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 make you more willing to do this, judges, I will now reveal something about myself. I admit that I have a desire for glory that may be too intense, but is honorable all the same. Archias has begun to put into verse the things we did together with you during my consulship, for the safety of this city and its empire, for the lives of our citizens, and for the whole republic. When I heard his verses, I thought the work important and pleasing, and I urged him to finish it. For excellence asks no other reward for its hard work and dangers than praise and glory. Take that away, judges, and why should we subject ourselves to such hard work during this tiny, brief span of life?
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 section 28 of 32 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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