Book 1, Chapter 36

78 “Coelius adds another striking fact. At the very time this disastrous battle was being fought, earthquakes of such force struck Liguria, Gaul, several islands, and all of Italy that many towns collapsed; in many places landslides occurred and the earth subsided, rivers reversed their courses, and the sea poured into their channels.

“Experts can make reliable interpretations in divination. When the famous Phrygian Midas was a sleeping child, ants piled grains of wheat into his mouth. It was predicted that he would be immensely rich, and so he was. But when bees settled on the lips of the infant Plato as he slept in his cradle, the interpretation was that his speech would possess a singular sweetness. Thus his future eloquence was foreseen in infancy.

79 “And Roscius, your darling and delight—was he lying, or was the whole of Lanuvium lying on his behalf? When he was still in his cradle, being brought up at Solonium, a plain in the territory of Lanuvium, his nurse woke one night and, by the light beside her, noticed that the sleeping child was wrapped in a snake's coils. Terrified at the sight, she cried out. Roscius' father consulted the haruspices, who replied that no one would be more distinguished or more famous than that child. Pasiteles engraved this scene in silver, and our friend Archias gave it form in verse. What, then, are we waiting for? For the immortal gods to mingle with us in the Forum, in the streets, in our homes? They do not present themselves in person, but spread their power far and wide, sometimes confining it within the earth's caverns, sometimes weaving it into human natures. For the earth's power stirred the Pythia at Delphi, and the power of her own nature stirred the Sibyl. Why, do we not see how varied the different kinds of land are? Some places are deadly, such as Ampsanctus in the country of the Hirpini and the Plutonian sites in Asia, which we have seen. Other tracts are pestilential or healthy; some produce keen minds, others dull ones. All this results from differences in the climate and from the unequal exhalations of the earth.

78 “There is another striking detail added by Coelius. At the very moment of this disastrous battle there were earthquakes in Liguria, Gaul, several islands, and throughout Italy. They were so strong that many towns collapsed. In many places there were landslides, the ground sank, rivers reversed their flow, and the sea poured into riverbeds.

“Experts make reliable predictions by interpreting signs. Ants heaped wheat grains into the mouth of the famous Phrygian Midas as he slept in childhood. He was predicted to become very rich, and he did. When Plato was a little baby asleep in his cradle, bees settled on his lips. The interpretation was that his speech would be uniquely sweet. So his future eloquence was foreseen when he was an infant.

79 “And what about Roscius, your darling and favorite? Are we to call him a liar, or accuse everyone in Lanuvium of lying for him? He was being raised in the Lanuvian territory, on the plain of Solonium, and was still in his cradle. One night the nurse awoke. In the light of a nearby lamp she noticed a snake coiled around the sleeping child, and cried out in fright. When his father took the matter to the haruspices, their answer was that the boy would surpass everyone in fame and distinction. Pasiteles worked this scene in silver; our friend Archias put it into verse. What more do we want—to have the immortal gods themselves join us in the forum, the streets, and our homes? They do not present themselves to us in person. But they spread their power far and wide, sometimes lodging it in caves in the earth, sometimes weaving it into human natures. The power of the earth inspired the Pythian priestess at Delphi; the power of her own nature inspired the Sibyl. Don't we see how varied different lands are? Some places are deadly, like Ampsanctus in Hirpinian territory and the Plutonia in Asia, which we have seen. Some stretches of country cause disease, others promote health. Some produce sharp minds, others dull ones. All this comes from differences in climate and in the vapors that rise from the ground.