Book 1, Chapter 26
Original Latin
55 Sed quid ego Graecorum? nescio quo modo me magis nostra delectant. Omnes hoc historici, Fabii, Gellii, sed proxume Coelius: Cum bello Latino ludi votivi maxumi primum fierent, civitas ad arma repente est excitata, itaque ludis intermissis instaurativi constituti sunt. Qui ante quam fierent, cumque iam populus consedisset, servus per circum, cum virgis caederetur, furcam ferens ductus est. Exin cuidam rustico Romano dormienti visus est venire, qui diceret praesulem sibi non placuisse ludis, idque ab eodem iussum esse eum senatui nuntiare; illum non esse ausum. Iterum esse idem iussum et monitum, ne vim suam experiri vellet; ne tum quidem esse ausum. Exin filium eius esse mortuum, eandem in somnis admonitionem fuisse tertiam. Tum illum etiam debilem factum rem ad amicos detulisse, quorum de sententia lecticula in curiam esse delatum, cumque senatui somnium enarravisset, pedibus suis salvum domum revertisse. Itaque somnio comprobato a senatu ludos illos iterum instauratos memoriae proditum est.
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.
55 “But why keep to Greek examples? Somehow our own give me greater pleasure. All our historians tell this story—the Fabii, the Gellii, and most recently Coelius. When the great votive games were first being held during the Latin War, the citizens were suddenly called to arms. The games were therefore interrupted and a repetition was scheduled. Before these renewed games began, when the people had already taken their seats, a slave was led through the circus under a forked yoke, being beaten with rods. Later, a figure appeared in a dream to a Roman countryman and said that the leading dancer at the games had displeased him; he ordered the man to report this to the Senate. The man did not dare. The same command was given a second time, with a warning not to put the speaker’s power to the test. Still he did not dare. Then his son died, and the same warning came a third time in a dream. Now himself disabled, he told his friends. On their advice he was carried to the Senate house on a litter, and after recounting his dream to the Senate, he walked home on his own feet, restored to health. And so, the tradition records, the Senate accepted the dream and had those games repeated once again.
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.
55 “But why am I using Greek examples? Somehow I enjoy our own more. All the historians tell this story—the Fabii, the Gellii, and, most recently, Coelius. During the Latin War, the first celebration of the great games promised in a vow was interrupted by a sudden call to arms for the citizens. The games therefore had to be staged again. Before it began, when the people were already seated, a slave was led through the circus, carrying a forked yoke and being beaten with rods. A Roman man from the countryside later dreamed that someone came to him complaining that the games' lead dancer had displeased him. The same figure ordered the man to tell the senate. He did not dare. A second command brought a warning: he must not make the speaker demonstrate his power. Even that did not give him courage to act. His son then died, and in a third dream the warning returned. Now disabled himself, he brought the matter to his friends; they recommended taking him by litter to the senate house, and this was done. After telling his dream to the senate, he returned home on his own feet, restored to health. The story handed down is that the senate accepted the dream as genuine, and those games were repeated once more.
About this section
Book 1, Chapter 26 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 26 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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