234 



C1BBER CICERO. 



Devonshire, in the revolution which placed the 

 prince of Orange on the tin-one, and then mode his 

 appearance at Drury-lane theatre. He was notat first 

 very successful ; but at length, the talent which he 

 displayed in the character ofFondlewife, in the Old 

 Bachelor of Congreve, brought him into notice. In 

 HW5, appeared his tir>t comedy, Love's last Shift, 

 whic.ii met with great success. In this piece, he play- 

 ed the part of Novelty, a fashionable Aip. This cha- 

 racter is found in most of his pieces, and in the re- 

 presentation of it he was likewise distinguished. His 

 dramatic celebrity is founded chiefly on the Careless 

 Husband, which even obtained the approbation of 

 his declared enemy, Pope. This piece is, indeed, 

 without novelty in the cliaracters, and without inven- 

 tion in the plot, but it is a good picture of the man- 

 ners and follies of the time. His comedy, the Non- 

 jtiroi, an imitation of Tartitffe, adapted to English 

 manners, appeared in 1717, and was directed against 

 the Jacobites. It was very successful, and procured 

 him a pension from the court, but drew upon him many 

 funnies, whose number he increased by his conduct 

 as director of Drury-lane theatre, from 1711. His ap- 

 pointment as poet-laureate, 1730, gave full play to the 

 raillery of his enemies. Cibber had the good sense 

 to join in the laugh against his own verses, and thus 

 to disarm them. Pope, however, did not cease to 

 ridicule him on every opportunity. In 1750, he quit- 

 ted the theatre, and published the Apology for the 

 Life of Colley Cibber, &c., written with spirit and 

 candour, and containing many entertaining anecdotes 

 and judicious remarks. He died in 1757. 



CIBBER, THEOPHILCS, son of the subject of the 

 preceding article, was born in 1703, and embraced 

 the profession of an actor. With respect to personal 

 appearance, nature had been less favourable to him 

 than to his father ; but his intelligence and vivacity 

 in his performances compensated for his deficiencies, 

 and he would have been successful on the stage if 

 his extravagance had not continually involved him in 

 difficulties. He was engaged, 1757, to play at a 

 Dublin theatre, but was shipwrecked on his passage, 

 and drowned. The Biography of English and Irish 

 Poets, which appeared under his name, was from the 

 pen of Robert Shiels, a Scotsman, who purchased 

 for 10 guineas, the right of prefixing to the work the 

 name of Cibber, then in prison for debt. Gibber's 

 wife, Susanna Maria, born 1716, was one of the best 

 actresses on the English stage. She was sister of the 

 celebrated doctor Arne (composer of Rule Britan- 

 nia), who taught her music, and introduced her in one 

 of his operas, at the Haymarket theatre. In 1734, 

 she married Theophilus Cibber, but was soon after 

 separated from him. She subsequently made her ap- 

 pearance in tragedy. Her beauty and her talents 

 gained her universal admiration. She died in 1766. 



CIBORIUM ; originally, a drinking-vessel made 

 from an Egyptian plant, In the Roman Church, it 

 is the vessel in which the consecrated host (the vener- 

 abile) is preserved. 



CICADA. See Grasshopper. 



CICERO, MARCUS TCLUCTS. This celebrated Ro- 

 man was born in the year of Rome G47 (106 B. C.), 

 at Arpinum. His family belonged to the order of 

 equites, but had always kept themselves aloof from 

 public business and office. His father, who lived in 

 retirement, devoted to science, was the friend of the 

 first citizens of the republic. Amongst this number 

 was the celebrated orator Crassus, who himself at- 

 tended to the education of the young Cicero and his 

 brother Quintus, selected teachers for them, and di- 

 rected their studies. The perusal of the Greek au- 

 thors, together with poetry, oratory and philosophy, oc- 

 cupied the first years of Cicero's youth. He wrote a 

 great deal in G reek. His versification was good, but his 



poetical merits on the whole, only moderate. His ies- 

 i in; 1 1 ion was, to be the first orator of Rome. In hu 

 youth, he made one campaign under Sylla, in the 

 Marsic war. After his return, he availed himself of 

 the instruction of the academician Philo, and of Un- 

 celebrated orator Molo, and employed several years 

 in acquiring the knowledge requisite for an orator. 

 He witnessed the barbarities of Marius and Cinnii, 

 and the proscriptions of Sylla, after which the ex- 

 liausted, blood-stained republic remained undisturbed 

 under the yoke of its dictator. Cicero, at that timo 

 twenty-six years old, endowed with knowledge and 

 genius, appeared before the tribunals, at first in civil 

 suits, afterwards in a criminal process, in which he 

 defended Roscius Amerinus, who was accused of 

 parricide by Clirysogonus, a freedman of Sylla. He 

 conducted this defence with courage, confuted tl'e ac- 

 cusers; and obliged the judges to acquit the accused. 

 After this brilliant display, he remained a year in 

 Rome, and undertook another suit. His conduct, in 

 both instances must have displeased the dictator. 

 But his debilitated health obliged him to travel ; and 

 he went to Athens, which was still the centre of 

 science. Here he resided hi the house of an acade- 

 mician, was visited by the philosophers of all the 

 schools, and profited by the instruction of the masters 

 of oratory. Thus he passed six months with his 

 friend Atticus, in the enjoyment of literary pursuits. 

 His initiation into the mysteries of Eleusis is supposed 

 to have taken place about this time. He also under- 

 took a journey to Asia, and remained some time at 

 Rhodes, where he likewise visited the most distin- 

 guished orators, and partook in their exercises. On 

 his return to R ome, his displays of eloquence proved 

 the value of his Grecian instruction. Among others, 

 he defended the celebrated actor Roscius, his friend, 

 and master in the art of elocution. At last, at the 

 age of thirty, he engaged in public business. He be- 

 came questor of Sicily, during the prevalence of a 

 great scarcity at Rome, and managed to convey a 

 large quantity of corn from thence to the capital, 

 though it was difficult for him so to do without ex- 

 citing the displeasure of the Sicilians. He afterwards 

 returned to Rome, and appeared as an orator, defend* 

 ing the causes of private individuals, merely for the 

 sake of fame. It was an honourable day for Cicero, 

 when the ambassadors from Sicily appeared before 

 him, with the request that he would conduct then- 

 suit against their governor Verres. He showed him- 

 self worthy of the confidence of an oppressed people, 

 and appeared against this powerful robber, after hav- 

 ing himself collected proofs of his crimes in Sicily. 

 He was opposed by the celebrated Hortensius. The 

 crimes of Verres are painted in the liveliest colours 

 in his immortal speeches. Seven are preserved, but 

 only two of them were delivered. Hortensius was 

 struck dumb by the force of truth, and Verres went 

 into voluntary exile. After this suit, Cicero was 

 elected to the office of edile. Though possessed of 

 only a moderate fortune, he managed, by well-timed 

 liberality, to gain the affections 'of the people whilst 

 he held this office. But, for the execution of his 

 plans, he was likewise in need of the friendship of 

 the great, to obtain which he joined the party of Pom- 

 pey, the head of the nobility and the first citizens of 

 Rome. He became his panegyrist and most zealous 

 adherent. 



Catiline at that time began to plan his conspiracy 

 against the republic. He was accused of extortion 

 in his government of Africa, and Cicero was on the 

 point of undertaking his defence, when they became 

 rivals, being both candidates for the consulship. 

 Cicero's merit prevailed over Catiline's intrigues and 

 the envy of his enemies. He was chosen consul 

 unanimously; and now commences the rno.-t Sjiicn- 



