History of Roman Literature from its Earliest Period to the Augustan Age. Vol. IIDunlop, John Colin
History
History of Roman Literature from its Earliest Period to the Augustan Age. Vol. II
Dunlop, John Colin
Latin literature -- History and criticism
the objections which he urged against justice, or rather against the
existence of a due sense of that quality, was, that if such a thing as
justice were to be found on earth, the Romans would resign their
conquests, and return to their huts and original poverty(378). Cato
likewise appears to have had a considerable spirit of personal jealousy
and rivalry; while, at the same time, his national pride led him to scorn
all the arts of a country which the Roman arms had subdued.
Carneades promulgated his opinions only in his eloquent lectures; and it
is not known that he left any writings of importance behind him(379). But
his oral instructions had made a permanent impression on the Roman youth,
and the want of a written record of his principles was amply supplied by
his successor Clitomachus, who was by birth a Carthaginian, and was
originally called Asdrubal. He had fled from his own country to Athens
during the siege of Carthage, by the Romans, in the third Punic war(380);
and in the year 623 he went from Greece to Italy, to succeed Carneades in
the school which he had there established. Clitomachus was a most
voluminous author, having written not less than four ample treatises on
the necessity of withholding the assent from every proposition whatever.
One of these tracts was dedicated to Lucilius, the satiric poet(381), and
another to the Consul Censorinus. The essence of the principles which he
maintained in these works, has been extracted by Cicero, and handed down
to us in a passage inserted in the _Academica_. It is there said, that the
resemblances of things are of such a nature that some of them appear
probable, and others not; but this is no sufficient ground for supposing
that some objects may be correctly perceived, since many falsities are
probable, whereas no falsity can be accurately perceived or known: The
Academy never attempted to deprive mankind of the use of their senses, by
denying that there are such things as colour, taste, and sound; but it
denied that there exists in these qualities any criterion or
characteristic of truth and certainty. A wise man, therefore, is said, in
a double sense, to withhold his assent; in one sense, when it is
understood that he absolutely assents to no proposition; in another, when
he suspends answering a question, without either denying or affirming. He
ought never to assent implicitly to any proposition, and his answer should
be withheld until, according to _probability_, he is in a condition to
reply in the affirmative or negative. But as Cicero admits, that a wise
man, who, on every occasion, suspends his assent, may yet be impelled and
moved to action, he leaves him in full possession of those motives which
excite to action, together with a power of answering in the affirmative or
negative to certain questions, and of following the probability of
objects; yet still without giving them his assent(382).
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