Section 3
Original Latin
Chapter 2
sed ne cui vestrum mirum esse videatur, me in quaestione legitima et in iudicio publico, cum res agatur apud praetorem populi Romani, lectissimum virum, et apud severissimos iudices, tanto conventu hominum ac frequentia hoc uti genere dicendi quod non modo a consuetudine iudiciorum verum etiam a forensi sermone abhorreat, quaeso a vobis ut in hac causa mihi detis hanc veniam accommodatam huic reo, vobis, quem ad modum spero, non molestam, ut me pro summo poeta atque eruditissimo homine dicentem hoc concursu hominum litteratissimorum, hac vestra humanitate, hoc denique praetore exercente iudicium, patiamini de studiis humanitatis ac litterarum paulo loqui liberius, et in eius modi persona quae propter otium ac studium minime in iudiciis periculisque tractata est uti prope novo quodam et inusitato genere dicendi.
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.
Chapter 2
But lest any of you find it strange that, in a statutory inquiry and a public trial, before a praetor of the Roman people, a man of the highest distinction, and before judges of the strictest integrity, amid so large a gathering and such a crowded audience, I should use a manner of speaking foreign not only to courtroom practice but even to the ordinary language of the forum, I ask you to grant me a liberty suited to this defendant and, I hope, not unwelcome to yourselves. Speaking for a poet of the highest order and a man of profound learning, before this gathering of deeply cultivated people, with your own culture to encourage me, and with this particular praetor presiding, allow me to speak somewhat more freely about humane learning and literature. And in defending a man whose quiet, studious life has left him little acquainted with trials and their dangers, allow me a manner of speaking that is almost new and unfamiliar.
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.
Chapter 2
Still, some of you may find my way of speaking surprising. This is a formal criminal trial, held before a praetor of the Roman people, an outstanding man, and before judges who take their duties very seriously. A large crowd has gathered here. Yet I am using a style unlike not only the usual language of trials but even the ordinary language of the courts.
So I ask you to allow me something suited to this defendant and, I hope, not troublesome to you. I am speaking for a great poet and a deeply learned man. With so many highly educated people gathered here, with your own education and culture, and, finally, with this praetor presiding, please let me speak a little more freely about literature and the studies that develop our humanity. This man has lived a quiet life of study and has had very little experience of trials and their dangers. In defending someone like him, please let me use a style of speaking that is almost new and unfamiliar.
About this section
Section 3 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 3 of 32 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
Open the work page for the full contents, every edition, and the download links, or go back to Explore to browse other complete works in the Roman tradition. The reader keeps your place when you are signed in and lets you compare the original with each translation, one edition at a time.