Section 18
Original Latin
quotiens ego hunc Archiam vidi, iudices,—utar enim vestra benignitate, quoniam me in hoc novo genere dicendi tam diligenter attenditis—quotiens ego hunc vidi, cum litteram scripsisset nullam, magnum numerum optimorum versuum de eis ipsis rebus quae tum agerentur dicere ex tempore, quotiens revocatum eandem rem dicere commutatis verbis atque sententiis! quae vero accurate cogitateque scripsisset, ea sic vidi probari ut ad veterum scriptorum laudem perveniret. hunc ego non diligam, non admirer, non omni ratione defendendum putem? atque sic a summis hominibus eruditissimisque accepimus, ceterarum rerum studia ex doctrina et praeceptis et arte constare, poetam natura ipsa valere et mentis viribus excitari et quasi divino quodam spiritu inflari. qua re suo iure noster ille Ennius “sanctos” appellat poetas, quod quasi deorum aliquo dono atque munere commendati nobis esse videantur.
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.
How often, gentlemen of the jury, have I seen Archias here—I will take advantage of your kindness, since you are listening so attentively to this unfamiliar kind of pleading—how often have I seen him, without having written a single letter, improvise a great number of excellent verses on the very matters being discussed at the time! How often, when called upon to repeat himself, have I heard him treat the same subject with different words and thoughts! And the works he had written with care and reflection I have seen acclaimed so highly that he rivaled the renown of the ancient writers. Should I not love this man, not admire him, not consider him worthy of defense by every means?
Moreover, we have learned from men of the greatest distinction and learning that other pursuits depend on teaching, rules, and practiced skill, but that the poet draws his power from nature itself, is stirred by the strength of his own mind, and is filled with something like a divine breath. Rightly, then, does our own Ennius call poets “sacred,” since they seem entrusted to us by a special gift and bounty of the gods.
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.
How often I have seen Archias perform, judges! Let me make use of your goodwill here: you have given such close attention to this unfamiliar kind of speech. How often I have seen him make up a large number of excellent verses on the spot, about the very matters being discussed, without having written a single letter beforehand! How often, when asked to repeat his performance, he has treated the same subject with different words and thoughts! As for the things he wrote with care and thought, I have seen them win praise equal to that given to the ancient writers. Should I not love this man? Should I not admire him? Should I not think he deserves every possible defense?
And this is what the greatest and most learned men have taught us. Other fields of study depend on teaching, rules, and trained skill. A poet draws his strength from nature itself. The powers of his mind stir him, and something like a divine breath fills him. So our own Ennius is right to call poets “sacred.” They seem to have been entrusted to our care through some gift and favor of the gods.
About this section
Section 18 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 section 18 of 32 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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