On the Good Life by Marcus Tullius Cicero

Author:Marcus Tullius Cicero [Cicero, Marcus Tullius]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Classics, Latin, Literary Collections, Essays, Philosophy, General, History & Surveys, Ancient & Classical
ISBN: 9780140442441
Google: WZ8BUu4SB9oC
Amazon: 0140442448
Publisher: Penguin Group USA, Inc.
Published: 1971-03-15T05:00:00+00:00

He says ‘no’ and I say ‘no’. He says ‘yes’, and I say ‘yes’. In other words I have made it my duty to agree with him in everything.1

That is Terence again, but now he is speaking in the character of Gnatho – the sort of friend whom nobody but a fool would want. There are a great many people about who, even if they are Gnatho’s superiors in position and wealth and reputation, behave exactly like him all the same!

And when you have a man who is not only insincere but influential, this sycophancy becomes really dangerous. However, if you are careful, it is possible to tell a hypocritical friend from a real one. You can keep the two sorts apart, in the same way as you can distinguish any other sham or fake from the authentic original.

*

A public meeting consists of wholly inexperienced people; and yet, when gathered together, they can usually tell the difference between a demagogue, that is to say a politician of the smooth-tongued unreliable sort, and a statesman who is reliable and truthful and honest. A short time ago Gaius Papirius Carbo insinuated himself into the favour of the Assembly by proposing a law to make tribunes of the people eligible for re-election to a second term of office. I spoke against him. But never mind about me; it is Scipio I want to talk about. Heavens, what an impressive, imposing speech he made! You might have thought he was head of the whole Roman State, not just one private citizen among many. However, you were both there listening to him – and in any case his speech is available for all to read. As a result of his words, the bill in question, which was meant to please the people, was turned down – the people themselves turned it down.

To return to myself, you must remember, when Scipio’s brother Quintus Fabius Maximus and Lucius Hostilius Mancinus were consuls, how popular Gains Crassus’s bill about priestly appointments seemed likely to be. Such appointments had previously been arranged by co-optation,1 and it was now proposed to transfer them, together with all the immense patronage they carried, to the popular vote. (Crassus also made another democratic gesture; he was the first man who ever turned to face the Forum while addressing the Assembly.)2 I was called upon to speak in reply, and it turned out that his specious arguments could be defeated quite easily: what I did was to appeal to the reverence we all ought to feel towards the immortal gods. These events took place while I was only praetor – I did not become consul for another five years. In others words, what won the debate was not influence derived from rank, but the merits of the case itself.

On the stage, then – for that is what those public meetings amount to – the ample opportunities that exist for lies and misrepresentations still cannot prevent truth from winning the day, once it is revealed and brought out into the light.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.