M. T. CICERO'S CATO MAJOR, OR DISCOURSE ON OLD AGE. ADDRESSED TO TITUS POMPONIUS ATTICUS, WITH EXPLANATORY NOTES, BY BENJ. FRANKLIN, LL.D. LONDON: PRINTED FOR FIELDING AND WALKER, PATER-NOSTER ROW. MDCCLXXVIII INTRODUCTION. Tranflation of Cicero's Traft SeneBute, was made feveral Years fince, partly for the Tranflator's own amufement, but principally for the Entertainment of a neighbour then in his grand Climafteric; and the Notes were added folely on that Gen- tleman's Account, who was not well ac- quainted with the Roman Hiftory and Lan- guage, Copies in MS. having been obtained by many, their Recommendation and Appro- bation of it, induced the Original Publica- tion ; as they thought it to be in itfelf at leaft equal to any Tranflation of the fame Piece extant in the Engli/h Language, be- iides the Advantage it has received of fo many Notes, which at the fame time clear up the Text, and are highly inftrudive and entertaining, In the Philadelphia Edition the Introduc- tion to the Reader clofes with, " I fhall add to thefe few Lines my hearty Wifli, that this firft Tranflation of a ClaJJlc in this Wejlern World^ may be followed with many pthers, and be a happy Omen, that Phila- delphia fhall become the Seat of the Ame- fican Mufes. Philadelphia. B. FRANKLIN, 178 INDEX to the NOTES. p. Piles office 23 -^rnilius P. 32 /Emilius Sextus 63 Africanus P. 39 Agamemnon 67 Albinus Spurlus rg, 25 Ambiviw Turpio 102, Annibal 22, 25 AppiuiCl.C 35,36 Archytus 81 Arganthonius 132 Afdrubal 74 Atiliui Calatinus ixa Atilius Regulus 142 Attkus Titus P. I Augurs 26 Bocchar 74 Brutus L. Junius 140 Burning dead Bodies 27 Caius Duillius 96 Caius Snip. Callus 103 Carthage 38 Cato M. Porcms 9 Colo's Age and of- fices 68 Catp's Origenes 79 Cato de re ruftica no Cato's Son Marcus 1 30 Caecilius Statius 56 L. Metellus 64, 122 Cethegus 105 Cicero's Age 7 Cincian Law 24 Cinciunatus L. Q^ 114 Ctneas ' 90 Cleanthes 49, 52 Commencement of pld-A^e I2i Corvinus Valerius 120 Coruncanius T. 34, 36 Crafius P. L. 63, 105 Crates e;4 Curius M. D. 33 45 Cyron of Croton 48 JDecius P. Mus ^2 Two Decii 92 141 Democritus 49 Dentatus Man. C. 112 Devoting, the man- ner of it 9,3 Diogenes the Ba- bylonian 50, 53 P. Duillius C. , 96 Ennius 23 Epicurus 91 Fabius Q^ Maxlmus 22 Fabius's Age 24 Fabricius C. L. 34 Flaminius T. Q^ 34 Flaminius Lucius 88 GaliusC. Sulp. of the Eclipfe in Macedon 103 Gorgias 30 Graeciae Magnse la- habitants 153 Hefiod 46 Hefiod's works in Hippocrates 50 Htiiorians the Books of ancient loft 146 Homer 47 Idaea Mater 97 Ifocrates 39, 55 Junius Brutus 140 Laertes 1 1 1 LaeliusandScipio 10, 12 Lepidus ^imilius 1*3 Livius Anarnnicus 105 Livy's 2d Decad 26 Lucius Flaminius 88 Mancinus Caius 86 Marcellus M. Cl. 148 Mafiniffa 40, 72 Metellus C. 64, 122 Milo of Croton 60 Mitio andDemea 127 Mother of the Gods 97 Nasvius Cneius 104 Numantia 86 Old-Age its com- mencement 121 Paulus ^Bmilius 32 Plato 48, 51 Plato's Phaedon 153 Plautus M. Accius 105 Pififtratus the ty- rant 136, 137 Pontifex Maximus 66 Pontius the Centu- fion 71 Pontius the Samnite 84 Pofthumius Spurius 85 Prastor's iofficc 24 P. Pyrrhns 25, 34, 90 Pythagoras 47 Quaeftor's office 23 Regulus M. Atil. 142. Romans who, to fave their country, ex- pofed themfelves to a certain death, 149 Roman funerals 27 Roftra 70 Salinator 19 Samnites $4 Scipio and Laelius 10, 12 Scipio's 2 brothers 131 Scipio Cn. and P. Corn, 147, 65 Scipi* Nafica 9& Seriphian 2C Sextus yEmilius 63 Simonides 46 Socrates 48, 51 Sjolon 58, 135 Sophocles 55 Sophonifba 76 Statius Cxcilius 56 Stefichorus 47 Stoics 52, Strength o Sides 31 Suafor legis 24 Superftition of the Romans 26 Sybaris 6 1 Syphax 74 Tarentum 25 Tartefius 132 Themiftocles 43 Theophraftus 55 Terence's Adclphi 127 Terentius G, Varro 14? Tithonus 9 Titus P. Atticus i Titus Q^Flaminius 3, 4 Titus Corun- canius 34, 36 Troubles of Rome 5 Turpio Ambivius IOZ Valerius Corvinus 120 Voconian Law 31 Xanthippus ^43 Xenophon's Sym-. pofium IOQ Zeno 49, 5* M TULLIUS CICERO'S DISCOURSE ON \ O L D AGE, ADDRESSED TO (i) TITUS POMPONIUS ATTICUS. C*AT, fitus, iffomefovereign balm I fnd To foothyour cares, and calm your trou- bled mind, Shan't Ideferve a fee ? For (i) Titus Pomponius Atticus, to whom this dif- courfe is addrefled,, was of an ancient family of Rome, of the Equeftrian order, the fecond in dignity amongft the Romans. Of all Cicero's friends he appears to have B , been 2 M. T. C I C E R O For I may addrefs you, Atticus, in the fame lines, in which the (2) poet, In heart as great, as In his fortunes poor, applied & been the moft intimate and the moft efteemed : for of the 36 books now extant of Tully's epHlles, there arc nolefs than 16, composing a diftinct tome, directed to Atticus alone. His character in life, as left us by his intimate friend Cornelius Nepos, may be juftly ac- counted the moft beautiful we have received from anti- quity of either Greek or Roman. Nor dees it appear to have been paralleled in any age : for tho' he lived in the times of the greateft factions and divrfions in Rome, as thofe of Sylla, Marius and Cinna, Caefar and Pompey, Brutus and Caffius, with Anthony, Lepidus and O&avius (afterwards Auguftus,) he conduced himfelf with fuch confummate prudence and integrity, that tho' carefled &y all, he neither joined with, nor offended any of them. But being poflefled of a vail eftate, neither acquired on his part, nor improved by any lucrative meafures whatfoever ; for his patrimony was about the value of 160 thoufand pounds fterling ; and by the will of a furly uncle, whom none betides could pleafe, he received about 800 thoufand more, with many other legacies from his friends and admi- rers : ef this vaft eftate, I fay, beiides his annual ex- pence on a genteel and hofpi table, yet frugal table, he fpent the greateft part in relieving the diftrefled of eve- ry party (as each had their turns, O&avius excepted) 'Without any other diftindtion than that of their worth and wants ; and without any conditions or expectation of retribution. In his youth, to avoid being engaged by his friends in the contentions with Sylla, he retired to Athens, where he fpent moft of his time in ftudy, and the income of his eftate in public and private bene- i factions ; 6N OLD AGE. 3 applied to (3) Flaminius : though I am fully aflfured, you are far from being in his con- dition, difttirb'd with thoughts* That factions \ and became fo dear to the people there, that they almoft adored him ; yet he would never allow them to ereft fo much as one ftatue to his honour, though it was their conftant practice to all fuch as de- fer-ved well of their ftate. From hence it was he took the name of Atticus (or Athenian, for fo the word imports) here alluded to by Cicero. But his life may be read more at large in the mentioned author Cornelius Nepos, now in Englifh; I fhall therefore ^only add, that he was about two years older than Ci- cero, but furvived him twelve years, dying in his 7 8th year, in the yaand after the building of Rome, and about 30 years before the birth of Our Saviour ; Cicero being put to death by M. Anthony's order, in his 64th year, and in the 7iothof Rome. That his lifter was married to Quintus Cicero, brother to the author ; his daughter to the emperor Auguftus's great friend and favourite M. Agrippa, whofe daughter, by her was the firft and the beloved wife of Auguftus's fucceffor the emperor Tiberius ; but he was obliged to part with her, to marry his father-in-law Auguftus's daughter, the infamous Julia. I fhall, in relation to both Cicero and Atticus, add a fentence of Seneca's, in his 2 1 ft cpiftle to Lucilius. e gueffed at, by comparing the two laft cenfus taken > v'- ; of ON OLD AGE. y bear all accidents and events with the greateft firmnefs and moderation ; fo you will equal- ly difpenfe with all the inconveniences that can attend this ftate. But as I refolved to write on the fubjecT:, you (Atticus) of all men appeared to me the moft worthy and proper to direct: it to ; for being made yours, we may in common apply it to our ufe to- gether. (5) And as to my own part in it, I muft own, the thoughts that flowed on Hie from the fubjeft, in compofing it, proved fo entertaining and delightful to me, while about of the men of Rome, that are mentioned by Livy in the epitomes of his books ftill extant ; for 'tis noted in that of his g8th book, in the 68ad year of the city, that the number was no lefs than 450 thoufand men, but in the year 706, on Caefar's return from his vi&o- ry over Pompey, the number was reduced to 150 'hou- fand ; fa that the city of Rome alone, and chiefly by thefe contentions, loft two full thirds of her people, and fhe ftill continued tolofe by the enfuing wars after Caefar's death, carried on by Q&avius (afterwards Au- guftus) and Anthony, againft Brutus and Caffiu^ &c. (5) In what year of his life Cicero wrote this ex- cellent little traft, does not clearly appear. He was born in the 647th year of Rome ; J. Caefar made him- felf mafter of the empire after his return from ^gypt in the 7o6th year ; after which, Cicero wrote moft of his philofophical difcourfes. From his preface to his B 4 and 8 M. T, G I C E R O about it, that they have not only divefted the profpeft of old age, now before us, of every thing (hocking or frightful, but they have rendered my expectations of it even agreeable and comfortable. Which leads me to fay, we can never fufficlently admire the excellency of philofophy ; to whofe dic- tates whoever fubmits, he will never find himfelf at a lofs in any ftage or condition of life, to render it not only fupportable, but eafy. But on other philofophical fubjets I have already wrote feveral tracls, and fhall ftill continue to write. This on Old Age (as I have faid) comes to you. I choofe 2,d book De divinatkne, we find, that this was compo- fed after his Academics, his books Dcfinibus, his Tufcu/an - queftions, and thofe De natura deorum : and from the lame and other hints we alfp learn, that it was wrote before thofe De divinatione, his Ltflius, or Offriend/hlp 9 his excellent Offices, and his hookDefato; all which we find were wrote after Caefar's death. [Vide his preface to L75O.. fterl.] laid on them, upon the complaint of the Oropians, or at leaft a mitigation of it. The youth of Rome hearing them, efpecially Carneades fpeak, were fo ta- ken with their eloquence, that they applied themfelves with the utinoft eagernefs to the fludy 'of it. Cato obferving this, tho' he muft then have learned Greek himfelf, being about 80 years of age, and apprehen- ding the coniequence, if the youth declining the feverer inftitutions of their anceftors, fhould run into the no- velties, and ftudy the arts of Greece, prevailed with the fenate to fend thofe gentlemen a going ; which they did, with a favourable anfwer, remitting, as fom.e fay, four-fifths of the line. [See Plutarch in Cato, and Suppl. Livii, lib. 47. 25.] I find this Diogenes's age mentioned by none but Lucian, who fays he died at 89 years. AuL Gell'ius, lib. 7. 14. Macroblus Sat. lib, I. 5. Seneca de Im, lib. 3. all mentioned thefe three. ' In doling this account of old men, I fhall add, that 'tis ftrange Cicero fhould omit naming a perfon he fo much admired, as Theophraftus ; who fays, in the j preface ON OLD AGE. 55 lar acquaintance in this Sabine neighbour- hood, who never on account of their age, decline their bufinefs ; nor ever have any confiderable work carried on, either in plan- ting, (owing, reaping, or ftoring, but they are themfelves at the head of it : tho* you may fay, this is not fo much to be wonder- ed at, in the bufinefs of the year, becaufe (as 'tis faid) no man thinks himfelf fo old, but that he may live one year longer : but this alone is not the cafe with thefe men I fpeak preface of his Characters of Vices, that he wrote them in the QQth year of his age : and Jerome, in Epift. 2. ad. Nepotianum, fays, he lived to 107 years, and then complained he mult die juft as he began to be wife. I lhall wind up this whole account of long-livers, by ob- ferving, that notwithstanding it has been faid of divers of them, that tho' they had wrote much, all their books were now loft ; yet there are ftill extant three Greek pieces, all wrote by perfons living in the fame city (Athens) and in the fame age, each of whofe au- thors was, at the time of writing them, above 90 years old ; viz. the two laft, near a hundred ; thefe are Ifo- crates's Panathenaicus, and Sophocles's tragedy of Oedipus Coloneus, both mentioned before, and that which I juft now noted, Theophraftus's Characters, tranflated of late years in moft, if not all, the politer European languages. And the reafon why nothing like this has appeared in thefe latter ages, may deferve to be inquired into, and confidered. But the obferva- tion I thought proper for this place. E4 56 M. T. C I G E R O of; they take not pains only in fuch work, as they may expect themfelves to reap the fruits of; but they freely labour alfo in fuch as they are fure can produce none in their time : they raife nurferies, and plant trees, for the benefit only of another generation, or, as our (44) Statins exprefles it in his Sy- jiephebi, " They plant to profit a fucceeding age." Nor, if you aflc one of thefe men, for whom it is he is thus labouring, will he be at any lofs to anfwer thus : I do it, he will f|iy, for the immortal Gods, who, as they beftowed thefe grounds on me, require at my hands that I fhould tranfinit them im- proved to pofterity, who are to fucceed me in the poffeffion of them. That poet was much more juft in what .he (aid of an old man providing for his fuc- ceflbr, (44) Static Caecilius, a poet of Rome, but an In- fubrian, or of Cifalpinc Gaul by birth, was contempora- ty with Enriius, and died the next year after'him. Ci- cero, or Cato, calls him here by both names, but botli note the fame man. Fojfius de poetis Lat. Thefe quo- tations being fronrComedy, are not truly in verfe, an'4 |J;ercfore not in rhyme here, O N O L D A G E. 57 effor, than in this other faying of his: "i*0"J7j i.t \": : '"/ ' '. **''| \*'<*\*.t r * Indeed were age with no more ills attended fhan this alone, this were alone fufficient ; *hat many things by living long we fee We never wi/hed to fee And I fay, as probably, many things we wifhed, but fcarce could hope, to fee. But are we exempt from this in youth, more than in old age ? Do not men in all ages fee things happen that difpleafe them ? I take the fame poet to be yet more in the wrong, .where he fays, But this in age I think the worjlofatt, *fhat old folks find the world grows weary of them. And they become a burthen to their friends. r On the contrary, I fay, rather a pleafure, if it is not their own faults : for, as the wife and good are in age delighted with the com- pany of young people of fenfe and good in- clinations. 5 8 M. T. C I G E R O clinations, and nothing makes age fit lighter on them, than the regard and efteem of fuch ; fo all young people, who defire to recom- mend themfelves to the world by a virtuous life and folid accomplifliments, muft of courfe be pleafed with the opportunity of improving themfelves by the advice and in- formations of the moft experienced : and thus I judge it is, that I obferve you to be no lefs pleafed with rny converfation, than I truly am with yours. But you fee that old age is fo far from becoming languid and un- a&ive, that it is always ftirring, ever em- ploying itfelf about fomething or other ; ge- nerally indeed about fuch things as the per- fon has been moft converfant in, in the for- mer part of his life. Nay fome are fo very averfe to idlenefs, that they rather chopfe to be learning fomething new, as (45) Solon we fee (45) Solon, one of thofe feven, called the wife men of Greece, was archon or praetor of Athens, the 3d of the 46th Olympiad, 594 years before Chrift ; and ha- ving done many great fervices for that republick (tho* he was himfelf a native of Salamis, an ifland not far from Athens) the people would have given him the ab- folute ON OLD AGE. 59 fee glorying of himfelf in his elegies, that, dally learning fomething, he grew old: as I alfo did, who, when I was well advanced in years, applied myfelf to learn Greek, and ftudied both the language and their literature with fuch eagernefs, as if my thirft for them were never to be fatisfied ; for I longed to be acquainted with their affairs, and gained fo much knowledge in them, that from thence I have been able to cite the feveral examples folute command, but he refufed it. \_Diog. Laert."] At Athens as formerly at Rome, debtors who could not pay, were made fervants or ilaves to the creditors; Solon having 7 talents [131 a/. IOJ. fterl.] due to him, remitted it, and caufed all the citizens in the fame manner to remit their debts. The city at that time had only Draco's laws, faid (becaufe of their feverity) to be wrote in blood : thefe he abolifhed, and gave the people new ones, many of which were excellent. He foretold Piiiftratus's usurpation, but was not believed : when that man got poffeflion of the government, Solon went toCroefus, king of Lydia ; his converfation with whom is well known : Pififtrarus proved moderate in his government, and invited Solon back, but he decli- ned to come. He wrote many elegies, fome fragments of which are extant. He died in Cyprus, at 80 years of age; Lucian fays 100 : his body was by his order carried to Salamis, and buried in a corn-field, which he required to be plowed over him. See further, note ?2> ; you 60 M. T. CICERO you have heard from me : nay fo ftrong a bent I had that way, that hearing Socrates in his old age had learned to play on the fid- dle (for mufic with them was a reputable ex- ercife) I had almoft got into the humour of learning that too, but I declined k : however I took true pains in their other ftudies. I muft further fay, that I do not now fa much as wifh to have the ftrength of youth again (for this is another of the charges againft old age) more than I wiihed in youth for the ftrength of an ox or elephant. For it is our bufinefs only to make the beft ufc we can of the powers grante.d iis by nature, and whatever we take in band, to do it with all our might. How filly then, and unworthy of a man, was that of (46) Milo of (46) Milo, of Groton, a city of the Bmtii in the fouth of Italy, now in the jkjngdom of Naples, was fix times vi&or at the Olympic games. Divers odd ftories are told of his great ftrength, as that he carried a large ox on his