Marcus Tullius Cicero · Complete work
Chapter 25
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SECTION 91ut igitur et monere et moneri proprium est verae amicitiae, et alterum libere facere, non aspere, alterum patienter accipere, non repugnanter, sic habendum est nullam in amicitiis pestem esse maiorem quam adulationem blanditiam assentationem: quamvis enim multis nominibus est hoc vitium notandum levium hominum atque fallacium, ad voluptatem loquentium omnia, nihil ad veritatem.
SECTION 92cum autem omnium rerum simulatio vitiosa est, tollit enim iudicium veri idque adulterat, tum amicitiae repugnat maxime; delet enim veritatem, sine qua nomen amicitiae valere non potest. nam cum amicitiae vis sit in eo ut unus quasi animus fiat ex pluribus, qui id fieri poterit, si ne in uno quidem quoque unus animus erit idemque semper, sed varius commutabilis multiplex?
SECTION 93quid enim potest esse tam flexibile, tam devium, quam animus eius, qui ad alterius non modo sensum ac voluntatem, sed etiam voltum atque nutum convertitur? negat quis, nego; ait, aio; postremo imperavi egomet mihi omnia assentari, ut ait idem Terentius, sed ille in Gnathonis persona, quod amici genus adhibere omnino levitatis est.
SECTION 94multi autem Gnathonum similes, cum sint loco fortuna fama superiores, quorum est assentatio molesta, cum ad vanitatem accessit auctoritas.
SECTION 95secerni autem blandus amicus a vero et internosci tam potest adhibita diligentia, quam omnia fucata et simulata a sinceris atque veris. contio, quae ex imperitissimis constat, tamen iudicare solet, quid intersit inter popularem, id est assentatorem et levem civem, et inter constantem et verum et gravem.
SECTION 96quibus blanditiis C. Papirius nuper influebat in auris contionis, cum ferret legem de tribunis plebis reficiendis! dissuasimus nos, sed nihil de me, de Scipione dicam libentius. quanta illi, di immortales, fuit gravitas, quanta in oratione maiestas! ut facile ducem populi Romani, non comitem diceres. sed affuistis, et est in manibus oratio. itaque lex popularis suffragiis populi repudiata est.atque, ut ad me redeam, meministis Q. Maximo fratre Scipionis et L. Mancino consulibus, quam popularis lex de sacerdotiis C. Licini Crassi videbatur; cooptatio enim collegiorum ad populi beneficium transferebatur. (Atque is primus instituit in forum versus agere cum populo.) Tamen illius vendibilem orationem religio deorum immortalium nobis defendentibus facile vincebat. atque id actum est praetore me, quinquennio ante quam consul sum factus. ita re magis quam summa auctoritate causa illa defensa est.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from all 27 Latin chapters and 104 sections for fidelity, philosophical precision, rhetorical clarity, structure, and cadence.
SECTION 91Just as it is the mark of true friendship both to admonish and to be admonished—the one to be done frankly, though not harshly, and the other to be received patiently, without resentment—so we must hold that no plague in friendship is greater than flattery, cajolery, and servile assent. For, however many names one gives it, this vice belongs to shallow and deceitful men, who say everything to please and nothing for the sake of truth.
SECTION 92Now, while pretense is vicious in every matter, because it destroys and corrupts our judgment of what is true, it is most of all opposed to friendship; for it abolishes truth, without which the very name of friendship can have no force. For since the power of friendship consists in this, that a single mind is formed, as it were, from several, how can that come to pass if even within each person there is not one and the same mind at all times, but one that is shifting, changeable, and manifold?
SECTION 93What, indeed, can be so pliant, so wayward, as the mind of a man who adjusts himself not merely to another’s feelings and wishes, but even to his expression and his nod? “He says no; I say no. He says yes; I say yes. In short, I have ordered myself to assent to everything,” as the same Terence says—but he puts the words into the mouth of Gnatho. To admit such a sort of man as a friend is sheer folly.
SECTION 94Yet there are many men like Gnatho who surpass others in rank, fortune, and reputation; and their assent becomes especially offensive when authority is added to their vanity.
