Letter coll=Q FR:book=3:letter=5 Letter XXIII: ad Quintum fratrem 3.5
Tusculum, Oct., 54 B.C.
[sect. 1]
de illis libris : the books of the de Re Publica.
novendialibus iis feriis: cf. Cic. de Re Pub. 1.14 nam cam P. Africanus hic, Pauli filius, fenis Lotinis Taditano et Aquillo cos. constituisset in hortis esse.
Tuditano et Aquilio consulibus: i.e. 129 B.C.
sermo est, etc.: cf. Att. 4.16.2 (written in July of this year)
in novem [gap in text] libros: the finished work actually contained but six books (cf. de Div. 2.3). About one-third of it is extant.
hominum: i.e. Africanus, Laelius, and the others.
Sallustio: probably the man to whom Fam. 2.17 is addressed, and who relates Cicero's dream in de Div. 1.59.
consularis: and therefore a man of much experience in managing the affairs of a great commonwealth, and not a mere publicist like Heraclides.
de ratione dicendi: the de Oratore, which purports to be a discussion that took place in Cicero's youth (B.C. 91
).