fhoulders, thro' the whole Olympic field, as if it had been a lamb : it is commonly added that he began with carrying a calf, and, continuing that pra&ice every day with the fame creature, till it grew O N O L D A G E. 61 of Croton, who, when weakened with age, beholding the Athletae (or wreftlers) at their exercifes, grew to its full fize, gained flrength by it. Whence the proverb, Taurumferet, qui vitulum tulit. Hill carry an ox, that begins with a calf; which fometimes is inter- preted to another fenfe. What Solinus tells of him, is much ftranger, that with a blow of his fift he felled an ox, and eat him all up the fame day. AuL Gdlius y Lij. c. 1 6. gives this account of his death, that feeing a tree fplit down in part, to try what ftrength he had left, he attempted to rive it quite afunder ; and when he had forced it in part, the tree recovering itfelf, bound his hands in the rift, and held him, being alone and with- out help, till he perifhed. But the ftory Diodorus Siculus gives us, in which this Milo was concerned, is much more worthy of notice. Sybaris was a wealthy populous city, in the borders of Lucania and the Bru- tii, and had divers others fubject to it : the faction of one Telys (a citizen of great power) prevailing, 500 of the principal inhabitants were banifhed by him, and their eilates confifcated. Thefe fled to Croton, and to the altars there for refuge. Telys on hearing this, by a meffage required the Crotoniates to furrender them, or otherwife they might expect a war. The Crotoniates long doubtful what to do, were prevailed on by Pythagoras, then prefent, rather to depend on the affiftance of the gods, and hazard a war, than be- tray their fupplicants. The Sybarites hereupon brought" an army of 300,000 men into the field ; the Crotoni- ates met them with 100,000, with Milo at their head ; fought the Sybarites, beat them, and, giving no quar- ter, cut almoft the whole army in the battle and flight to pieces ; and utterly deftroying the town, put an .end to their whole dominion : fo that Sybaris was no more heard of, but in {lory, by that name ; for Thu- rium was built by the Athenians in its place. Strabo an 62 M. T. C I C E R O exercifes, he looked on his own arms, and with this expreffion, But thefe arms are now dead that once fell a crying : but the trifler miftook ; for not his arms only ; but rather himfelf was dead ; fince he never had any thing valuable in him, but the ftrength of his back and limbs ; and if thefe were gone, the whole man were gone with them. (47) Sextus ^Ernilius never made fuch com- an excellent geographer, under the reign of Anguftus Caefar, who as well as Diodorus, relates this, fays, that thefe two towns were but 200 ftadia, /. e. 25 miles, diftant from each other. -The action muft have hap- pened near the 5Oth Olympiad, and about 600 years before Chrift.---This was not neceflary for illuftrating Cicero ; but my defign in relating it, is to note the vaft populoufnefs of fome countries in former ages. 'Tis true, that in thofe times, war was not carried on. by mercenaries, as now ; but every man from 16 to 6a was obliged to bear arms. Many other aftonifhing inftances may be given, of the vaft numbers of peo- ple in thofe times in Italy, Greece, Sicily, Egypt, Alia, orc. But no where more than in the Old Teftamenty where it is faid [2 Cbron. c. 13.] that Abijah led an army of 400,000 men againft Jeroboam, who met him with another of SoOjOo'o, and that 500,000 of the latter fell in the battle ; yet their two cities were net 56 miles diftant from each other, nor their whole do- minions taken together ; much above thrice the extent of Yorkfhire.- plaint 3 ON OLD AGE. 63 plaint, nor (48) Titus Coruncanius, who lived many years before him, nor (49) Pa- blius Craffus, more lately ; whofe old age was employed in framing and drawing up laws for their country, and who appeared rather to improve in prudence and know- ledge to the laft of their days. I own in- deed that the orator is not in all refpefts fo capable in old age as he was in youth : for in that bufinefs, not only ikill and abilities of the mind are required, but alfo ftrength of (47) I find no Sextus jSmilius in the Roman hirlo- ry ; perhaps it ihould be M. jEmilius, that is Mar- cus ^milius Lepidus, who was conful the firft time in the 567th year of the city, and was alfo Pontifex Maximus; prince of the fenate, and cenfor ; and died old, in the year of Rome 602, about a year or two be- fore this difcourfe was held or fuppofed ; for by Cato's being in his 84th year, as he fays, that would fall in the 6o3d of Rome. But the various readings give L. Jli- us, one perhaps of that poor, but excellent family of the ^Elii Tuberones, into which P. JEmilius's fecond daughter was married, as was obferved in note 24. (48) Mentioned before in note 27. (49) Publius Licinius Craffus I fuppofe, who was conful in the year 583 ; or rather his father, of the fame name, who was conful in the 549th year, and bore all the other great offices, as Pont. Max* and cen- for ; and died in the 57 ill of Rome. Livy, lib* 34. f. 28. & lib. 39. c. 46. body 64 M. T. C I C E R O i body and of the lungs. Yet thofe who hac! a good voice in their youth , will not wholly lofe it in age : for tho' it abates in ftrength^ it acquires a kind of foftnefs and fluency* that render it agreeable. You fee my years, and yet I have not loft mine. But even when it becomes low, and in forrie meafure fails, the gravity and compofure with which an old man fedately, yet eloquently, delivers himfelf, not only draws attention, but gains the favour of the audience ; or, if he can't depend on his own utterance, he may how- ever put it into the mouth of a Seipio or a Laelius, and do good fervice with it. For,- what can be more honourable, what more defirable in life, than to fee old men waited on by numbers of the young, making their court to them for their advice and inftruft- ion ? For none, certainly, will deny, that the aged are the beft qualified for inftru&ing of youth, and training them up in the knowledge, as well as animating them to the difcharge of every important duty in life ; than which there can be nothing of greater ON OLD AGE. 65 greater moment and confequence, nor of greater advantage to the public. And in- deed I have often thought (50) Crieius Sci- pio, and Publius Scipio, and your two grand- fathers, (5 i) L. ^Emilius and (52) P. Afri- canus extreamly happy on this account, when 1 have feen them walk thus attended by the young nobility of our city, who feemed en- tirely to depend on them. And I muft ever think, that all thof who fpend their time in improving others in knowledge^ and teaching the nobler arts, when their natural ftrength of body fails them, are intituled to our high- eft regard and efteem ; tho' it is undoubtedly true, that everi this decay is ofteher owing to fome unhappy courfes, and living too faft in youth, than to the natural effefts of old age alone. For a libidinous and intempe- rate life in youth, will unavoidably deliver over the body languid and enervate to fuc- ceeding old age. Cyrus in his dying^fpeech, as giveri us by Xenophon, denies that he (50) See note 97. (51) See note 24. (52) See note 7 and 29; F ever 66 M. T. G I C E R O ever found himfelf weaker in his old age, or lefs capable of performing any duty, than he had been in his younger years. And when I was a boy, I remember (53) Lucius Metellus, who having been created (54) pontifex maximus four years after his fecond confu- Vi SffJ > (53) Lucius Caecilius Metellus was the rft time coniul in the 5 about the year of Chrift 380, rejected it; (55) Agamemnon, kifag of Mycenae in Pelopone- fus, and brother of Menelajs, was general of all the for- ces 68 M. T. CICERO der of all the Greeks, never once vvifhed that he had ten men in the camp of Ajax's ftrength and courage, but ten fuch as Neftor : for by the affiftance of fuch counfellors, he doubted not but Troy would foon fall. But to return. I am now in my eighty-fourth year, and I wifli indeed, I could boaft the fame ofmyfelf as Cyrus did. Yet this I can truly fay, that tho' I have not the fame ftrength of body as formerly, when I (56) iiift ces of the Greeks, that went againft Troy. He makes this wifh, in Homer's Iliad B. or Book 2. v. 372 ia the Greek ; in Englifh thus, by A. Pope, v. 440. To him the king. How much tJjy years excel In arts of council 9 and of f peaking well : Ohy would the gods 9 in Iwe to Greece ', decree But ten fuch fages as they grant in thee, Such ivifdomfoonfhould Priam's force dejlroy^. And foon fhould fall the haughty towers of Troy. (56) Both Plutarch, in the life of Cato, and C, Nepos fay, he went into the fervice at the age of 17; and we faw before, at note 1 3, that he was in it at the re- taking of Capua in his 2Oth year. He went quaeftor in his 3Oth year, with Scipio Africanus, into Sicily and Afric, where (his office engaging him in the bufmefs of the public accounts, and Scipio being of a free tem- per and a generous difpofition) they widely difagrecd ; in fo much that Cato, repairing to Rome, and there applying himfelf to Ch Fabins Maximus, whom lie principally chofe [as we faw before at note 1 1] for his patron, this affair, together with a complaint of the Locrians, a people fituate aear Sicily, was laid before the; O N O L D A G E. 69 firft ferved in the Punic war, or when I was qnieftor in it ; or when conful in Spain ; or, the fenate ; and being highly exaggerated by Fabius, a praetor and two tribunes were appointed, and very clofe orders given them to inquire into Scipio' s con- duct : who returning, confirmed the complaint of the Locrians ; but in relation to Scipio, as Plutarch gives it, in the life of Cato, they reported, that when not otherwiie engaged, he took his diverlion and enjoyed himlelf with his friends : but at the fame time he neg- lected no buiinefs. Livy, on the other hand, who is much larger in his account of the whole [b. 29. c. 22. without mentioning Cato at all, but making Fabius the chief complainant, repreferits thofe ambafiadors charmed with the excellent order they found both the fleet and army in, of which they made report to .the ad- vantage of Scipio in the higheftdegree.---Scipio embar- ked for Afric in the 55Oth year of Rome, when Cato mufl have been about 30 years old. He was conful in the 559th ? and had Spain for his province, where he obtained fignal victories over the Spanifh inhabitants, (for the Carthaginians, in the late peace made 6 years before, had intirely fin-rend red to Rome, and quitted all their pretences to Spain) and the next year, on his return to Rome, -z//%. 560, he led a triumph for thefe victories. Three years after this he went tribunus militum, or tribune of the foldiers [generally of the in- fantry, a kind of major general of the foot] under Manius Acilius Glabrio, one of the confuis, in the 5634 of Rome, into Macedon and ThefTaly, to oppofe Antioclius Magnus, king of Syria ; who, under pre- tence of .aflerting the liberties of Greece (for which there was no occaiion, iince T. Q., Flaminius, as in note 3, had put the Greeks in poifeflion of theie five years before) made war againft the Romans ; and porting himfelf in thr famous Uraits of Thermopylae 7 3 (where 7Q M. T. C I C E R O or when tribune to the conful Glabrio, I fought at Thermopylae : yet, as you fee, age has not yet wholly unftrung me. The fe- nate finds no defeat in fuch abilities as are proper for that place ; thefe are not wanting at the Roftra ;* nor am I wanting to my friends. (where Leonidas, and 300 Lacedemonians, oppofing Xerxes fo gallantly, died) was by Gate's conduct, in furmounting the clifts, intirely defeated. He was cho-. len cenfor n years after his confulfhip, in his 5Oth year ; on which Livy, b. 30,, as quoted before at note 7, is large. As to his age, as he was born [as in. note 12] in the 52Oth year of Rome ; and Cicero in his Brutus gives the confuls of the year he died in, who by thefafti were fo in the 6o5th year ; he fhonld have died according to that account, in his 85th year : bu,t this directly contradicts the hiftorian Livy, whofe bufinefs it was more, exactly to confult and confider the annals, and who [at note 7] positively fays, heimplea- ded S. Galba in his 9Oth year ; and C. Nepos, another good hiftorian, fays, he was engaged in public affairs 80 years ; by which he fhould have lived to near 100 years. Thefe hiftorians therefore, are moft to be de- pended on : for Cicero has been obferved in fome other cafes to mifs in his computations. * The Roftra was a public place in Rome, where the orators, and thole who fpoke to the people on any public affair, whether in relation to the laws or judg- ments, &c. delivered what they had to fay. This name Roftra, was given it, from its being built up with the beaks of the fhips, that the Romans, on taking Actium, a fea-port town to the fouth-eaft of the mouth of Tiber ? 'anil deft roy ing their fleet, brought as trophies to Romel ON OLD AGE. 71 friends or my clients. For I never could approve of that old proverb, tho' commen- ded (I know) by fome, which bids us be old betimes, if we would continue old long. On the contrary, I would rather ehufe to be old for a lefs time, or die fooner, than to make myfelf old before I truly am. I there- * fore keep myfelf conftantly employed ; and no man, I believe, ever yet found rne quite idle. But I have not the ftrength of one of you; nor have you the ftrength of (57) Pontius the centurion ; is he therefore to be preferred to you ? He who has but a mode- rate (hare of ftrength, and applies it proper- ly to make the belt ufe of it, as far as it will go, I allure you, will rarely have occafion to complain for want of more. Milo is faid to have entered the Olympic field carrying an ox on his back : now, if the choice were Vid. Liv. I. 8. c. 14. In fine. And not as Lipfius fays, {dt Magriitud. U. Romte, lib. 3. c. 8.) from thofe gained at the battle of Antium, fought by Auguftus fome years after this difcourfe was wrote. (57) This was fome officer then noted for his great flrength, not clfewhere mentioned, that I know of.- F 4 given 72 M. T. G I C E R O given you, which would you prefer, Milo^s ilrength of body, or Pythagoras' s abilities of mind ? In mort, while you have ftrength, life it ; when it leaves you, no more repine for the want of it, than you did when lads, that your childhood was paft ; or at the years of manhood, that you were no longer boys. The ftages of life are frxed ; nature is the fame in all, and goes on in a plain and fteady courfe : every part of life, like the year, has its peculiar feafon : as children are by nature weak, youth is rafli and bold ; ftaid manhood more folid and grave ; and fo old age in its maturity, has fomething natu- ral to itfelf, that ought particularly to re- commend it. 1 fuppofe, Scipio, you hear how your grandfather's holt (58) Maffiniffi?, now (58) Maffiniffa, fon of Gala, king of the Maffyli- ans, a nation of the Numidians in Africa. His ito- ry is extreamly remarkable. ' The two Scipio's in Spain, mentioned before at note 50, but largely ipoke of in note 97, lent legates to Syphax, king of the Nu- midians, to engage his friendlhip to the Kornans ; in which they fucceeded. The Carthaginians provoked at this, -prevailed with Gala to make war upon Syphax ; which he accordingly did, by fending his fen Maffiniffa, a youth O N O L D A G E. 73 now at the age of ninety years, employs his time ; that it is indifferent to him, whether he walks or rides ; if he fets out on a jour- ney on foot, he will not mount ; or if he gets on horfe-back, he will not light ; that no rain nor weather can oblige him, when abroad, to cover his head ; and that, being thin of body, he is fo active, as in his own perfon to difcharge all the feverai duties of his a youth of great fpirit, tho' but 17 years of age, with an army againft him. This young general intirely de- feated Syphax ; and being in the intereft pf the Car- thaginians, he went over as their ally into Spain where he very much contributed to the overthrow of the Scipio's. [Page 63.] His father Gala dying, his brother CElalce, Mafliniffa's uncle, fucceeded him ; and on his death foon after, Gala's ion Capufa, who, being young and weak, one Mezetulus of the royal blood, rebelled againft him, railed an army, and fought the young king, who with moft of his army was cut off. Yet Mezetulus on his removal claimed not the prown to himfelf, but fet up Lacumaces, another younger fon of Gala, to whom he pretended to be guardian. Maflinif- fa (who objected not to his uncle CEfalce's fucceffion to his father, for fo the law of their country appointed) Bearing in Spain of his uncle's and coulin's death, haftened over to Afric, landed in Mauritania, and ob- tained of its king Bocchar, 4000 men, with whom he marched into MafTylia ; and meeting there only 500 of his countrymen, who went to receive him, he, ac- cording to promife, difmifTed his efcort, the Moors. His 74 M. T. C I C E R O his ftation, as a king and a general. You fee therefore, that conftant exercife with temperance, will ftill preferve a competent fliare of our priftine vigour. But allowing it, that old people lofe their ftrength, I fay again, they do not want it. The laws, their adminifiration, the inftitu- tions and difcipline of our anceftors, public and His numbers increafing, and gaining one battle, Lacu- maces fled to Syphax. Maffinifla, doubting his own ftrength, propofed an accommodation ; of which Sy- phax approved at firft, till Afdrubal of Carthage, fhewed him the danger of fnch a neighbour, and pre- vailed with him to carry on the war. This he accor- dingly did, and overthrew Maffinifla, who with a few about him, fled to the mountains, and there lived on plunder. Syphax fent a commander (whofe name alfo wasBocchar) with forces againft him, whointirely de- feated and purfued him to a large rapid river ; Maffi- nifla, with four more, took it ; two of whom were carried away by the violence of the ftream, and perifh- ed ; but Maffinifla, tho' forely wounded, with the other two, efcaped. Bocchar and his men, believing them all loft, reported the matter fo to Syphax, to his and his peoople's no fmall joy, as well as to that of Af- drubal. But Maffinifla, as ibon as he had recovered of his wound, to their great mortification, and to the equal joy of his friends, appeared again, as if he had droptout of the clouds, and in a little time collecting an army of 6000 