Cicero (Cyclopedia of World Authors)
What was said of John Dryden might also be said of Cicero (SIHS-uh-roh), that he converted into marble the brick of his native tongue. Cicero’s main interest in language was, however, in how to use it most effectively to persuade people; in the process he shaped it so well that Latin, which had been one of many local ancient dialects, became a universal language. In a letter to Atticus, Cicero said: “Make yourself perfectly easy about the language I employ, I have plenty at my command; but my matter is not original.” In reality he constantly increased his erudition so that he...
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