CRITICAL

AND

EXPLANATORY NOTES

ON THE

De Senectute.

C. 1. M. Tullii Ciceronis Cato Major, sive de Senectute. "De hujus Dialogi inscriptione ipse Cicero in Lælii proœmio [In Catone Majore, qui est scriptus ad te de Senectute]: Major autem addidit, ad Minoris differentiam: nam Minoris quoque laudem Cic. scripsit, ex quo Cæsar Anti-catonem literis mandavit: vide Plutarch. in Catone. M. Terentius Varro librum et ipse scripsit Tithonum, Tigi yigws: Demetrius quoque Phalereus igi ygws nominatur à Laertio." Aldus Manutius. Cicero informs us that Aristo, the Chian, also wrote a Treatise on Old Age, which he called Tithonus: "Omnem autem sermonem tribuimus non Tithono, ut Aristo Chius."

Ecquid erit pretii. "Pretium antiqui pro pramio dicebant inde opera-pretium, manupretium: Cato Oratione apud Equites, Majores seorsum atque diversum pretium paravere bonis atque strenuis, decurionatus, opionatus, hastas donaticas, aliosque honores." C. Langius. "Horat. Ep. ad Quinctium 1.1." 'Nec furtum feci, nec fugi, si mihi dicat Servus habes pretium : loris non ureris, aio.'

Plautus Asin. Promerenti optime hoccine pretii redditur ? Catull. ad Rufum:

Rufe, mihi frustra et nequicquam cognite amice,
Frustra? immo, magno cum pretio atque malo.'

Lambinus.

Certo scio. This is an elliptical expression for pro certo. Palairet in his Latin Ellipses (a book which I strongly recommend to the notice of the youthful student) p. 241. has given three instances where the Ellipse is supplied: "Terent. Adelph. 3. 4. 32. Pro certon' tu istæc dicis? Cicero ad Brut. 5. Neque nuntiabatur quidquam, quod pro certo haberemus; Sallust. B. Catil. 15. Pro certo creditur."

Humanitatem. "Doctrinam scilicet, eruditionem; unde humaniores litera: Cornelius Nepos, Atticus et principum philosophorum ita percepta habuerat præcepta, ut iis ad vitam agendam, non ad ostentationem uteretur," Ald. Manutius: "Cato 1. Humanitatem (æquitatem in rebus humanis ferendis) et prudentiam ;" humaniter, "æquo animo, ut homo debet ea, quæ scit homini accidere posse et solere: Att. 1. 2. ferre humaniter;" humanus, “ æquus, moderatus ad Div. x. 24. moderatissimi atque humanissimi sensus fuit," Ernesti's Index Latinitatis: now this is certainly the meaning of the word in this passage of Cicero, as is evident from the context: "Novi enim moderationem animi tui et æquitatem, teque non cognomen solum Athenis deportasse, sed humanitatem et prudentiam :" thus Cic. says in c. 3. "Moderati enim, et nec difficiles, nec inhumani senes, tolerabilem agunt senectutem: importunitas autem et inhumanitas omni atate molesta est:" Ernesti, in his Ind. Latin. here rightly interprets inhumanitas—“ de eo, qui res humanas æquo animo non fert."

Et tamen te suspicor iisdem rebus, quibus meipsum interdum, gravius commoveri. "Novum sermonis genus; neque enim hoc sentit se suspicari, juvenes iisdem rebus commoveri, quibus suspicatur se ipsum commoveri:" Erasmus: he was then, it seems, unacquainted with a remarkable idiom of the Greek, and the Latin language: Fateor is here implied after quibus: Melmoth thus excellently translates the passage: "Nevertheless I have to believe that the present unpleasing posture of public affairs sometimes interrupts your tranquillity of mind, as it frequently, I confess, discomposes my own:" thus Cic. says in the Essay on Friendship, c. xx.: "Isto enim modo nutrices, et pædagogi, jure vetustatis, plurimum benevolentia postulabant, qui negligendi non sunt, sed alio quodam modo:" "sed alio quodam modo: hoc placet, ut est in novem meis: duo supra habent, diligendi, unus amandi, reliqui colendi, ut facile appareat omnia esse glossemata,” `Ald. Manutius. Again Cic.

