A Commentary on Cicero, De LegibusJust as Plato drafted a vision of an ideal state in his Republic and followed that up with detailed provisions in his Laws, so Cicero -- after writing a Republic -- wanted to provide legislation for his ideal state and wrote de Legibus (the Laws) as a sequel. But while Cicero's Republic was set shortly before the death of its speaker, Scipio Africanus, in 129 b.c., his de Legibus was set in his own lifetime, thus enabling him to comment on current political events and trends. Written in the final years of the Roman Republic, de Legibus is as a work that gives Cicero's own diagnosis of the ills that had befallen the Roman state and what might be done to cure them. It is thus a document crucial to our understanding of one of the most turbulent periods of Roman history. Surprisingly, de Legibus has been one of Cicero's most neglected works. Andrew R. Dyck's commentary is the first to appear on the complete work in well over one hundred years. Dyck provides a detailed interpretation and sets the essay into the context of the politics and philosophical thought of its time. While previous commentaries focused primarily on grammar and textual criticism, this one also seeks to relate Cicero's text to the political, philosophical, and religious trends of his day. The author identifies the influences on Cicero's thinking and analyzes the relation of this theoretical treatise to his other works. This commentary is based on a new text, worked out in consultations between the author and Jonathan Powell of Royal Holloway, London. Andrew Dyck is Professor of Classics, University of California at Los Angeles. |
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Page 6
... writing most of the Philippic speeches and active in the senate in opposition to the designs of Antony ; he surely would not have found the time for writing at least five books de legibus ; and points of contact between Leg . and the ...
... writing most of the Philippic speeches and active in the senate in opposition to the designs of Antony ; he surely would not have found the time for writing at least five books de legibus ; and points of contact between Leg . and the ...
Page 84
... writing of a geographical work in view inter alia of the difficulty of reconciling conflicting sources , or ibid . 4.16.2 , where he com- plains of the demands of writing Rep .: rem ... magnam complexus sum et plurimi oti , quo ego ...
... writing of a geographical work in view inter alia of the difficulty of reconciling conflicting sources , or ibid . 4.16.2 , where he com- plains of the demands of writing Rep .: rem ... magnam complexus sum et plurimi oti , quo ego ...
Page 86
... writing habits not only of Cicero but of Roman statesmen generally since the Elder Cato ( hist . fr . 2 apud Planc . 66 ) : clarorum virorum atque magnorum non minus oti quam negoti rationem exstare oportere ; cf. Cicero's preceding ...
... writing habits not only of Cicero but of Roman statesmen generally since the Elder Cato ( hist . fr . 2 apud Planc . 66 ) : clarorum virorum atque magnorum non minus oti quam negoti rationem exstare oportere ; cf. Cicero's preceding ...
Contents
Works Cited by Author | xi |
a Date | 5 |
Commentary on Book 1 46 | 111 |
Copyright | |
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argument Arpinum atque Atticus augurs autem Bona Dea Book Brut causa Cicero cited clausula Clodius commentary consuls cretic Demetrius of Phalerum deorum deos dialogue discussion eius enim Epicurean esset esto etiam Görler Greek haec homines hominum human ibid igitur illa interrex ista iure iuris ius civile Kunkel-Wittmann Latin leges Legibus legislation legum Lintott magistrates magistratus Marcus Mommsen nature neque nihil nisi nobis OLD s.v. omnes omnia omnis Orat passage philosophical Plato plebs political populi potest Powell praetor quae quam quibus quid quidem Quintus quod ratio reference reipublicae rerum rôle Roman Rome sacra sapientia Scaevola Schmidt senate sense similar Staatsr Stoic sunt sunto supra tamen tion TLL s.v. topic transmitted tribunate Tusc Twelve Tables vero Wissowa XII Tables δὲ καὶ