται. Beier quotes Pythagoras' saying συνδεσμὸν πασῶν τῶν ἀρετῶν εἶναι τὴν φιλίαν. Cf. § 19. a natura data est: in Cic. a natura and natura dari both frequently occur. In the former phrase natura is personified, in the latter natura is used adverbially=púσel. 32 33 T 2 4 5 6 solitaria: cf. §§ 30, 87, 88. ea quae summa sunt: 'the highest moral views'; cf. Arch. 14 illa quae summa sunt.....nihil esse in vita magno opere expetendum nisi laudem atque honestatem, in ea autem persequenda omnis cruciatus corporis, omnia pericula mortis atque exsili parvi esse ducenda. P. 54. altera: as virtus above-homo virtute praeditus so altera here=alterius hominis virtute. Cf. virtutem in 48, 1. 20. quos inter: as a rule, only dissyllabic prepositions follow the cases to which they are attached, except when some attribute is attached to the noun or pronoun, e.g. multis in rebus below, 85, 1. 14. Seyffert makes the strange and unfounded statement (after Zumpt) that the preposition only follows its case when it governs a relative pronoun. corum etc. theirs is to be regarded as the best and richest companionship on the path to nature's highest good'. For natura cf. 19 1. 20 naturam optimam bene vivendi ducem. § 84. in qua omnia insunt: 'which brings with it everything'. honestas...iucunditas: the enumeration consists of three branches, the last of the three being subdivided (tranquillitas atque iucunditas). Had iucunditas and tranquillitas occupied in the enumeration the same place as the other two things mentioned, Cicero must have left out atque. See n. on 12, p. 31, l. 7. For expetenda see n. on 22, 1. 24; for the collocation tranquillitas animi atque iucunditas n. on 8, 1. 22 cum summi viri tum amicissimi. Seyffert seems to think that honestas is not used here in its ordinary Ciceronian sense of 'morality', though he does not say what meaning he gives it. ut et...possit: this clause is one of the most difficult in the treatise, though passed over by Nauck and Lahmeyer. It seems to contain a tacit protest against the Stoic ethics which made honestas (Tò kaλòv = virtue) everything; Laelius asserts that perfect happiness (for beata vita cf. n. on 45, 1. 25 beate vivendum) contains other things as well, and that the perfection of friendship and the perfection of happiness are inextricably connected. 7 quod: this refers back to the last sentence and not forwards to id. II 12 gravis aliqui casus: aliquis, which is substantival, aliqui being adjectival, could scarcely have been used here, since the adjective gravis is in juxtaposition. In 87, 1. 8 however aliquis deus; cf. n. on 22, 1. 21. experiri: cf. §§ 53, 64. Seyffert quotes from Plutarch a saying of Euripides τὸ φίλων πεῖραν λαβεῖν οὐ σμικρὸν κακόν, and from Stobaeus one of Philemon εὔχου μὴ λαβεῖν πεῖραν φίλων. § 85. cum...iudicaris: these words can be shewn to be taken from Theophrastus περὶ φιλίας (see Introd. p. 11) for Plutarch περὶ φιλαδελφείας c. 8 quotes as from Theophrastus the words τοὺς γὰρ ἀλλοτρίους οὐ φιλοῦντα δεῖ κρίνειν, ἀλλὰ κρίναντα φιλεῖν; so Seneca ep. 3 isti vero praepostere officia permiscent qui contra praecepta Theophrasti cum amaverint iudicant, et non amant, cum iudicaverint. Ammianus Marcellinus 26, 2, 9 puts Cicero's words, slightly altered, into the mouth of Valentinian, in a speech made by him on being raised to the throne. tum maxime etc.: cf. § 62. acta agimus: an oxymoron (so 'to slay the slain ') for which Seyffert compares Plut. Mil. 3, 1, 41 nota noscere; Poen. 4, 2, 48 doctum docere; Cic. Fam. 14, 1, 12 puerum perditum perdere. As to the proverb, Donatus on Terent. Adelph. 2, 2, 24 (quoted by Seyffert) not improbably conjectures that it originated in the law courts, ubi quod semel iudicatum est frustra iterum agitur. Cf. 59, 1. 