SECTION 95But with due care a flattering friend can be distinguished and discerned from a true one, just as everything painted and counterfeit can be distinguished from what is genuine and true. Even a public assembly, though composed of the most inexperienced men, is usually able to judge the difference between a demagogue—that is, a flattering and frivolous citizen—and one who is steadfast, sincere, and serious.
SECTION 96With what flatteries Gaius Papirius lately flooded the ears of the assembly when he proposed his law permitting tribunes of the plebs to be reelected! We spoke against it; but I shall say nothing of myself—I would rather speak of Scipio. Immortal gods, what dignity he possessed, what majesty in his speech! You could readily have called him the leader of the Roman people, not their follower. But you were present, and the speech is in everyone’s hands. And so a popular law was rejected by the votes of the people.
And, to return to myself, you remember, when Quintus Maximus, Scipio’s brother, and Lucius Mancinus were consuls, how popular Gaius Licinius Crassus’s law concerning the priesthoods appeared to be; for the right of filling vacancies in the colleges was being transferred to the favor of the people. He, incidentally, was the first to establish the practice of addressing the people while facing toward the Forum. Yet, when I spoke in defense of it, reverence for the immortal gods easily overcame his marketable oratory. This occurred while I was praetor, five years before I was elected consul. Thus that cause was defended more by its own merits than by the highest personal authority.
Mouseia
Mouseia’s complete Plain English edition, made independently and directly from all 27 Latin chapters and 104 sections.
SECTION 91Just as it is characteristic of true friendship both to give advice and to receive it—to give it frankly, but not harshly, and to receive it patiently, not resentfully—so we must hold that no plague in friendship is greater than flattery, fawning, and servile agreement. For although this vice of shallow and deceitful people, who say everything to please and nothing for the sake of truth, can be described by many names, it must always be condemned.
SECTION 92Pretense is wrong in all things, because it removes our ability to judge the truth and corrupts that judgment, but it is especially incompatible with friendship, for it destroys truth, without which the very name of friendship has no meaning. The power of friendship lies in this: that a single mind is formed, so to speak, from several. But how can that happen if there is not even in each individual a single mind, always the same, but instead one that is shifting, changeable, and many-sided?
SECTION 93For what can be as pliable and wayward as the mind of a man who adjusts himself not only to another’s feelings and wishes, but even to his expression and nod? “Someone says no; I say no. He says yes; I say yes. In short, I have ordered myself to agree with everything,” as the same Terence says, though he says it in the character of Gnatho. To employ such a kind of friend is a mark of utter shallowness.
SECTION 94Yet there are many men like Gnatho who are superior in position, wealth, and reputation; their flattery is especially troublesome when authority is added to insincerity.
SECTION 95With careful attention, however, a flattering friend can be distinguished and recognized apart from a true one, just as everything artificial and counterfeit can be distinguished from what is genuine and true. A public assembly, though composed of the most inexperienced people, is nevertheless usually able to judge the difference between a demagogue—that is, a flattering and shallow citizen—and a steadfast, truthful, and serious one.
SECTION 96With what flatteries Gaius Papirius was recently pouring into the ears of the assembly when he proposed his law allowing tribunes of the plebs to be reelected! We spoke against it—but I will say nothing about myself; I would rather speak about Scipio. Immortal gods, what dignity he possessed, what majesty in his speech! You could easily have called him the leader of the Roman people, not one of their followers. But you were there, and the speech is in everyone’s hands. And so a popular law was rejected by the votes of the people.
And, to return to myself, you remember how popular Gaius Licinius Crassus’s law concerning the priesthoods appeared when Quintus Maximus, Scipio’s brother, and Lucius Mancinus were consuls. The right of the priestly colleges to choose their own members was being transferred to the people as a privilege. He was also the first to introduce the practice of turning toward the Forum when addressing the people. Nevertheless, while I spoke in defense of it, reverence for the immortal gods easily prevailed over his appealing speech. This occurred while I was praetor, five years before I was made consul. Thus that cause was defended more by its own merits than by the highest personal authority.