Purser — Cicero's Correspondence during his Proconsulate. 395 



rank Aristus higli as a philosopher. In Tusc. v. 22, 23 he mentions 

 a discussion he had with Aristns during this stay at Athens. He 

 concludes by saying, Haec nunc enucleare non ita necesse est, quamquam 

 non constantissime did mihi mdentur. He doubtless held the same 

 opinion of Aristus that Plutarch did (Brut. 2) "Kpidrov, avSpa ry jxkv 

 iv Aoyots efei ttoXXwv (J3iXocr6(f>wv Xenrofxevov, evTa^ta 8k koI ■KpaoTrjTL 

 TOts TrpwTOL^ IvafxiXXov. 



In the beginning of the sentence (which is printed according to 

 the reading of most editors), I incline to think that we should read 

 urhs dumtaxat et urbis ornamentum et hominum amoves in te <et> in 

 nos quaedam lenevolentia. This is the reading of M, except that it 

 has turle for wr3s, omits et before in, and has quadam for quaedam. 

 But once the t of delectanmt was added on to urls, turhs would have 

 been altered to turhe. Urhs is found in v. c. and most of Malaspina's 

 MSS., and quaedam is found in F and cod. Bononiensis. 



V. 11. 6. — Nunc redeo ad quae mihi mandas : in praefectis excu- 

 satio iis quos voles deferto. 



In 7 we read that Pompey stated se quinos praefedos delaturum 

 novos vacationis iudiciariae causa, which would seem to show that prae- 

 fectures were often sinecures, appointed merely to confer exemption 

 from service on juries. Yet we cannot be quite certain that this 

 privilege of exemption was fully recognised : it savoured too much of a 

 job. Atticus probably asked Cicero to allow him to appoint certain 

 nominal praefects, so that they might have this exemption : if (says 

 Cicero) they really have this exemption, return (to the aerarium) what 

 names you please. Thus we might read si praefectis excusatio sit, quos 

 voles deferto. I also thought of si praefectis excusatio, duos (ii"') quos 

 voles deferto : and this would represent a less wholesale grant of 

 patronage than the other : and it would be more in accordance with 

 the character of Cicero, tor he was, comparatively speaking, averse 

 from jobs. 



V. 11, 7. — Brundisio quae tibi epistulae redditae sunt sine mea, 

 tum videlicet datas, cum ego me non belle haberem. 



The MSS. give datas : and, as Mr. Tyrrell has shown, this construc- 

 tion of videlicet is an ordinary colloquialism ; cf. Plant. Stick. 555, 557 

 Videlicet par cum fuisse ilium senem, qui id dixerit. . . . Videlicet in- 

 aequom fuisse ilium adulescentem, qui ilico . . . denega/rit. A similar 

 use of scilicet is found in Att. xiii. 5. 1. In both these passages C. P. 



R.I. A. PROC, SEE. ni., VOL. VI. 2F 



