Section 5
Original Latin
erat Italia tum plena Graecarum artium ac disciplinarum, studiaque haec et in Latio vehementius tum colebantur quam nunc isdem in oppidis, et hic Romae propter tranquillitatem rei publicae non neglegebantur. itaque hunc et Tarentini [et Locrenses] et Regini et Neapolitani civitate ceterisque praemiis donarunt, et omnes qui aliquid de ingeniis poterant iudicare cognitione atque hospitio dignum existimarunt. hac tanta celebritate famae cum esset iam absentibus notus, Romam venit Mario consule et Catulo. nactus est primum consules eos quorum alter res ad scribendum maximas, alter cum res gestas tum etiam studium atque auris adhibere posset. statim Luculli, cum praetextatus etiam tum Archias esset, eum domum suam receperunt. dedit etiam hoc non solum [lumen] ingeni ac litterarum verum etiam naturae atque virtutis ut domus, quae huius adulescentiae prima favit, eadem esset familiarissima senectuti.
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.
Italy was then full of Greek arts and learning. These studies were cultivated more eagerly in Latium then than they are now in the same towns, and here at Rome, too, the peace of the republic allowed them their due attention. Accordingly, the people of Tarentum, Locri, Rhegium, and Naples honored him with citizenship and other rewards, and everyone capable of judging talent considered him worthy of their acquaintance and hospitality. With his reputation so widely celebrated that people already knew him without having met him, he came to Rome in the consulship of Marius and Catulus. He thus first encountered consuls of whom one could supply the greatest deeds for him to write about, while the other could offer both achievements and an attentive, sympathetic ear. The Luculli immediately welcomed him into their home, although Archias still wore the bordered toga of boyhood. The brilliance not only of his talent and learning but also of his character and virtue ensured this further blessing: the household that first encouraged his youth remained his closest friend in old age.
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.
Greek learning and the arts flourished all across Italy then. The towns of Latium pursued them more eagerly than those same towns do today. Here in Rome, too, they were not neglected, because the state was at peace. So the people of Tarentum, Locri, Rhegium, and Naples gave him citizenship and other rewards. Everyone capable of judging talent thought him worth getting to know and welcoming into their homes.
His reputation had spread so widely that people already knew of him without having met him. He came to Rome when Marius and Catulus were consuls. He was fortunate from the start in those consuls. One could supply great deeds for him to write about. The other could offer not only his achievements but also an interested and attentive audience. The Lucullus family immediately welcomed him into their home, although Archias was still young enough to wear the toga with a purple border. The same household that first supported him as a young man remained his closest friend in old age. This showed not only the brilliance of his talent and learning but also his character and goodness.
About this section
Section 5 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 5 of 32 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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