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I. 39, and for describere ab aliquo cf. a te in Ad Att. XIII. 22, 3.
§12. Dicta Philoni: for this see Introd. p. 50. It cannot mean what Goer. makes it mean, "coram
Philone." I think it probable that Philoni is a marginal explanation foisted on the text. As to the
statements of Catulus the elder, they are made clear by 18. Academicos: i.e. novos, who are here
treated as the true Academics, though Antiochus himself claimed the title. Aristo: see Introd. p.
11. Aristone: Diog. VII. 164 mentions an Aristo of Alexandria, a Peripatetic, who may be the
same. Dio seems unknown. Negat: see n. on 18. Lenior: some MSS. levior, as is usual with these
two words. In 11 one of the earliest editions has leviter for leniter.
§§13—18. Summary. Cicero seems to me to have acted like a seditious tribune, in
appealing to famous old philosophers as supporters of scepticism (13), Those very
philosophers, with the exception of Empedocles, seem to me, if anything, too
dogmatic (14). Even if they were often in doubt, do you suppose that no advance has
been made during so many centuries by the investigations of so many men of
ability? Arcesilas was a rebel against a good philosophy, just as Ti. Gracchus was a
rebel against a good government (15). Has nothing really been learned since the time
of Arcesilas? His opinions have had scanty, though brilliant support (16). Now many
dogmatists think that no argument ought to be held with a sceptic, since argument
can add nothing to the innate clearness of true sensations (17). Most however do
allow of discussion with sceptics. Philo in his innovations was induced to state
falsehoods, and incurred all the evils he wished to avoid, his rejection of Zeno's
definition of the ?ata??pt??? fa?tas?a really led him back to that utter scepticism
from which he was fleeing. We then must either maintain Zeno's definition or give
in to the sceptics (18).
§13. Rursus exorsus est: cf. exorsus in 10. Popularis: d?µ?t?????. Ii a: so Dav. for MSS. iam.
Tum ad hos: so MSS., Dav. aut hos. The omission of the verb venire is very common in Cic.'s
letters. C. Flaminium: the general at lake Trasimene. Aliquot annis: one good MS. has annos, cf.
T.D. I. 4, where all the best MSS. have annos. The ablative is always used to express point of
time, and indeed it may be doubted whether the best writers ever use any accusative in that sense,
though they do occasionally use the ablative to express duration (cf. Prop. I. 6, 7 and Madv.
Gram. 235, 2). L. Cassium: this is L. Cassius Longinus Ravilla, a man of good family, who
carried a ballot bill (De Leg. III. 35), he was the author of the cui bono principle and so severe a
judge as to be called scopulus reorum. Pompeium: apparently the man who made the disgraceful
treaty with Numantia repudiated by home in 139 B.C. P. Africanum: i.e. the younger, who
supported the ballot bill of Cassius, but seems to have done nothing else for the democrats.
Fratres: Lamb. viros, but cf. Brut. 98. P. Scaevolam: the pontifex, consul in the year Tib.
Gracchus was killed, when he refused to use violence against the tribunes. The only connection
these brothers had with the schemes of Gracchus seems to be that they were consulted by him as
lawyers, about the legal effect the bills would have. Ut videmus ... ut suspicantur: Halm with
Gruter brackets these words on the ground that the statement about Marius implies that the
demagogues lie about all but him. Those words need not imply so much, and if they did, Cic.
may be allowed the inconsistency.
§14. Similiter: it is noticeable that five MSS. of Halm have simile. Xenophanem: so Victorius for
the MSS. Xenoplatonem. Ed. Rom. (1471) has Cenonem, which would point to Zenonem, but Cic.
does not often name Zeno of Elea. Saturninus: of the question why he was an enemy of Lucullus,
Goer. says frustra quaeritur. Saturninus was the persistent enemy of Metellus Numidicus, who
was the uncle of Lucullus by marriage. Arcesilae calumnia: this was a common charge, cf.
Academicorum calumnia in N.D. II. 20 and calumnia in 18 and 65 of this book. So August.
Contra Acad. II. 1 speaks of Academicorum vel calumnia vel pertinacia vel pericacia. Democriti
verecundia: Cic. always has a kind of tenderness for Democritus, as Madv. on D.F. I. 20
remarks, cf. De Div. II. 30 where Democr. is made an exception to the general arrogantia of the
physici. Empedocles quidem ... videatur: cf. 74. The exordium of his poem is meant, though there
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