

WOMAN'S LONG STRUGGLE 23 



of their time, contributed much to the making of Roman 

 history by the success they achieved in molding the char- 

 acters of some of the greatest men of their own or of 

 any age. 



It is a splendid tribute that Cicero, in his Orator, pays 

 to Laelia when he tells of the purity of her language and 

 the charm of her conversation. "When I listen," he de- 

 clares, "to my mother-in-law, Laelia for women preserve 

 the traditional purity of accent the best because, being 

 limited in their intercourse with the multitude, they retain 

 their early impressions I could imagine that I hear Plau- 

 tus or Naevius speaking, the pronunciation is so plain and 

 simple, so perfectly free from all affectation and display; 

 from which I infer that such was the accent of her father 

 and his ancestors not harsh like the pronunciation to 

 which I have just referred, not broad nor rustic nor rugged, 

 but terse, smooth and flowing." 1 



These are a few of the cultured and learned women who 

 shed glory on their country by the refining influence which 

 they exerted in the quiet and unostentatious precincts 

 of the family circle. But there were others who chose a 

 wider field for their activities, and who, by reason of 

 their unerring judgment, well-poised and highly culti- 

 vated minds, had so won the confidence of the nation's 

 greatest leaders that they were frequently consulted on 

 important affairs of state. Thus, Cicero tells us of an 

 interview which he had at Antium with Brutus and Cas- 

 sius. Besides the men, there were present on this occasion 

 three women, who took an active part in the discussion. 

 These were Servilia, the mother of Brutus, Porcia, the 

 wife of Brutus and the daughter of Cato, and Tertulla, 

 the wife of Cassius and sister of Brutus. The views of 

 the women were not without effect, and so confident was 

 Servilia of her power that she engaged to have a certain 

 clause in one of the decrees of the Senate expunged. This 

 *De Oratore, Lib. Ill, Cap. XII. 



