ART. II. 1. M. T. Cicero de Senectute et de Amicitiâ, ex Editionibus Oliveti et Ernesti. Accedunt Notæ Anglica Juventuti accommodatæ. Curâ C. K. DILLAWAY, A. M. Bostoniæ; Perkins et Marvin. Philadelphiæ; H. Perkins. 1837.

2. M. T. Ciceronis de Officiis Libri Tres. Ex Editionibus Oliveti et Ernesti. Accedunt Note Anglica. Curâ C. K. DILLAWAY, A. M. Bostoniæ; Perkins et Marvin. Philadelphia; H. Perkins. 1837.

3. La République de Cicéron, d'après le Texte inédit, récemment découvert et commenté par M. Mai, Bibliothecaire du Vatican. Avec une Traduction Française, un Discours Préliminaire, et des Dissertations Historiques, par M. VILLEMAIN, de l'Académie Française. Paris.

1823.

THE lovers of Latin are under obligations to Mr. Dillaway for his very neat and commodious editions of Cicero. Many will be tempted to read these pretty volumes, who might not feel courage enough to undertake the task of perusing a less convenient edition; and many will purchase these interesting treatises, as they appear separately and at a moderate price, who would have been repelled by the labor and expense of going through the "Opera Omnia." The form much resembles that of the Regent's edition, being very neat, and printed with remarkable correctness. The notes pur

port to be prepared for the use of youth, and are well suited to this purpose, though we are much mistaken if they be not found of benefit to many who can scarcely be included in this category. They are entirely unencumbered with philological learning, and probably add nothing to the knowledge actually possessed by learned scholars; but they accomplish very satisfactorily the object for which they were written, namely, to aid the uninitiated, and to lead the young scholar, with helping hand, through the first obstacles which beset him, or to save the reader, be he who he may, the trouble of searching, in the midst of a mass of ostentatious learning, for the simple explanation with which he would be satisfied. We trust that Mr. Dillaway will continue his labors in this branch, feeling sure, that if he goes on as he has begun, he will render good service to the cause of the classics in our country.

But it is our intention at this time to do more than merely speak of an edition of these works; we wish to take the opportunity to treat at large of the life and writings of that great man, whose name graces the beginning of our essay. The poor fisherman, in the Arabian tale, did but raise the lid of the casket he had drawn up from the sea, when the tall form of the Genie rose up majestically to his view, the dim and misty outline assuming every moment a more distinct and visible form, till the whole colossal figure, with its stern reality. of muscle and sinew, stood towering before him. So it is with us when we think of Cicero. At the sound of his name, and the mention of his works, the gigantic character of the man appears before us, the magnificent traits becoming one by one apparent, till the whole vast intellect seems to be present to our sight; and the memory of his good deeds, of his life, devoted to the service of his country, of his sufferings in the cause of liberty, and his tragical death, comes over us with an interest and power from which we cannot escape.

The memory of their virtues is the noblest legacy which the great and good of any age can bequeath to posterity; it is a never-dying principle which is destined to act throughout all time. Its power is not entirely comprehended at first; it is more deeply felt, and better understood, and is more efficient for good, in proportion as men advance in knowledge and virtue. As it may be that there are stars which have been glittering since the dawn of creation, yet have never been seen or distinguished in the firmament, so it is probable that virtues have been displayed by the good of past ages, that have never yet been appreciated or perceived. Such a character as Socrates could not be comprehended or valued in any degree by a barbarous nation. Achilles was undoubtedly the hero, par excellence, of the Iliad, for those rude nations to whom the blind bard recited his immortal cantos, and who looked upon courage and strength as the only attributes worthy a man. A more polished age would be awake to the lovelier character of Hector, whose beautiful traits were probably little noticed in the days of Homer. And thus it must ever be while civilization is on the advance. The historian describes faithfully actions and characters, but successive generations speculate upon them with very different feelings; and, as time rolls on, new virtues and new powers become apparent, and set their watch over man in the bright firmament, where

the good deeds of those who have gone before us are shining in immortal glory.

It is a becoming task then, for every changing state of society to review the past; and to discover as far as possible those treasures of character, which have before been unnoticed. And in looking back to the great men of antiquity, we know of no one to whom we feel more strongly attracted, or who seems to be more closely connected with the present, than Cicero. His works are more various, as well as extensive, than those of any other ancient writer, and we feel that we know him through these. We are brought nearer to him than to any one of the ancients. It seems, as if we had actually listened to his voice in the Senate-house or the Forum, or conversed with him and his friends in his beautiful Tusculan gardens, and gathered from his own lips his deep and pure philosophy. And more than this; we are sensible of the power of his mind, of its vast range through the past, present, and future; we perceive his capacity for comprehending all the improvements of society, and we feel that if he were brought to life at present, he would be as one of us. We figure to ourselves the delight with which he would view and understand the advances made since his time; the intuitive readiness with which he would accommodate himself to the laws of society; the perfect gentleman he would appear, though suddenly placed in a scene so new, so trying, so full of wonders.