de Nat. Deor. 2. 64. says: "Nec vero supra terram, sed etiam in intimis ejus tenebris plurimarum rerum latet utilitas:" Tac. says in his Germany, c. 2. "Quia nec terra olim, sed classibus advehebantur, qui mutare sedes quærebant." Again in c. 1. "Germania omnis a Gallis Rotisque et Pannoniis, Rheno et Danubio fluminibus, a Sarmatis Dacisque mutuo metu, aut montibus separatur. Longolius says here: "In his verbis elegans est figura anò rov xoivov, cum duobus nominibus datur unum verbum, minime utrisque conveniens: nam separatur ad montibus [and to fluminibus] quidem referri potest, neutiquam vero ad mutuo metu: hinc sensus est, mutuus metus facit ne quis audeat fines transgredi: sic infra c. 7. cibos et hortamina gestant: c. 15. 2. dediti somno ciboque." Justin says in b. 31. c. v. " Siquidem diversum ceteris mortalibus esse illud hominum, et belli genus.' "The reader will find a variety of instances in my Notes upon Demosthenes, inserted in the third No. of the Classical Journal, in p. 596, 7, 8.

Tu occurrebas: the Ellipse here is animo or menti: thus Ovid. Epist. 10. 81. says;

Occurrunt animo pereundi mille figuræ :

Cic. de Divinat. 1. 61. c. 29. "Visa quietis menti occurrunt tranquilla atque veracia."

Quid

opus est multa? That is dicere.

C. 2. Ut onus se Etna gravius dicant sustinere:

The expression onus gravius Etna, was, it seems, proverbial among the Greeks and the Romans: it doubtlessly had its origin from the supposed fact, as celebrated by the poets, that some of the giants who were buried beneath Ætna, bore Ætna on their shoulders, as Atlas is supposed to bear the heavens on his shoulders.

Obrepere eam citius quam putassent. λαθὸν ὑπεισῆλθε τὸ γῆρας : -:et Satyricus,

"Plato in Axiocho,

Obrepit non intellecta senectus." Ald. Manutius. Qui enim citius adolescentiæ senectus, quam pueritiæ adoles centia obrepit? Gesner in his Lat. Thes. says under qui. " Qui est ablativus pronominis qui contractus ex quei, quo modo scriptum sæpe invenitur; et quidem non modo singularis numeri omnium generum, sed etiam pluralis; interdum intellectis nominibus modo, ratione, causa,"

The classical student will find in the third No. of the Classical Journal, in my "Critical Remarks on detached Passages of Tacitus," where this passage is cited, much useful (as I venture to call it) information on the difference between pueritia, adolescentia, juventus, and senectus.

Ut etiam pro Scipione pollicear. As Lælius was the elder, his age gave to him this privilege: thus he says in the Essay on Friendship, c. IX. "Tu vero perge, Læli: pro hoc enim, qui minor est natu, meo jure respondeo." How greatly_age was respected by the Romans has been shown in my "Essay on the Respect paid to Age by the Egyptians, the Persians, the Greeks, and the Romans," inserted in the 5th and 6th Nos. of the Classical Journal.

Ingravescentem ætatem. Thus in De Amicit. C. 10. "Mutari etiam mores hominum sæpe dicebat, alias adversis rebus, alias atate ingravescente:" Again Epist. 2. 1. "ut atas nostra jam ingravescens in amore atque in adolescentia conquiescat."

Faciam vero, Læli. “Annuentis: Cic. de Fin. Tuo vero id arbitratu; Tusc. v. tu vero, ut videtur; Terentius, Laudas eos, qui heros fallunt? Cui respondet servus, ego vero laudo.” Aldus Manut.

Quam nobis quoque ingrediendum sit. Lambinus says here: "Nonnulli libri veteres habent quam, quæ scriptura fortasse recta est; sic enim loquebantur veteres: Lucret. 1. 1.

