domum deducere.  Aetatem patriae etc., August. (De Civ.  Dei VI. 3) describes Varro’s “Libri Antiquitatum” (referred to in 8), in which most of the subjects here mentioned were treated of. Descriptiones temporum:  lists of dates, so [Greek:  chronoi] is technically used for dates, Thuc.  V. 20, etc. Tu sacerdotum:  after this Lamb. inserts munera to keep the balance of the clauses.  Cic. however is quite as fond of variety as of formal accuracy. Domesticam—­bellicam:  opposed like domi bellique, cf. Brut. 49, De Off. I. 74.  Augustine’s reading publicam shows him to have been quoting from memory. Sedem:  so the best MSS. of Aug., some edd. here give sedium.  The argument for sedem is the awkwardness of making the three genitives, sedium, regionum, locorum, dependent on the accusatives, nomina, genera, officia, causas.  Cic. is fond of using sedes, locus, regio together, see Pro Murena, 85, Pro Cluentio, 171, quoted by Goer. Omnium divinarum humanarumque rerum:  from the frequent references of Aug. it appears that the “Libri Antiquitatum” were divided into two parts, one treating of res humanae, the other of res divinae (De Civ.  Dei, IV. 1, 27, VI. 3). Et litteris luminis:  for luminis, cf. T.D. I. 5. Et verbis:  Manut. reads rebus from 26.  Varro’s researches into the Latin tongue are meant. Multis locis incohasti:  Varro’s book “De Philosophia” had apparently not yet been written.

Sec.10. Causa:  = [Greek:  prophasis]. Probabilem:  = specious. Nesciunt:  Halm with his one MS. G, which is the work of a clever emendator, gives nescient to suit malent above, and is followed by Baiter.  It is not necessary to force on Cic. this formally accurate sequence of tenses, which Halm himself allows to be broken in two similar passages, II. 20, 105. Sed da mihi nunc, satisne probas?:  So all MSS. except G, which has the evident conj. sed ea (eam) mihi non sane probas.  This last Baiter gives, while Halm after Durand reads sed eam mihi non satis probas, which is too far from the MSS. to please me.  The text as it stands is not intolerable, though da mihi for dic mihi is certainly poetic. Da te mihi (Manut., Goer., Orelli) is far too strong for the passage, and cannot be supported by 12, Brut. 306, Ad Fam. II. 8, or such like passages. Attius:  the old spelling Accius is wrong. Si qui ... imitati:  note the collocation, and cf. 17.  Halm needlessly writes sint for MSS. sunt.  For this section throughout cf. the prologues to D.F. I., T.D. I. and II.