The Republic and The Laws (Oxford World's Classics) (39 page)

hideously deformed children
: Table 4. T. DIONYSIUS OF HALICARNASSUS ATTRIBUTES THIS PRACTICE TO ROMULUS
(Antiquitates Romanae
2. 15. 2), cf. Seneca,
De Ira
1. 15. 2.

Publius Scipio
: Scipio (5) in the Index of Names.

Saturninus
: see Apuleius in the Index of Names.

ourselves … our position
: it sounds like Marcus’ own voice here.

cause confusion among the clans
: in March 59 Clodius had himself transferred to the plebs so that he might become a tribune. This was done through the good offices of the pontifex maximus, Julius Caesar.

destructive power
: i.e. the tribunes’ veto. They were still allowed to intervene on behalf of plebeians in trouble with the law.

a colleague who was blocking
: i.e. the tribune Marcus Octavius. See Gracchus, Tiberius in the Index of Names.

that power
: the power of veto.

ten tribunes
: by the middle of the fifth century the number had risen to ten.

The plebs were not incited
: perhaps not directly, but in January 58 Clodius won their support by obtaining free distributions of grain.

slaves were stirred up
: Clodius had a recent law against clubs repealed. He then organized armed gangs, which included slaves as well as freedmen. These were employed to intimidate voters in the assemblies.

For gangs in Rome see Lintott (1) ch. 6. And, for Clodius’ conduct, E. Rawson (3) 113–16, T. N. Mitchell 134–8.

Had I not given way
: some scholars, reading
si
without a negative, take the passage as referring to the revolt of Catiline.

what I did for the safety of the country
: Cicero represents his departure as an act undertaken in the public interest.

eminent men
: e.g. Aristides and Themistocles. Cf.
R.
1. 5. A lofty interpretation of their state of mind.

As for Pompey
: Pompey’s attitude to Clodius soon changed from acquiescence, or even support, to opposition. He began to work for Cicero’s recall and eventually persuaded Caesar to agree (T. N. Mitchell i5off.). Hence Cicero’s mildness.

a cause … not intrinsically disastrous
: the restoration of the tribunate.

justifiable postponements
: if the auspices were pronounced unfavourable, the meeting could not continue.

Often the gods have used the auspices
: one would like to think that this sentence carried a hint of irony.

this law may well exhaust
: one of the censor’s duties was to watch over the conduct of senators.

no one with any blemishes will even get into that order
: wishful thinking, of course.

education and training
: these are not described in what survives of the work.

those men beget a host of imitators
: the point is repeated seven times in what follows. Such variations were practised in the rhetorical practised in the rhetorical schools.

the opinion of our friend Plato
: Plato,
Republic
4. 424c. Cf.
L.
2. 38–9 above.

that other work
: the relevant sections of Cicero’s
Republic
have not survived.

four ballot laws
: the first was introduced by Gabinius in 139. For him, and the others mentioned, see the Index of Names. For details of voting-procedure see Greenidge (1) 258–9.

a storm in a teacup
: i.e. in local politics. The Latin
simpulum
means a wine ladle.

his son
: see Index of Names under Gratidianus.

the Aegean sea
: i.e. in national politics.

on his recommendation
: ‘If Scipio could not count on the senatorial jurors of the extortion court to convict his enemies, he might have better luck with the popular assembly, especially if the ballot was secret’ (Gruen 39).

The Marian Law
: as tribune in 119, Marius introduced a law which
narrowed the gangways along which the voters passed. This was designed to reduce the opportunities for bribery and intimidation.

provided the vote is disclosed
: if this is seriously meant (and there is no sign to the contrary) Cicero must be deceiving himself. With exemplary restraint, How calls it ‘a futile compromise’ (31).

this influence
: another suggested supplement is
‘{Maintaining deco-rum)
is not difficult in the Senate’.

in his proper turn
: senators were invited to speak in turn, according to rank. For details see Greenidge (1) 268–71.

One ought never to make a long speech
: no doubt Cicero would have claimed that his long speeches were justified by exceptional circumstances as classified below.

to waste the entire day
: the filibuster is not a purely modern phenomenon.

