Section 28
Original Latin
atque ut id libentius faciatis, iam me vobis, iudices, indicabo et de meo quodam amore gloriae nimis acri fortasse, verum tamen honesto vobis confitebor. nam quas res nos in consulatu nostro vobiscum simul pro salute huius [urbis] atque imperi et pro vita civium proque universa re publica gessimus, attigit hic versibus atque inchoavit. quibus auditis, quod mihi magna res et iucunda visa est, hunc ad perficiendum adornavi. nullam enim virtus aliam mercedem laborum periculorumque desiderat praeter hanc laudis et gloriae; qua quidem detracta, iudices, quid est quod in hoc tam exiguo vitae curriculo et tam brevi tantis nos in laboribus exerceamus?
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.
And to make you do so more willingly, judges, I shall now reveal myself to you and confess a certain love of glory of my own—perhaps too ardent, but honorable nonetheless. The deeds that we accomplished together during my consulship, for the safety of this city and its empire, for the lives of its citizens and for the whole republic, Archias has touched upon in verse and begun to celebrate. When I heard those verses, because the undertaking seemed to me both great and welcome, I encouraged him to complete it. For virtue desires no other reward for its labors and dangers than this reward of praise and glory. Take that away, judges, and what reason have we, in this narrow and brief course of life, to wear ourselves out with such great labors?
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.
To encourage you to do this, judges, I will now tell you something about myself. I admit that I too have a love of glory. Perhaps it is too strong, but it is still honorable. During my consulship, I worked together with you to save this city and its empire, the citizens’ lives, and the whole republic. Archias has begun to write about those achievements in verse. When I heard what he had written, I thought it was an important and pleasing undertaking. I urged him to finish it. The only payment that virtue asks for its hard work and dangers is praise and glory. Without that reward, judges, why would we spend our very short, limited lives struggling so hard?
About this section
Section 28 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 28 of 32 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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