[§145]. Scire negatis: cf. Sext. A.M. VII. 153, who says that even καταληψις when it arises in the mind of a φαυλος is mere δοξα and not επιστημη; also P.H. II. 83, where it is said that the φαυλος is capable of το αληθες but not of αληθεια, which the σοφος alone has. Visum ... adsensus: the Stoics as we saw (II. [38], etc.) analysed sensations into two parts; with the Academic and other schools each sensation was an ultimate unanalysable unit, a ψιλον παθος. For this symbolic action of Zeno cf. D.F. II. 18, Orat. 113, Sextus A.M. II. 7, Quint. II. 20, 7, Zeller 84. Contraxerat: so Halm who qu. Plin. Nat. Hist. XI. 26, 94 digitum contrahens aut remittens; Orelli construxerat; MSS. mostly contexerat. Quod ante non fuerat: καταλαμβανειν however is frequent in Plato in the sense "to seize firmly with the mind." Adverterat: the best MSS. give merely adverat, but on the margin admoverat which Halm takes, and after him Bait.; one good MS. has adverterat. Ne ipsi quidem: even Socrates, Antisthenes and Diogenes were not σοφοι according to the Stoics, but merely were εν προκοπηι; see Diog. VII. 91, Zeller 257, and cf. Plut. Sto. Rep. 1056 (qu. by P. Valentia p. 295, ed Orelli) εστι δε ουτος (i.e. ‛ο σοφος) ουδαμου γης ουδε γεγονε. Nec tu: sc. scis; Goer. has a strange note here.
[§146]. Illa: cf. illa invidiosa above ([144]). Dicebas: in [22]. Refero: "retort," as in Ovid. Metam. I. 758 pudet haec opprobria nobis Et dici potuisse et non potuisse referri; cf. also par pari referre dicto. Ne nobis quidem: "nor would they be angry;" cf. n. on. I. [5]. Arbitrari: the original meaning of this was "to be a bystander," or "to be an eye-witness," see Corssen I. 238. Ea non ut: MSS. have ut ea non aut. Halm reads ut ea non merely, but I prefer the reading I have given because of Cicero's fondness for making the ut follow closely on the negative: for this see Madv. Gram. 465 b, obs.
[§147]. Obscuritate: cf. I. [44], n. on I. [15]. Plus uno: [115]. Iacere: cf. [79]. Plagas: cf. n. on [112].
[§148]. Ad patris revolvor sententiam: for this see Introd. [50], and for the expression [18]. Opinaturum: see [59], [67], [78], [112]. Intellegat se: MSS. intellegentes, cf. n. on [132]. Qua re: so Manut. for per of MSS. Εποχην illam omnium rerum: an odd expression; cf. actio rerum in [62]. Non probans: so Madv. Em. 204 for MSS. comprobans. Dav. conj. improbans and is followed by Bait. I am not sure that the MSS. reading is wrong. The difficulty is essentially the same as that involved in [104], which should be closely compared. A contrast is drawn between a theoretical dogma and a practical belief. The dogma is that assent (meaning absolute assent) is not to be given to phenomena. This dogma Catulus might well describe himself as formally approving (comprobans). The practice is to give assent (meaning modified assent). There is the same contrast in [104] between placere and tenere. I may note that the word alteri (cf. altero in [104]) need not imply that the dogma and the practice are irreconcilable; a misconception on this point has considerably confirmed edd. in their introduction of the negative. Nec eam admodum: cf. non repugnarem in [112]. Tollendum: many edd. have gone far astray in interpreting this passage. The word is used with a double reference to adsensus and ancora; in the first way we have had tollere used a score of times in this book; with regard to the second meaning, cf. Caes. Bell. Gall. IV. 23, Bell. Civ. I. 31, where tollere is used of weighing anchor, and Varro De Re Rust. III. 17, 1, where it occurs in the sense "to get on," "to proceed," without any reference to the sea. (The exx. are from Forc.) This passage I believe and this alone is referred to in Ad Att. XIII. 21, 3. If my conjecture is correct, Cic. tried at first to manage a joke by using the word inhibendum, which had also a nautical signification, but finding that he had mistaken the meaning of the word, substituted tollendum.
[1] De Leg. II. §3.
[2] Cf. De Or. II. §1 with II. §5.
[3] Ad Fam. XIII. 1, Phaedrus nobis,... cum pueri essemus, valde ut philosophus probabatur.
[4] N.D. I. §93, Phaedro nihil elegantius, nihil humanius.
[5] Ad Fam. XIII. 1.
[6] Brutus, §309.