158 KOMAN HISTORY: 



relations, political and personal, to Cicero aggravate this 

 charge against him. Warm and amiable generally in his 

 private affections, he wanted the vigorous consistency needful 

 to his ambition more urgently needful when engaged in 

 competition with a Caesar. He brought to this conflict for the 

 mastery of Kome the fame of his former acts and the support 

 of the old nobility; for whom, though with a confidence 

 abated by time, he was the only hope. Caesar came to it, 

 armed with present glory, and with a steadiness of purpose 

 and action all his own. So confronted, it could not be 

 doubtful how the contest between these two great Komans 

 would end. 



These views of the character of Pompey, and the doubt 

 whether he held any settled scheme of political action, are 

 mainly derived from the writings of Cicero; his advocate, 

 as far as circumstances made it possible to be so an ad- 

 vocate, or an accuser, not merely with his own time, but with 

 all succeeding ages ! In the case of this eminent man, also, 

 a bold and skillful pen is wanted to serve the cause of strict 

 historical truth, without needlessly offending opinions which 

 have gained a sanction from the general adoption of posterity. 

 The character of Cicero, as drawn by our author, is not al- 

 together such a picture as might have been desired : neither 

 his merits nor his foibles are brought out with sufficient 

 force. Little is said of the consummate grandeur and com- 

 pleteness of his oratory, though upon these performances 

 his glory mainly rests. His philosophical and purely literary 

 works hardly add to his real fame, though they do not deduct 

 from it. His epistles, admirable as documents of character 

 and manners, are so at the cost of his personal reputation. 

 Vanity, pedantry, feebleness of will, and feebleness of en- 

 durance, all stand in record against him under the uncon- 

 scious testimony of his o\vn pen. Such is the evidence, that 

 we are forced, despite ourselves, to apply it to the greatest 



