New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-03-18
CHOATf AND CICERO.


10 the chast @rent Of THE TRIBUNE, fcr HAVING
dared to sspel his parts of speech and Questioned
bis historical nislhbiity. Omit.ng. however, hat
mar. Of our article which We sapposed might BE- Of
ths mos, ipterrst in the prighborheod Of Boston,
the, fsll simultaneously 10 defense OF he poht-
csi greatness ct Cicero.
We DO no. know that our readers care enough for
A ouestiou 80 purely historical to justify US in re-
Joining; but, IS the crlGcs sccsse ~ oil oundef'
iDs. flppancy, shallowness, vsP'dlsy, and visa
10 ,radr &c the character of moot mock Trend oil
L,ser,y, We trust he public will bear with US while
we Say fev words ia reply. One oluBtes we con-
Tess t.: Writing in the country, from n emory
where no authorizes were at hsnd, ecnfa sed the
An,opian eranons with the yerepa and sal 'hss
the greater part Of the former had been vi dten'
spd not spoken, BY Cicero. Tins was true OF tho
LATTER. but i, appears ths. only Of the pAFpcS
VIVA 80 prepared. The mistake has little 10 do with
ths substance Of the controversy.
The cve is simply this: Every scholar, aud We
prs.ume every reader who has gone beyond Flu
tarch in his c.nscsl studies, knows that Cicero.
while ey,pcipg the most splendid sbi rics -
disposihcns as man, was vsch'stps pout'cisa.
ard an inpractcsble s.stesmsn. or On egres Gus,
ana Whist in these d.ys would be regsSded ~
cou,t mptible vanity deficient ia Judgment fct'sot
purpose. easily fat. cred weak of WILL be hsd tho
misfortune 10 BE- cast from youth t. Old age, In shs
stormest periods of stormy sristocrAae repuohe'
His vast and rare powers raced him to the most
cousp cuous stations land this fact alone consti-
,u,es his political greatress), where his third ana
| irresoute nature involved bm Perpetas'y IN
| wrstched Inconsistencies and shifts. HE WAS .
| Kind of Roman Lsmsrtue, with this grand d fer
epc,-that I.amartine, beng moro of poe, pos
sesses genuine popular sympa hies while Cicefos
! sympathes lay first with the moneyed elstes (the
| Eoui,es) and then with the high atis.oerscy.
| Poster,ty, admir,pg the magnificent Intellectual
endowment of Cicero, has been willing for the most
part to forget, While rssrettiDg, the painful s'i-
d.nce Of weakness disclosed BY his public life. A
certain class Of historians and scholars, however.
mised partly by their own aris.ocratic syupah'e'.
partly by Cicero's va GLORIOUS boss!iugs sndor sid.
ed statements, but chiefly by the fsse glare thrown
about msny events in Romsr history, 10 The sb-
,ence of critical knowledge Of the circumstances,
have epdeavorsd 70 make hun great state,msn -
well a. great orator end writer. Adopting bis own
view of himself aud of his Tires. they have sac
ceeded in imposing it upon Dsny sh'How readers
and sentimental patriots. But moiern research
h,s dissipat.d there sllscies, aud impaired 10 US
more accurate knowledge Of those times and OF No
actors in them.
| In this state Of things, we find Mr.. Chosts
calling up the old traditional error, and proclsim'rs
Cicero 90 the great orator Of great revolution.
aud a. "ihe greatest and noblest Of the Romsos."
webastiIy exposed bis misrepresentation Of history.
saving that IN oil the great Roman revolution, BY
which is meant the revolution accomplished ~
Cesar, Cicero played fast sna loose between both
parties and uttered no word for Iber.y. When
Cs,sr trumpfed, he 6st,ered him in the most iai-
sone manner; when he was bssely murdered, .
little while afterwaId by knot Of incompetent
end greedy aristocrsts who stole the sacred name
| of Liberty to disguise assassination with, and 70
plunge the country, just recovering from one bloody
civil war. into another, he hailed the crime a.
"a great aud glorious deed" During The whole
time Of the revolution, "when republic Of seven
bundled years (O 10y dying, as The Tferciir he's
il, his conduct was vaciatiDg and senile; and, In
the later wars of the factions, TO which he was
accessory because be approved Of tho hsthsome
means by which they had been brought about, DO
did nothing to retrieve bis name. lie displayed for
few months an amazing activity, but, as We think
and shall show, 70 no great or useful end.
Well how do the twin champions of Mr.. Chosts
ard Cic. no meet our statements Lot deal with
them in order. The one, he Of The Cosr1r, who
seems 10 have only the most superficial routine &C
qusintsnce with bis topic, may be dismissed in few
words. Az We have made no question Of tho debt
of literary gratitude which the world owes Cicero,
bis pretty and commonplace defamation on that
head may be passed over to the Sophomores ct
Cambridge. Our readers will infer the neral and
intellectual status Of this writer from the surprise
which be expresses that we should have character
lied the cowardIy murderers Of Caesar a. crew OF
vulgar scoundrels, because, says he, "tbey were
gentlemen of much consideration a. the times
"went and certainly were men Of family, station
and talent" Their talent has nothing to DO with
IT, for great scoundrels may have great talents;
their stations most Of them owed 10 the cleufnsy
Of the very man they murdered, who bad also
spared their lives when be might have executed
| them according 70 the laws Of war; ana
We have Jet to learn that the ncs Of
belonging 10 the FIRST families can give Dig
nity 10 the perpetration Of cold and reckless
murder-at any rate, our respect for family" hes
not set led US to any such conclusion. Catiline
had talent, station and family-mOre than either Of
these consprstors. perhsps-but that has not saved