foot .and 4000 horfe, was ready to oppoie O N O L D A G E, 75 private, are their proper bufinefs ; but from employments that require ftrength of body in their execution, we are exempted. It is therefore fo far from being the cafe with us, that more is expefted from us than we are able to perform, that, to fay the truth, there is much lefs. But it will be alledged, perhaps, that fome people' are fo weakened with age, that by it they are rendered im- capable of every kind of bufinefs whatfo- .ever : to which I anfwer, that this is not fo much the fault of age, as of conftitution, or the want of health, which happens to all ages. oppofe Sypliax ; who then began to confider MafllnifTa as an enemy that would require his utmoft thought and care. He therefore raifed a large army, marched him- felf againft him, and fending his fon Vermina with another body round, to attack him on the rear while he himfelf engaged in the front, Maflinifla was intirely routed again ; and it was only by his lingular dexteri- ty, that he narrowly efcaped the great diligence Ver- mina uled in the purfuit : bat from that time he was obliged to keep private and at a diftance, till the Ro- mans landed. In this time Afdrubal, apprehending the Romans might as formerly make a deicent on Afric, judged it necefiary to bring Syphax into a ftricl: alli- ance with -Carthage : for which end he gave him his daughter Sophoniiba, a fine woman, in marriage. Sci- pio 76 M. T. C I C E R O ages. How weakly was Publ. Africanus's fon, he who adopted you, Scipio : he was all his life fo exceedingly infirm, that he fcarce ever knew what health was : tho' had he not been unfortunate in that particular, he might otherwife have proved another glo- ry to our ftate ; for he had not only all his father's greatnefs of foul, but the further ad- vantage alfo of having that adorned with the politeft literature. What wonder is it plo landing, fent Ladius into the country before him. Mafliniffa then prefently appeared ; and' joining him, drew great numbers of Numidians to their afliftance. Their firft battle was with Syphax, whom they defeat- ed, and took himfelf, with his beautiful queen Sopho- nifba, prifoners. She fell at Maffiniffa's feet, implo- ring his mercy, as of the fame country with her, and that fhe might rather die, than be delivered up to the pride of the Romans. This he not only promifed ; but, charmed with her looks and behaviour, married her himfelf the fame day, Scipio highly offended at this, reproved him for it ; and he knowing his depen- dence muft be wholly on the Romans, to be as juft to his bride as lay in his power, and to keep his word to her, fent her a bowl of poifon with a proper mcffage, which file bravely took, and, as (lie defired, died free. This is all related by Livy, lib. 29. MaffinifTa, by the favour of the Romans, greatly enlarged his dominions. He reigned 60 years ; was always faithful to the Ro- mans, and left this younger Scipio his executor. Liv. lib. 50. Efit. then, ON OLD AGE. 77 then, if fome old men labour under weak- nefs, fince the youngeft, we fee, cannot cfcape it ? We muft prepare ourfelves, my friends, againft old age ; and as it is advan- cing, endeavour by our diligence to mitigate and correct the natural infirmities that attend it : we muft ufe proper prefervatives, as we do againft difeafes ; great care muft, in the firft place, be taken of our health ; all bodi- ly exercife muft be moderate, and efpecially our diet ; which ought to be of fuch a kind, and in fuch proportion, as may re- frefh and ftrengthen nature, without op- preffing it. Nor muft our care be con- fined to our bodies only ; for the mind re- quires much more, which without it will not only decay, but our understanding will as certainly die away in old age, as a lamp not duly fupplied with oil. The body, we know, when over-laboured, becomes heavy, and, as it were, jaded ; but 'tis exercife alone that fupports the fpirits, and keeps the mind in vigour. Hence it is, that you fee old men difadvantageoufly reprefentcd by Cci- 3 lius, 78 My. CICERO lius, and other comic poets on the ftnge* when the characters of weak and credulous, or diflblute old fellows, are expofed to con- tempt and ridicule : but thefe are the vices only of fuch as, when grey with years, aban- don themfelves to idlenefs and extravagance, and not of old age itfelf. For as wantonnefs and loofe defires are more peculiar to youth than to the aged ; and yet not to all youth, but to fuch only as are by nature vicioufly inclined, or have been loofely educated ; fo that filly dotifhnefs, that is imputed to old age, will be found only in perfons of weak and abject fpirits. ^Appius, had four ftout fons, and five daughters ; yet tho' he was very old, and blind befides, he was able not only to govern that great family, but alfo to manage his large dependencies of clients : he kept his mind ever intent upon his af- fairs, without flagging or bending under his age, and maintained not only an authority, but a command over his people : his fer- * Appius Claudius Ctiecus, mentioned before* See note 28. vants O N O L D A G E. 79 vants flood "m awe of him ; his children re- ' .?-'.-'"" ' 9 vered him, and they all loved him ; and that whole family conftantly kept up to the fober and ftrift difcipline derived to them by fucceffion from .their anceftors. Thus old age is ever honourable, where it takes care to fupport its proper rights, and gives them not weakly away, but aflerts them to the laft. For, as we commend fuch youths, as fhew fomething of the folidity of age ; fo we do the fame by the age^d, who exprefs the livelinefs of youth : and whoever purfues this method, tho' he may become old and de- cayed in body, will never be fo in mind, nor be found fo in his underftanding. I am now on the feventh book of my Origines, (59) wherein I am collecting all the monu- ments (59) Cato's Origines was a work much efteemedby the Romans, but it is loft to us. C. Nepos informs us, that its firft book contained the actions of the peo- ple of Rome, (probably to the time of the firft Punic or Carthaginian war) the ad and 3d gave the origin or firft rife of all the cities of Italy ; the 4th was the hi- ftory of the firft Punic war ; the 5th gave the fecond, which was in his own time : in the following he related i their 80 M. T. C I C E R O ments of antiquity of every kind. I am alfo making out thofe orations, that I formerly delivered in pleading the feveral caufes I de- fended. I am further treating of the civil law, and of that of the Augurs and Pontiffs. I read much Greek, and, agreeable to the Py- thagorean precept, the better to exercife my memory, I recoiled at night what I have heard, faid or done in the day. Thefe are the methods I ptirfue to keep my mind em- ployed ; and while with a conftant and affi- duous application I continue thefe exercifes, I cannot fay I am fenfible of any want offtrength, I am ftill able to ferve my friends ; I come duly to the fenate, and there propofe fuch matters of weight, as I have long pondered and digefted ; and I fupport what I propofe with arguments, to which bodily ftrength can contribute nothing. And their other wars, till^the conqueft of Lufitania, now Portugal : which I judge to have been the conqueft men- tioned by Livy, lib. 41. c. ii. for which L. Pofthu- mius triumphed about 20 years before this difcourfe ; for I find Sergius Galba, whom Nepos names, no where mentioned in relation to thefe wars. if O N O L D A G E. Si if for want of a competent (hare of that ftrength, I fhould be rendered uncapable of all this ; yet I could pleafe myfelf, even on my couch, with running them over in my thoughts. And whoever will purfue the fame methods, and pradife thus, will fcarce be fenfible of the advances of old age, but gradually (liding on, and infenfibly decay- ing, without any fudden changes, will at laft drop like ripe fruit, or go off like an ex- piring light. The third charge againft old age was, that it is (they fay) infenfible to pleafure, and the enjoyments arifing from the gratifica- tions of the fenfes. And a moft blefled and heavenly effect it truly is, if it eafes of what in youth was the foreft and cruelleft plague of life. Pray liften, my good friends, to an old difcourfe of (60) Archytas the Taren- tine, (60) Archytas, of Tarentum, was of Pythagoras's fchool, contemporary with Plato, whofc life he faved when Dionyfius, the tyrant of Syracufe, intended, for fome free difcourfe, to put him to death. He governed G the 82 M. T. C I C E R tine, a great and excellent man in his time, which I learned when I was but young my- felf, at Tarentum, under Fabius Maximus, at the time he recovered that place. " The greateft curfe, the heavieft plague, faid he, derived on man from nature, is bodily plea- fure, when the paffions are indulged, and firong inordinate defires are raifed and fet in motion for obtaining it. For this have men betrayed their country ; for this have ftates and governments been plunged in ruin ; for this have treacherous corefpondencies been held with public enemies : in fhort there is no mifchief fo horrid, no villainy fo execra- ble, that this will not prompt to penetrate. And as adultery, and all the crimes of that tribe, are the natural effe&s of it; fo of the Tarentines, and feven times commanded their and their confederates armies. He was a great mathema- tician and mechanic, and made a wooden pigeon that would by fprings fly about in the air. A. Gtllius* lib. JO. 12. Diog. Laertius, Strabo, Suidas, ^Elian, Athe- nseus, fpeak of him. Horace reniembers him alfo ? .in that ode, beginning with, e marts et terr& numeroque carentis arena cohibent ArcbytaLib. I. Od. 28. - . '.::,.; courft ONOLDAGE 83 courfe are all the fatal confequences that enfue on them. 'Tis owned, that the moft noble and excellent gift of heaven to man, is his reafon : and 'tis as fure, that of all the enemies reafon has to engage with, pleafure is the moft capital, and the moft pernicious : for where its great incentive, luft, prevails, temperance can have no place ; nor under the dominion of pleafure, can vir- tue poffibly fubfift. That this might appear more plain, he defired his hearers to form to themfelves the idea of a perfon in the higheft raptures, enjoying the moft exqui- fite pleafures that could be conceived ; and then try whether they could fo much as imagine, fuch a perfon in that ftate of enjoy- ment, capable of reflection, or making any more ufe of his reafon, than if he were en- tirely diverted of it. He therefore infifted, that nothing was more deteftable, nothing more direftly deftruclive to the dignity of man, than the purfuit of bodily pleafure, which it is impoffible to indulge to a height, and for a continuance, without damping or G 2 ex* 84 M. T. CICERO extinguifhing all the brighter faculties of the foul, and all the powers and light of the un- derftanding. This difcourfe our hpft Near- chus of Tarentum, who had continued firm in the Roman intereft after that city was be- trayed to Annibal, faid, Archytas had ufed to Caius Pontius the Samnite, the father of Pontius (61) who beat our confuls Spurius Poft- (61) This was in the year of Rome 433. The fto- ry is fo remarkable, and may be fo uiefully applied, that it is well worth knowing. The Samnites were the tougheft enemies the Romans had to deal with in Italy, They had been at war with them at times for 30 years and now refolving, if poflible, intirely to fubdue them, the two confuls here named, led the better part of the forces of Rome againft them. Pontius ufed means to deceive and decoy them, till they unwarily marched in- to a vale, furrounded on all fides, but at two defiles, with thick unpaflable forefts and mountains, and coming to the out-let, they found it clofed up with vaft trees and ftones heaped together by the Samnite army, who, much contrary to the falfe informations, artfully given the Roman confuls by fuborned fhepherds, were there watching their enemy ; and when they would have returned by the way they came in, they found that entrance in the fame condition with the other. The Romans thus fhut up, and in a manner befieged, could find no poflible means of extricating themfelves, or to prevent their ftarving, The Samnite general Pontius having them at this di fad vantage, fent to his father Herennius Pontius, who was in great repute for his virtue and wifdoin, for his advice what he 2 fhould * O N O L D A G E. 8$ Pofthumius and Titus Veturins at Caudium; that their old men had handed down the re- fhould do with the enemy then in his power. The father advifed his fon to difmifs them honourably, and make a peace with Rome ; for this generous a&ion would for ever engage the friendfhip of the Romans. The fon could not think of intirely giving up fuch an advantage, and therefore fent to his father again, defiring him to coniider further of it. He then advifed the general to put them all to the fword for by this, Rome would for a long time be fo weak- ened, that their neighbours might for that time at leaft live in peace. This laft advice the fon thought too cruel, and, by the advice of the army, fending for his father, prayed his prefence ; who being very old, to oblige his fon, came to the camp in a waggon, and there fupported both parts of his advice with reafons, faid he knew no medium, and returned. But the fon, refolving to take a middle courfe, gave all the Romans their lives ; concluded articles of peace, to be confir- med by the fenate ; took hoftages ; but difarmed them all, and obliged the whole army, with the confuls, to pafs or creep fub haftam, under the pike ; a mark of the freateft ignominy. And thus they all returned home ifarmed, i n the utmoft confufion ; which was alfo greater in the city, than if they had been utterly defeated or de- ftroyed. Pofthumius the conful hereupon told the fe- nate, they were not obliged by what he and his colle- gue Veturius had done ; advifed that they who iigned the articles, might be fent back bound to the Samnites, with the officer called a fecial, a kind of herald, to de- liver them. This being done, and thefe men delivered to Pontius bound, Pofthumius faid, he was now no longer a Roman, but a Samnite ; and having his feet at liberty, kicked the fecial officer, and faid, Now Rome* has juft caufe to make war on the Samnites, fince one 03 of 86 M. T. C I C E R O relation to them, and that Plato of Athens was prefent at the time ; which is probable enough ; of thofe people (meaning himfelf) had violated the law of nations, and abuied a facred officer of the Ro- mans. Ptmtius juftly provoked at this fraud and pre- varication of the Romans, in a moft reafonable fpeech [as Livy, the Roman hiftorian, himfelf gives it lib. 9. c. 1 1.] refuting to receive the confuls, highly upbraided the Romans, for their breach of faith, loudly expoftn- lattd with thofe prefent, and infifled, that if they had any regard to iuftice, honour, or for the gods they fwore by, they fhould cither ratify the peace made on his giving the army their lives and freedom, or they ought to return to the fame place they had been by his favour del ivereci. from, where their arms fhould be all reftored to them, to ufe again as they pleafed. And then he ordered thofe who were bound to be untied, and, telling them he had nothing to fay to them, the Samnites would now infift on the articles, which was all they had in exchange for the whole army of Rome ; bid them go about their bufinefs. Accordingly they went home. The Romans immediately carried on the war againft them, in which Pontius had many engage- ments with them ; but at length, upon an intire de- feat of his army, by Fabius Gurges, whom he had vanquifhed but a little before, he was taken prifoner by him, led in triumph at Rome, 25 years after the other action, and ungenerouily there put to death. ---There is another cafe in the Roman hiftory, exactly parallel to this ; when Mancinus the conful, being with his army caught by the Numantines in Spain, much in the fame manner, for making a peace that difpleafed the fenate, was fei t back, and in the fame manner delivered to that people, but refufed by them ; and then by a frefh army, under the command of this great man, but ill era- ON OLD AGE. 87 enough ; for I find Plato was at Tarentum the year that (62) Lucius /Emilius and Appius Claudius were confuls. Now this difcourfe I repeat to yon, that from hence you may learn, how much thofe, who can* not' as they ought in their ftrength of age refift the allurements of pleafure, are after- wards obliged to their years, that cure them of their irregular inclinations they had not before the power to correft. For all volup- tuoufnefsis undoubtedly an enemy to reafon ; it obftrufts wife counfels, blinds the under- ftanding, and is in its own nature inconfiftent with true virtue. It was with great unea- Vfinefs to myfelf, that when cenfor, I turned employed, Scipio ^Emilianus, they were famifhed to death, and utterly deftroyed ; on no other pretence, than to cover the fcandal the Romans conceived they underwent in being fo fhamefully beaten. (62) There is no fuch pair of confuls together to be found in the Romania/?/. In the various readings of the text, there is, inilead of L. ^Emilius and Ap- pius Claudius, Lucius Camillus and Publius Claudius ; who truly were confuls in the 4OOth year of Rome : and this well fuits Plato's age ; for he mull then have- been about 42 years. G 4 Lu- 88 M. T. CICERO (6 j) Lucius Flaminius, brother to that great man Titus Flaminius, out of the fenate, fe- ven years after he had himfelf been conful. But I could not bear, that fuch a fcandalous (63) This is touched in note 3, but it requires to be further fpoke to. VaL Maximus /. 