CICERO, Manees Tuwus, born in the 647th Year of Rome, was descended from an ancient and honoura ble family, which had been of equestrian rank since the time of its first admission to the freedom of the city. He was, indeed, called at one time a Xovus honio, but on ly because he was the first of his family who sought and obtained public magistracies. His birth-place was Ar pintnn, now part of the kingdom of Naples. The fami ly scat was about three miles from the town of Arpinum, and is &set ibed in one of Cicero's letters as exceeding ly beautiful, being surrounded with groves and shady walks leading from the house to the river Fibrenus, which was divided into two equal streams by a little is] and covered with trees. Here stood a portico, contrived both for study and exercise, to which Cicero retired for meditation. A clear and rapid stream, shaded with pop lars, murinured through a rocky channel, and fell a little below the island into the noble river Liris, in a cascade. 'Ibis place, consecrated by the memory of Cicero, was lately inhabited by a convent of monks, and was called the Villa of St Dominic.
Cicero's first name, corresponding to our baptismal name, was Marcus, after his father: Tullius was the fa mily name, signifying a flowing stream, probably from the conflux of waters on their grounds : Cicero, the other family name, is ascribed by Pliny to the reputation of his forefathers for the cultivation of vetches. His ear ly education was, according to the Roman custom, com mitted to a discreet matron ; but when of age to be plac ed at a public school, he was brought to Rome, where his father had a house. There, we are told by Plutarch, he was so distinguished, that his school-fellows attended him in a body to and from school, giving hint the place of honour among them, and that parents often isited the school to see so extraordinary a youth. Among the in structors of his youth was the poet Archias. Under him he applied chiefly to poetry, though with what small success is proverbially known. This circumstance, however, slims the universality of his taste, if not of his talents. Indeed, it is observable, that few geniuses which have ever swayed mankind by eloquence, from Cicero to Chatham and Fox, have left their love of poetry unre corded in some effort to compose it. On assuming the
manly dress, he was introduced into the forum, under the care of Quintus Curtius Scztvola, the principal lawyer of the age. The peace of Rome being soon after disturbed by the Italic or Marsic war, the forum was, as usual, de serted, and the orators repaired to fight at the head of their military divisions. Cicero went out as a tiro under Pompeius, Strabo, and Sylla. Returning to Rome, he resumed his philosophical studies under Philo, chief of the academy. Akio, an eminent pleader and master of rhetoric, was his next teacher. Amidst these studies he published some remarks on Rhetorical Invention, trans lated Xenophon's CEconomics, and versified the Phamo mena of Aratus. But his taste both in poetry and rheto ric seem, at this time, to have been rude and imperfect.
At the age of six-and-twenty, our orator pleaded his first cause with equal honour to his eloquence, his hu manity, and intrepidity. Rome was now under Sylla, ai hose proscriptions had silenced all laws. A citizen, Roscius Amerinus, had been stript of his inheritance by two of his relations, who had assassinated his father, though he was not in the list of the proscribed, and fearing that the son might reclaim his property, charged him with the murder which they had themselves commit ted. They were supported in this accusation by one who had participated in the booty, Chrysogonus, the freedman of Sylla. Not another advocate at Rome would himself to the terrible resentment of such antago nists, when Cicero, with youthful boldness, undertook to defend the innocence of Roscius, and gained his cause. His address in this business was very conspicuous ; for while he attacked the freedman of Sylla with indigna tion, he pretended to consider Clitysogonus's conduct as unknown to Sylla, and unwarranted by his authority. He remained in Rome a year after this event, engaged in the business of pleading, and in one cause exposed himself still more openly to the danger of the tyrant's resent ment. In the cause of a woman of Arretium, he de fended the rights of certain towns in Italy to the free om of Rome, which Sylla had taken away, and gained his plea, though opposed by the distinguished orator Cotta.