*

* *

ence, that "books prepared for the first two years of a four-year course should, in the text proper have the vowels long by nature marked " (p. 66), clearly and wisely implies that when Cicero is reached something may be taken for granted. This statement applies, of course, to the more obvious rules only; when we reach debatable ground the question becomes one chiefly of relative profit to the beginner. Nevertheless, in one OrationThe Ninth Philippic-the long vowels have been marked in order to facilitate the use of that Oration as material for sight translation and practice in reading aloud.

The prevalent fashion of including in editions of Cicero's Orations a handful of the Letters for sight work does not commend itself as worthy of imitation. Both in their Latinity and in their point of view, the Orations are one thing, the Letters quite another.

The text used is that of Baiter and Kayser, with the needful modifications in spelling and punctuation. Square brackets, however, being a source of confusion to beginners, have been omitted. The Vocabulary, which is based, with occasional deviations in the hidden quantities, on Lewis's School Dictionary, is the work of MR. F. A. GOODRIDGE, a valued assistant in this school.

TO PROFESSOR LODGE, who as one of the editors of the series has read the commentary in proof, grateful acknowledgments are made for many criticisms and suggestions. Throughout the commentary, it is needless to say, indispensable help has been derived from the usual sources, German and English. Finally, it is but scant justice to thank the publishers for the generous spirit which they have shown in the effort to make the book typographically attractive, and their reader, MR. DUNCAN ROBERTSON, for invaluable aid in the detection of mistakes.

NORFOLK ACADEMY, NORFOLK, Va.,

July 1, 1899.

ROBERT W. TUNSTALL.

INTRODUCTION

1. The eleven Orations of Cicero contained in this book practically cover his whole public career.* They may be divided and described as follows:

2. This method of presenting the speeches, giving as it does a bird's-eye view of all, will repay a careful examina

* His first important speech was made ten years earlier than the first in this book, and his official career began in 75 B.C.

tion. The first division contains five political speeches and one legal. The second division is represented by a single speech, usually called legal, although only about. one-third of it is devoted to the legal question involved. The third division includes three legal speeches and one political. In this arrangement we have a fairly accurate outline of Cicero's public life.

3. First Division.-The period of his greatest political importance is represented by the first division, in which all but one of the speeches are of a political character. This group is in fact contemporaneous with his rise to the consulship, the goal of every Roman's political ambition.

4. Second Division.-In the speech For Archias there is a change in the orator's tone. Nominally a speech on a matter of law, it contains little reference to law and less to politics, being really a panegyric in praise of the literary life, suggested by the life and character of his client and friend, the poet Archias. From this time on, Cicero's political influence began to wane, and as political life was growing distasteful to him, he found more congenial employment in the study of literature and philosophy.

5. Third Division. The third division belongs to the last decade of his life, during which he became more and more devoted to his books. In the stormy and troubled politics of this epoch, the man of peace, such as Cicero was, counted for little. Hence, the speeches of this period are chiefly of the legal sort, and had for their object the defence of personal friends.

6. This rapid survey sufficiently indicates the manysided character of the greatest orator of ancient Rome. It will have been observed, however, that while something has been intimated of his character as orator, politician, statesman, man of letters, and philosopher, yet the greatest stress has been laid upon the political side of his career. The reason for this is, that these Orations, even those called legal, are indissolubly associated with the politics of