2. c. 9. gives the ftory much as Cicero has it here ; but Livy, the chief of the Roman hiftorians, delive'rs it otherwife. He fays, lib. 39. c. 42. That Lucius Q. Flaminius, going with the army into Gaul, prevailed with a noted beautiful youth (whom he calls Philip of Carthage) on great promifes made to him, to go with him to the camp : that the lad in toying with the conful, often ufed to upbraid him, that, to gratify him, he had loft the plea- fure of the fhows of gladiators [or fencers] that were then exhibiting in Rome : that as they were one even- ing at fupper, and merry over their liquor, word was brought to the conful, that a noble Bolan [thefe were a people of Gaul] was come over with his children to fubmit himfelf, and crave the protection of the Romans : that deiiring to fee the conful himfelf, the gentleman was called in ; and while he was addreffing himfelf to him by an interpreter, Lucius aiked his He-Mifs, whether (iince he complained of loiing the fight of gladiators dying at Rome) he would be pleafed to fee that Gaul die there before him ? That, the ladjefting- ly commenting, Lucius taking his fword that hung by him, rofe up and gave the man, as he was fpeaking, a wound in the head, and then, as he endeavoured to efcape, purfued and run him thro' the body. Livy gives this from Cato's own fpeech, which he feems to have then had by him ; and blames another hiftorian, for delivering it wrong, and only upon hear-fay, as by this of Livy, Cicero feems to have done here. Plu- tarch tells it both ways, in the lives both of T. Fla- minius and of Cato. in- ON OLD AGE. 89 inftance of his diflblutenefs fhould pafs with- out public cenfure. For while he as conful commanded the army in Gaul, to pleafe a lewd ftrumpet he carried with him, he cau- fed one of the prifoners who were under fen- tence of death, to be brought in before them, and there, to gratify her in her barbarous re- queft, that (he might fee a man put to death, he flruck off his head on the fpot. His bro- ther Titus being then cenfor, this was not in his time taken notice of ; but when Flac- cus and I fucceeded him, we judged it ia- cumbent on us, in difcharge of our trufr, to exert the authority of our office, and brand with ignominy an adtion fo deteftable, that it not only involved the aftor himielf in in- famy, but alfo caft a reproach on the whole ftate. I have often heard our old men, who faid they had it from their elders, relate, that Cains Fabricius, when he was fent embafla* dor to Pyrrhus, to redeem the captives, was ftrangely furprized, when (64) Cineas the ora- 9 o M. T. CICERO orator, who attended Pyrrhus, told him, there was in Athens a great profeffor of wifdom r (64) This Cineas, in ftudying eloquence, was a hearer of the famous orator Demofthenes of Athens, and w^s thought to exprefs his manner the neareft of any of his age. He afterwards attended Pyrrhus, who laid of him, that he had gained more places by Cineas's eloquence, than by his own arms. Plutarch gives this fine relation of him, that feeing Pyrrhus bent on his expedition into Italy, fee notes 25, 26.] taking a proper opportunity for it ; thefe Romans, fays Cineas to Pyrrhus, are accounted a very brave people, and are faid to have fubdued many valiant nations about them ; ihould it pleafe God to grant us to conquer them, pray what are we to do next *? Why then, faid Pyrrhus, all the reft of Italy will lie open to us : for when once we have fubdued Rome, no other nation there will pre- tend to reiift us ; and Italy, you know, as it is a rich and large country ; will be a noble acquiiition. That it would, faid Cineas : and pray, what are we to. do next? Then, anfwered Pyrrhus, as Sicily lies clofeby it, and now lince Agathocles's death, is all in confuiion, we will ftep over thither, and make that eafily our own alfo. And fhallwe reft there ? faid Cineas. No, an- fwered Pyrrhus ; Carthage and Africa lie fo near, and fo tempting, that we muft have thefe alfo ; nor will it be difficult, fince Agathocles himfelf was once fo near taking Carthage, and with no very great force neither. And what courfe are we to take next ? faid Cineas. Then you very -well know, replied Pyrrhus, that thole \vho have hitherto given us fo much trouble, will no longer be able to oppofe us: we fhall get the better of all our adverfaries. That's very probable, faid, Cineas, when you have made fo many large conquefts, you may eaiily get Macedon, and reduce all Greece to realbn : but after all thefe mighty atchievements, pray, O N O L D A G E. 91 wifdom, who laid it down as his grand prin- ciple, that all we do fhould be direfled only to pleafure; and that (65), M. Curius and (66) Titus Coruncanius hearing this from Fabricius, ufed to wifh, th:?t Pyrrhus and the Samnites could be converted to that (67) pro- pray, Sir, be-pleafed to tell me what ufe we arc to make of them, and what is to follow next ? Why then truly, Cineas, faid, Pyrrhus, ftniling, we'll lit down, be mer- ry and drink, and enjoy ourielves in quiet with our friends. And if that be all, anfwered Cineas, pray, what hinders us from doing juft. the fame, as things now Hand ? You well know, you have now, as much as you then would, all the necefTary means for this, in your power ; and you may be as merry, as quiet, and enjoy your friends as much as you will ever be able to do, after all the vaft fatigues and hazards, and eifulion of blood, thefe undertakings nuift neceiTarily be atten- ded with ; and after, you have not only involved infi- nite numbers of people, who have never offended yon, in all the dire calamities of war, but mud alfo expofe your beft friends to numberlefs dangers. Pyrrhus was not well pleafed with this clofe. He proceeded, as has been noted, to Italy ; and being the'-? difappoin- ted, he paifed over into Sicily, where he was more fo ; and returning to Italy, he was there foundly beat by the Romans, and obliged to fly. At home in Epirus and Greece he continued reftlds ; and at length, in Argos, had his brains beat out, by a potfheard thrown from the top of a houfe by an old woman. His life is in Plutarch, which fee. (65) See note 26. [(66) See note 27, and for Fabricius, note 25. (67) Epicurus is meant here, who was then living : for Laertius fays, he was born the 3d of .the iO9th Olym- 92 M. T. C I t E R O profeflbr's religion ; for then it would coft Rome much lefs trouble to mafter them* M. Curius was for fome time contemporary with (68) Ptiblius Decius, who five years before Olympiad, feven years after Plato's death, and died in the ad of the layth Olympiad, in the yad year of his age : he therefore muft have lived nine years after Pyrrhus's expedition into Italy. Epicurus had in his own time a very ill chara&er given him by the philofo- phers of other fe&s, and the fame has thro' all fucceed- ing ages {luck to him ; but many think him much wronged. His phyfics, or opinions of nature, were groffly abfurcl in many things, but his morals that are ib much decried, were very different from what they are generally accounted. He propofed pleafure, 'tis true, for the end of aftion ; but that pleafure was to confift in the tranquility of the mind, and inward fatisfacVion, and not in voluptuous enjoyments : for he is faid to have been perfectly temperate himfelf, and that all his doctrine tended to the fame. He wrote much, but nothing of his remains, fave what Laertius has in his tenth book, which is wholly beftowed on his life and doctrine. Gaffendus explained it in fome large volumes. (68) Publius Decius Mus, was the firfttime conful in the 44ad year of Rome ; and this 4th time, when he fell, was in the 459th. The two confuls Quintus Fabius Maximus [there were divers from time to time of that name of the fame family] being the 5th time conful and this Decius (as has been noted) the 4th, were engaged in a doubtful and almofh defperate battle with the Gauls and Samnites ; with whom two other nations, the Etrurians (orTulcans) and the Umbrians, were alfo at the fame time confederates againft Rome. When the fight had continued long, nearly equal on both fides, and at length the Gauls made fome impref- lion on the left wing where Decius commanded, and his men begaa to break and fly, nor could he by any mean* QN OLD AGE. 93 before Curins was the firft time conful, had in his fourth coiifulate devoted himfelf for the means retrain them ; invoking his father's name, who had bfore devoted himfelf, he called to him the pontiff that attended, to repeat to him the form to be ufed in devoting ; which he took in the fame manner his father had done, and in the fame manner alfo the Romans got the day : for the flying forces, hearing what their gene- ral had done, rallied of themfelves, and with ixew ipirits vigoroufly attacked their enemies, and bore ail before them. To devote one, is to offer him up as accurfed f"br an atoning facrifke, for the fafety of others : and the method of it is curious enough to render it worth knowing. We have it particularly in Livy, in his account of this Deciushis father devoting himfelf, [//. 8. c. 9,] in the 4141!! year of Rome ; and it was thus : the Romans and the Latins after a long alliance diffe- ring, they drew out equal forces and engaged. Vic- tory inclining to neither fide, and one of the confuls, Decius, almoft defpairing of it, refolved on a defpe- rate action, which he hoped rnight fecure it. He cal- led on the Pontiff who was with him, to repeat before him the folemn form of devoting ; for he would offer himfelf up, he faid, for an atonement for the army. The pontiff ordered him to put on the civic gown; aind covering his head, to put up his hand within his gown under his chin, and treading on a weapon, to repeat thefe words after him : " O Janus,' Jupiter, fa- f '< ther Mars, Quirinus, Bellona ! Ye home gods, fo- *j c reign gods, indigetes and lower gods, who have us " and our enemies in your power ! and ye infernal /' ON OLD. AGE. 95 Thus I judged it necefiary to be the more full on this head of pleafure, and (hew the dangers of it, to the end you might clearly fee, it is fo far from being a difadvantagc to old age, in palling our inclinations to plea- fure, that on the contrary it is rather a great and valuable bleffing. For if it is in a good meafure dead to the enjoyments others find in banqueting, fumptuous feafts and carou- fings, it is freed at the fame time from all the troublefome effects of thefe ; as fumes, crudities, uneafy fleep, or the want of it ; with divers other fuch like diforders. Yet as nature has fo ordered it, that pleafure ihould have a very ftrong hold of us, and the inclination to it appears deeply founded in our very competition, (and 'tis with too much juftice that the divine Plato calls it the bait of evil, by which men are caught as fifh with a hook ;) therefore, though age is not taken, nor can well bear, with thofe fplendid fumptuous feaftings and revels, yet we are not fo infenfible to the pleafures of life, but that we can indulge ourfelves, and, 96 M. T. C I C E R O and take a real delight in fober and tempe- rate entertainments with our friends. I re- member, when I was a boy, I often faw (69) Caius Duillius, Marcus's fon, who gai- ned the firft victory over the Carthaginians at fea, returning home from fupper with torches and mufic before him ; a pra&ice that he thought fit (though without any precedent for it) to continue in his private (6,9 The Romans having had great fuccefs for four years againft the Carthaginians, in their firft war with them, by land ; but lying expofed to them by fea, as having no fleet, refolved to build one ; and ordered the confuls, of whom this Duillius was one, to proceed to the work ; and in fixty days (Livy fays) after the timber was fallen, they had [incredible] 160 fhips of war compleated and at anchor : to furnifh which with men, thofe defigned for the fervice, were taught all the motions and management of oars, in which, while their fhips were building, they were exercifed on fhore. But finding on trial thefe fhips much more unweildy than thole of their enemies ; to balance this, they con- trived an engine placed at their heads, by which, when clofed in with another fhip, they would grapple and hold her fo fafl, that ihe could not pofTibly get clear. They framed alfo on the engine a kind of platform to ftand on, and enter other fh ips by it. Thus they fought at fea, as if they had been on land, hand to hand with their enemies : and in the nrft engagement, Duillius funk 14 (hips, killing 3000 men, and took 31 fhips more with 7000 paicners ; for which he triumphed. ilation : ON OLD AGE. 97 flation : fo great was the pleafure he gave himfelf, though not without fome vanity, in keeping up the memory of that great ac- tion. But why fliould I quote others, and not rather return and fpeak of myfelf ? In my youth I had always a fet of fele<5l com- panions ; for thofe focieties or clubs now in practice, took their beginning when I was queftor, at the time the (70) mother of the Gods (70) Commonly called Idea mater ^ the Idaean mother. In the 549th year of Rome, a little before Annibal left Italy, the Roman armies were feized with fo violent a licknefs, that they were in danger of being all loft ; nor were the Carthaginians clear from it : and about the fame time dreadful prodigies from the heavens were feen, as raining ftones (of which we hear fo often in their hiftory, that we may reafonably believe they muft have meant nothing but large hail by it ; for they accounted even great thunder-florms a denuncia- tion of the anger of their gods.) Thofe who had the Sibylls books in keeping, confulting them on thefe ca- lamities, faid, they found an oracle there, declaring, that when a foreign enemy fliould invade Italy, the country might be delivered from them, if the Idaean mother were brought from Peffinus to Rome. This was a place in Phrygia in Ada Minor, And for this the Romans fitted out five large (hips, with a folemn embaffy to Attalus, the king of thofe parts, to re- queft the favour. They took the oracle of Delphi in their way, to confult that alfo, and know their fuccefs : H the 9 8 M. T. C I C E R O gods was brought to Rome. My friends and I then had our meetings and collations duly ; but thefe were always moderate, tho* it was at an age when our blood was warm, which inevitably cools as years come on. Nor did I ever meafure my pleafure in thofe entertainments by any fenfual gratifications whatever, but folely by the converfation or difcourfes we held on various fubjefts. For our anceftors very wifely called thofe mee- tings the anfwer was favourable, further telling them, " The worthieft man of Rome muft be appointed to re- ceive the goddefs into the city." Attalus, to oblige tfye Romans, tho' they had then no intercourfe with Afia, granted their requeft ; and fhewed them a great flone, which the inhabitants called by that name : and they brought her divinity to the river Tiber, where Scipio Naflica was appointed, as the beft man in Rome, to receive her. Thus Livy, b. 29. c. 10, &c. Hero- dian, who wrote the hiftory of the reigns often empe- rors, about the year of Chrift 240, in the life of Com- modus, tells a long flory of that goddefs, and the devo- tion yearly paid her at Rome : He fays, the image was framed by no mortal hands, but fent down froin hea- ven by Jupiter; that the fhip that brought her, flick- ing fall in the river Tiber, a veftal virgin, who was accufed of unchaility, to prove her innocence, hawled the fhip along, only by "her girdle. But Livy writing the hiflory of the time, fays nothing of this : for miracles are often beft known fome centuries after they are faid to have been wrought. O N O L D A G E. 9$ tings of friends to eat and drink together, by the name of Convhiutft, or living-together ; as if fociety were the defign of them : a term much more proper than that of the Greeks, whofe name for them imports nothing but eating and drinking together ; as if they pre- ferred that part of the entertainment, which is truly in itfelf the leaft valuable. In fuch regular entertainments, when feafonable, I own, I have always, in view of what I have mentioned, taken a fenfible pleafure : nor do I choofe for my compa- nions only perfons about rny own age ; for of thefe there are now very, few left ; but thofe alfo of yours. And I think myfelf much obliged to my age, that it has increafed my inclination for difcourfe and converfa- tion, and rendered the bufinefs of eating and drinking a matter ftill of more indifferency to me. Yet where others take a pleafure even in thefe, that I may not be thought to declare war againft all gratifications of fenfe, H 2 as ioo M. T. C I C E R O as nature requires refrefhment, and old age is not without its relim ; I think fuch en- tertainments even for the fake of good cheer, fo far as this is comfortable to nature, arc very allowable, and may fometimes be in-' dulged, when duly limited within the bounds of moderation. But what now gives me the greateft pleafura in thefe cafes, is to praftife the method inftituded by our ance- ftors, that is, that the converfation mould turn on fubjefts propofed by the mafter of the feaft, and that the cups fliould be mode- rate and cooling, in a cool and fhady place in fummer, as in that of (71) Xenophon; or in the fun, or, if colder, by a good fire, in winter: the method that I now praftife amongft my Sabine neighbours, whom I fre- quently meet on fuch occafions, and fpend a good part of the night with them.* But to return (71) In Xenophon's works there is a trac~l called /he Sympofion, or feaft, confiiling of the pleafant dit- courfes of the guefts ; which is more natural than that of Plato's. * 'Tis laid of Old Cato, that he could be free enough fometimes with the creature : hence Horace, L 3. Ode 2 1 . Nor* ON OLD AGE. rof return to the charge. It is alledged that old age is not fenfible to that titillation of pleafure, that is found in the other parts of life ; which is certainly true : but at the fame time it has this great advantage to balance it, that it does not fo much as vvifh to have it. Sophocles faid well, vvh^^when he was aficed at a great age, whether he had yet any acquaintance with Venus, anfwered, Hea- vens forbid ! I thank the god? I am got rid of that tyranny. Such as are addicted to thofe pleafures, will think it hard to be de- barred of them ; but others, who have gone through, and are paft them, find themfelves happier in being deprived of the inclination. Nor can any one be faid to want, what he does not fo much as wfifli for. And this ft ate, I fay, of not defiring, is preferable in itfelf even to that of enjoying. 