Dear Sir,

I read the July 2012 RES Newsletter with great interest.

While reading Ray Rees's ‘Letter from Germany’ I noticed what might be a small error, of an amusing sort. The quotation, attributed to Cicero, which appears at the top of page 3 is probably not Cicero’s. Its origin appears to be A Pillar of Iron (1965) by Taylor Caldwell, a writer of historical fiction. The quote has been further embellished by various American politicians over the years.

I hasten to add that I am not an authority on Cicero, and Mr Cicero is unavailable for comment. Nevertheless, I thought it might be of some interest or amusement to you, and I offer this information to you in the spirit of collaboration and good cheer.

Edward Briggs
Riverside
Connecticut 06878
USA