We

C. Fimbriam] Gaius Flavius Fimbria, a novus homo, i.e. the first of his family to obtain a curule office, was colleague of C. Marius in his second consulship A. U. C. 650=B.C. 104 (Verr. v. § 181). learn from § 21 that he had previously been an unsuccessful candidate for the tribuneship. In the revolt of Saturninus he took up arms for the protection of the state (or. p. Rab. perd. § 21). His activity in the capacity of a iudex is spoken of de off. III § 77. He was himself accused by Gratidius of repetundae and acquitted, although M. Aemilius Scaurus appeared as witness against him (or. p. Font. § 24, Valer. Max. VIII 5 § 2). As a speaker he was considered (Brut. § 129) truculentus, asper, maledicus, paulo fervidior atque commotior, diligentia tamen et virtute animi atque vita bonus auctor in senatu.

1. 33. Cn. Manlium] Cn. Manlius or Mallius Maximus was consul B. C. 105 with Q. Servilius Caepio. On his return from his province, Transalpine Gaul, where he was utterly defeated by the Boian Gauls, he was impeached and defended by M. Antonius, the celebrated orator (de orat. II § 125).

P. 6, 1.1. contempta] 'despicable,' cf. de am. § 32 suas omnis cogitationes abiecerunt in rem tam humilem tamque contemptam, Liv. 11 55 § 3 nihil contemptius, si sint qui contemnant, or. Phil. II § 2 quid putem? contemptumne me, where see Halm's note. Perfect participles often supply the want of verbals in bilis, more particularly in the comp. or superl., Mayor on Phil. 11 § 32 l. 15, so execratus execrable,' conspectus visible,' Liv. XXII 4, 6, xxvII 27, especially in compounds with in, as indomitus 'unconquerable,' inviolatus 'inviolable,' inaccessus ‘unapproachable.' On the use of the ablative of quality with proper names, where there is no appellative, see n. on § 52 1. 11.

§ 13, 1. 1. desiderarunt] 'sought in vain for you.'

1. 2. inquit] sc. populus.

Cyrenis] where Laterensis was pro-quaestor, § 63 1. 12, Intr. § 6. me-frui malebam] on the construction see note to Cic. de off. I § 65 1. 19.

1. 3. et quo plus-aberat a me] i.e. et quo plus intererat me tua frui virtute, eo minus me virtute tua adiuvisti, 'the more it was for my interest to have the benefit of your services, the more they failed me.' Keil explains: et quo plus mea intererat talem virum oculis videre, eo plus mihi defuit tum cum adspectu tuo erat carendum. Abesse is here used in the opposite sense to adesse when it means to be present with one's aid,' 'appear on a person's behalf,' 'to stand by,' cp. or. p. Sulla § 7 quid est quod mirere, si cum eisdem me in hac causa vides adesse, cum quibus in ceteris intelligis afuisse? ib. § 14 ut mirari Torquatus desinat, me qui Autronio afuerim, Sullam defendisse, Acad. 11 § 36 facile etiam absentibus nobis veritas se ipsa defendet. So here we must understand eum adesse after intererat.

1. 4. sitientem-virtutis tuae] a still stronger metaphorical expression is found ep. ad Att. II 15 § I proinde ita fac venias ut ad

sitientis auris. Present participles from transitive verbs, when used adjectively, are frequently constructed with a genitive: cf. below § 55 1. 1, or. de 1. Man. §7 appetentes gloriae, de or. 11 § 364 sui despiciens, or. p. Quint. § 62 negotii gerens, or. p. Sest. § 97, or. in Vatin. § 12, de fin. V 27, 4 haec cum corporis bona sint, eorum conficientia certe in bonis numerabis, Ter. Phorm. IV iii 18 fugitans litium. See Roby Gr. II § 1314, Kenn. Gr. § 174, 2 b, Madvig Gr. § 289 a.

1. 5. deseruisti ac reliquisti] 'wholly abandoned,' two synonymous verbs, when combined, serve the purpose of a strengthening adverb, § 2 l. 13, de nat. deor. I § 11 nec vero desertarum derelictarumque rerum patrocinium suscepimus, Verr. II 3 § 120 ut aratores agros fertiles desererent totasque arationes derelinquerent.

1. 6. petere tribunatum] in the year A.U.C. 694=B.C. 59, when Caesar and Bibulus were consuls: ep. ad Att. II 18 § 2 habet Campana lex execrationem in coitione candidatorum, si mentionem fecerint, quo aliter ager possideatur atque ut ex legibus Iuliis; non dubitant iurare ceteri; Laterensis existumatur laute fecisse, quod tribunatum pl. petere destitit ne iuraret, below § 52 1. 24. See also Intr. § 6.

1. 7. requirebant] 'called for,' 'felt the want of that eloquence of yours.' Cf. or. p. Sull. § 26 si neque amici in foro requirunt studium meum neque res publica in curia, auct. ad Herenn. IV § 37 vestram sapientiam desidero, veterem consuetudinem requiro. Had Laterensis not retired from the contest, he would have been tribune of the plebs in B. C. 58, the year in which Piso and Gabinius were consuls, and in which Cicero went into exile.

