ed by us, or are you inclined that way of your own
accord? You appear, indeed, to me to be very assiduous in your attendance
on Antiochus, whose pupil you are. Then replied he, timidly,--or, I ought
rather to say, modestly,--I am indeed; but did you not just now hear
Charmadas's name mentioned? I am attracted in that direction, but
Antiochus drags me back again; nor is there any one else whose lectures it
would be possible to attend.

III. Piso replied--Although, while our friend here (meaning me) is present,
this matter will perhaps not be quite so easy; yet I will endeavour to
call you back from this New Academy to that ancient one, in which (as you
used to hear Antiochus say) those men are not alone reckoned who are
called Academics,--Speusippus, Xenocrates, Polemo, Crantor, and the rest;
but the old Peripatetics also, the chief of whom was Aristotle, whom, next
to Plato, I think I may fairly call the prince of philosophers. Turn
yourself, therefore, I entreat you, to those men; for from their writings
and systems all liberal learning, all history, all elegance of language,
may be derived; and also, so great is the variety of arts of which they
were masters, that no one can come properly armed for any business of
importance and credit without being tolerably versed in their writings. It
is owing to them that men have turned out orators, generals, and
statesmen; and, to descend to less important matters, it is from this
Academy, as from a regular magazine of all the arts, that mathematicians,
poets, musicians, aye, and physicians too, have proceeded.

I replied--You know well, O Piso, that my opinion is the same: but still
the mention of it by you was very seasonable; for my relation Cicero is
anxious to hear what was the doctrine of that Old Academy which you have
been speaking of, and of the Peripatetics, about the chief good; and we
think that you can very easily explain it to us, because you entertained
Staseas the Neapolitan in your house for many years, and because, too, we
are aware that you have been many months at Athens, investigating these
very things, as a pupil of Antiochus. And he said, with a laugh, Come,
come,--for you have very cleverly drawn me in to begin the discussion,--let
us explain it to the young man if we can; for this solitude gives us the
opportunity: but, even if a god had told me so, I would never have
believed that I should be disputing in the Academy, like a philosopher.
However, I hope