academica of cicero. - 912 Freedom Library

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prevent a single leaf from being lost.... Every day I find greater satisfaction in study, so far as my
forensic labours permit [37] ." At this period of his life Cicero spent much time in study at his
estates near Tusculum, Antium, Formiae, and elsewhere. I dwell with greater emphasis on these
facts, because of the idea now spread abroad that Cicero was a mere dabbler in literature, and that
his works were extempore paraphrases of Greek books half understood. In truth, his appetite for
every kind of literature was insatiable, and his attainments in each department considerable. He
was certainly the most learned Roman of his age, with the single exception of Varro. One of his
letters to Atticus [38] will give a fair picture of his life at this time. He especially studied the
political writings of the Greeks, such as Theophrastus and Dicaearchus [39] . He also wrote
historical memoirs after the fashion, of Theopompus [40] .
The years from 59—57 B.C. were years in which Cicero's private cares overwhelmed all thought
of other occupation. Soon after his return from exile, in the year 56, he describes himself as
"devouring literature" with a marvellous man named Dionysius [41] , and laughingly pronouncing
that nothing is sweeter than universal knowledge. He spent great part of the year 55 at Cumae or
Naples "feeding upon" the library of Faustus Sulla, the son of the Dictator [42] . Literature formed
then, he tells us, his solace and support, and he would rather sit in a garden seat which Atticus
had, beneath a bust of Aristotle, than in the ivory chair of office. Towards the end of the year, he
was busily engaged on the De Oratore, a work which clearly proves his continued familiarity
with Greek philosophy [43] . In the following year (54) he writes that politics must cease for him,
and that he therefore returns unreservedly to the life most in accordance with nature, that of the
student [44] . During this year he was again for the most part at those of his country villas where
his best collections of books were. At this time was written the De Republica, a work to which I
may appeal for evidence that his old philosophical studies had by no means been allowed to
drop [45] . Aristotle is especially mentioned as one of the authors read at this time [46] . In the year
52 B.C. came the De Legibus, written amid many distracting occupations; a work professedly
modelled on Plato and the older philosophers of the Socratic schools.
In the year 51 Cicero, then on his way to Cilicia, revisited Athens, much to his own pleasure and
that of the Athenians. He stayed in the house of Aristus, the brother of Antiochus and teacher of
Brutus. His acquaintance with this philosopher was lasting, if we may judge from the affectionate
mention in the Brutus [47] . Cicero also speaks in kindly terms of Xeno, an Epicurean friend of
Atticus, who was then with Patro at Athens. It was at this time that Cicero interfered to prevent
Memmius, the pupil of the great Roman Epicurean Lucretius, from destroying the house in which
Epicurus had lived [48] . Cicero seems to have been somewhat disappointed with the state of
philosophy at Athens, Aristus being the only man of merit then resident there [49] . On the journey
from Athens to his province, he made the acquaintance of Cratippus, who afterwards taught at
Athens as head of the Peripatetic school [50] . At this time he was resident at Mitylene, where
Cicero seems to have passed some time in his society [51] . He was by far the greatest, Cicero said,
of all the Peripatetics he had himself heard, and indeed equal in merit to the most eminent of that
school [52] .
The care of that disordered province Cilicia enough to employ Cicero's thoughts till the end of
50. Yet he yearned for Athens and philosophy. He wished to leave some memorial of himself at
the beautiful city, and anxiously asked Atticus whether it would look foolish to build a p??p????
at the Academia, as Appius, his predecessor, had done at Eleusis [53] . It seems the Athenians of
the time were in the habit of adapting their ancient statues to suit the noble Romans of the day,
and of placing on them fulsome inscriptions. Of this practice Cicero speaks with loathing. In one
letter of this date he carefully discusses the errors Atticus had pointed out in the books De
Republica [54] . His wishes with regard to Athens still kept their hold upon his mind, and on his
way home from Cilicia he spoke of conferring on the city some signal favour [55] . Cicero was
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