Book 1, Chapter 54
Original Latin
122 Hoc nimirum est illud, quod de Socrate accepimus, quodque ab ipso in libris Socraticorum saepe dicitur, esse divinum quiddam, quod δαιμόνιον appellat, cui semper ipse paruerit numquam impellenti, saepe revocanti. Et Socrates quidem (quo quem auctorem meliorem quaerimus?) Xenophonti consulenti, sequereturne Cyrum, posteaquam exposuit, quae ipsi videbantur: ‘Et nostrum quidem’, inquit, ‘humanum est consilium; sed de rebus et obscuris et incertis ad Apollinem censeo referundum’, ad quem etiam Athenienses publice de maioribus rebus semper rettulerunt.
123 Scriptum est item, cum Critonis, sui familiaris, oculum alligatum vidisset, quaesivisse, quid esset; cum autem ille respondisset in agro ambulanti ramulum adductum, ut remissus esset, in oculum suum recidisse, tum Socrates: ‘Non enim paruisti mihi revocanti, cum uterer, qua soleo, praesagitione divina.’ Idem etiam Socrates, cum apud Delium male pugnatum esset Lachete praetore fugeretque cum ipso Lachete, ut ventum est in trivium, eadem, qua ceteri, fugere noluit. Quibus quaerentibus, cur non eadem via pergeret, deterreri se a deo dixit; cum quidem ii, qui alia via fugerant, in hostium equitatum inciderunt. Permulta conlecta sunt ab Antipatro, quae mirabiliter a Socrate divinata sunt; quae praetermittam; tibi enim nota sunt, mihi ad commemorandum non necessaria.
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.
122 “This is surely what we have learned about Socrates, and what he himself often says in the writings of the Socratics: there was something divine, which he calls his δαιμόνιον, his divine sign, that he always obeyed. It never urged him on, but often called him back. And Socrates—what better authority could we ask for?—when Xenophon consulted him about whether to join Cyrus, first explained his own view, then said: ‘Our counsel, however, is only human; on obscure and uncertain matters I think we should refer the question to Apollo.’ The Athenians, too, always consulted Apollo publicly on their more important affairs.
123 “It is also recorded that on seeing his friend Crito with a bandage over his eye, Socrates asked what was wrong. Crito replied that while he was walking in the country a bent twig had been released and sprung back into his eye. Socrates then said: ‘You did not obey me when I called you back, using my usual divine foreknowledge.’ Again, after the defeat at Delium, where Laches was in command, Socrates was fleeing with Laches himself. When they reached a place where three roads met, he refused to flee the same way as the others. They asked why he would not go along their road, and he replied that the god was warning him away. Those who fled by the other route did indeed fall in with the enemy cavalry. Antipater has collected a vast number of remarkable predictions made by Socrates. I shall pass over them, since you know them and I have no need to recount 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.
122 “This is surely what we have heard about Socrates, and what he himself often says in his followers' books. There was something divine, which he called his δαιμόνιον, his divine sign. He always obeyed it. It never urged him on, but often held him back. Socrates—and what better authority could we want?—was consulted by Xenophon about whether he should follow Cyrus. After explaining his own views, he said, ‘My advice is only human. On matters that are obscure and uncertain, I think Apollo should be consulted.’ The Athenians too always consulted him officially about important matters.
123 “It is also recorded that he saw his close friend Crito with a bandage over his eye and asked what was wrong. Crito answered that, as he walked in the countryside, a twig that had been pulled back sprang loose and hit his eye. Socrates then said, ‘You did not obey me when I tried to call you back, using my usual divine foresight.’ This same Socrates was fleeing with Laches after the defeat at Delium, where Laches had been in command. When they reached a three-way junction, he refused to escape along the same road as the rest. When they asked why he would not go their way, he said the god was warning him off. Those who fled by the other road ran into the enemy cavalry. Antipater has collected a great many remarkable predictions made by Socrates. I will pass them over: you know them, and I have no need to list them.
About this section
Book 1, Chapter 54 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 54 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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