'Tis true, that men in their prime have a greater guft to all pleafures ; but then moft of thefe arc, Narratur et prlfcl Catonis Sape mero caluijje virtus. Old Cato would, 'tis faid, with wii)Q Make his reverend face to ihine, 1* in TOI M. T. CICERO in the firft place, but mean in themfelves ; and in the next, if old men have not the fame to fuch a height, they either defire them not all, or they have a competent fliare of fuch as are fit for them. As thofe, perhaps, who fit in the pit at the theatre, have more of the pleafure in feeing (72) Turpio Ambi* vius aft, than fuch as fit at a greater diftance in the galleries ; yet thefe laft, though they have lefs, are not wholly without theirs : fo youth, as it has a nearer communication, and livelier relifh for pleafure, may be more powerfully affefted with it ; yet thofe, whofe age has diftanced them from the gayer fcenes of it, have their fliare of delight, and enjoy as much of it, at leaft, as they crave or wifh for. For how folid, how fincere, think you, muft that pleafure be to the mind, when, af- ter it has happily worked through the ruf- fling tides of thofe uneafy paffions, luft, am- (72) Turpio Ambivius was a famous aftor In Rome, ?ibout the 59Oth year of the city. He is mentioned in what is called the Didefcalia, of four of the fix come- dies we have of Terence, to have been, the principal ?ftor of them, bjtion, O N O L D A G E. bition, emulation, contention, and every ftrong impetuous defire, it finds itfelf arrived at its harbour, and lite a veteran difcharged from the fatigues of war, got home, and retired within itfelf into a ftate of tranquili- ty ? But if it has the further advantage of literature and fcience, and can by that means feed on, or divert itfelf with fome ufeful or amufing ftudy, no condition can be imagi- ned more happy than fuch calm enjoyments, in the leifure and quiet of old age. How warm did we fee (73) Gallus, your father's in- (73) Caius Sulpicius Gallus, the firft of the Ro- inans [Pliny fays, lib. 2. c. 12.] who applied himfelf to the ftudy of the ftars, in which he was very famous. Being tribunus militum in the army commanded by Paulus ./Emilius, .the day before the great battle, in which Perieus, king of Macedon, was defeated, and his kingdom thereupon made a province, [fee note 24] he gave public notice to the army, that the enfuing evening the moon would be eclipfed and darkened from the ad to the 4th hour, [that was then, from near 10 to near 12 at night in our account] and as this could be foretold, by the knowledge only of the courfe and mo- tions of the fun and moon, they fhould not therefore be furprifed at it, or account it a prodigy. But the Mace- donians^ it feems, were not fo happy, as to ;,ave fuch a fkilful advifer amongft them ; for the eclipfe happened accordingly, and the Greeks were much terrified. Li- H 4 . vy, io 4 M. T. CICERO intimate friend, Scipio, inpurfuit of his aftro- nomical ftudies to the laft ? How often did the riling fun furprize him, fixed on a cal- culation he began over night? And how often the evening, on what he had begun in the morning r What a vaft pleafure did it give him, when he could foretell to us, when we fliould fee the fun or moon in an eclipfe ? And how manjr others have* we known in their old age delighting themfelves in other* ftudies ? which, though of lefs depth than thofe of Gallus, yet muft be allowed to be in themfelves ingenious and commendable? How pleafed was (74) Naevius with his po- em of the Punic war ? And how (75) Plau- tus, vy, who [//&. 44. f. 37.] relates this, fays, it was the night before the 4th of September, which both Calvi- fius and Petavius having calculated, find to have fallen on the 2 1 ft of June, 168 years before Chrift, according to our prefent account ; for the Roman calendar was at that time, for the reafons given by Cenforinus [cap. 20.] exceedingly perplexed and uncertain, till Julius Caefar in bis 3dconfulate, being then alfo Pontifex Maximus, 45 years before Chrift, regulated it, and eftablifhed our pr.eient Julian account. This Sulpicius Gallus, two years after that battle, was conful himfelf and Paulus ./Emilius, the cpnful and general in it, natural father tp this Scipio [fee note 24] was his great friend. (74) Cneius Naevius, fee note 30. O N O L D A G E. 105 tus with his Truculentus and Pfeudolus ? I remember even old Livius,* who had his firft dramatic piece afted fix years before I was born, in the confulfliip of Cento and Tuditanus, and continued his compofitions till I was grown up towards the ftate of' manhood. What need I mention (76) L5- cinius Craflus's ftudies in the pontificial and civil law ? Or thofe of Publius Scipio,* now lately made fupreme pontiff? And all thefe I have feen, not only diverting them- felves in old age, but eagerly purfuing the feveral ftudies they affected. With what unwearied diligence did we behold (77) Mar- cus, (75) Marcus Accius Plautus : we have 20 of his comedies ftill extant, and amongft them, thofe two here named. -f- Livius Andronicus was the firft Reman poet, men- tioned by their writers : there is nothing of his remain- ing, but a few fhort fragments from the quotations of grammarians ; according to Cicero in Tufc. ^jjaft. lib. I. as alfo in his Brutus. He acted that firft piece in the 5 1 2th year of Rome, 240 years before Chrift. (76) The fame with Publius CraiTus mentioned be- fore. See note 49. * Scipio Naffica, fee note 70. (77) Marcus Cethegus is mentioned by Cicero in his Brutus, or book de clans oratoribus y as the firft ora- tor amongft the Romans wojth notice, or that bore that io6 M. T. C I C E R O cus Cethegus, whom Ennius juftly enough called the foul of perfuafion, applying him- felf at a great age to oratory, and the prac- tice of pleading ? Upon all which let me aik you, what gratifications of fenfe, what vo- luptuous enjoyments in feafting, wine, wo- men or play, and the like, are to be compa- red with thofe noble entertainments ? Thofe pure and ferene pleafures of the mind, the rational fruits of knowledge and learning, that grafted on a good natural difpofition, cultivated by a liberal education, and trained Up in prudence and virtue, are fo far from being palled in old age, that they rather con- tinually improve, and grow on the pofleflbr. Excellent therefore was that expreffion of Solon, which I mentioned before, when he faid, that dally learning fomething, he grew old: for the pleafures arifing from fuch a courfe that character : and his name was the more famous for the honourable mention Ennius made of him in his an- nals, fome of whofe verfes Cicero there quotes, and fays, he was conful 9 years before Cato, that is, in the 55 A G E. 1*3 here in my neighbouring farm ; which as often as I view, I am feized with wonder, but can never fufficiently admire, either the great moderation of the man, or the regular difcipline of his time. Curius, as he fat one evening by his fire-fide, met with a tempting encounter : the Samnites, for whom he was too hard in the field, in hopes of foftenirig him, fent him a large prefent of gold ; but he with a brave difdain rejecting it, fent back the meflfengers with this anfwer only, that he wanted none of their gold, but thought it much more glorious to command thofe who valued it, than to poflefs it himfelf. Now, could fo great a foul fail, think you, of making his years eafy to himfelf, and agreeable at any age ? But to return to a country-life, that I may not quit the fubje A I am upon, I mean, my own old-age : in thofe days the fenators, that is, the^w^, or old men of the ftate, dwelt in the country, and lived on their farms, (82) L. Quin&ius Cineinnatus was at his plow, when he was I called ii 4 M. T. C I C E R O called to take upon him the fupreme office of didator. This alfo was he, by whofe command his mafter of the horfe, Servilhjs (82) Lucius Quinftius Cincinnatus was conful of Rome in the 293d year of it, 459 years before Chrift ; being furrogated in the place of Valerius Poplicola, who was killed in recovering the Capitol from Herdonius [Liv. /. 3. c. 19.] the Romans being exceedingly prefled by the Volfci 2 years after, and rinding thcm- felves obliged to appoint a dictator, they chofe Quincti- ns, who then lived on his fmall farm, that had con- fided at firft but of feven Roman jugera, which makes in the whole but about four and a half Englifh acres ; but by paying 'a fine for his fon Ssefo, was reduced to fourjugera, or two and a half acres only. On this farm the meffenger fent to him from the fenate, found him at work ; who defiring him to put on his gown, that he might receive the pleafure of the fenate, he left his plough, and called -on his wife Racilia (for her name is alfo remembered) to bring it to him ; he put it on and was then faluted by him, dictator ; an office fo high, that it fuperfeded all the other powers, as has been no- ted before. Livy, Kb. 3. c. 26. purfues the ftory, the fum of which was this : he repaired to Rome, raifed levies, marched againft the enemy, who then befieged the conful with his army in the camp ; fubdued and made them all pafs fub jugo, a mark of lubjection ; tri- umphed for his victory ; and, having fettled affairs, laid down that great office, which of right he might have held for 6 months, the 1 6th day after he entered on it. But the other part of the ftory, of his caufing Mselius to be put to death, was 20 years after, when in a great old age he was chofe dictator again, on purpofe to quell that confpiracy. Livy, b. 4. c. 13. &c. has the ftory. Both Livy and Val. Maximus, ./. 4. c. 4. have ibme fine reflections on the 6rfl part of this account ef Cincinnatus. Haft, O K O L D A G E. 115 Hala, put Spurius Maelius to death* for at- tempting at fovereign power, and to make himfelf abfolute in the city. So Ciiriiis, and hiaiiy others of thofe brave old men, were called from time to time off their farms, to take upon them the higheft trufts and char- ges in the ftate or war : and from hence it is, that the ferjeants or meflengers that wait on the fenate, firft had, and to this day re- tain their name of viatores, or way-men. Now, can we imagine that thole great men found themfelves diftreffed by old age, while they would thus in the country give them- felves up to all the variety of delightful em- ployments, that the bufinefs of it either fur* niflies or requires ? As for me, I muft own, I think it impoffible that any other kind of life whatever can exceed it. For beiides that mankind cannot poffibly fubfift withotft it, there is not only a vaft pleafure derived from viewing and conlidering the particulars I have mentioned, but it alfo fills the heart with joy to behold, how by proper care and management every thing is produced in I 2 abun- xi6 M. T. C I C E R O abundance, that can be fubfervient either to the fupport and real neceffities of human life, or even to the pleafures and delegation of it, as well as what is required for the fer- vice of the immortal Gods. Thofe therefore who make pleafure their aim, and think there is no other good in life, may here ef- fetually find it. For can there be a greater than to fee our labours crowned with full granaries, our cellars with wine, oil, honey, and all kind of provifions ? Our dairies with cheefe ; and plenty of pigs, kids, lambs and fowl around us ? Our gardens alfo are, as the country people call it, a lafting flitch, from whence they may conftantly cut, and it as conftantly fupplies them. Here alfo at fuitable times are our labours feafoned with the agreeable and innocent diverfions of hun- ting and fowling ; to fay nothing of the de- lightful profpeft of meadows in their ver- dure, and groves of planted trees ; as well as thofe of vines and olives that have been mentioned already. But I fhall wind tip, with obferving, that as there is nothing more pro- O N O L D A G E. 117 profitable, fo there is not in nature, in my opinion, any thing more beautiful or affet ing, than to behold a plantation, with all the parts of it, In complete and perfed order. And this, as I have faid, is a pleafure, that old age is fo far from being uncapable of en- joying, that it is by a kind of impulfe of nature folicited and drawn to it. For no where elfe can it meet with fuch futtable en- tertainments. Here the cool (hades and re- frefhing breezes, with purling ftreams, invite abroad to pafs the fummer's fultry heats ; and here good roufing fires furnifli large pro- vifion againft the colder blafts of winter. To others therefore we can freely refign all other diverfions, in arms and horfes, with their military exercifes, and all their accou- trements, their tennis, and every other fport ; only, if they pleafe* they may leave us chec- quers and tables ; or even thefe alfo we can give up ; fince old age can be very afy and very happy without any fuch trifling amufe* jnents. 1 3 All nS M. T. CICERO All the writings of Xenophon are on many accounts highly ufeful ; and I would advife you diligently to read them ; which I doubt not but you do of yourfelves. How fully and excellently does he, in that book called his Oeconomics,fet out the advantages of huf- bandry and a country-life ? And that you may fee he thought no employment fo fit for a king as this, Socrates there difcourfing \vith Critobulus, tells him, that when Ly- fander of Lacedemon, a perfon of great me- rit, went to Gyrus the younger, king of the Perfians, at Sardis, with the prefents their allies had collefted ; Cyrus entertaining him with great courtefy and civility, fhewred him a garden planted with extreme elegance ; in which Lyfanderobfervingthebeautiful forms of the trees in their ranges, exactly difpofed in the qijjncuncial order ; the cleannefs and neatnefs of the walks and borders, and the delicious fragrancy of the flowers that breathed all around their refrefhing odours ; he was greatly taken with them all : but , above O N O L D A G E. 119 above all the reft, he faid, he admired the ingenuity of the man, who had defigned, and with fo much art and Ikill difpofed the whole. This is all my own doing, faid Cy- rus ; the defign was mine, I marked and meafured out the walks and rows, and many of the trees I planted with my own hands. Then Lyfander obferving alfo at the fame time the neatnefs of his perfon, and viewing his purple, with the richnefs of his attire, fet off, after the Perfian manner, with much gold and jewels, faid, they may juftly call you happy, Cyrus, iince you are at the fame time both good and great ; your virtue and your fortune equally adorn each other. And this happinefs, I fay again, is left for old men to enjoy ; nor can age or any length of years difable them, while they have health and ftrength to walk, from enjoying, to their laft period, thofe fvveet amufements and diver- lions, that rural fcenes, and the employments of a country life afford. We find that (83) Marcus (83) Marcus Valerius Corvus or Corvinus. Livy, an hiftorian of great gravity, b. 7. c. 26. tells this very 14 odd M. T. CICERO Marcus Corvinus lived to a hundred years and fpent his laft days in agriculture on his farm. Between his firft and laft conful ate* there were forty-fix years ; he therefore was engaged in public employments and truftsof honour the full term (84) that our anceftors fet pdd ftory of him : that being a tribune of war, when the Roman army under the confulL. Furius Camillus, was to engage that of the Gauls, a champion of that nation, remarkable both for his fize and armour, flepr ping out, challenged the whole Roman army, to fend out any one gf their braveft men to fight him in fingle combat. This Valerius took the challenge, met him, and had no Iconer began to engage, than a crow or raven [but cvrvu$ is properly a raven, tho' often ren r dereda crow] lighted on his helmet or head-piece, an4 as often as he attacked the Gaul, the bird with his bill and claws did the fame, flying at his eyes and face; which fo confounded the man, that he foon fell at Vale- rius's feet, and was difpatched by him ; and then it flew away to the eaftward. Hence the victor took the name of Gorvus or Corvinus, for it frequently occurs \vrote both thefe ways. Val. Maximus. b. 8. c. 13^ brings him as an example of one that lived to a great and happy old-age, and fays, he lived to 100 years in vigour both of body and mind ; was fix times conful in the fpace of 47 years ; diicharged the greateft trufts ^ kept his farm in molt exquifite order, and fet a noble example both in public and private life. Pliny, N. Hift.b. 7. 48. mentions alfo his living to ipo years ? and that he was 6 times conful, a number that none be- fides, except C. Marius, before the time of the empe T jrqrs ever equalled. (84) It may appear ftrange, that in this difcourfe, p}iere io rnany iniiancqs are given of perfons who had attained - , , 'V. ON OLD A G E. 121 fet for the commencement of old age. But in this, his latter days were more happy and glorious than his preceding life, that he was more illuftrious in himfelf, and cloathed with a greater authority freed from the toil that commonly attends- it : for authority I efteem the crown and glory of old age. How confpicuous did this appear in (8 j) L. attained to a great age, and preferved it in their vigour both of body and mind, Cato fhould be made to place the commencement of old-age at the 46th year of life : but the author Cicero had good authority for it. His friend Varro, who always had the character of the moft learned of all the Romans, (as Cenforinus, de die nata- //, -c. 14. quotes him) divided the life of man into 5 flages, each confifting of 15 years : thofe in the firft ftage, he calls pueri, boys ; in the 2d to 30 years, ado- lefcentes, or youths ; in the gd to 45, juvenes, young- men, fo called, he fays a juvando, from helping, be- jcaufe they aflifled the ftate in bearing arms ; from thence to 60 he calls feniores, becaufe on entering on that ftage, they begin fenefcere, to wax old ; and from >o to the end of life, for which he fixes no term, they ^re fenes, or old-men. Cenforimis goes on to fay, that Hippocrates the phyfician divided life into 7 fta- ges; the terms of which are to 7, 14, 28, 35, 42, 56, and from thence to the end : that Solon made 10, each of 7 years ; to which Stafeas added 2 more, making the laft term 84, or 12 times 7 ; which agrees with our prefent tables, calculated by Dr. Halley, for valuing eftates for lives ; for thefe make 85 the laft period, be - yond which no chance for living i$ eftimated (85) See note 53 before. Caeci- 122 M. T. C I C E R O Caecilius Metellus ? And how in (86) Atilius Calatinus ? on whom many nations agreed in conferring this great and noble character, that he was the worthlejl man of his country ; as it is fully declared in that copy of verfes now infcribed on his tomb, which therefore are well known. Juftly then might he be accounted honourable and great,' in whofe praifes the voices of all nations confpired. How defervedly great did the late fupreme pontiff, *Publius Craffus, as alfo his fuccef- (86) Atilius Calatinus was conful in the 496^ year of Rome ; a fhort account of whofe life is given by Aurelius Victor, amongft his illuftrious men ; but there appears nothing very particular in it, worth noting here. And it is to be queftioned, whether in all the monuments we have left us of antiquity, there can any thing be now produced that fhould intitle him to fohigh a character : for in Freinfheimius's fupplements to Livy, lib. 17. 