Book 1, Chapter 56
Original Latin
127 Praeterea cum fato omnia fiant, id quod alio loco ostendetur, si quis mortalis possit esse, qui conligationem causarum omnium perspiciat animo, nihil eum profecto fallat. Qui enim teneat causas rerum futurarum, idem necesse est omnia teneat, quae futura sint. Quod cum nemo facere nisi deus possit, relinquendum est homini, ut signis quibusdam consequentia declarantibus futura praesentiat. Non enim illa, quae futura sunt, subito exsistunt, sed est quasi rudentis explicatio sic traductio temporis nihil novi efficientis et primum quidque replicantis. Quod et ii vident, quibus naturalis divinatio data est, et ii, quibus cursus rerum observando notatus est. Qui etsi causas ipsas non cernunt, signa tamen causarum et notas cernunt; ad quas adhibita memoria et diligentia et monumentis superiorum efficitur ea divinatio, quae artificiosa dicitur, extorum, fulgorum, ostentorum signorumque caelestium.
128 Non est igitur, ut mirandum sit ea praesentiri a divinantibus, quae nusquam sint; sunt enim omnia, sed tempore absunt. Atque ut in seminibus vis inest earum rerum, quae ex iis progignuntur, sic in causis conditae sunt res futurae, quas esse futuras aut concitata mens aut soluta somno cernit aut ratio aut coniectura praesentit. Atque ut ii, qui solis et lunae reliquorumque siderum ortus, obitus motusque cognorunt, quo quidque tempore eorum futurum sit, multo ante praedicunt, sic, qui cursum rerum eventorumque consequentiam diuturnitate pertractata notaverunt, aut semper aut, si id difficile est, plerumque, quodsi ne id quidem conceditur, non numquam certe, quid futurum sit, intellegunt. Atque haec quidem et quaedam eiusdem modi argumenta, cur sit divinatio, ducuntur a fato.
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.
127 “Moreover, since everything happens by fate, as will be shown elsewhere, if any mortal could survey in his mind the interconnection of all causes, surely nothing would escape him. Anyone who grasped the causes of future events would necessarily grasp everything that was going to happen. Since no one but a god can do this, human beings must be left to foresee the future through certain signs that reveal what follows. For future things do not spring into existence suddenly: the passage of time is like the uncoiling of a rope, producing nothing new and unfolding each thing in its turn. This is seen both by those granted natural divination and by those who have recorded the course of events through observation. Though they do not perceive the causes themselves, they do perceive their signs and marks. By applying memory, diligence, and the records of earlier generations to these, they produce what is called artificial divination, drawn from entrails, lightning, portents, and celestial signs.
128 “There is therefore no reason to marvel that diviners foresee things that exist nowhere: everything does exist, but at a distance in time. Just as seeds contain the power of the things that grow from them, so future events lie hidden in their causes. The mind, either stirred to frenzy or released in sleep, sees that these events will happen; reason or interpretation foresees them. Those who understand the risings, settings, and movements of the sun, moon, and other stars predict far in advance when each will occur. In the same way, those who have studied over a long period and recorded the course of things and the sequence of events understand what will happen—always, or, if that is difficult, usually; and if even that is not conceded, certainly sometimes. These arguments, then, and others of the same kind for the existence of divination are drawn from fate.
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.
127 “Moreover, everything happens by fate, as will be shown elsewhere. So imagine a mortal able to take in mentally how every cause connects with every other: such a person could miss nothing. Knowing the causes behind what is to come would mean knowing every coming event. Since only a god can do that, what remains for human beings is to read the future from signs indicating what comes next. Future events do not spring up suddenly. Time moves forward like the unwinding of a rope: it brings nothing new into being, but unfolds each thing in its turn. Both those who have the gift of natural divination and those who have observed and recorded the course of events see this. Though they do not see the causes themselves, they see signs and indications of those causes. Applying memory, care, and the records of earlier generations to these signs produces what is called artificial divination: divination from entrails, lightning, strange occurrences, and heavenly signs.
128 “So we should not be surprised that diviners foresee things that do not yet exist anywhere. Everything does exist, but it is distant in time. Seeds contain the power to produce the things that grow from them. In the same way, future events are stored within their causes. A mind excited by frenzy or released in sleep sees that these events will happen, or reason or interpretation foresees them. Knowing how the sun, moon, and other stars rise, set, and move lets people announce far ahead the time of each coming event involving them. In the same way, people who have studied over a long time and recorded the course of events and how one follows another understand what will happen. They do so always—or, if that is too much to claim, generally; or, if even that is not granted, certainly sometimes. These and some similar arguments for the existence of divination are drawn from fate.
About this section
Book 1, Chapter 56 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 56 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
Open the work page for the full contents, every edition, and the download links, or go back to Explore to browse other complete works in the Roman tradition. The reader keeps your place when you are signed in and lets you compare the original with each translation, one edition at a time.