enim ingenii et virtutis omnisque praestantiae tum maximus capitur quum in proximum quemque confertur. XX. 71. Ut igitur ii qui sunt in amicitiae conjunctionisque necessitudine superiores, exaequare se cum inferioribus debent; sic inferiores non dolere se a suis aut ingenio aut fortuna aut dignitate superari. Quorum plerique aut queruntur semper aliquid aut etiam exprobrant ; eoque magis, si habere se putant quod officiose et amice et cum labore aliquo suo factum queant dicere. Odiosum sane genus hominum officia exprobrantium, quae meminisse debet is in quem collata sunt, non commemorare qui contulit. 72. Quamobrem ut ii qui superiores sunt submittere se debent in amicitia, sic quodam modo inferiores extollere. Sunt enim quidam qui molestas amicitias faciunt, quum ipsi se contemni putant; quod non fere contingit nisi iis qui etiam contemnendos se arbitrantur, qui hac opinione non modo verbis sed etiam opere levandi sunt. 73. Tantum autem cuique tribuendum, primum, quantum ipse efficere possis; deinde etiam, quantum ille quem diligas atque adjuves sustinere. Non enim tu possis, quamvis licet excellas, omnes tuos ad honores amplissimos means 20. Officiose] The word means conformably to their officium' or duty. Cicero has a treatise "De Officiis." 'Amice' is more than 'officiose.' In Verr. ii. 1, c. 24, there is: 66 Lampsaceni in omnes cives Romanos officiosi." Submittere] The word here to "abase themselves, lower themselves," that is, in a proper sense, to the level of their less gifted friends; a sense closely related to a more common meaning of verbs compounded with 'sub,' such as 'subire,'' subesse,' and the like. The inferiores must raise themselves up, endeavour to raise their thoughts and sentiments to the level of their more gifted friends. Se' is evidently to be supplied with extollere.' Non enim tu, &c.] 'Non enim neque tu possis, quamvis excellas,' &c.: Seyffert. So, says Seyffert, the best MSS. have. He adds, "manifestly Cicero intended to go on to say, ' neque ille omnia, quae ad eum deferre velis, sustinere (possit);' that he did not do so, but left the form of construction that he had begun, and passed to another, is to be explained by the intermediate clause 'ut Scipio,' &c." Those who are curious about more on this matter, must look at his note, perducere; ut Scipio P. Rupilium potuit Consulem efficere, fratrem ejus Lucium non potuit. Quod si etiam possis quidvis deferre ad alterum, videndum est tamen quid ille possit sustinere. 74. Omnino amicitiae corroboratis jam confirmatisque et ingeniis et aetatibus judicandae sunt nec si qui ineunte aetate venandi aut pilae studiosi fuerunt, eos habere necessarios quos tum eodem studio praeditos dilexerunt; isto enim modo nutrices et paeda Habere necessarios] I do not see how this infinitive 'habere' is to be explained. Yet the meaning is clear, forsi qui . . . fuerunt' fills the place of the subject, to which in ordinary cases there would be a corresponding verb, on which 'habere' would depend: 'nor must they who in their early years have been eager about hunting and ballplaying, be required to consider those as their intimate friends whom they loved at that time because they were fond of the same pursuits.' If Cicero wrote the text as it stands, it is either a careless way of writing, and this seems probable, for the meaning is plain; or it may be a case where our knowledge of the Latin language fails us. The more I consider the various explanations, the less satisfactory they seem. Isto enim, &c.] This use of 'isto' seems to mean by implication "for if you should maintain what I have just denied, then," &c. After "alio quodam modo" some MSS. have 'amandi,' and 6 But others colendi,' both of which look like an attempt to explain the text; for the words 'negligendi quidem,' followed by 'sed,' imply a word that is to be opposed to negligendi.' The clause from 'isto enim modo' to 'postulabunt' is parenthetical; and qui negligendi' does not refer to 'nutrices et paedagogi,' but to eosquos tum.' But what is to be supplied with "alio quodam modo?" "Negligendi non sunt," says Seyffert, who refers "qui negligendi to "nutrices et paedagogi." this explanation is not satisfactory. A Roman knew that he ought to feel some gratitude to 'nutrices and 'paedagogi:' friendship with them was out of the question. But what was he to do with his youthful companions, whom he once loved? The answer is that he must not entirely neglect them, but he must treat them in some other way. If the clause from "isto enim modo" to "postulabunt" were omitted, as it may be, the sense would be clearer, because the two parts of the sentence, which relate to one another, would not be disjoined by the parenthesis ("isto enim postulabunt"); and we might supply 'habendi' from 'habere.' But I do not believe that this is the trne explanation, and the sentence gogi jure vetustatis plurimum benevolentiae postulabunt: qui negligendi quidem non sunt, sed alio quodam modo: aliter amicitiae stabiles permanere non possunt. Dispares enim mores disparia studia sequuntur quorum dissimilitudo dissociat amicitias; nec ob aliam causam ullam boni improbis, improbi bonis amici esse non possunt, nisi quod tanta est inter eos quanta maxima potest esse morum studiorumque distantia. 75. Recte etiam praecipi potest in amicitiis ne intemperata quaedam benevolentia, quod persaepe fit, impediat magnas utilitates amicorum. Nec enim, ut ad fabulas redeam, Trojam Neoptolemus capere potuisset, si Lycomedem apud quem erat educatus, multis cum lacrimis iter suum impedientem, audire voluisset ; et saepe incidunt magnae res ut discedendum sit ab amicis: quas qui impedire vult, quod desiderium non facile ferat, is et infirmus est mollisque natura et ob eam ipsam causam in amicitia parum justus. 