Section 20
Original Latin
neque enim quisquam est tam aversus a Musis qui non mandari versibus aeternum suorum laborum praeconium facile patiatur. Themistoclem illum, summum Athenis virum, dixisse aiunt, cum ex eo quaereretur quod acroama aut cuius vocem libentissime audiret: “eius a quo sua virtus optime praedicaretur.” itaque ille Marius item eximie L. Plotium dilexit, cuius ingenio putabat ea quae gesserat posse celebrari.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation made directly from the Latin in Clark’s 1911 edition; source-language model review recorded. Perseus transcription: CC BY-SA 4.0, credited to the Perseus Project, Tufts University.
For no one is so estranged from the Muses that he would not readily welcome an everlasting tribute to his labors enshrined in verse. Themistocles, that foremost man of Athens, is said to have been asked what performer, or whose voice, he most enjoyed hearing. He answered, “The man who best proclaims my valor.” So Marius, too, was exceptionally fond of Lucius Plotius, whose talent, he thought, could celebrate his achievements.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation made independently and directly from the Latin, not from the Musean edition; source-language model review recorded. Perseus transcription: CC BY-SA 4.0, credited to the Perseus Project, Tufts University.
No one is so hostile to the Muses that he would not gladly have his hard work celebrated forever in verse. They say that Themistocles, that great Athenian, was asked what he most liked to hear—what performer, what voice. He answered, “The voice of the man who praises my courage best.” In the same way, Marius was especially fond of Lucius Plotius. He thought that Plotius’s talent could make his achievements famous.
About this section
Section 20 is part of For Archias the Poet by Marcus Tullius Cicero. This page sets the Latin original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is part 20 of 32 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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