Eternas quoniam pœnas in morte timendum,

et ita sæpe de quo genere dixi in commentariis Lucret. jam quin Latini ita loquantur, ingredi viam, scienti dubium est:" Ald. Manut. supplies a variety of instances: "Non observata figura multos potuit in errorem inducere: nos et veteres libros undecim, in quibus est quam (non ut in vulgatis, qua) et consuetudinem secuti Latini sermonis, reposuimus quam: cujus generis exempla subscribam: in Vatinium, Eripueras senatui provinciæ decernendi potestatem: Terentius, Novarum spectandi et Hecyra, Ejus videndi, cum de muliere loquatur, quo loco vide Donatum, et hic infra c. XII. Notandum putavi libidinem: et Tusc. 1. Iphigenia Aulide duci se immolandum jubet; quæque ab Oberto Gifanio, præstantis industriæ viro, quemque Venetiis aliquando familiariter novi, observata esse video: Varronis 1. 3. de re rust. Acus substernendum

gallinis parturientibus: ejusdem, eodem libro, Eas haras sub sternendum palea: Virgilii,

Pacem Trojano ab rege petendum:

Lucret. 1. 1. .... Pœnas in morte timendum :

Eodem libro,.

Ibidem,

Libr. 2.

Libr. 3.

Multa agendum :

Motu privandum est corpora quæque :
Addendum partes alias :

Eam faciendum est sensibus auctam :

vide de hoc Platonem libr. vii. Polit."

C. 3. Pares autem cum paribus, veteri proverbio, facillime congregantur. Thus Homer says in his Odyssey Book 17. ὡς αἰεὶ τὸν ὅμοιον ἄγει Θεὸς ὡς τὸν ὅμοιον.

"Insignis gnome, quæ et in proverbium abiit. Aristot. Ethic. 8. 1. ὅθεν τὸν ὅμοιον φασιν ὡς ὅμοιον, καὶ κολοιὸν ποτὶ κολοιόν, Id. Rhet. 1. 11. ὅθεν καὶ αἱ παροιμίαι εἴρηνται, ὡς ἥλιξ ἥλικα τέρπει, καὶ αἰεὶ τὸν ὁμοιον (ubi philosophus pro suo more κατ' A dimidiatum citat hoc Homeri carmen), va di ene θῆρα, &c. Id. de Calo 4. 3. ἔλεγον οἱ ἀρχαῖοι ὅτι τὸ ὅμοιον φέρε Tai mgòs tò qμolov, ubi tamen non de personis, sed de rebus et elementis sermo est: vide et eundem Eudem. 7. 1. i vàg naλαιός λόγος εὖ ἔχει ὡς όμοιον μοίῳ κατὰ θεῖον αἰεὶ προσπελάζει. Aristænet. Epist. L. 1. quod habet ex Platone in Sympos. dr ὁμοιότητος πάντα φιλεῖ πρὸς ἄλληλα συνάπτεσθαι. Hierocl. in. Pythag. Aur. Carm. οἱ ὅμοιοι τοῖς ὁμοίοις εἶναι εἰσιο Xenoph. Athen. Repub. ad quem locum illustrandum Æm. Portus in notis citat hunc Homeri versum; ut et Guastagnius in Comment, ad hæc verba Aristotelis, Problem. Sect. 10. qu. 51. dià τί ἵππος ἵππῳ χαίρει καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖς ἄνθρωπος δὲ ἀνθρώπῳ, καὶ ὅλως

I

I Πειθαρχία γάρ ἐστι τῆς εὐπραξίας

Μήτηρ, γυνή, σωτῆρος• ὧδ ̓ ἔχει λόγος. Æschylus's Seren at Thebes v. 231. Schütz translates the three last words thus-' habes meam sententiam ;' Dr. Butler adds—“ Potius, sie fere dicitur, q. d, proverbialis est hæc sententia:" the passage in the text confirms the interpretation of the learned Doctor. With respect to the punctuation of these lines, I must confess that I follow Brunck and Pauw: the Codex Guelpherbytianus reads τῆς σωτῆρος, and the second Scholiast interprets σωτῆρος by σωστικῆς, which confirms this interpretation. The interpretation of yun owτnρes [A] adopted by the first Scholiast, by Burton, and by Potter, seems to me too bold even for Eschylus: Stanley saw the absurdity of this interpretation, and hence he proposed to read swańpros, which it seems offends against the metre.