Ancient Quotations in the Adams-Jefferson Correspondence

In his Oct. 9th, 1787 letter to Jefferson, Adams expresses his worries for the future of the country. He says "You and I have been indefatigable Labourers...for a Cause which will be thrown away in the next generation..." He says this because he believes that Americans will stray from virtues which were fundamental to the nations founding, as their vanity will prove stronger than their commitment to principle. He concludes this letter with a quote from Catalinam 1, by Cicero, "O tempora - oh mores" which is translated to mean "O what times (we live in)!, O what customs (we pursue)!" In Cicero's case, this was an expression of his frustration that Cataline had not been executed, in spite of evidence that he had conspired to overthrow the Roman government and the senate had ruled against him. Adams is similarly frustrated because he believes that the country's resolutions will be "kept until an opportunity presents to violate it." He laments that society will forsake virtue as soon as another, more appealing option presents itself. In modern days, this phrase is still used to express criticism of political trends or attitudes. 

On May 11th, 1794 John Adams wrote a letter to Thomas Jefferson in which he discusses the importance of putting into writing the laws and social contract of a society, so that it will become habitual to future citizens, and difficult for them to change. He also expresses his worries regarding how a war would affect the country, complaining that those who dread aristocracy but advocate war are "the most inconsistent of all Men." He tells Jefferson that if he had a plantation and laborers, then he would be tempted to follow Jefferson's example and leave "the smoke, the wealth, the din, of Rome." By using this quotation, Adams is yearning for a simpler, less worrisome lifestyle. In Horace's Odes, he says that change can be good for a rich man, that living a simpler life "smooths the furrows on a wrinkled forehead." The author describes someone who worries about politics, and about things which are out of his control. Adams, by quoting this work, is perhaps admitting that much of what he worries about is out of his control, but his life and his profession keep him involved in politics, even though he sometimes wants to separate himself from the chaos and anxiety that it brings.

The February 3rd, 1812 letter from Adams to Jefferson, Adams again mentions his anxiety about the future of the Union. He says that the union has already been put in jeopardy by certain men, while he praises other men for their commitment to independence. He uses a phrase meaning "small communities grow great through harmony, great ones fall to pieces through discord." The phrase is also used in Sallust, Jugurtha 10, when the king of Numidia speaks to his adopted son Jugurtha, requesting that Jugurtha not cause conflict with his adopted brothers, but that he cooperate with them for the good of the nation. Jugurtha was popular with the people and became especially well respected for his military success. Adams, in his letter, comments on the praise and admiration that military heroes receive - other men can't stand against them in the eyes of the public. This suggests that perhaps, like the king, Adams fears that the involvement of certain military men in politics will disrupt the governance of the nation. This phrase is also used in Juvenal, Satire 3, which is a monologue by a man who is leaving Rome in which he discusses how Rome has become unlivable. He says it has become a place of dishonesty and false flattery, where the poor are mistreated and the people are petty and materialistic.  Adams's use of the phrase shows his apprehension about the future, as he says " ...the Prospect of the Future, will depend on the Union: and how is that Union to be preserved." He fears that, like Rome, the United States will deteriorate as people seek to further their own interests no matter how it affects the union. Adams's illustrates the nations potential to go either way: it may grow from a small, young country into a strong, prosperous nation, or it may crumble and decay. 

In his June 27th, 1813 letter to Adams Jefferson writes that he wouldn't know where to start in the discussion of the many "opinions, discussions, and contentions which have occurred..." He says that the political parties then present in the US were the same as had existed in many civilizations though all time, as there is always a conflict between the power of the people and the power of the aristocracy. He reminds Adams to the parties in the old congress, and of how the two were on the same side in multiple debates. Later, however, they became the figureheads of opposing parties, and those parties conducted themselves with animosity. He mentions a letter that was exposed, which shouldn't have been, but says that "opinions, which are equally honest on both sides, should not affect personal esteem, or social intercourse. Jefferson starts the letter with a quotation from Theocritus, Idyll 17, which is a hymn praising Ptolemy Philadelphus. The end of this hymn says "Prince Ptolemy, farewell, and of thee will I make mention, even as of the other demigods; and a word methinks I will utter not to be rejected of men yet unborn,—excellence, howbeit, thou shalt gain from Zeus." In referencing this hymn, Jefferson seems to be also referring to how he and his friend will be remembered. He says that there is nothing left for them to say on the matter, but that "future peers" will judge their conflicting opinions on government. Jefferson appears to be trying to assure his friend that in spite of having at times differed in opinion, and regardless of what others how others will judge them, Adams is someone for whom he feels great respect and affection.

In their correspondence from the year 1820, the two men discuss matter. Adams ponders the debate between spirit and matter, and says he is unsure of what Essence consists. He accepts the infinite divisibility of matter, and because matter is so infinitely small he finds it difficult to believe that matter is capable of doing all the things that an Essence is capable of doing (memory, judgment, feeling). However, because he doesn't know how Spirit would be able to do these things, he admits he is ignorant of the answer to this question, and for this reason says he cannot take a side. In so saying, he accepts the possible validity of differing religious and philosophical thoughts of the time. Jefferson responds by saying that through his senses he knows that he exists, and that other bodies exist, and these can be called matter. He says anything that is not matter is a void, or nothing. He believes that even thoughts or feelings are specific organizations of matter. He says that the Creator gave matter this ability to be put into action through thinking, and says that the human soul, angels, and God are all material things. He even says that to claim that they are not matter is heresy. He refers to various ancient texts to support his claim that spiritual things are, in fact, material things. This is an important reflection of his beliefs and his certainty about God and the human soul, as he says that those who don't believe these things to consist of matter are saying that God is nothing and are, therefore, atheists.