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[124] At this point it is not at all irrelevant to discuss the duties of magistrates, of private individuals, [of native citizens,] and of foreigners.

It is, then, peculiarly the place of a magistrate to1 bear in mind that he represents the state and that it is his duty to uphold its honour and its dignity, to enforce the law, to dispense to all their constitutional rights, and to remember that all this has been committed to him as a sacred trust.

The private individual ought first, in private relations, 2 to live on fair and equal terms with his fellowcitizens, with a spirit neither servile and grovelling nor yet domineering; and second, in matters pertaining to the state, to labour for her peace and honour; for such a man we are accustomed to esteem and call a good citizen.

1 (3) magistrates

2 (4) private citizens,

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load focus Introduction (Walter Miller, 1913)
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  • Cross-references in indexes to this page (1):
    • M. Tullius Cicero, De Officiis: index, Duty
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