▁and ▁the ▁tran qu ility ▁and ▁happiness ▁of ▁human ▁life ." ▁In ▁this ▁view , ▁" wick ed ▁and ▁un just ▁stat utes " ▁are ▁" any thing ▁but ▁' la ws ,' " ▁because ▁" in ▁the ▁very ▁definition ▁of ▁the ▁term ▁' law ' ▁there ▁inher es ▁the ▁idea ▁and ▁principle ▁of ▁choosing ▁what ▁is ▁just ▁and ▁true ." ▁Law , ▁for ▁Cic ero , ▁" ought ▁to ▁be ▁a ▁reform er ▁of ▁vice ▁and ▁an ▁in cent ive ▁to ▁virtue ." ▁Cic ero ▁expressed ▁the ▁view ▁that ▁" the ▁virt ues ▁which ▁we ▁ought ▁to ▁cultiv ate , ▁always ▁tend ▁to ▁our ▁own ▁happiness , ▁and ▁that ▁the ▁best ▁means ▁of ▁prom oting ▁them ▁consists ▁in ▁living ▁with ▁men ▁in ▁that ▁perfect ▁union ▁and ▁char ity ▁which ▁are ▁c ement ed ▁by ▁mut ual ▁benefits ." ▁ ▁In ▁De ▁Re ▁Public a , ▁he ▁writes : ▁ ▁Cic ero ▁influenced ▁the ▁discussion ▁of ▁natural ▁law ▁for ▁many ▁centuries ▁to ▁come , ▁up ▁through ▁the ▁era ▁of ▁the ▁American ▁Revolution . ▁The ▁juris pr ud ence ▁of ▁the ▁Roman ▁Empire ▁was ▁root ed ▁in ▁Cic ero , ▁who ▁held ▁" an ▁extraordinary ▁g rip ▁... ▁upon ▁the ▁imagination ▁of ▁poster ity " ▁as ▁" the ▁medium ▁for ▁the ▁propag ation ▁of ▁those ▁ideas ▁which ▁informed ▁the ▁law ▁and ▁institutions ▁of ▁the ▁emp ire ." ▁Cic ero ' s ▁conception ▁of ▁natural ▁law ▁" found ▁its ▁way ▁to ▁later ▁centuries ▁not ably ▁through ▁the ▁writ ings ▁of ▁Saint ▁Is id ore ▁of