Book 2, Chapter 48
Original Latin
100 Restant duo divinandi genera, quae habere dicimur a natura, non ab arte, vaticinandi et somniandi; de quibus, Quinte, inquam, si placet, disseramus. Mihi vero, inquit, placet; his enim, quae adhuc disputasti, prorsus adsentior, et, vere ut loquar, quamquam tua me oratio confirmavit, tamen etiam mea sponte nimis superstitiosam de divinatione Stoicorum sententiam iudicabam; haec me Peripateticorum ratio magis movebat et veteris Dicaearchi et eius, qui nunc floret, Cratippi, qui censent esse in mentibus hominum tamquam oraclum aliquod, ex quo futura praesentiant, si aut furore divino incitatus animus aut somno relaxatus solute moveatur ac libere. His de generibus quid sentias et quibus ea rationibus infirmes, audire sane velim.
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.
100 “Two kinds of divination remain,” I said, “which we are said to possess by nature, not through a learned art: inspired prophecy and dreaming. Let us discuss them, Quintus, if you agree.” “I certainly agree,” he said. “I entirely accept the arguments you have made so far. Indeed, to speak frankly, although your account has strengthened my conviction, I had already come on my own to think the Stoic view of divination excessively superstitious. I was more drawn to the Peripatetic account, both that of Dicaearchus in earlier times and that of Cratippus, who flourishes today. They hold that the human mind contains something like an oracle, from which it gains a foreknowledge of the future when the spirit moves freely and without restraint, either stirred by divine frenzy or released in sleep. I should very much like to hear what you think of these kinds, and by what arguments you undermine them.”
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.
100 “We still have inspired prophecy and dreams to consider,” I said. “These two forms of divination supposedly come naturally to us, rather than through training. Shall we talk about them, Quintus, if you agree?” “I would like that very much,” he said. “I agree completely with what you have argued so far. To tell the truth, your speech has strengthened my view, but I already thought on my own that the Stoics' view of divination was too superstitious. I was more impressed by the Peripatetics' account, both that of Dicaearchus long ago and that of Cratippus, who is prominent today. They think human minds contain something like an oracle, through which they sense the future. It can do this if divine frenzy rouses it or sleep loosens it, leaving it free to move without restriction. I would very much like to hear what you think about these kinds, and the reasons you have for rejecting them.”
About this section
Book 2, Chapter 48 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 106 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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