M. Tullius Cicero, De Amicitia, William Armistead Falconer (Translator), 18

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[18] This; however, I do feel first of all—that friendship cannot exist except among good men; nor do I go into that too deeply,¹as is done by those²who, in discussing this point with more than usual accuracy, and it may be correctly, but with too little view to practical results, say that no one is good unless he is wise. We may grant that; but they understand wisdom to be a thing such as no mortal man has yet attained.³I, however, am bound to look at things as they are in the experience of everyday life and not as they are in fancy or in hope. Never could I say that Gaius Fabricius, Manius Curius, and Tiberius Coruncanius, whom our ancestors adjudged to be wise, were wise by such a standard as that. Therefore, let the Sophists keep their unpopular⁴and unintelligible word to themselves, granting only that the men just named were good men. They will not do it though; they will say that goodness can be predicated only of the wise man.

De Amicitia. M. Tullius Cicero. William Armistead Falconer (Translator). Cambridge. 1923.

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Current edition Perseus

Laelius on Friendship (English) (Cicero. De Senectute, De Amicitia, De Divinatione. Falconer, William Armistead, translator. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. London: William Heinemann Ltd. 1923 (printing).)

Editions (1)

Laelius De Amicitia Perseus (Cicero, Marcus Tullius. De senectute; De amicitia; De divinatione. Falconer, W. A., editor. Cambridge, MA. Harvard University Press. London. William Heinemann Ltd. 1923.) — 18 focus

[18] sed hoc primum sentio, nisi in bonis amicitiam esse non posse; neque id ad vivum reseco, ut illi, qui haec subtilius disserunt, fortasse vere, sed ad communem utilitatem parum; negant enim quemquam esse virum bonum nisi sapientem. sit ita sane: sed eam sapientiam interpretantur, quam adhuc mortalis nemo est consecutus. nos autem ea quae sunt in usu vitaque communi, non ea quae finguntur aut optantur, spectare debemus. numquam ego dicam C. Fabricium, M’. Curium, Ti. Coruncanium, quos sapientis nostri maiores iudicabant, ad istorum normam fuisse sapientis. qua re sibi habeant sapientiae nomen et invidiosum et obscurum, concedant ut viri boni fuerint. ne id quidem facient; negabunt id nisi sapienti posse concedi.

Notes on the current edition

Laelius on Friendship

Id ad vivum reseco

, lit. cut back to the quick.

2. i.e. those who profess the art of disputation; cf. 17.

3. The perfect wise man of the Stoics represents an ideal, though they allowed that a few men, such as Socrates, almost realized it.

4. Lit. at which everyone looks askance, as indicating conceit or arrogance.

M. Tullius Cicero De Amicitia 18

William Armistead Falconer (Translator)

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