1. 8. reliquisses] Laterensis had not chosen to enter into a coitio with those in power, and to swear with the rest of the candidates to support the lex Iulia agraria. See § 52 and Intr. § 6.

tanta in tempestate]=anno tam turbulento, 'in such stormy times,' cf. § 11 l. 12, § 86 l. 6, or. p. Ligar. § 34 tempestate abreptus est, pro Sest. § 101 quem neque periculi tempestas neque honoris aura potuit umquam de suo cursu demovere. Translate: if by abandoning that canvass you signified that you were not able to pilot (the vessel of the state) in so violent a storm, I had my misgivings about your capacity; if you meant that you did not choose, about your good intentions, patriotism.'

1. 9. si nolle] i.e. si indicasti te nolle gubernare. On the use of gubernare absolutely=clavum tenere cf. de off. 1 § 87 similiter facere eos, qui inter se contenderent uter potius remp. administraret, ut si nautae certarent, qui eorum potissimum gubernaret, and so met. or. Phil. II § 92 constituta respublica videbatur aliis, mihi vero nullo modo, qui omnia te gubernante naufragia metuebam.

1. 10. quod magis intellego] 'which I see was rather your object.' 1. 12. eum magistratum] sc. tribunatum plebis, an office in which you may be of great service to me. Observe that the emphasis is to be laid on magnae. On the predicative dative or dative of purpose see Roby Gr. II Pref. xxv-lvi, § 1160, Madv. Gr. § 249.

1. 13. aediles-parati] 'no matter who are aediles, the same games and shows are provided for me.' The ludi plebeii were conducted by the plebeian aediles (Liv. XXXI 50), and were held on the 16th, 17th and 18th of November. The celebration of the ludi magni or Romani, the ludi scenici and the Megalenses belonged especially to the curule aediles. On the origin of the aediles plebeii and the aediles curules and their relative position, mode of election and duties, see Ramsay Rom. Ant. p. 156 ff., Dict. Antiq. p. 18 ff.

1. 15. redde mihi quod ostenderas] fulfil the expectations you had raised in me,' viz. by becoming tribune. Cf. the phrase reddere vota de leg. II § 22, Verg. Ecl. v 75, and reddere promissa Aen. v 386, and Brut § 258 perge de Caesare et redde quae restant.

1. 16. quod mea minus interest] minus enim prodesse mihi potes in aedilitate quam in tribunatu. MANUTIUS

1. 17. reddam tibi-paullo diligentius supplicare] reddam quidem tibi si, quod ostendisti, tribunatum pl. petere recusas, aedilitatem istam, sed amplissumos honores, praeturam et consulatum, quorum consequendorum causa aedilitatem petis, nisi diligentissime mihi supplicaveris, non adipisceris. notum est autem quod Cicero de legg. in § 7 dicit: suntoque aediles coeratores urbis, annonae ludorumque sollennium: ollisque ad honoris amplioris gradum is primus ascensus esto. W.

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1. 19. condiscas censeo] 'I propose that you learn,' 'I advise you to learn.' When censeo is thus followed by a subjunctive clause without ut, something of irony is generally implied. Cp. Phil. 11 § 95 quid sis acturus meditere censeo, Verr. V § 147 magno opere censeo desistas, Sall. Cat. 52, 26 misereamini censeo.

CHAPTER VI

But, whatever the people may say in its own justification, the court does not sit to enquire into the ground of the rejection of a candidate, provided no bribery can be proved to have been employed against him. We must take things as they are. The electors are free agents, not bound to consider a man's family or any other pretensions, and, popular feeling being so liable to fluctuation, how can the result of an election be predicted with any certainty? (§§ 14-16).

§ 14, 1. 21. non debere iudicem quaerere] 'that it is not the province of the judex to investigate the grounds of your defeat.' The iudex quaestionis or 'president of the court' was the praetor C. Alfius Flavus, see Intr. § 27.

1. 24. factus erit] § 9 1. 22, § 15 1. 3.

nihil est iam quod populo supplicetur] 'there is no reason henceforward why men should become humble suitors for popular favour.'

On nihil est quod with subj. see Zumpt Gr. § 562, Madvig Gr. § 372 b obs. 6, Roby Gr. II § 1686, Kenn. Gr. p. 322.

1. 25. diribitio suffragiorum] 'a classification, sorting of the tickets taken from the ballot-box' in order to determine which of the candidates has the majority, cp. § 49 1. 1, or. in Pis. § 69. Ramsay Rom. Ant. p. 108 thinks that the business of the suffragiorum diribitores was to distribute the tickets (tabellae) before the election to each voter as he passed along the pons to vote. Diribeo is for dishibeo (cf. dirimo from dis-emo) 'to keep apart,' ' separate.' On the words supplicatio magistratuum see cr. not.

1. 26. renuntiatio] sc. suffragiorum, 'the official statement of the poll,' which implies the declaration of the successful candidate, or. p. Mur. § 18.

simul ut] rarely found in Cic., see Madvig de fin. II § 33, who says that he only knows of five passages where it ought to be retained; he does not include the present among them. qui sint professi] 'who have given in their names as candidates. Cf. Gr. προβάλλεσθαι ἑαυτόν Demosth. in Mid. § 7 with Buttmann's Index, p. 193.

