Book 2, Chapter 57
Original Latin
117 Sed, quod caput est, cur isto modo iam oracla Delphis non eduntur non modo nostra aetate, sed iam diu, iam ut nihil possit esse contemptius? Hoc loco cum urguentur, evanuisse aiunt vetustate vim loci eius, unde anhelitus ille terrae fieret, quo Pythia mente incitata oracla ederet. De vino aut salsamento putes loqui, quae evanescunt vetustate; de vi loci agitur, neque solum naturali, sed etiam divina; quae quo tandem modo evanuit? Vetustate, inquies. Quae vetustas est, quae vim divinam conficere possit? quid tam divinum autem quam adflatus e terra mentem ita movens, ut eam providam rerum futurarum efficiat? ut ea non modo cernat multo ante, sed etiam numero versuque pronuntiet. Quando ista vis autem evanuit? an postquam homines minus creduli esse coeperunt?
118 Demosthenes quidem, qui abhinc annos prope trecentos fuit, iam tum φιλιππίζειν Pythiam dicebat, id est quasi cum Philippo facere. Hoc autem eo spectabat, ut eam a Philippo corruptam diceret; <ex> quo licet existumare in aliis quoque oraculis Delphicis aliquid non sinceri fuisse. Sed nescio quo modo isti philosophi superstitiosi et paene fanatici quidvis malle videntur quam se non ineptos. Evanuisse mavultis et extinctum esse id, quod si umquam fuisset, certe aeternum esset, quam ea, quae non sunt credenda, non credere.
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.
117 “But the main point is this: why are oracles of that kind no longer delivered at Delphi—not merely in our day, but for a long time now, until nothing could be held in greater contempt? Pressed on this point, they say that time has exhausted the power of the place from which rose that breath of earth that stirred the Pythia’s mind to deliver oracles. You would think they were talking about wine or salted fish, which lose their strength with age! We are discussing the power of a place, a power not merely natural but divine. How, then, did it fade away? ‘With age,’ you will say. What age can wear out divine power? And what could be more divine than an exhalation from the earth that moves the mind so as to give it foresight of things to come—not merely discerning them far in advance, but declaring them in meter and verse? When did this power fade away? Was it after people began to be less credulous?
118 “Demosthenes, who lived nearly three hundred years ago, was already saying then that the Pythia was φιλιππίζειν, ‘taking Philip’s side.’ His meaning was that Philip had bribed her. From that we may infer that other Delphic oracles too were less than honest. Yet somehow these superstitious, almost fanatical philosophers seem to prefer anything to being sensible. You would rather have something fade away and die out—something that, had it ever existed, would surely have been eternal—than disbelieve what ought not to be believed.
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.
117 “But here is the main point. Why are oracles of that kind no longer given at Delphi—not just in our time, but for a long while now, until nothing could be held in lower regard? When pressed on this, they say the force of the place has faded with age. This force produced that breath from the earth which stirred the Pythia's mind to deliver oracles. That sounds like talk about wine or salted fish losing their strength as they get old! We are discussing the force of a place, and a force not just natural but divine. How exactly did it fade? ‘With age,’ you will say. What sort of age can wear out a divine force? What could be more divine than a breath rising out of the ground and stirring the mind until it can foresee events? It not only sees things far in advance, but speaks them in rhythm and verse. And when did this force fade? After people began to be less gullible?
118 “Nearly three hundred years ago, Demosthenes was already accusing the Pythia of ‘siding with Philip.’ His point was that Philip had bribed her. That gives us reason to think there was something dishonest in other Delphic oracles too. Somehow these superstitious, almost fanatical philosophers seem willing to be anything but sensible. You prefer to think something faded and died out—something that, if it had ever existed, would surely have been eternal—rather than stop believing things that should not be believed.
About this section
Book 2, Chapter 57 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 115 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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