He shall have a grasp of public affairs
: one wonders how this was to be ensured.

to force through a measure by violence
: there were acts of violence (many being of this kind) in every year between 63 and 53.
For details see Lintott (t) Appendix A.

Crassus
: i.e. Lucius Licinius Crassus. See Index of Names.

the disorder fomented by Gnaeus Carbo
: the exact issue is unknown.

he loses his immunity
: the tribune’s privilege of
sacrosanctitas.

legislation directed at private individuals
: in
Pro Sestio
65 Cicero complains that he was driven out by a law naming him specifically, brought before the Council of the Plebs by the tribune Clodius; cf.
De Domo Sua
47. Interestingly, Ateius Capito, a lawyer of the early empire, includes among examples of
privilegium
the decree
recalling
Cicero (Aulus Gellius 10. 20. 3). For a discussion of Cicero’s arguments see Greenidge (2) 361–5.

no legal action had been taken against me
: cf.
Pro Sestio
73.

the whole of Italy
: ‘On 8 August [57
BC
], when I was in Brundisium, I heard from Quintus that the measure legalizing my recall had been passed at the Assembly of Centuries. This was greeted with extraordinary delight by all ages and classes in an astonishing crowd that had flocked to Rome from all over Italy’
(Att.
4. 1. 4).

no official record
: the bills are to be filed in the treasury (11 above). This practice had existed since early times (Livy 3. 55. 13); but possibly the system was not working to Cicero’s satisfaction. Certainly under Augustus, about 11
BC
, reforms were made as a result of officials’ carelessness (Dio 54. 36).

The Greeks
: probably Cicero’s source is Demetrius of Phalerum, who is mentioned on other occasions.

a trial… in a court of law
: magistrates had always been open to prosecution
at the end of their term of office. Cicero’s proposal is new in that it requires a report to be made even if the magistrate has done well.

Marcus Junius
: see Index of Names under Junius.

Each person’s names are listed in the order used by Cicero.

ACCIUS, LUCIUS:
b. 170, a prolific playwright, he was most famous for his versions of Greek tragedy, but he also handled subjects from Roman history. He died some time after 90. L. 2.
54
.

ACHILLES
: the hero of Homer’s
Iliad. R.
T.
30
.

ACILIUS, LUCIUS
: an authority on law, contemporary with Cato the Censor. L. 2.
59
.

AELIUS STILO, LUCIUS
: the first great Roman scholar. Born c.150, he had some famous pupils, including Varro and Cicero. He produced editions of Ennius and Lucilius.
L.
2.
59
.

AELIUS PAETUS CATUS, SEXTUS
: consul 198, famous for his knowledge of the law.
R.
r. 30, 2.
59
.

AENIANES
: a people living in the upper Spercheus valley in north-central Greece.
R.
2.
8
.

AEQUI
: a mountain tribe north-east of Rome. They fought against Rome in the fifth century, but were conquered and eventually absorbed.
R.
2.
36
.

AESCHINES: C
.397
-C
.322. Famous Athenian orator, opponent of Demosthenes.
R.
4.
13
.

AESCULAPIUS
: Latinized form of Asclepius the Greek god of healing. The cult was brought to Rome in 293, and a temple was dedicated in 291. L. 2.
19
.

AETOLIANS
: a people of north-central Greece.
R.
3.
15
.

AHALA, GAIUS SERVILIUS
: he was exiled by his ungrateful countrymen after killing Spurius Maelius, a would-be tyrant, in 439.
R.i.
6
.

ALEXANDER THE GREAT:
356–323.
R.
3. 15; L. 2.
41
.

AMALTHEA
: nurse of Zeus, variously described as a nymph and a she-goat.
L.
2.
7
.

AMPHIARAUS
: a prophet who foresaw that the expedition of the seven Argive chiefs against Thebes was doomed to fail, but nevertheless took part in it at the behest of his wife, Eriphyle, who had been bribed with a necklace by Polynices. L. 2.
33
.