1. 27. familia consulari-praetoria] a family the members of which have attained to the dignity of the consulship—praetorship. Locus, 'rank,' ' degree' by birth.

1. 29. servari-gradus] 'it is necessary that the different grada- · tions of rank should be respected.'

§ 15, 1. 31. sublata sunt studia]=si studia sublata erunt, 'do away with all party-spirit, abolish all interest in elections, have no contests, no free action of the people in appointing to magistracies, no anxious waiting for the result of the election (all being known beforehand), and what will be the consequence? there will be none of the usual surprises, no variety hereafter in the elections.' On the categorical form of the sentence in place of the conditional see Kenn. Gr. P. 473, Roby Gr. II § 1553, Madvig Gr. § 442 a obs. 2.

1. 33. in mandandis magistratibus] § 7 1. 24.

P. 7, 1. 3. sin] 'but if on the other hand,' referring to the si implied in the former sentence: see n. to § 10 l. 5. hoc persaepe accidit ut-miremur] 'it very frequently happens that we are surprised at the election of some and the non-election of others,' Madvig § 373, Roby Gr. 11 § 1700, Kenn. Gr. p. 195. On factos see note to § 9 1. 22.

1. 4. campus]=qui sunt in campo martio, where the comitia tributa for the election of magistrates were frequently held, though the usual place of assembly was the forum, cp. or. p. Sull. § 49 ut victi in campo in foro vinceretis. undae comitiorum]=fluctuans populus suffragia ferens, cf. § 11 1. 12. Translate: if the popular councils have their ebbs and floods, like the waters of a deep and boundless sea, which approach some, while they leave others high and dry.' Cp. or. p. Mur. $35 and the celebrated passage in Demosth. de fals. leg. § 149 p. 383

'a democracy is the most inconstant and uncertain thing to depend on, like a restless wave in a sea, ruffled by a wind in whatever way chance may determine, one comes, another goes away;' where Shilleto after J. Taylor quotes Appian bell. civ. III § 20 & δὲ δῆμός ἐστιν—ἀστάθμητον ὥσπερ ἐν θαλάσσῃ κῦμα κινούμενον, ὃ μὲν ἦλθεν, ὃ δ ̓ ἀπῆλθεν, also Liv. XXVIII 27, and Clarendon History of the Rebellion init. The Duke of Buckingham was utterly ignorant of the ebbs and floods of popular councils and of the winds that move those waters.'

1. 7. tamen nos in impetu studiorum] 'notwithstanding the excitement and stir of party zeal shall we look for some method in popular thoughtlessness, some judgment and exercise of reason?' On this use of in see my note on Cic. de off. II § 4 l. 17.

§ 16, 1. 9. ad contentionem vestrum] 'to a comparison between you,' 'a relative estimate of your merits and demerits,' § 5 l. 7, or. de 1. Man. § 36 ex aliorum contentione by a comparison with others.' Some MSS have vestram but we have the testimony of Gellius N. A. xx 6 § 11 in favour of vestrum: haec autem ipsa ratio est in numero plurativo qua Gracchus misereri vestrum dixit et qua M. Cicero contentio vestrum et contentione nostrum dixit. Cp. de leg. agr. II § 55 hâc vestrum frequentia, or. Phil. IV § I frequentia vestrum incredibilis. Wunder observes that contentio vestra would imply that the comparison is made between those addressed whether by themselves or others: whereas contentio vestrum limits the comparison of them to the speaker.

si populo grata est tabella] 'if the people like the voting-tablet (i.e. the privilege of voting by ballot), which lets the countenances of voters be seen (enables a man to put on a cheerful countenance, Long), while it conceals their thoughts (real intentions), and leaves them free to act as they please, while they promise anything they are asked.' Aperire here spectandum praebere, German sehen lassen, as it is translated by Nägelsb. lat. Stil. p. 269 § 99, 3, who compares de nat. deor. II § 51 stellae-tum occultantur, tum rursus aperiuntur and the use of ostendere or. p. Mil. § 50 neque muta solitudo indicasset neque caeca nox ostendisset Milonem. Frons and mens are similarly opposed ep. ad Att. IV 15 87 Pompeius Scauro studet, utrum fronte an mente dubi

tatur.

1. 11. eam libertatem ut-faciant] 'the liberty of acting,' see n. on § 8 1. 3, § 50 l. 12.

1. 12. cur-exprimis] i.e. cur tu exigis ut fiat contentio nostrum? Exprimere=extorquere, vehementer urgere, vi elicere 'to wrest by force,' 'extort something from an unwilling person.' Cf. or. in Verr. II 3 § 112 expressi ut conficere se tabulas negaret, Quint. Curt. VI 7 expressit ut pollicerentur, Caes. de bell. gall. I 32 cum ab his saepe quaereret neque ullam omnino vocem exprimere posset, ep. ad Att. 11 21 85 vocem exprimere non potuit, Liv. III 30 §6 expressit hoc necessitas patribus.