22. there is a very difadvantageous ftory of him and his army, who in the firft Punic war befieged Mutiftratum (now Miftretta) in Sicily, which the inhabitants, obliging the Carthaginian garrifon, who were poflefled of it, to furrender, or fuffer them at leaft to furrender to the Romans ; thefe without mer- cy, and without diftin&ion of fex or age, put the grea- ter part of thofe inhabitants to the fword, and fold the Teft for Haves. Florus, /. 2. c. 2. gives him the title of dictator, but his ftory is obfcure. It was to fave this army, that Calpernius Flamma, with 300 more, facrificed their own lives, as in note 100. (*) See note 49. for O N O L D A G-E. 123 for in the fame dignity, (87) Marcus Lepi- dus, appear to us all ? Why fhould I again mention Paulus,+ or Africanus, or Maxi- mus ?|| Who all bore fo great an authority with the people, that not only their opinions when . declared, but even their looks and nods carried an awe with them, and in a manner commanded fubmiffion. Old age in a perfon graced with honours, is attended with fuch refpeft and authority, that the fenfe of this alone is preferable to all the pleafures youth can enjoy. Yet in all I have faid, I defire to be un- derftood to mean the old age of fuch perfons (87) .^Emilius Lepidus was the firft time conful in the 567^ year of Rome, 8 years after Cato ; he was the fecond time in the 579th year. He was chofen one of the pontiffs in the 556, and Pontifex Maximus about the year 571, and continued fo near 30 years, till his death, which was about the year 602. See note 47. 'Tis noted in the argument of the 48th book of Livy, (for that and all the reft from the 45th are loft, but the arguments remain) that he was 6 times appoin- ted by the cenfor's prince of the fenate, and that he or- dered his fons at his death, that his funeral fhould be without any pomp or charge, (f) See notes 24 and 51. See notes 7 and 52. 411) Note n. only, 124 M. T. CICERO only, as have in their youth laid folid foun- dations for efteern in advancing years ; for on no other terms ought we to expecl it. And hence it was, that what I once faid in a public fpeech, met with fo general an ap- plaufe, when I obferved, that miferable was that man's old age, who needed the help of oratory to defend him. Grey hairs and wrinkles avail nothing to confer the autho- rity I am here fpeaking of: It muft be the refult of a feries of good actions, and no- thing but a life honourably and virtuoufly led, thro' all the advancing fteps of it, can crown .old age with this blefled har.veft of its paft labours. Nor are thofe common marks of refpecT:, tho'but of little moment in themfelves, to be altogether flighted ; fnch as morning falutations ; to have the way or upper-hand given ; to be waited on home or from home, and to be confulted ; which, both with us and in all well-regulated ftates, in proportion as they are more or lefs fo, are mote ftriftly obferved and praftifed. Lyfander of Sparta, whom I lately men-. tioned, O N O L D A G E, 125 tioned, was wont to fay, that Lacedemon was of all places the moft honourable fane- tuary for old age : for no where in the world is a greater deference paid to years, and in no place grey hairs more reverenced and regarded. I find this alfo related, that a very old man coming into the theatre at Athens, to fee the play, and the throng being fo great, that he could find no room nor feat among his own citizens, paffing along towards that part where the embafladors of Lacedemon, then prefent, were placed ; they all immediately rofe up to give him a feat : The Athenians obferving this, clapt, and much applauded the aft ion ; upon which one of the Spartans pafled this juft reflection, that the Athenians (he perceived) knew very well what was right, but they knew not how to do it. There are many good infti- tutions in our college of Augurs, and par- ticularly in this I am now fpeaking of, that the oldeft man leads, and all the members deliver their opinions according to their rank in years ; the ancienteft Always taking place* not, 126 M. T. C I C E R O not only of fuch as have been in higher pofts than themfelves, but even of thofe, who at the time bear the fupreme command, and are at the head of affairs in the ftate. Now, what fatisfaftion, think you, can all the pleafures of fenfation taken together, yield, that will bear a comparifon with thofe the mind muft feel, from the returns of re- verencial refpeft paid to the authority of fuch an honourable age ? Which whoever enjoys and rightly applies, feems to me to have well and happily performed in ailing his part in the drama of life, and at laft like an approved aftor, he makes his laft part the beft, and quits the ftage with an univerfal plaudit. But it is faid, people as they grow in years, become more peevifh, morofe and paffionate ; and you may add covetous too : but, as I have faid, thefeare tne faults of the men, and not of old age. Yet fomething of a little morofenefs might probably, tho' not altogether juftly, be excufed ; for they may fometimes be apt to think themfelves flight- ed and played on ; and further, a frail body can O N O L D A G E. 127 can bear but little, and therefore will be the fooner offended. But all this may by pro- per application be prevented or remedied : for by reflection and a watchful guard kept on the motions of the heart, natural temper may be fweetened, and our conduct foftened. Of this we fee frequent inftances in life, and on the ftage a remarkable one in the two brothers (88) in Terence's Adelphi. How rough and peevifh is the one, how mild and good the other ? And fo the cafe will generally hold. Some wines four with age, while others grow better and richer. A gravity with fome feverity is to be allowed ; but by no means ill nature. What cove- toufnefs in old men can mean, I muft own, I cannot comprehend ; for can any thing be more fenfelefsly abfurd, than that the nearer (88) Mitio and Demea, characters dire&ly oppoilte in two brothers ; the latter of whom ruined his own foil by his morofenefs, the other by his mild treatment of his nephew, brother to that fon, made him a fine gentle- man. Terence was contemporary with Cato, and his comedy of the Adelphi was firft aed in the year of; Rome 594, by the names of the confuls in the Didaf* calia prefixed to it, we 128 M. T. C I C E R O we are to our journey's end, we fhbuld ftill lay in the more provifion for it. We are now come to the fourth and laft charge, which is thought moft nearly to af- fe& old age, and to give the greateft anxiety of all others, viz. the approach of death, which Yis certain can be at no great diftance. But miferable is the cafe of that old man, who in fo long a courfe of years, has not laid in a fufficient provifion againft thofe fears, and enabled himfelf to contemn death ; which is either to be flighted, as being in reality nothing in itfelf, in cafe it puts an intire end to us, foul as well as body ; or elfe, it is to be valued, and to be defired and wifhed for, if it leads us into another ftate, in which we are to enjoy eternity : and between thefe there can be no medium. What then am I to fear in death, if after it, I am to have no fenfe, and therefore can feel no pain ; or otherwife am to become immortal in another ftate by the change ? But again, can there be any one fo void of fenfe. 6 N O L D A G . 129 fenfe, as to think himfelf fiire of living even to the next evening ? Nay, youth ill its greateft vigour, is fubject to many more cafualties, and expofed to much greater and more frequent dangers that may fhoften life, than old age itfelf, which is allowed to be drawn fo near its end. Their heat of blood, and the frequent changes of heats and colds, which they undergo, render them more liable to fevers and other fits of iicknefs* which, when they happen, bear heavieit on the ftrongeft conftittitions ; nor have they generally, when fick, the patience to be fo carefully nurfed, as more elderly and expe- rienced people. And from thefe and fuch like caufes it is, that we fee fo few attain to old age. But happy would it be for the world, if more lived to reach it : for as prudence and fkill are gained by experience, and this depends on, and is enlarged by length of days ; we might from greater numbers of people, grown old in fuch ex- perience, expecT: to fee the affairs of life, both public and private, more regularly ad- K miniftcred; 1 3 o M. T. CICERO miniftered ; and indeed, without fome fuch, government could fcarce fubfift at all. But to return to the confidcration of death im- pending. How can that be accounted an un- happinefs peculiar to old age, which we well know is common, and frequently hap- pens to the youngeft, as well as to the old ? I found by near experience, in my own (89) dear fon, and we faw in the death of (89) Cato's fon and namefake died praetor of the city of Rome, the fame year that Lepidus died, as in note 87. vi%. In the year 602 ; and, as it is noted in the fame argument of Livy there mentioned, viz. of book 48. his father gave him but a very mean funeral, being able to afford no better, for that he was poor : [M* P. Catofunus mortuifilii^ in prtetura, tcnuifjimo, ut valuit (nam pauper erat) fumptu facit*~\ Which, con- fidertng the offices that Cato bore, and his frugality, adds not a little to his character of probity. Plutarch gives this remarkable ftory of young Cato, in the life of his rather, that being in the army, under P. ^Emi- lius, afterwards his father-in-law, in the great battle fought with Perfeus king of Macedon, [note 24] his fword was flruck out of his hand, and he loft it ; upon which, getting together a company of young men of his acquaintance, they made fuch an impreiTion on the enemy, that they cleared the way before them to the fame place again, where he recovered it amongft heaps of the flam : and adds, that in his time [Plutarch's, above 250 years after] Cato's letter to his fon was ex- tant, congratulating him on the bravery of that action. your ON OLD AGE. 131 your (90) two brothers, Scipio, who we; expected were growing up to the higheft honours in Rome, that no age is privileged, but death is common to all. It may how- ever be faid, perhaps, that youtlrhas room at leaft to hope they have length of life before them, which in old men would be vain. But foolifli is that hope : for what can be more abfurd, than to build on titter uncertainties, and account on that for fure, which probably may never happen ? And to what is alledged, that the old man has no room left for hope, I fay, juft fo much the happier is his condition, than that of the young; becaufe, he has already at- tained, and is fure of what the other only wifhes and hopes for : the one wifhes to live long, the other is at the end of that wifh, he has got it ; for he has lived long already. Yet Oh, good gods ! What is it in life, that (90) See note 24.---Thefe were brothers to Scipio, but by half blood, vi%; the fons of Paulus ^miiius by his 2>d wife, as Scipio was born of his firfl, K 2 can i 3 2 M. T. CICERO can be faid to be of long duration ? Though we fhould hold it to the utmoft extent of age, or admit we fhotild live the days of that (9 1 ) Tarteffian king, (for I have read that one (*) Arganthonius, reigned at Ca- diz, four- fcore years, and lived to a hun- dred and twenty) yet in my opinion no- thing can properly be termed lafting, that that has a certain period fixed : for when that is once come, all the paft is over and (91) Tarteffus, a city on the north fide of the river Boetis, nowGuadalquivar, or the river of Sevil in Spain, and near the mouth of it ; fuppofed by fome to be the Tarfhifh that Solomon lent his fliips to ; the Phoeni- cians his neighbours were the firft ('tis faid) who failed thither, where they found filver in fuch plenty, and got fo much of it in exchange for their goods, that they could not carry it off, Ariftotle fays, but, to have the more of it, they threw away their anchors, to make others of that metal : but this is in his book of won- derful ftories, and therefore may be more ftrange than true. The Phoceans, a Greek colony in Ionia, were the next who failed thither, in the time of this (*) Ar- ganthonius, who was exceeding kind to them, inviting them to ftay with him, and when they excufed them- felves, he gave them money enough to wall in their town againftthe Medes, who were then invading them. Herodotus gives the ftory of Arganthonius and the Phoceans,/. i. c. 163. The learned Bochart derives his name from two Phoenician words, Arc-antbo y long- lived. Canaan, c. 34, ' gone ; O N O L D A G E. 133 gone ; and in the bufinefs of life, when that is run out, nothing remains to us, but what refutts from paft good and virtuous aflions. The hours, and days, and months, and years, all (Tide away, nor can the paft time ever more return, or what is to follow be fore-known. We ought all to be content with the time and portion affigned us. No man expects of any one aftor on the thea- tre, that he fhould perform all the parts of the piece himfelf : one role only is com- mitted to him, and whatever that be, if he a&s it well, he is applauded. In the fame manner, it is not the part of a wife man to deiire to be bufy in thefe fcenes to the laft plaudit. A fhort term may be long enough to live it well and honourably ; and if you hold it longer, when paft the firft ftages, you ought no more to grieve that they are over, than the hufbandman repines that the fpring is paft, and the fummer heats come on ; or after thefe, the more fickly autumn. The fpring reprefents youth, gnd (hews what fruits may be expe&ed, ; the following feafons are for ripening and ga- K 3 thering i 3 4 M. T. C I C E R O thering in thofe fruits : and the beft fruits of old age are, as I have repeatedly faid> the recolle&ing, and, as it were, feeding on the remembrance of that train and (lore > of good and virtuous deeds, of which, in the courfe of life, we laid in a kind of pro- vifion for this feafon. But further we are to confider, that as all we enjoy is from na- ture, whatever proceeds from, or is confor- mable to the eftabliflied laws of this, muft in itfelf be good. Now, can any thing be more agreeable to thofe laws, than that people in old age fhould die, fince, more inconfiftently with the order of nature, we find the fame thing happens to youth, even in the prime of their years I But; the difference is .great; for young men feem to be forced from life, as fires are extin- <'ft &''* * : if "*' :> T>r f Of . guifhed by great quantities of water thrown on them ; when on the contrary, old men extoire of themfelves, like a flame when 'all ' typrr its fuel is fpent. And as unripe fruit re- quires fome force to part it from its native bough ; but when come to full maturity, it drops of itfelf, without any hand to touch it: O N O L D A G E. 135 it : fo young people die, by fomething vior- lent or unnatural ; but the old, by meet ripenefs. The thoughts of which to me, are now become fo agreeable, that the nearer I draw to my end, it feems like difcovering the land at fea, that, after the toffings of a tedious and ftormy voyage, will yield me a fafe and quiet harbour. All other ftages of life have their firft pe- riods, at which they change into the next fuc- ceeding ; bi\t old age has no certain limits ; it may end fooner or later v All we have to do, is to live it well while it lafts, and do our beft to difcharge the refpe&ive duties of our ftation, with a juft contempt of death, that^ come when it will, we may without fur- prize be prepared for it. And this will give old age more courage and refolution, than even youth itfelf, in its higheft vigour can pretend to. On this was (92) Solon's K 4 anfwer (92) Solon, fee note 45. It is there faid, his dif- courfe with Crcelus, king of Lydia, is well known : but 136 M. T. G I G E R O anfwer to Pififtratns grounded, who, when afked by that (93) tyrant, on what foun- dation but the moral of it is fo good and fujtable to this dif- courfe, that it may properly come in here. Plutarch, in his life of Solon, fays, he was fent for by Croefus ; but Herodotus with more probability, fays, that abfenting himfelf from Ather^s, after he had given them his body of laws, and travelling into Egypt, in his return frorn thence thro' Alia Minor, he took Sardis, where Croefus had his royal feat, in his way. Croefus was that time accounted the richeft king then known, and gloried much in his magnificence, of which he was defirous Solon (whqfe fame had reached thofe parts) fhould be a witnefs. Sending therefore for him to his palaCe, and caufing his treafures and other marks of his gran- deur to be fhevvn to him, when he afterwards came in- to his prefence, he afked Solon, who he thought was the hsppieft man in the world? not doubting but he muft anfwer, Crcefus himfelf. Solon faid, the happieft man he had known, was one Teilus. Croefus difappoin- tcd in his' anfwer, afked, what prince or hero was this Teilus ? Solon replied, he was an honeft man of Athens, who lived above want, and in good repute brought up feveral children a reputably ; then being called fo the defence of his country, iignalizect himfelf in the battle with the enemy, whom he overcame, and afterwards died fighting bravely in the fame caufe ; for which a monument was erefted in honour of 'his memory, prqefus then afked Solon, wjiom he allowed to be hap- py in the next degree ? Solon faid, next to Teilus he had known none happier than Cleobis and Biton, two young men of Argos, who, when their mother wanted creatures to draw her in her carriage to the temple of Juno, harneffing themfelves, fupplied their place, and drew her 5 miles to the folemnity ; where being arrived, and the whole aJTeiabJv- greatly adnjiring and apj>lau4- i*i- O N O L D A G E. 137 dation he built his prefumption, in fo boldly eppofing him, anfwered, On his age. [As if ing their dutifulnefs and affection, their mother fer- vently prayed the goddefsto reward herfons filial piety with the choiceft blefHngs fhe had in {lore : and her pray- ers were heard ; for the youths