From jsiegel@nimbus.ocis.temple.edu Sun Sep 17 19:29:01 2000 Received: from mxu1.u.washington.edu (mxu1.u.washington.edu [140.142.32.8]) by lists.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW00.05/8.9.3+UW99.09) with ESMTP id TAA61924 for ; Sun, 17 Sep 2000 19:29:00 -0700 Received: from rly-ip02.mx.aol.com (rly-ip02.mx.aol.com [152.163.225.160]) by mxu1.u.washington.edu (8.9.3+UW00.02/8.9.3+UW99.09) with ESMTP id TAA01683 for ; Sun, 17 Sep 2000 19:28:59 -0700 Received: from tot-wf1-we.proxy.aol.com (tot-wf1-we.proxy.aol.com [205.188.195.3]) by rly-ip02.mx.aol.com (8.8.8/8.8.8/AOL-5.0.0) with ESMTP id WAA21656 for ; Sun, 17 Sep 2000 22:28:24 -0400 (EDT) Received: from Dr.J (AC81B084.ipt.aol.com [172.129.176.132]) by tot-wf1-we.proxy.aol.com (8.10.0/8.10.0) with SMTP id e8I2SNI17306 for ; Sun, 17 Sep 2000 22:28:23 -0400 (EDT) Message-ID: <06be01c02116$f8c48640$6a9cb798@J> From: "Janice Siegel" To: References: <01JUAKUR93EY008LW3@APSU01.APSU.EDU> Subject: Re: Cicero and Beetle Bailey and Major Major Date: Sun, 17 Sep 2000 22:20:10 -0400 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 X-MSMail-Priority: Normal X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook Express 5.00.2919.6600 X-MimeOLE: Produced By Microsoft MimeOLE V5.00.2919.6600 X-Apparently-From: Jfsiegel@aol.com Maybe Joseph Heller's Major Major owes Cicero a reverse debt - his secretary was instructed to let people in his office only if he *wasn't* there. Janice Janice Siegel Intellectual Heritage Program Temple University http://nimbus.temple.edu/~jsiegel http://www.drjclassics.com http://oll.temple.edu/ih ----- Original Message ----- From: To: ; Sent: Sunday, September 17, 2000 10:19 PM Subject: Cicero and Beetle Bailey > The comic strip Beetle Bailey for Sept. 17, 2000, recalls > an anecdote in Cicero, although I would hesitate to credit > or accuse Mort Walker of conscious imitation. > > In the strip, the nitwit lieutenant wants to see General Halftrack; > Miss Buxley insists that the general is out but the lieutenant > doesn't want to believe her. Finally the general sticks his head > in the room and declares, "Yes, I'm really, REALLY out!" In the > final frame he is in his office muttering, "Why doesn't anyone > believe anyone anymore?" > > Cicero, De Oratore II.276 tells how Scipio Nasica (presumably > the consul of 191 B.C.) called on the poet Ennius but was told > by a servant that he wasn't home; Nasica believed he really was. > > A few days later, Ennius called at Nasica's and asked for him > at the entrance, whereupon Nasica called out that he was not at > home. "What?" said Ennius, "don't I know your voice?" > Nasica replied, "You have a lot of nerve. When I asked for you, > I believed your servant when she said you were not home; > aren't you going to believe me myself?" > > ---------------------------------------------------------------- > George Pesely, Austin Peay State Univ. peselyg@apsu.edu .