views (_ib._ xiii. 12. 3). The political works
are _de Republica_ and _de Legibus_. The first was a dialogue in six
books concerning the best form of constitution, in which the speakers
are Scipio Africanus Minor and members of his circle. He tells us that
he drew largely from Plato, Aristotle, Theophrastus and writings of the
Peripatetics. The famous "Dream of Scipio" recalls the "Vision of Er" in
Plato's _Republic_ (Book x. _ad fin._). The _de Legibus_, a sequel to
this work in imitation of Plato's _Laws_, is drawn largely from
Chrysippus.

Cicero as a philosopher belonged to the New Academy. The followers of
this school were free to hear all arguments for and against, and to
accept the conclusion which for the moment appeared most probable
(_Acad._ ii. 131). Thus in the _Tusculan Disputations_ v. he expresses
views which conflict with _de Finibus_ iv., and defends himself on the
ground that as an Academic he is free to change his mind. He was much
fascinated by the Stoic morality, and it has been noticed that the
_Tusculan Disputations_ and _de Officiis_ are largely Stoic in tone. He
has nothing but contempt for the Epicureans, and cannot forgive their
neglect of literary style. As Cicero's philosophical writings have been
severely attacked for want of originality, it is only fair to recollect
that he resorted to philosophy as an anodyne when suffering from mental
anguish, and that he wrote incredibly fast. He issued two editions of
his _Academics_. The first consisted of two books, in which Catulus and
Lucullus were the chief speakers. He then rewrote his treatise in four
books, making himself, Varro and Atticus the speakers. The Romans at
this time had no manuals of philosophy or any philosophical writings in
Latin apart from the poem of Lucretius and some unskilful productions by
obscure Epicureans. Cicero set himself to supply this want. His works
are confessedly in the main translations and compilations (_Att._ xii.
52. 3); all that he does is to turn the discussion into the form of a
dialogue, to adapt it to Roman readers by illustrations from Roman
history, and to invent equivalents for Greek technical terms. This is
equally true of the political treatises. Thus, when Atticus criticized a
strange statement in _de Republ._ ii. 8, that all the cities of the
Peloponnese had access to the sea, he excuses himself by saying that he
found it in Dicaearchus and copied it word for word (_Att._ vi. 2. 3).
In the same pa