If the common reading dissensit in De Or. III. 68 is right, the restriction does not hold. Admodum:  “to a degree.” Fratre:  this brother was adopted by a M. Terentius Varro, and was a man of distinction also; see Dict.  Biog. Magna cum gloria:  a ref. to Dict.  Biog. will show that the whole affair was discreditable to the father; to our notions, the sons would have gained greater glory by letting it drop. Quaestor:  to Sulla, who employed him chiefly in the civil administration of Asia. Continuo:  without any interval. Legis praemio:  this seems to mean “by the favour of a special law,” passed of course by Sulla, who had restored the old lex annalis in all its rigour, and yet excepted his own officers from its operation. Prooemio, which has been proposed, would not be Latin, see De Leg. II. 16. Consulatum:  he seems to have been absent during the years 84—­74, in the East. Superiorum:  scarcely that of Sulla.

Sec.2. Laus:  “merit,” as often, so praemium, Virg. Aen. XII. 437, means a deed worthy of reward. Non admodum exspectabatur:  Cic. forgets that Luc. had served with distinction in the Social War and the first Mithridatic war. In Asia pace:  three good MSS. have Asiae; Baiter ejects Asia; Guilelmus read in Asia in pace (which Davies conjectures, though he prints Asiae). Consumere followed by an ablative without in is excessively rare in Cic.  Madv. D.F. V. 53 denies the use altogether.  In addition, however, to our passage, I note hoc loco consumitur in T.D. IV. 23, where Baiter’s two texts (1861 and 1863) give no variants. Pace here perhaps ought to be taken adverbially, like tranqullo. Indocilem:  this is simply passive, = “untaught,” as in Prop.  I. 2, 12, Ov. Fast. III. 119 (the last qu. by Dav.).  Forc. s.v. is wrong in making it active. Factus:  = perfectus; cf.  Hor. Sat. I. 5, 33 homo factus ad unguem, Cic. De Or. III. 184, In Verr. IV. 126.  So effectus in silver Latin. Rebus gestis:  military history, so often. Divinam quandam memoriam:  the same phrase in De Or. II. 360. Rerum, verborum:  same distinction in De Or. II. 359. Oblivisci se malle:  the same story is told D.F. II. 104, De Or. II. 299.  The ancient art of memory was begun by Simonides (who is the person denoted here by cuidam) and completed by Metrodorus of Scepsis, for whom see De Or. II. 360. Consignamus:  cf. consignatae in animis notiones in T.D. I. 57. litteris must be an ablative of the instrument. Mandare monum.:  cf.  I. 3. Insculptas:  rare in the metaphorical use, cf. N.D. I. 45.