academica of cicero. - 912 Freedom Library

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THE ACADEMICA,
THIS EDITION
IS AFFECTIONATELY DEDICATED
BY
THE EDITOR.
PREFACE.
Since the work of Davies appeared in 1725, no English scholar has edited the Academica. In
Germany the last edition with explanatory notes is that of Goerenz, published in 1810. To the
poverty and untrustworthiness of Goerenz's learning Madvig's pages bear strong evidence; while
the work of Davies, though in every way far superior to that of Goerenz, is very deficient when
judged by the criticism of the present time.
This edition has grown out of a course of Intercollegiate lectures given by me at Christ's College
several years ago. I trust that the work in its present shape will be of use to undergraduate
students of the Universities, and also to pupils and teachers alike in all schools where the
philosophical works of Cicero are studied, but especially in those where an attempt is made to
impart such instruction in the Ancient Philosophy as will prepare the way for the completer
knowledge now required in the final Classical Examinations for Honours both at Oxford and
Cambridge. My notes have been written throughout with a practical reference to the needs of
junior students. During the last three or four years I have read the Academica with a large
number of intelligent pupils, and there is scarcely a note of mine which has not been suggested
by some difficulty or want of theirs. My plan has been, first, to embody in an Introduction such
information concerning Cicero's philosophical views and the literary history of the Academica as
could not be readily got from existing books; next, to provide a good text; then to aid the student
in obtaining a higher knowledge of Ciceronian Latinity, and lastly, to put it in his power to learn
thoroughly the philosophy with which Cicero deals.
My text may be said to be founded on that of Halm which appeared in the edition of Cicero's
philosophical works published in 1861 under the editorship of Baiter and Halm as a continuation
of Orelli's second edition of Cicero's works, which was interrupted by the death of that editor. I
have never however allowed one of Halm's readings to pass without carefully weighing the
evidence he presents; and I have also studied all original criticisms upon the text to which I could
obtain access. The result is a text which lies considerably nearer the MSS. than that of Halm. My
obligations other than those to Halm are sufficiently acknowledged in my notes; the chief are to
Madvig's little book entitled Emendationes ad Ciceronis libros Philosophicos, published in 1825
at Copenhagen, but never, I believe, reprinted, and to Baiter's text in the edition of Cicero's
works by himself and Kayser. In a very few passages I have introduced emendations of my own,
and that only where the conjecttires of other Editors seemed to me to depart too widely from the
MSS. If any apology be needed for discussing, even sparingly, in the notes, questions of textual
criticism, I may say that I have done so from a conviction that the very excellence of the texts
now in use is depriving a Classical training of a great deal of its old educational value. The
judgment was better cultivated when the student had to fight his way through bad texts to the
author's meaning and to a mastery of the Latin tongue. The acceptance of results without a
knowledge of the processes by which they are obtained is worthless for the purposes of
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