AMPIUS BALBUS, TITUS
: tribune in 63, Balbus was a staunch supporter of Pompey. Exiled by Julius Caesar, he was recalled in 46 through Cicero’s influence. L. 2.
6
.

AMULIUS
: deposed his brother Numitor from the throne of Alba Longa, and made Numitor’s daughter, Silvia, a Vestal Virgin. She, however, was violated by Mars and became the mother of Romulus and Remus.
R.
2.
4
.

ANAXAGORAS:
500–428. After coming to Athens in 480, he taught that in the beginning the seeds of everything existed in an undifferentiated mixture. Thanks to a rotatory motion initiated by mind, the various seeds separated out, and our world was formed.
R.
1.
25
.

ANCUS MARCIUS
: fourth king of Rome
(641–617).
He built the first bridge over the Tiber and extended Roman territory to the coast, where he founded Ostia.
R.
2. 5, 33, 35,
38
.

ANTIOCHUS OF ASCALON:
C.
125-C
.68. He broke away from the scepticism of the New Academy and developed an eclectic system embodying elements of the Old Academy, Aristotle, and the Stoics.
L. 1.
54
.

APIS
: the sacred bull worshipped by the Egyptians in Memphis. The cult is believed to have given rise to the worship of Sarapis, a Hellenized Egyptian religion which became widespread in the third century.
R.
3.
14
.

APOLLO
: a Greek deity with many functions, including music, archery, medicine, and the care of flocks and herds. From early times he was a god of prophecy, and had a number of oracular shrines of which Delphi was the most famous.
R.
2.
44
.

APPIUS
: see Claudius.

APULEIUS SATURNINUS, LUCIUS
: as tribune in 103 he secured grants of land for the veterans of Marius’ campaign against Jugurtha. In 100 he proposed similar grants for the veterans of the campaigns against the Teutones and Cimbri. In addition, against the will of the Senate, he proposed a bill providing cheap corn for the people. Eventually he alienated Marius and was put to death. L. 2. 14; 3. 20,
26
.

AQUILIUS, MANIUS
: consul in 129. With a senatorial commission he organized the province of Asia.
R. 1. 14.

AQUILO
: the north wind (the Greek Boreas). L. 1.
3
.

ARATUS:
(of Soli in Cilicia), c
.3
15–240. Author of an astronomical poem entitled
Phaenomena,
which was long admired. Cicero translated it in his youth.
R.
1. 22, 56; L. 2.
7
.

ARCESILAUS:
316–242. As Head of the Academy, he gave the school the sceptical direction which it followed until the time of Antiochus. L. i.
39
.

ARCHIMEDES
OF
SYRACUSE
: c.287. 212. FAMOUS AS A MATHEMATICIAN AND AS AN INVENTOR OF INGENIOUS DEVICES, E.G. A SCREW FOR RAISING WATER.
R. 1.
21, 22,
28
.

ARCHYTAS
: (of Tarentum in southern Italy), flourished in the first half of the fourth century. Famous for the advances he made in mathematics and musical theory. In philosophy he was a Pythagorean. R. 1. 16,
60
.

ARISTO OF
C
HIOS
: a pupil of Zeno, he founded a branch of Stoicism about 250. Contrary to Zeno, he maintained that, among things neither good nor bad, no distinction could be drawn between ‘preferable’ and ‘non-preferable’. L. 1. 38,
55
.

ARISTODEMUS
: a tragic actor at Athens in the early fourth century.
R.
4. 13-

ARISTOPHANES: C
.450
-C
.385. The most famous representative of the Greek Old Comedy, which was remarkable for its outspokenness.
L.
2.
37
.

ARISTOTLE:
384–322. Only a few of Aristotle’s voluminous writings seem to have been available to Cicero; but some of the main features of his thinking were to be found in the works of his successors, e.g. Theophrastus and later Demetrius of Phalerum. L. i. 38, 55; 3.
14
.

ASELLIO, SEMPRONIUS
: he served under Scipio at Numantia (134–3). He wrote a history of his own time in at least fourteen books down to the age of Sulla, in which he consciously improved on the annalistic tradition by dealing with cause and purpose and conveying a patriotic feeling. L. 1.
6
.