76. Atque in omni re considerandum est et quid postules ab amico et quid patiare a te impetrari. appears to be purposely left in this Paedagogi] A Greek word, boy-conductors,' slaves whose business it was to look after children, to attend them to school, and the like. It was usual for the wealthy Romans to have Greek slaves for this purpose, and probably the name 'paedagogus' was introduced with the practice of employing Greek slaves to look after children. Et saepe incidunt] I have followed Seyffert in making this the second part of the sentence which begins nec enim,' as it manifestly is. Compare "neque in rebus humanis-et," c. 21. Discedendum sit' does not mean a breaking of friendship, but a temporary separation of friends. Justus] Does not mean 'just.' It means 'perfect.' A 'justus amicus' is a complete, perfect friend, a man who fulfils all the conditions of friendship. XXI. Est etiam quaedam calamitas in amicitiis dimittendis nonnunquam necessaria; jam enim a sapientium familiaritatibus ad vulgares amicitias oratio nostra delabitur. Erumpunt saepe vitia amicorum tum in ipsos amicos tum in alienos, quorum tamen ad amicos redundet infamia. Tales igitur amicitiae sunt remissione usus eluendae, et, ut Catonem dicere audivi, dissuendae magis quam discindendae; nisi quaedam admodum intolerabilis injuria exarserit, ut neque rectum neque honestum sit nec fieri possit ut non statim alienatio disjunctioque facienda sit. 77. Sin autem aut morum aut studiorum commutatio quaedam, ut fieri solet, facta erit, aut in rei publicae partibus dissensio intercesserit, loquor enim jam, ut paullo ante dixi, non de sapientium sed de communibus amicitiis, cavendum erit ne non solum amicitiae depositae sed etiam inimicitiae susceptae videantur. Nihil enim turpius quam cum eo bellum gerere quicum familiariter vixeris. amicitia Q. Pompeii meo nomine se removerat, ut scitis, Scipio; propter dissensionem autem, quae erat in re publica, alienatus est a collega nostro Metello. Utrumque 21. Redundet] Some MSS. have 'redundat;' but Cicero does not directly say that it does redound;' he says that "vices or faults break out both against friends themselves and also against strangers, yet in such wise that the disgrace falls back on the friends." Quorum infamia' only refers to 'tum in alienos.' It is the usual form of Cicero's sentence when he makes one affirmative emphatic, and the other subordinate. Seyffert's explanation is this: That the wrongful deed is intended to be marked by the subjunctive 'redundet,' as one the infamia' of which must necessarily fall back upon friends. This is a different view of the matter, but not the true one, as I think. Ab 'Infamia' means 'disgrace,' or 'blame,' and is not used in its technical and political sense. Rei publicae] It is better to write these words as two words, which they are. 'Res publica' is constantly opposed to 'res privata.' There are also the expressions 'res Romana,' and many others. At the beginning of the sentence Orelli has "Sin autem morum,' but the MSS. authority is in favour of aut morum,' and also the meaning of the passage. Q. Pompeii] Q. Pompeius Nepos, who was consul B.C. 141. Metellus is Q. Caecilius Metellus Macedonicus, who was an augur, and so a colleague of Laelius and Scipio. egit graviter, auctoritate et offensione animi non acerba. 78. Quamobrem primum danda opera est nequa amicorum discidia fiant; sin tale aliquid evenerit, ut extinctae potius amicitiae quam oppressae esse videantur. Cavendum vero ne etiam in graves inimicitias convertant se amicitiae, ex quibus jurgia, maledicta, contumeliae gignuntur: quae tamen si tolerabiles erunt, ferendae sunt, et hic honos veteri amicitiae tribuendus, ut is in culpa sit qui faciat, non is qui patiatur injuriam. Omnino omnium horum vitiorum atque incommodorum una cautio est atque una provisio, ut ne nimis cito diligere incipiant neve non dignos. 79. Digni autem sunt amicitia quibus in ipsis inest causa cur diligantur. Rarum genus, et quidem omnia praeclara rara, nec quidquam difficilius quam reperire quod sit omni ex parte in suo genere perfectum. Sed plerique neque in rebus humanis quidquam bonum norunt nisi quod fruc Gignuntur:] Seyffert has a note on 'gignuntur,' which he explains correctly. The clause 'ex quibus' contains a direct, independent predication as to "graves inimicitiae." On so nice a matter does this question of the indicative and subjunctive often turn, that a man must keep his understanding active in order to apprehend it; one advantage of reading writers whom one must read with care in order to understand. Ernesti's text of this passage in the London reprint is a curiosity: "cavendum vero est, ne... se amicitiae: ex quibus . gignantur." It would require an Oedipus to explain such an "ex quibus gignantur," thus detached from what precedes. Quae tamen si] When friendship comes to an end, it should end decently. There should be no brawling or quarrelling. This is the advice of a Roman gentleman. He goes so far as to say that even foul words and abuse are to be endured to a certain extent (si tolerabiles erunt); for Roman virtue did not require a man to endure every thing. Cicero says (De Off. i. 11), 'that a limit must be observed in avenging and punishing,' which implies that as a general rule an injury must be resented. So here he says: "this respect must be paid to old friendship, that he shall be in fault who does the wrong, not he who suffers it." We must reverse the rule, which requires a man to resent a wrong, and excuse him out of respect to the friendship that once existed. Ut ne] This occurs in De Am. 16, 18. Neve' or 'neu,' follows another 'ne,' and sometimes only; as Caes. Bell. Gall. ii. 21. ut' Neve' is sometimes used when there is no 'ne,' in commands or precepts, or the like. Virg. Georg. ii. 298, iv. 47; Hor. Carm. i. 2, 47. |