Sec.Sec.72—­78.  Summary.  You accuse me of appealing to ancient names like a revolutionist, yet Anaxagoras, Democritus, and Metrodorus, philosophers of the highest position, protest against the truth of sense knowledge, and deny the possibility of knowledge altogether (72, 73).  Empedocles, Xenophanes, and Parmenides all declaim against sense knowledge.  You said that Socrates and Plato must not be classed with these.  Why?  Socrates said he knew nothing but his own ignorance, while Plato pursued the same theme in all his works (74).  Now do you see that I do not merely name, but take for my models famous men?  Even Chrysippus stated many difficulties concerning the senses and general experience.  You say he solved them, even if he did, which I do not believe, he admitted that it was not easy to escape being ensnared by them (75).  The Cyrenaics too held that they knew nothing about things external to themselves.  The sincerity of Arcesilas may be seen thus (76).  Zeno held strongly that the wise man ought to keep clear from opinion.  Arcesilas agreed but this without knowledge was impossible. Knowledge consists of perceptions.  Arcesilas therefore demanded a definition of perception.  This definition Arcesilas combated.  This is the controversy which has lasted to our time.  Do away with opinion and perception, and the [Greek:  epoche] of Arcesilas follows at once (77, 78).

Sec.72. De antiquis philosophis:  on account of the somewhat awkward constr.  Lamb. read antiquos philosophos. Popularis:  cf. 13. Res non bonas:  MSS. om. non, which Or. added with two very early editions.  Faber ingeniously supposed the true reading to be novas, which would be written nobas, and then pass into bonas. Nivem nigram:  this deliverance of Anaxagoras is very often referred to by Sextus.  In P.H. I. 33 he quotes it as an instance of the refutation of [Greek:  phainomena] by means of [Greek:  nooumena], “[Greek:  Anaxagoras toi leuken einai ten chiona, anetithei hoti chion estin hydor pepegos to de hydor esti melan kai he chion ara melaina].”  There is an obscure joke on this in Ad Qu.  Fratrem II. 13, 1 risi nivem atram ... teque hilari animo esse et prompto ad iocandum valde me iuvat. Sophistes:  here treated as the demagogue of philosophy. Ostentationis:  = [Greek:  epideixeos].

Sec.73. Democrito:  Cic., as Madv. remarks on D.F. I. 20, always exaggerates the merits of Democr. in order to depreciate the Epicureans, cf. T.D. I. 22, De Div. I. 5, II. 139, N.D. I. 120, De Or. I. 42. Quintae classis:  a metaphor from the Roman military order. Qui veri esse aliquid, etc.:  cf. N.D. I. 12 non enim sumus ii quibus nihil verum esse videatur, sed ii qui omnibus veris falsa quaedam adiuncta dicamus. Non obscuros sed