PREFACE, 30-33 



my part I have let these persons' eloquence run its 

 course.' Plancus also put it neatly, when told that 

 Asinius PoUio was composing declamations against 

 him, to be published by himself or his children atter 

 Plancus's death, so that he might be unable to 

 reply : ' Only phantoms fight with the dead ! ' 

 This remark dealt those declamations such a nasty 

 blow that in cultivated circles they are thought the 

 most shameless things extant. Accordingly, being 

 safeguarded even against quibble-quarrellers (Cato's 

 nickname for them — a neat compound word, for 

 what else do these people do but quarrel or seek a 

 quarrel ?) we will follow out the remainder of our 

 intended plan. As it was my duty in the public 

 interest to have consideration for the claims upon 

 your time, I have appended to this letter a table of 

 eontents of the several books, and have taken very 

 careful precautions to prevent your having to read 

 them. You by these means will secure for others 

 that they will not need to read right through them 

 either, but only look for the particular point that 

 each of them wants, and will know where to find it. 

 This plan has been adopted previously in Roman 

 literature, by Valerius Soranus in his books entitled 

 LMdy IniUates," 



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