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The MSS. have videant or adeant; Halm conj. adhibeant, comparing 86 and Pro Rabirio 20.
Contemnit: the usual trans. "to despise" for contemnere is too strong; it means, like ??????e??,
merely to neglect or pass by. Effabimur; cf. effatum above. Hermarchus: not Hermachus, as most
edd.; see M.D.F. II. 96. Diiunctum: d?e?e??µe???, for which see Zeller 112. Necessarium: the
reason why Epicurus refused to admit this is given in De Fato 21 Epicurus veretur ne si hoc
concesserit, concedendum sit fato fieri quaecumque fiant. The context of that passage should be
carefully read, along with N.D. I. 69, 70. Aug. Contra Ac. III. 29 lays great stress on the necessary
truth of disjunctive propositions. Catus: so Lamb. for MSS. cautus. Tardum: De Div. II. 103
Epicurum quem hebetem et rudem dicere solent Stoici; cf. also ib. II. 116, and the frequent use of
ß?ad?? in Sext., e.g. A.M. VII. 325. Cum hoc igitur: the word igitur, as usual, picks up the broken
thread of the sentence. Id est: n. on I. 8. Evertit: for the Epicurean view of Dialectic see R. and P.
343. Zeller 399 sq., M.D.F. I. 22. E contrariis diiunctio: = d?e?e??µe??? e? e?a?t???.
§98. Sequor: as in 95, 96, where the Dialectici refused to allow the consequences of their own
principles, according to Cic. Ludere: this reminds one of the famous controversy between Corax
and Tisias, for which see Cope in the old Journal of Philology. No. 7. Iudicem ... non iudicem:
this construction, which in Greek would be marked by µe? and de, has been a great crux of edd.;
Dav. here wished to insert cum before iudicem, but is conclusively refuted by Madv. Em. 31. The
same construction occurs in 103. Esse conexum: with great probability Christ supposes the
infinitive to be an addition of the copyists.
§§98—105. Summary. In order to overthrow at once the case of Antiochus, I
proceed to explain, after Clitomachus, the whole of Carneades' system (98).
Carneades laid down two divisions of visa, one into those capable of being perceived
and those not so capable, the other into probable and improbable. Arguments aimed
at the senses concern the first division only; the sapiens will follow probability, as in
many instances the Stoic sapiens confessedly does (99, 100). Our sapiens is not
made of stone; many things seem to him true; yet he always feels that there is a
possibility of their being false. The Stoics themselves admit that the senses are often
deceived. Put this admission together with the tenet of Epicurus, and perception
becomes impossible (101). It is strange that our Probables do not seem sufficient to
you. Hear the account given by Clitomachus (102). He condemns those who say that
sensation is swept away by the Academy; nothing is swept away but its necessary
certainty (103). There are two modes of withholding assent; withholding it absolutely
and withholding it merely so far as to deny the certainty of phenomena. The latter
mode leaves all that is required for ordinary life (104).
98. Tortuosum: similar expressions are in T.D. II. 42, III. 22, D.F. IV. 7. Ut Poenus: "as might be
expected from a Carthaginian;" cf. D.F. IV. 56, tuus ille Poenulus, homo acutus. A different
meaning is given by the ut in passages like De Div. II. 30 Democritus non inscite nugatur, ut
physicus, quo genere nihil arrogantius; "for a physical philosopher."
§99. Genera: here = classifications of, modes of dividing visa. This way of taking the passage
will defend Cic. against the strong censure of Madv. (Pref. to D.F. p. lxiii.) who holds him
convicted of ignorance, for representing Carneades as dividing visa into those which can be
perceived and those which cannot. Is it possible that any one should read the Academica up to
this point, and still believe that Cic. is capable of supposing, even for a moment, that Carneades
in any way upheld ?ata?????? Dicantur: i.e. ab Academicis. Si probabile: the si is not in MSS.
Halm and also Bait. follow Christ in reading est, probabile nihil esse. Commemorabas: in 53, 58.
Eversio: cf. D.F. III. 50 (the same words), Plat. Gorg. 481 C ??µ?? ?? ß??? a?atet?aµµe??? a?
e??, Sext. A.M. VIII. 157 s???e?µe? t?? ß???. Et sensibus: no second et corresponds to this; sic
below replaces it. See Madv. D.F. p. 790, ed. 2. Quicquam tale etc.: cf. 40, 41. Nihil ab eo
differens: n. on 54. Non comprehensa: n. on 96.
§100. Si iam: "if, for example;" so iam is often used in Lucretius. Probo ... bono: it would have
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