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Cic. as the c before a guttural condemned in n. on 34. For the argument see n. on 80 quasi vero
quaeratur quid sit non quid videatur. Primum interest: for om. of deinde cf. 45, 46. Imbecillius:
cf. I. 41. Edormiverunt: "have slept off the effects," cf. ap?ß???e?? in Homer. Relaxentur: cf. a?
?e?a? t?? ????? Aristoph. Ran. 700, relaxare is used in the neut. sense in D.F. II. 94.
Alcmaeonis: the Alcmaeon of Ennius is often quoted by Cic., e.g. D.F. IV. 62.
§53. Sustinet: epe?e?; see on 94. Aliquando sustinere: the point of the Academic remark lay in
the fact that in the state of madness the ep??? of the sapiens becomes habitual; he gives up the
attempt to distinguish between true and false visa. Lucullus answers that, did no distinction exist,
he would give up the attempt to draw it, even in the sane condition. Confundere: so 58, 110, Sext.
A.M. VIII. 56 (s???e??s? ta p?a?µata), ib. VIII. 157 (s???e?µe? t?? ß???), VIII. 372 (????? s???
ee? t?? f???s?f?? ??t?s??), Plut. De Communi Notit. adv. Stoicos p. 1077 (??? pa?ta p?a?µata
s???e??s?). Utimur: "we have to put up with," so ???s?a? is used in Gk. Ebriosorum: "habitual
drunkards," more invidious than vinolenti above. Illud attendimus: Goer., and Orelli write num
illud, but the emphatic ille is often thus introduced by itself in questions, a good ex. occurs in
136. Proferremus: this must apparently be added to the exx. qu. by Madv. on D.F. II. 35 of the
subj. used to denote "non id quod fieret factumve esset, sed quod fieri debuerit." As such
passages are often misunderstood, I note that they can be most rationally explained as elliptic
constructions in which a condition is expressed without its consequence. We have an exact
parallel in English, e.g. "tu dictis Albane maneres" may fairly be translated, "hadst thou but kept
to thy word, Alban!" Here the condition "if thou hadst kept, etc." stands without the consequence
"thou wouldst not have died," or something of the kind. Such a condition may be expressed
without si, just as in Eng. without "if," cf. Iuv. III. 78 and Mayor's n. The use of the Greek
optative to express a wish (with e? ?a?, etc., and even without e?) is susceptible of the same
explanation. The Latin subj. has many such points of similarity with the Gk. optative, having
absorbed most of the functions of the lost Lat. optative. [Madv. on D.F. II. 35 seems to imply that
he prefers the hypothesis of a suppressed protasis, but as in his Gram. 351 b, obs. 4 he attempts
no elucidation, I cannot be certain.]
§§54—63. Summary. The Academics fail to see that such doctrines do away with all
probability even. Their talk about twins and seals is childish (54). They press into
their service the old physical philosophers, though ordinarily none are so much
ridiculed by them (55). Democritus may say that innumerable worlds exist in every
particular similar to ours, but I appeal to more cultivated physicists, who maintain
that each thing has its own peculiar marks (55, 56). The Servilii were distinguished
from one another by their friends, and Delian breeders of fowls could tell from the
appearance of an egg which hen had laid it (56, 57). We however, do not much care
whether we are able to distinguish eggs from one another or not. Another thing that
they say is absurd, viz. that there may be distinction between individual sensations,
but not between classes of sensations (58). Equally absurd are those "probable and
undisturbed" sensations they profess to follow. The doctrine that true and false
sensations are indistinguishable logically leads to the unqualified ep??? of Arcesilas
(59). What nonsense they talk about inquiring after the truth, and about the bad
influence of authority! (60). Can you, Cicero, the panegyrist of philosophy, plunge
us into more than Cimmerian darkness? (61) By holding that knowledge is
impossible you weaken the force of your famous oath that you "knew all about"
Catiline. Thus ended Lucullus, amid the continued wonder of Hortensius (62, 63).
Then Catulus said that he should not be surprised if the speech of Lucullus were to
induce me to change my view (63).
§54. Ne hoc quidem: the common trans. "not even" for "ne quidem" is often inappropriate. Trans.
here "they do not see this either," cf. n. on I. 5. Habeant: the slight alteration habeat introduced
by Goer. and Orelli quite destroys the point of the sentence. Quod nolunt: cf. 44. An sano: Lamb.
an ut sano, which Halm approves, and Baiter reads. Similitudines: cf. 84—86. The impossibility
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