We shall first speak of Cicero as an Orator. His name is identified with eloquence. His great pursuit ; the object to which his life was devoted; the passion of his youth; the last and mightiest effort of his old age, was eloquence. And in speaking of his intellectual qualities, we can have no hesitation in placing this art foremost among the objects to which they were devoted. The idea of a perfect Orator existed in his mind almost from childhood, and was never lost from his view. He looked to it as to a bright beacon advancing constantly before him; never perhaps fully reached, but attracting him by its brightness, and alluring him ever onward.

The early selection of this leading object to which his best faculties were to be devoted, and his steady pursuit of it through life, may seem rather remarkable in a state where military eminence so far eclipsed all other distinctions, and was the surest, if not the only step, to office and dignity.

But Cicero was a remarkable instance of a man who understood himself. He knew his own character thoroughly; he understood wherein his greatest power consisted, and he used every means to cultivate those faculties which he was aware could alone ensure his success. He very early in life formed. the conception of that perfect character, which he says an orator ought to be; a man who has cultivated every power to the highest degree; to whom the arts, the ornaments of life, nature itself pays tribute; whose mind is enriched by the knowledge of all sciences, and the thoughts and imaginings of kindred spirits in all ages, and who gathers into himself the results of genius of every period, country, and form. Upon this model Cieero formed his character. He was aware that his powers were equal to the task. He knew that he could comprehend all that man had known; that his powers of acquiring and his industry were unsurpassed; and still more, he felt, that knowledge in his mind would not be a dead and useless weight, but that he had power to mould and transform, to bring forth new and fairer forms, and to bequeath to all futurity high and worthy thoughts. From his earliest years, therefore, he devoted himself to literary pursuits. He made himself familiar, not only with the rhetorician's art, but also with the whole science of Roman jurisprudence; two branches which had always been considered as forming distinct professions. After gaining all the knowledge to be found in Rome, he travelled into Greece; he there perfected himself in the language of that country, and became familiar with her rich philosophy and literature. In Asia he was surrounded by the most distinguished philosophers and orators, with whom he daily conversed and reasoned, and from whom he probably obtained much of that knowledge of ancient philosophy, which he displays in his writings. His mind was stored with all human knowledge; the beautiful poetry of Greece was familiar to him; he had walked in the groves of Academus, and the genius of the place had penetrated his soul; he had listened to the various creeds of the schools, and had boldly formed his own opinions, without suffering the shackles of other minds; and he returned to make all his acquirements. contribute to one object, the profession of eloquence. Of all the manifestations of human power, Cicero regarded that of the orator as the greatest, and as approaching nearest to the divine nature. To this, he made all knowledge and all talent

subservient; to this, poetry, philosophy, and history were but the ministering attendants.

We gather from his own writings his exalted opinion of the eloquent man.

'Let us trace the qualifications," says he, "of the orator such as Antony never saw, nor any other man; whom we can perchance describe as he ought to be, though perhaps we can neither imitate him, nor show any example of such a man, (for Antony used to say that these qualities were hardly granted to a God.) " Orator, c. 5.

The orator must possess the knowledge of many sciences, without which a mere flow of words is vain and ridiculous; his style of speaking must be formed not only by a choice of words, but by a skilful arrangement and construction of sentences; he must be deeply versed in every emotion which nature has given to man; for all skill and power in speaking, consists in soothing or exciting the minds of the audience. In addition to this, he must possess a ready wit and pleasantry, an amount of erudition such as is becoming to a freeman, and a quickness of repartee united with refined elegance and urbanity. He must be familiar with all antiquity, and be provided with a store of examples; nor must he neglect the science of laws and jurisprudence. — And what shall I say of action? which depends upon the motions of the body, the gestures, the countenance, the tones and changes of the voice. The great importance of action may be discovered from the actor's frivolous art, and the stage; for who is ignorant how few can resist the effect even of the moderate skill exhibited there? What shall I say of the memory, that treasury of all learning, without whose aid in preserving the knowledge we have acquired, or the thoughts we have originated, all the most valuable qualities of an orator would be lost? Let us no longer wonder, then, that eloquence is so rare, since it consists of so many accomplishments, each of which would seem to be the work of a life in acquiring." — De Oratore, lib. 1, c. 5.

Such was Cicero's notion of the Perfect Orator, and such he endeavoured to render himself. He was undoubtedly correct, in regarding eloquence as the concentration of human genius, the fullest developement of all the powers, and the manifestation of the highest qualities of our nature. There is certainly no display of mortal power so imposing, as that of the great orator at the moment of putting forth his energies; when the highest mental faculties are called into action in concert with those physical powers which are so noble that the