Note 11 — PREFACE, ON THE MANNER OF WRITING DIALOGUE.

A curious passage, or two, in his Letters to Atticus, will serve to illustrate this observation. The academic questions were drawn up, and finished, when a doubt occurred to him, whether he should not change one of the speakers in that Dialogue, and, instead of Varro, introduce Brutus; who would suit his purpose, he said, just as well, because his philosophic principles were the same with those of Varro—si addubitas, says he to Atticus, ad Brutum transeamus. Est enim is quoque Antiochius. l. xiii. 25. Was this a change to be easily made, if it were necessary, in this kind of writing, to suit the style and manner of expression to the character of the speakers? Yet, hear how negligently he treats this matter—Opinor igitur consideremus, etsi nomina jam facta sunt. Sed VEL INDUCI, VEL MUTARI POSSUNT. l. xiii. 14.—In other words, provided the cast of the several parts was the same, the language of the Dialogue would require no alteration. It was indifferent, in this respect, who were the speakers.