fleeping the fame night in 4:he temple, never awaked again, but crowning their life with a glorious aftion, by the fpecial favour of the gods, honourably ended it. Croefus grew angry, afked what he thought of him ? Solon, in anfwer, made feveral fine reflexions on the uncertainty of all things in human life ; and concluded, that no man was to be efteemed happy before his end was known. Upon which Croefus dif miffed him with fcorn ; but afterwards had rueful occafion to remember him. For making war on Cyrus, king of Perfia, he was defeated ; then befieged in his capital, taken prifoner, and condemned to the flames. When laid bound on the pile, he cried out with a mighty voice, " O Solon ! Solon ! Solon !" Cyrus hearing him, ftopt the execution, to know the meaning of it : Croefus told the whole paffage ; which fo affeU .ed Cyrus, that he not only gave him his life, but large pofleffions with it, and took him into favour. Herodot, /. I. Plut. in Solon. (93) The ancients called thofe Tyrants, who took the government upon them againft the people's confent, without regard to their manner of adminiftcring it. Athens was a free ftate, under an Archon chofen by the people, and the government popular. Pififtratus was a citizen, wealthy, and for many excellent qualities dear to the people ; but fecretly ambitious, which So- lon difcovered, tho' in vain : for tho' he was their law- giver, the other was better heard, and at length gained his end by this trick. There were at that time two factions in the ftate ; the one of the inland-men, the pther of the fhore-men and citizens. Pififtratus being one day in the country, gave both himfelf and his mules form 158 M. T. CICERO if he fhould fay, you can but take my life, and of that there is now fo little left, that it is not to be regarded.] But the rnoft defirable end of life is, when with our un- derftandings clear, and our fenfes intire, the fame fov 7 ereign power of nature that formed us,' again diffblves us. For, in our frame, as in all other things, (hips, edifices, and th,e like, the work is bell taken to pieces by the fame hand that firft put it to- gether : and as all things with age become crazy and tender, it is then done by much the eafieft. Thus old people, for the little remainder of life that is left them, fhould fbme wounds, and driving into the city in that condi- tion in his chariot, calling the people together, he bid {hem fee how their adverfaries had ufed him, they had refolved to murther him, and he had narrowly efcaped with his life. The people hereupon, to fecure him for the future, granted him a guard of fifty young men. On the foot of this grant, he added what num- ber, he thought fit ; and then poffeifing himfelf -of the citadel, he ufurped the government ; yet made no change either in the magiftracy or the laws, fave that he made hirrjfelf fovereign. But, he was foon expelled ; recovered it again by a Granger contrivance ; expellee! 2 acl time, reinftated himfelf a gd time, died porTeffed of it, and left it to his children, who were expelled to- tally by Harmodius and Ariftcgiton, to whom flatues in remembrance of this aclion were erefted. ftand ON OLD AGE. 13^ ftand loofe and indifferent, neither anxious to have it prolonged, nor precipitantly, or without juft caufe to fhorten it; remem- bering the precept of Pythagoras, that no man fhould quit his poft, but at the com- mand of his general, that is, of God him- felf. And in regard to thofe we are to leave behind us, though fome have commended Solon for faying He wifhed not to die, un- mourned and unlamented by his friends ; in which his fenfe doubtlefs was, that he de- fired while he lived to be loved and valued by them ; yet I know not, but that of En* nius is altogether as juft, Let none with tears or jighs my funeral grace &* for his meaning was, that a death crowned with immortality, ought by no means to be lamented, ; j, r , - _ ' V, '. . W'f'V **"* '''''-VO *' Again, if we confider the article of death, or the pain fuppofed to attend it, we fhall find, that in dying there is either no pain at i i 4 o M. T. CICERO all, or, if any, it is, efpecially to old people, of a very fhort continuance. And after it, there is either no fenfe at all, (as I have faid) or fuch as we have great reafon to wifli for. But this is a fubject which concerns not old men alone, it is the bufinefs of the young as well as the old, to meditate on death, and to make the thoughts of it fo familiar to them, that in every age they can de- fpife it, and fo guard themfelves againft it, that it can never furprize them. With- out this provifion, it is impoffible at any flage of life, to have the mind free and eafy ; fince no man can be ignorant that he jnuft die,, nor be fure that he may not that very day. How then can fuch as dread death, have, under fuch abfolute uncertain- ties, fo much as one quiet minute ? But I need not dwell on this head, when I reflect on our own hiftory, and confider, not only fuch examples of intrepidity, and a noble contempt of death ; as that of (94) Lucius Brutus. s*;.: (94) Lucius Junius Brutus got his name of Brutus (brute or ilupid) by his counterfeiting himfelf a fool, or very Q N O L D A G E. 141 Brutus, who fo bravely fell in defending the liberties of his country ; or of the (95) two Decii, who devoting themfelves for the fafety of it, pufiied with their horfes, very filly, under the reign of Tarqiiin the Proud, the laft king of the Romans. He was Tarquin' s own fitter's fon ; but the king, his uncle, having amongft others put his elder brother to death, and becoming, by his cruelty and injuftice, generally odious, Junius vowed his deftruction ; and the better to conceal it, affected that appearance. He happened in riding from the camp at Ardea towards Rome, to be in company with his kinfman Tarquinius Collatinus, hufband to Lucretia, whom the king's fon Sextus had ravifhed ; when her mevTenger meeting him, brought him the melancholy account of it, Junius immediately laid hold on the oc- cafion, joined Collatinus the hufband, and Lucretius her father, in their revenge ; and carrying the bloody, knife, with which Lucretia had ftabbed herfelf, thro*, the city, incited the people to rife, and alTert their li- berty ; which they effectually did, by expelling Tar- quin and all hi* race. Junius and Collatinus were here- upon chofe the two firft confuls of Rome. A confpi- racy to reftore Tarquin was formed the fame year, in which Tunius's own two fons were engaged. Thefe, with others, their father caufed to be lamed, and be- headed in public in his fight. Tarquin then, with the Veientes, his allies, made war againft Rome ; and the two armies meeting, Aruns the king's fon fpying Junius at the head of that of Rome, made directly up to him; and they fo furioufly engaged, that each run his launce thro* the other's fhieid and body, and both died on the fpot. And the Roman women mourned a whole year for Brutus, as the avenger f violated chaftity. Liv. I. i.& 2. (95) See note 63 at large. into M. T. C 1 C E R O into the midft of the enemy, with no other view, than to be cut to pieces; nor of (96) Marcus Atiliusj who, to keep his word (96) Marcus Atilius Regulus, being in the year 498 of Rome (256 years before Chrift) elected the fecond time conful, in the place' of Q. Caedicius, who was chofen for that year, but died foon after, embark- ing in the o.th year of the Romans -firft war with the Carthaginians with his colleague Lucius Manlius Vul- fo, in a fleet of 330 Ihips [tho* this was but the 5th year fince the Romans had any fleet at all, fee note 69] and 140,000 men, each fhip carrying about 420, en- gaged that of the enemy, confifting of 360 fhips and 150,000 men, commanded by Hanno and Hamilcar; funk 30 of them, and took 63, with the lofs of 24 on their own de, which were all funk, and none taken. After this victory they invaded Africa, and beiieged and took Clupea. This year being expired, and new confuls chofen, the fenate ordered Manlius to return with the fleet and army, excepting 40 fhips, 1 5,000 foot, and 500 horfe, to be left under the command of Regulus, during whole government they continued to him as pro-conful. Regulus on receiving thefe orders, remonftrated to the fenate, that if he continued longer abfent from home, his farm [which coniifted only of 7 j u & era j or 4 anc ^ a half Engliih acres] would be ru- ined ; for that his hind or manager that he had left on it, was dead, and another had runaway with his imple- ments of husbandry ; and his wife and children would want bread. Upon which the ferrate appointed another to take care of his bulinefs, and made good the lofs of what was ftole from him, out of the public treafury* \Val. Max. I. 4. c. 4.] Regulus then augmenting his troops, carried on the war iuccefsfuliy : but his army lying near the river Bagrada, exceedingly fufTered by a rnonftrous, ON O L D A G E. 143 word to his enemies, returned to certain tortures and death; or of the two (97) Scipio's, monftrous ferpent ; which was proof againft all their weapons, till they brought battering engines againft it. Silius Jtalicus fays, it was IOO yards in length ; but Pliny calls it only 120 feet, or rather fays, its ikin of that length, was fent to Rome, together with its jaw- bone, which were kept there in a temple, to the end of the Numantine war, that is, at leaft, 120 years. Va- lerius Maximus, /. i. c. 8. from a book of Livy (the 1 8th) now loft, is large in the account of the* army's fufFerings by it, and fays, it was more terrible and de- ftru&ive, than all their enemies forces. Regulus ha- ving gained feveral victories over the Carthaginians, was willing to make peace with them, that he might himfelf have the honour of ending the war; and the Carthaginians earncftly defired it, but the terms he propofed appeared intolerable. Xanthippus with fome mercenaries that they had fent for, arriving foon after from Lacedemon, obferving their paft miftakes, at their requeft took on him the command of their army, gave Regulus battle, defeated him, and deftroyed his whole army, then coniifting (as Eutropius fays) of 47,000 men, excepting 2000 that efcaped to Clupea ; killing (as he gives it) 30,000, and taking 15,000 pri- foners, with Regulus himfelf, whom they lent in chains to Carthage. The Romans, notwithftanding this lofs, fo vigorouily carried on the war, that the Carthagini- ans live years after fent embaffadors to Rome, and with them Regulus himfelf, to Jue for peace, or, if they could not obtain it, at leaft far an exchange of prifo- ners ; taking Regulus's oath to return, if they did not fucceed. [So facred was an oath by their idols held by thole heathens, that are now fo little regarded, even by Chriftian princes, as well as others.] Coming to the fcaate, Regulus- behaved as a Carthaginian, whofe^ 2 fubjeft 144 M. T. C I C E R O Scipio's, who, to obftrnft the paflage of the Carthaginians, expofed and loft their own fubjet he faid he was ; but being required to give his fcntiments as a Roman, he advifed both againft a peace and an exchange. See 'Horace, book 3. ode 5. on this fubjeft. His friends on the fenate's taking his advice, ufed their utmoft endeavours to dilTuade him from re- turning with the embafTadors, fince he could expet no- thing but the moft cruel treatment ; nor would the fe- nate either encourage his return or his ftay. But, his oath and plighted faith, he faid, was of more weight with him, than the fear of tortures or death. He was unmoveably fixed, refufed to fee his wife and children, and embarked and returned in the fame company he came in. Upon his arrival, the Carthaginians incenfed againft him, caufed him, (as 'tis faid) to be tormented to death, by cutting off his eye-lids, placing him ereft on his feet in a narrow wooden cafe drove full of fharp fpikes with their points towards his body; that he ihould not lean, ileep, or reft, without running Vipon them ; and expofing him in that condition with his face turned all day to the fun, till he expired. This account of his death, or the fubftance of it, we have from Cicero in another place, from Livy {Argum. 18. b.) Siliusltalicus, Appian, Florus, Orofius, Zona- ras, and others of the ancients ; and yet fome late cri- tics reject it, and treat it only as a fable. Palmerius (Jaques Paumier de Grantemefnil, a very learned Frenchman) in his obfervations upon Appian, I think was the firft who modeftly propofed his doubt, and gave his reafons from Polybius's filence in the cafe, who, he fays, has largely and prolixly given the hiftory of the firft Punic war ; but chiefly from a fragment of the 24th book of Diod. Siculus, an excellent hiftorian, re- covered, with others, laft century by Pierefc, and pu- bliihedby H. Valeiius, in- which there is this expreffion in ON OLD AGE. 145 own lives; or of your grandfather (98) Lucius Paulus (Scipio) who refolved by his in Greek, < oti ( e meter, &c. That the mot her- ----of the ^ouths (that is Regulus's wife and mother of his chil- dren) being deeply offered with her hujland's death, and believing he died (d? ameleian) for want of care being taken of him, caufed [or adviled] her fons to treat the prifo- ners (Boftar and Hamilcar that Were delivered to them) with rigour ; which they effectually did,, by fhutting them up together in a narrow clofet, without victuals ; fo that Boftar died in five days, but Hamilcar continued till the tribunes hearing of it, Summoned the young men, and threatening them with death, for fo highly difhonouring the ftate, obliged them to take due care of them ; upon which, throwing all the blame on their mother, they burnt Boftar's body (accor* ding to the Roman cuftom) fenthis bones to Carthage to his relations, and by proper care reftored Hamilcar to his health and ftrength* From which paflage in fo faithful an hiftorian, Palmerius concludes, that the fa- mily of the Atilii (/. e. of Regulus) toexcufe that bar^ barity, framed this ftory of ReguWs death, which, being to the difhonour of the nation they were at war with, and greatly hated, eafily obtained credit, and parTed afterwards for truth. Which indeed is not im- probable. J. le Clerc, in a note on Freinfheimius's Suppl. to Livy, (lib. 1 8.^ joins in this with Palmerius. But tho', for the fake chiefly of this late dilcovery, I have already dwelt too long on it here ; I cannot for- bear adding, that Palmerius ought not to have faid, that Polybius has given the hiftory of this war largely or prolixly (fufe m dicam prd'ixe) for he profefles to give only a Nummary account of it, as but preparatory to that of thofe actions, with which he defigned to begin his hiftory : and therefore, tho' that war continued near 24 years, and was, as he himfelf fays, the greateft L and i 4 6 M. T. C I C E R O his own death to atone for the rafhnefs of his colleague, in our fhameful overthrow and moft terrible that had ever been known, (the Ro- mans, who had not one large fhip when it began, ha- ving loft 700 of live banks of oars, that is, of 300 .rowers each, and the Carthaginians 500 fuch, beiides vaft numbers of others ; and, as near as I can judge, not lefs than 300,000 men on each fide ;) yet Polybius beftows but about two thirds of his firft book upon the whole. Livy gave it 4 books, from the 1 6th to the 1 9th inclufive ; but thefe, with all the reft of his fecond decad, from 1 1 to 20, are loft, and only the arguments faved. Appian's hiftory of it is alib loft, and he only barely mentions it, with Regulus's death, in his begin- ning of that of their 3d war. Diodor. Siculus's ac- count of it is alib loft ; for of his 40 books we have but 15, with that fragment mentioned before, and fome other few fcraps. Of Polybius's 40 books, there re- main but five whole, with fome excerpts of 12 more, and fome other fragments. Of Livy's 140 books there remain but 35, /. e. from i to 10, and from 21 to 45 ; but Freinfheimius has given us excellent fupple- ments of the reft. Of Appian's 24 volumes of the Ro- man 'wars there are about 8 or 9 left, for their divi- iions are uncertain. So that a great part of the Roman hiftory, and particularly of this great war, excepting what rolybius has given, as mentioned above, is to be picked out only from certain fcattered hints in other old authors, or from epitomes, as Florus, Eutropius, Juf- tin, and fuch like ; but there is nothing mentioned in any part of thefe notes, but what is taken from the original authors themfelves. When or how Boftar and Hamilcar were taken, I find nothing, nor their captivi- ty mentioned, but in that fragment of Diodore. They were committed to the charge of Regulus's family, as 3 pledge for him, as he was a captive at Carthage, O N O L D A G E. 147 at Cannae; or of (99) Marcus Marcellus, whofe death even the moft inveterate of our (97) Cneius Cornelius Scipio and Publics Corn. Scipio, two brothers, fons of Cneius C. Scipio, in the year of Rome 541, the 7th of the ad Carthaginian war, and 21 2 before Chrift, were at the head of the Roman forces in Spain, to defend their dominions and allies, and oppofe the Carthaginians, who had three ar- mies there, commanded by Mago, Gifgo's fon, and Afdrubal ; which lafl refolving to march with large re- inforcements, to join his brother AnnSbal in Italy, by the fame route thro' Gaul, and over the Alps that An nibal before had taken ; the two Scipio' s thought it in- cumbent on them, at any hazard to prevent him ; and they thought themlelves ftrong enough to effect it, by the help of the auxiliaries they had raifed : thefe were 30,000 Celtiberians, on whom they chiefly relied. But the brothers dividing their forces, and fending thefe Spaniards to march before them ; Afdrubal falling in with their leaders, found means to perfuade them to dif- band, and return home. Thus denuded, they were ex- ceedingly diftrefled, but by none more than Maiimfla, then a young man, and in the Carthaginian intcreft; who was afterwards fo ftanch a friend to the Romans, and particularly to Scipio Africanus, fon to Publius, one of thefe brothers [fee his ftory in note 58.] Publius entering on a defperate action, he and his whole army were cut off : And Cneius, before he knew any thing of his brother's, had much the fame fate* Yet fome of the Roman forces efcaped, Marcius, a {ingle Roman knight, of no name or character before, rallied thefe, and did fuch wonders with them, that I know nothing in the Roman hiftory, that exceeds his actions and conduct. Livy, b. 25. (98) Lucius