there are few examples of the usage in the speeches. Cf. Lael. 26 _et
quidquid_; so sometimes _que_ as above, 13; also Lael. 30 _ut nullo egeat
suaque omnia in se posita iudicet_. -- SENI: Madvig's em. for _senis_. In
Leg. 1, 11 allusion is made to the great change which advancing years had
wrought in Cicero's own impassioned oratory. He was no doubt thinking of
that change when he wrote the words we have here. -- SERMO: 'style of
speaking'; a word of wider meaning than _oratio_, which only denotes public
speaking. -- QUIETUS ET REMISSUS: 'subdued and gentle'. The metaphor in
_remissus_ (which occurs also in 81) refers to the loosening of a
tight-stretched string; cf. _intentum_ etc. in 37 with n. With the whole
passage cf. Plin. Ep. 3, 1, 2 _nam iuvenes confusa adhuc quaedam et quasi
turbata non indecent; senibus placida omnia et ordinata conveniunt_. --
FACIT AUDIENTIAM: 'procures of itself a hearing for it'. In the words _per
se ipsa_ there is no doubt an allusion to the custom at large meetings in
ancient times whereby the _praeco_ or κηρυξ called on the people to listen
to the speakers. Cf. Liv. 43, 16, 8 _praeconem audientiam facere iussit_.
Note that this is the only classical use of the word _audientia_; it has
not the meaning of our 'audience' either in the sense of a body of
listeners, or as used in the expression 'to give audience'. -- COMPOSITA ET
MITIS: 'unimpassioned and smooth'. Cf. Quintil. 6, 2, 9 _affectus igitur
hos concitatos, illos mitis atque compositos esse dixerunt_. -- QUAM ...
NEQUEAS: 'and if you cannot practise oratory yourself'. Evidently _quam_
refers to _oratio_ in the widest sense, not to the special style of oratory
mentioned in the last sentence. With _si nequeas_ cf. _nisi exerceas_ in 21
with n. -- SCIPIONI ET LAELIO: '_a_ Scipio and _a_ Laelius'; _i.e._ 'young
friends such as Scipio and Laelius are to me'. -- PRAECIPERE: here
absolute, = _praecepta dare_; usually an accusative follows. -- STUDIIS
IUVENTUTIS: 'the zeal of youth'. _Studiis_ does not imply here the
deference of youth to age; the studia meant are the _virtutum studia_ of
26.