Book 1, Chapter 6
Original Latin
10 Arcem tu quidem Stoicorum, inquam, Quinte, defendis, siquidem ista sic reciprocantur, ut et, si divinatio sit, di sint et, si di sint, sit divinatio. Quorum neutrum tam facile, quam tu arbitraris, conceditur. Nam et natura significari futura sine deo possunt et, ut sint di, potest fieri, ut nulla ab iis divinatio generi humano tributa sit. Atque ille: Mihi vero, inquit, satis est argumenti et esse deos et eos consulere rebus humanis, quod esse clara et perspicua divinationis genera iudico. De quibus quid ipse sentiam, si placet, exponam, ita tamen, si vacas animo neque habes aliquid, quod huic sermoni praevertendum putes.
11 Ego vero, inquam, philosophiae, Quinte, semper vaco; hoc autem tempore, cum sit nihil aliud, quod lubenter agere possim, multo magis aveo audire, de divinatione quid sentias.
Nihil, inquit, equidem novi, nec quod praeter ceteros ipse sentiam; nam cum antiquissimam sententiam, tum omnium populorum et gentium consensu conprobatam sequor. Duo sunt enim divinandi genera, quorum alterum artis est, alterum naturae.
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.
10 “You are defending the Stoics’ citadel, Quintus,” I said, “if those propositions really imply each other: if divination exists, gods exist; and if gods exist, divination exists. Neither proposition is so easily granted as you suppose. Nature might give signs of the future without a god; and even if gods exist, it is possible that they have bestowed no divination on the human race.” He replied, “For my part, the existence of clear and unmistakable forms of divination is sufficient proof that gods exist and concern themselves with human affairs. If you wish, I will explain my own views on these matters—provided your mind is free and you have nothing you think should take precedence over this conversation.”
11 “My mind is always free for philosophy, Quintus,” I said. “And now, when there is nothing else I can take pleasure in doing, I am all the more eager to hear what you think about divination.”
“I have no new doctrine,” he said, “nor any private opinion that sets me apart. I follow a belief of the greatest antiquity, confirmed by the consent of every people and nation. There are two kinds of divination: one belongs to art, the other to nature.
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.
10 “Quintus,” I said, “you are defending the Stoics' stronghold, if the two claims really work both ways: if there is divination, there are gods, and if there are gods, there is divination. Neither claim is as easy to accept as you think. Nature may give signs of the future without a god. And gods may exist without giving the human race any power of divination.” He answered, “For me, the clear and unmistakable forms of divination are enough to prove both that gods exist and that they care about human affairs. If you like, I will explain my own views on them. But only if you can give this your full attention and see no other business as more important than our discussion.”
11 “I always have time for philosophy, Quintus,” I said. “And now that there is nothing else I can gladly do, I am much more eager to hear your views on divination.”
“I have nothing new to offer,” he said, “and no special opinion of my own. I follow a very ancient belief, supported by the agreement of all peoples and nations. There are two kinds of divination. One depends on a learned skill; the other comes from nature.
About this section
Book 1, Chapter 6 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 6 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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