Sec.147. Obscuritate:  cf.  I. 44, n. on I. 15. Plus uno:  115. Iacere:  cf. 79. Plagas:  cf. n. on 112.

Sec.148. Ad patris revolvor sententiam:  for this see Introd. 50, and for the expression 18. Opinaturum:  see 59, 67, 78, 112. Intellegat se:  MSS. intellegentes, cf. n. on 132. Qua re:  so Manut. for per of MSS. [Greek:  Epochen] illam omnium rerum:  an odd expression; cf. actio rerum in 62. Non probans:  so Madv. Em. 204 for MSS. comprobans.  Dav. conj. improbans and is followed by Bait.  I am not sure that the MSS. reading is wrong.  The difficulty is essentially the same as that involved in 104, which should be closely compared.  A contrast is drawn between a theoretical dogma and a practical belief.  The dogma is that assent (meaning absolute assent) is not to be given to phenomena.  This dogma Catulus might well describe himself as formally approving (comprobans).  The practice is to give assent (meaning modified assent).  There is the same contrast in 104 between placere and tenere.  I may note that the word alteri (cf. altero in 104) need not imply that the dogma and the practice are irreconcilable; a misconception on this point has considerably confirmed edd. in their introduction of the negative. Nec eam admodum:  cf. non repugnarem in 112. Tollendum:  many edd. have gone far astray in interpreting this passage.  The word is used with a double reference to adsensus and ancora; in the first way we have had tollere used a score of times in this book; with regard to the second meaning, cf.  Caes. Bell.  Gall. IV. 23, Bell.  Civ. I. 31, where tollere is used of weighing anchor, and Varro De Re Rust. III. 17, 1, where it occurs in the sense “to get on,” “to proceed,” without any reference to the sea. (The exx. are from Forc.) This passage I believe and this alone is referred to in Ad Att. XIII. 21, 3.  If my conjecture is correct, Cic. tried at first to manage a joke by using the word inhibendum, which had also a nautical signification, but finding that he had mistaken the meaning of the word, substituted tollendum.

[1] De Leg. II.  Sec.3.

[2] Cf. De Or. II.  Sec.1 with II.  Sec.5.

[3] Ad Fam. XIII. 1, Phaedrus nobis,... cum pueri essemus, valde ut philosophus probabatur.

[4] N.D. I. Sec.93, Phaedro nihil elegantius, nihil humanius.

[5] Ad Fam. XIII. 1.

[6] Brutus, Sec.309.

[7] Ad Att. II. 20, Sec.6.

[8] Ad Fam. XIII. 16. T.D. V. Sec.113. Acad. II.  Sec.115.

[9] Brutus, Sec.306.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Rep. I. Sec.7. T.D. V. Sec.5. De Off. II.  Sec.Sec.3,4. De Fato, Sec.2.