Book 2, Chapter 46
Original Latin
96 Quid? illudne dubium est, quin multi, cum ita nati essent, ut quaedam contra naturam depravata haberent, restituerentur et corrigerentur ab natura, cum se ipsa revocasset, aut arte atque medicina? ut, quorum linguae sic inhaererent, ut loqui non possent, eae scalpello resectae liberarentur. Multi etiam naturae vitium meditatione atque exercitatione sustulerunt, ut Demosthenem scribit Phalereus, cum rho dicere nequiret, exercitatione fecisse, ut planissume diceret. Quodsi haec astro ingenerata et tradita essent, nulla res ea mutare posset. Quid? dissimilitudo locorum nonne dissimilis hominum procreationes habet? quas quidem percurrere oratione facile est, quid inter Indos et Persas, Aethiopas et Syros differat corporibus, animis, ut incredibilis varietas dissimilitudoque sit.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted Musean translation, made directly from the Latin in separate source-only tasks and reviewed throughout against it. Both books, all 130 chapters and 282 numbered sections; no historical English translation used. Latin transcription credited to the Perseus Project under CC BY-SA 4.0, Müller’s 1915 Teubner edition.
96 “Again, is there any doubt that many people born with some unnatural deformity have been restored and set right either by nature, recovering its proper course, or by medical skill? People whose tongues were so tightly bound that they could not speak, for instance, have had them freed by a surgeon’s knife. Many have also overcome a natural defect by practice and exercise. Demetrius of Phalerum writes that Demosthenes, who could not pronounce the letter rho, practiced until he could pronounce it perfectly clearly. If these defects had been implanted and bestowed by a star, nothing could alter them. And do not different regions produce different kinds of people? It is easy enough to survey in words the differences in body and mind between Indians and Persians, Ethiopians and Syrians: their variety and unlikeness are astonishing.
Plain English translation
Complete machine-assisted Plain English translation, made independently and directly from the Latin, never from the Musean edition. Both books and every numbered section; a separate Latin-source model review covered the entire text. No human specialist review is claimed.
96 “Surely no one doubts that many people have had defects present at birth put right, either as nature restored itself or through skilled medical treatment. For example, some people's tongues were so tightly attached that they could not speak, but an incision with a scalpel freed them. Many have also overcome a natural defect through practice and exercise. Demetrius of Phalerum writes that Demosthenes could not pronounce the Greek letter rho, but practiced until he could say it perfectly clearly. If a star had implanted and imposed these defects, nothing could change them. And don't different places produce different kinds of people? We can easily describe how Indians differ from Persians, and Ethiopians from Syrians, in body and mind: the variety is astonishing.
About this section
Book 2, Chapter 46 is part of On Divination 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 chapter 104 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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