28 inimiciorem amicitiae; also n. on 23, 1. 7. vetamur: sc. facere. ultro et citro: here='mutually', as in the common phrase data ultro citroque fide (Liv. 29, 23, 5). cursu: cf. 63, 1. 2. § 86. 19 20 22 25 29 31 32 33 rei incuria := de re i. ; cf. n. on 20, p. 34, l. 1 rerum consensio. una: by attraction for unum ('the one thing'; for this usage see n. on 50, 1. 10. quamquam: elliptic, the full sense being 'most men agree about virtue yet etc.'; for the ellipse cf. 33, p. 39, 1. 2. multis: chiefly the Epicureans. quam multi etc.: not exactly in accord with 63 1. 8 ubi eos inveniemus etc. Observe quam multi; no good writers use quot as a substantive. So in 57, 1. 6 quam multa. Cic. however often prefers to use quam multi, tam multi where quot, tot would be permissible; so 35, 1. 26 haec ita multa quasi fata. ad unum: 'to a man'. et ei...et ei: those who follow the ToλITIKòs Blos and those who follow the fewpηTIKòs Bios. One of the main questions which divided the later Greek philosophers was that of the comparative value of these two lives. Cf. n. on 10, 1. 6. otiosi: here, as often, implies merely the freedom from public duties; cf. 16, 1. 19. vitam esse nullam: for the phrase see n. on 22, 1. 18; for this Epicurean opinion cf. n. on 56, 1. 32. liberaliter:= libero digne; cf. 89, 1. 10. I serpit: n. on 41, l. 18. P. 55. § 87. 4 5 6 8 12 14 18 20 23 24 ut on the position of ut, second word in the clause, cf. n. on 46, 1. 17. Timonem: the μσávěρwños who is the subject of Shakespeare's play, a contemporary of Socrates. nescio quem: the editors all misinterpret this, making it an expression intended to indicate Timon's insignificance. But Cicero often inserts quidam, nescio quis and the like, when it is necessary, in mentioning some Greek, to avoid the appearance of too great a familiarity with Greek literature. The Roman statesmen of the dialogue could not be presumed to know Timon except by vague report. In telling a story of Xenocrates to a Roman jury (who objected to Greek learning in an advocate), Cicero calls him quidam (Balb. § 12); so of the Stoics non nulli litteris ac studiis doctrinae dediti (Balb. § 1). Nescio quem here has the same purpose as ut opinor below, 88 1. 14. Cf. also n. on 24, 1. 18 doctum quendam. possit: not potuisset, because the statement is general, and is=talis homo, as in 59, 1. 23 and often. evomat: the metaphorical use is common, as in eructare, ¿¿eμeîv. contingere: n. on 8, 1. 30. tam esset ferreus; for the arrangement n. on 10, 1. 8 quam id recte. For ferreus cf. 48, 1. 20, and for the sense Aristotle Politics 1, 2, 14 ὁ δὲ μὴ δυνάμενος κοινωνεῖν ἢ μηθὲν δεόμενος δι ̓ αὐτάρκειαν, οὐθὲν μέρος πόλεως, ὥστε ἢ θηρίον ἢ θεός. § 88. quod etc.: 'which I have heard it said that our old men tell as a customary saying of the Tarentine Archytas, I believe, having received it from other aged men'. For audivi commemorare cf. n. on 76, p. 52, 1. 3. For a similar traditional saying of Archytas (a Pythagorean, lived about 400-365 B. C.) see Cato m. 39 and cf. ib. 43 saepe audivi a maioribus natu qui se porro pueros a senibus audisse dicebant. illam := eius rei; cf. n. on 2, 1. 13 eum sermonem. quae fuisset: Nauck takes these words as being those of Laelius, and not part of his report of Archytas; otherwise, he says, Cic. would have written quam fore: see however n. on 45, 1. 25. si aliquem: see n. on 27, 1. 6. semperque etc.: 'and always strives after some prop, so to speak, which prop is most acceptable when found in the best friend'. tamquam: so in 45, l. 26. obsurdescimus: we stop our ears against her'. est enim...amicitiae: 'now the intercourse in friendship is extensive and manifold '. 25 varius et multiplex: so Acad. 1, 16 Platonis...qui varius et multiplex fuit, and below, 92, 1. 33; also n. on 65, p. 48, l. 31. |