Pauius ./Emilius, father to L* Paulus at note 24. He Was coflful in the 537th year L 2 of i 4 8 M. T. CICERO our enemies thought fit to honour with a funeral. I fay, I need not dwell on this head of Rome, the 2d of the fame war, with Caius Terenti- ,us Varro, a Plebeian, raifed to that dignity by the fu- ry of the commons and their tribunes, who exclaimed againft all the Patrician order or nobility, as if they were fond of continuing the war. Paulus, a man of excellent conduct and great experience, finding how un- equally he was mated, did all he could to temper and moderate his collegue's rafhnefs ; but in vain. Anni- bal well knowing Varro' s character, and as well how to manage him, for ibme time played him to raife his impatience, and then gave him battle, near the village Cannae in Apulia, in which, Polybius fays, 70,000 of the Roman army fell, with both the coniuls of the laft year. Livy fays, there were killed 21 tribunes of war, and 80 of the fenatorial rank. Paulus having his horfe killed, was offered another after the defeat to eicape ; t>ut, though the battle was fought againft his ad- vice, he dildained to furvive the lofs : he chofe to die fighting ; while Tarentius, whofe ralhnefs was the caufeof-it, faved himfelf by flight, accompanied only with 70 horfe to Venufia ; the town where Horace 152 years after was born. (99) Marcus Claudius Marcellus was five times con- ful, the firft in the year 532. He was a moft excellent general, and the firft who gave the Romans an inftance, that Annibal could be beat. It was he who took Syra- cufe, after a liege of three years ; the great mathema- tician Archimedes having ib long defended it by his aftonifhing engines. He was generally fuccefsful in what he undertook, and this probably led him to the laft action of his life, which was too rafh : for, in his 5th confulate, in the 545th year of Rome, 208 before Chrift, being with the army in Apulia, encamped a few miles from that of Annibal, he rode out with his 3 collegue ON OLD AGE. 149 head of the contempt of death, when I re- fled not only on the noble inftances of it in fuch great men as thefe, but even on thofe of our (100) legions themfelves (as 1 hav r e L 3 noted collegue Crifpinus, who was alfo there, and a guard of 220 horfe, to view a hill that lay between the two camps, with a defign to poiTefs and fortify it. But Annibal, who was never wanting for a contrivance, had placed an ambufh of about 2000 below it. Thefe furrounding the confuls, and the few that flayed with them (for moft of their men fled) Marcellus, as he was courageoufly defending hi mfelf, was run through with a launce, and died : Crifpinus and Marcellus's fon efcaped grievouily wounded. Annibal on finding his body, caufed it (according to cuftom) to be burnt, and lent his bones and alhes in a lilver urn to his fon, as Plutarch fays, who has given us his life : but he quotes Valerius Maximus and Livy, for what is not to be found in their books, as we now have them ; tho* we have the paflages in both, that mention this aft of humanity in Annibal, viz. Valerius Maximus, lib. 5. c. i. and Livy, lib. 27. c. 28. for neither of them fay any thing of fending away the bones. ( 100) Inftances of this are to be found in Livy, par- ticularly when A. Attilius Calatinus (mentioned in note 86) in the firft Punic war, was leading the Ro- man army, from Mutiftratum in Sicily, which they had moft barbarouily deftroyed, to the liege of Cama- rina, they fell in their march into-fttch a difad vantage- ous fituation, and were fo furrounded by the Carthagi- nian army that it appeared impoflible for them to. avoid- either being all taken, or all cut to pieces, till M. Cal- phurnius Flamma, a tribune, with 300 men, whom he led on with thele words, " Come, foldiers, let us march on and die, and by our deaths fave the reft of the ar- L 3 m y>" 150 M* T. CICERO noted in my Origines) who, when the fer- vice or honour of their country called, have offered their own lives as victims, and chearfully marched up to pofts, from which they knew there was no probability they fhould ever return. Now, if young men, or thofe in the vigour of life, and many of them not only uncultivated by learning, but meer rufticks, who never had the opportu- nity of inftruftion, could fo eafily contemn death, mall old men, who have had the ad- vantage of literature and philofophy, be afraid of it ? By living long we come to a fa- tiety in all things befides, and this fhould na^ my," took poffeffion of a hill, where they alone kept the enemy fo long employed, before they could quite vanquifh and deftroy \htm, that the main body found means to retreat. All the 300,^15 laid, fell there ; but Flamma was found with iome life left, and recovered. Another inftance was. when in the war with the Sam- nites, F. Decius Mus, one of thofe who devoted themfeltfes (as in note 68) to fave the Roman army, aded the fame part, but with better fortune ; for their enemies werelo aftonlfhed at the attempt, that they both let the army retreat, and thefe people alto eicape. The feory is in Livy, lib. J. c. 34, &c. and both thefe pafla- ges are mentioned in Manlius's fpeech againft redee- ming the Roman captives taken at Cannae, Livy, lib. 22. 60. turally O N O L D A G E. 151 turally lead us to a fatiety of life itfelf. Children we fee have their particular diver- fions; and does youth, when paft child- hood, purfue or defire the fame ? Youth alfo has its peculiar exercifes ; and does full manhood require thefe as before.? Or has old age the fame inclinations that prevailed in more vigorous years ? We ought then to conclude, that as there is a fucceffion of purfuits and pleafures in the feveral ftages of life, the one dying away, as the other advances and takes place ; fo in the fame manner are thofe of old age to pafs off in their turn. And when this fatiety of life has fully ripened us, we are then quietly to lie down in death, as our laft refting- place, where all anxiety ends, and cares and fears fubfift no more. But why fhould I not fpeak freely, and without referve communicate my whole thoughts on this fubjeft ; of which as I am now drawing nearer to it, I feem to have a L 4 clearer M. T, CICERO clearer fenfe and view ? I muft fay then, I sm clearly of opinion (Scipio and Lselius) that thofe great men, and my very good friends, your fathers, tho' dead to us, do now truly enjoy life, and fuch a life as alone Can juftly deferve the name. For while we are clofed in thefe mortal frames, our bodies, we are bound down to a law of neceffity, that obliges us with labour and pains to at- tend to the difcharge of the feveral incumbent duties it requires. But our minds are of a heavenly original, defcended from the blifsful feats above, thruft down and immerfed into thefe grofs habitations of the earth, a fituation altogether unfuitable to a divine and eternal nature. But the immortal gods, I belie vie, thought fit to throw our immortal minds into thefe human bodies, that the earth might be peopled with inhabitants proper to. c bittern pi ate and admire the beauty and order of the heavens, and the whole creation; that from this great exemplar they might form their conduft and regulate their lives, with O N O L D A G E. 153 \vith the like unerring fteadinefs, as we fee is un variably purfued, not only in thofe ce- leftial motions, but thro 1 the whole procefs of Nature. Nor have I been led into this be- lief from my own reafonings only, but by the authority of thofe great and exalted fouls, the philofophers who have lived before us. For I have heard, that Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans, whom I may call our (101) countrymen ; for their habitation was in Italy, and thence they had the name of the Italic feel : I have heard, I fay, that thofe philofophers laid it down as their fixed and grand principle, that our minds are an efflux or portion of the divine univerfal mind, that governs the whole. I have alfo feen and confidered the (102) difcourfe that Socrates held with his friends, the laft day of his life, concerning the immortality of the foul ; that (101) They reftded in the fouth-eail parts of Italy, formerly called Magna Graecia, or Great Greece, now the kingdom of Naples. The people were from Greece, and fpoke that language. (102) In Plato'sPhaedon, now in Englifh, great 154 M - T. C I C E R O great Socrates, who was judged by A polio's oracle to be the wifeft of men. But my con- clufion is thus, and I am fully perfuaded in myfelf, that a being fo aflive, and fo fvvift in thought, as to be confined by no diftance of time or place ; that treafures np in me- mory fuch multitudes and varieties of things paft, and from thefe alfo can form a judg- ment of what is to enfue ; that can compre- hend within itfelf fo many different fciences nd arts: ftrike out new inventions, and by frefh difcoveries frill add to what has been known : fuch a being, I fay, as is capable of all this, I am fully perfuaded, can never be of a mortal nature. For, as it is ever in motion, yet is not put into it by any thing extrinfic to itfe:f, but it is itfelf the fpring of all its motion ; therefore, fince it cannot depart or go out from itfelf, it muft neceffarily ever continue, and cannot end. Again, as it is in nature fimple and unmixt vvithout any compofition of diffe- rent or diffimilar p rts, it cannot therefore be O N O L D A G E. 155 be divided ; and if not divided, it cannot be diffolved and die. This feems alfo to be an argument for the pre-exiftence of fouls, and that they were endued with knowledge, before they entered on this ftage ; that chil- dren fo readily apprehend things altogether new to them in this life, learn many difficult arts, and take the notions of thing* as if they were natural to them, and they were not now learning any thing new, but were only recollecting what they had known be- fore. Thus Plato argues. And in Xenophon,* Cyrus the elder, in his lalt difcourfe to his children, exprefles himfelf thus : Do not, my dear children, ima- gine, that when I leave you, I mall b no more : for in the time I have been with you, you could never fee my mind, but only knew by my actions, that it was lodged in this bo- dv. Be you therefore perfuaded, that tho* you no longer fee its lodging, yet it ftill as * In his Cyropsedia, book 8. now in Englifh. furely i 5 6 M. T. CICERO furely exifts as before. For even the fame and honours of illuftrious men, could not, as we fee they do, continue after death, un- lefs, their fouls, by their exiftence, in fome meafure contributed to their duration. I never indeed could perfuade nryfelf, that fouls confined in thefe mortal bodies, can be properly faid to live, and that when they leave them, they die ; or that they lofe all fenfe when parted from thefe vehicles: but, on the contrary, when the mind is wholly freed from all corporeal mixture, and begins to be purified, and recover itfelf again ; then, and then only, it becomes truly knowing and wife. Further, when the body is diflbl ved by death, it is evident what becomes of all the feveral parts of it; for every thing we fee returns to the elements of which it was formed : but the mind alone is never to be feen, neither while it is actuat- ing the body, nor after it leaves it. You may further obferve, that nothing fo much refembles death, as fleep : but the foul in fleep, above all other times, gives proofs of its divine nature : for when free and difen- gaged O N. O L D A G E. 157 gaged from the immediate fervice of the bo- dy, it has frequently a forefight of things to come : from whence we may more clear- ly conceive what will be its ftate, when in- tirely freed from this bodily prifon. Now, if the cafe be thus, you are then to confider and honour me, as a knowing fpirit : but if my mind ftiould alfo die with my body, let it be your care, firft to pay all reverence to the gods, who fupport and govern this mighty frame; and alfo, with a due and pious refpeft for my name, keep me always in your remembrance. Thus Cyrus on his death- bed. And now, to mention fome of our own people. No man, Scipio, fhall ever prevail on me to believe, that either your father * Paulus, or two grandfathers * Paulus and Africanus, or * Africanus's father and his uncle, or divers other illuftrious men, whom I need not name, would have under- gone fuch vaft fatigues, to atchieve thofe glorious aftions which are con fecrated to the * * * Mentioned in notes 24, 8, and 97. remembrance M. T. C I C E K O remembrance of all pofterity, if they had not clearly difcefned, that they themfelves had an intereft, and a kind of right and property in pofterity, by their flill continuing to ex- ift, and to be fharers as well as witnefles of their fortune. Do you imagine, that even I (for as I am an old man, I muft talk a little ofmyfelf ;) I fay, that I would have undertaken fuch hazardous attempts, and undergone fuch fatigues by day, fuch toils by night, at home and abroad, if I had fup- pofed the glory of my aftions muft terminate with my life, and all my fenfe of it end with my being here ? For if I had no further views, might it not have been more eligible to me, to have paft away my days in quiet and eafe, free from toils and care, and with- out labour or contention ? But my fpirit roufingin itfelf, I know not how, had futu- rity always fo much in view, as if it were affured, that as foon as it quitted this life, it would then truly live, and not before. And were it not really fo, that our fouls are 2 immortal, '-'** .->"' ON OLD AGE. 159 immortal, why is it that the greateft of men fo ardently afpire to immortal glory ? Or why are the wifeft ever the moft eafy and content to die, and the weak and foolifli the moft unwilling ? Is it not, think you, be- caufe the moft knowing perceive they are going to change for a happier ftate, of which the more ftupid and ignorant are unca- pable of being fenfible ? For my part, I have a paffionate defire to fee your fathers again, whom I loved and honoured while here ; and I not only long to meet thofe I knew and loved, but thofe illuftrious fouls alfo, of whom I have heard and read, and have with pleafure mentioned them in my writings. Nor would I now, on any terms, agree to be ftopt in my paflage to them ; no, not on condition to be reftored to the bloom and vigour of youth again : or fhould any heavenly power grant me . the privilege of turning back, if I pleafed, from this age to infancy, and to fet out again from my cradle, I would abfolutely refufe it ; for as I have now i6o M. T. CICERO now got well nigh to the end of my race, I fhould be extreamly unwilling to be called back, and obliged to ftart again. For, if we confider things aright, what is there in life to make us fond of it ? or that we can on folid judgment pronounce truly valuable? Or who is there, or ever has been, who has not at fome time or other met with trou- ble and anxiety fufficient to make him weary of it ? This comfort however attends the thought, that the more the fatiety grows upon us, the nearer we approach to its end. I am therefore far from being of the mind of fome, and amongft them we have known of men of good learning, who lament and be- wail the condition of human life, as if it were a ftate of real mifery : for I am not at all uneafy that I came into, and have fo far paf- fed my courfe in this world ; becaufe 1 have fo lived in it, that I have reafon to believe, I have been of fome ufe to it ; and when the clofe comes, I fiiall quit life as I would an inn r and not as a real home. For nature appears ON O L D A G . i6i iome to have ordained this ftation here for us, as a place of fojournment, a tranfitory abode only, and not as a fixt fettlement or permanent habitation. But, Oh, the glorious day ! when freed from this trdublefome rout> this heap of confufion and corruption below, I (hall repair to that divine aflembly, that heavenly congregation of fouls ! and not only to thofe I mentioned, but alfo to my dear Cato, than whom a more virtuous foul was never born, nor did ever any exceed him in piety and affeftion. His body I com- mitted to the funeral pile, which he, alas ! ought to have lived to do by mine : yet his foul did not forfake me, but keeping me fttll in view, removed to thofe abodes, to which he knew, I was in a little time to follow. I bore the affliftion indeed with the fortitude that became me, to outward view, tho' in- wardly I feverely felt the pangs of it ; but in this I have fupported myfelf, that I knew our parting was to be neither far nor long, and M that 162 M. T. C I C E R O that the time is but fhort till we fhall happily meet again. Now, thefe, my friends, are the means (fince it was thefe you wanted to know) by which I make my old-age fit eafy and light on me ; and thus I not only difarm it of every uneafinefs, but render it even fweet and delightful. But if I fhould be miftaken in this belief, that our fouls are immortal, I am however pleafed and happy in my mif- take ; nor while I live, fhall it ever be in the power of man, to beat me out of an opinion, that yields me fo folid a comfort, and fo durable a fatisfaction. And if, when dead, I fhould (as fome minute philofophers imagine) be deprived of all further fenfe, I am fafe at leaf! in this, that thofe blades them- felves will have no opportunity beyond the grave to laugh at me for my opinion. But whether immortal or not, or whatever is to be our future ftate ; as Nature has fet limits to all its other productions, 'tis certainly fit our frail bodies alfo fhould, at their proper i feafon, ON OLD AGE. 163 feafon, be gathered, or drop into their grave* And as the whole courfe of life but too much refembles a farce, of which eld-age is the laft aft ; when we have enough of it, 'tis moft prudent to retire, and not to make a fatigue of what we fhould endeavour to make only an entertainment. This is what I had to fay of old-age ; which I wifh you alfo may live to attain, that you may from your own experience, witnefs the truth of the feveral things I have now delivered you in this converfation. FINIS, 14 DAY USE 14 DAY USE RETURN TO DESK FROM WHICH BORROWED LOAN DEPT. This book is due on the last date stamped below, or on the date to which renewed. Renewals only: TeL No. 642-3405 Renewals may be made 4 days prior to date due. Renewed books are subject to immediate recall. EEC. cm. m i 8 1979 Due ac:> ( General Library University of California Berkeley GENERAL LIBRARY -U.C. BERKELEY 8000113841