Book 2, Chapter 4
Original Latin
10 Eadem in litteris ratio est reliquisque rebus, quarum est disciplina. Num censes eos, qui divinare dicuntur, posse respondere, sol maiorne quam terra sit an tantus, quantus videatur? lunaque suo lumine an solis utatur? sol, luna quem motum habeat? quem quinque stellae, quae errare dicuntur? Nec haec, qui divini habentur, profitentur se esse dicturos, nec eorum, quae in geometria describuntur, quae vera, quae falsa sint; sunt enim ea mathematicorum, non hariolorum.
De illis vero rebus, quae in philosophia versantur, num quid est, quod quisquam divinorum aut respondere soleat aut consuli, quid bonum sit, quid malum, quid neutrum? sunt enim haec propria philosophorum.
11 Quid? de officio num quis haruspicem consulit, quem ad modum sit cum parentibus, cum fratribus, cum amicis vivendum? quem ad modum utendum pecunia, quem ad modum honore, quem ad modum imperio? Ad sapientes haec, non ad divinos referri solent. Quid? quae a dialecticis aut a physicis tractantur, num quid eorum divinari potest? unusne mundus sit an plures, quae sint initia rerum, ex quibus nascuntur omnia: physicorum est ista prudentia. Quo modo autem mentientem, quem ψευδόμενον vocant, dissolvas aut quem ad modum soriti resistas (quem, si necesse sit, Latino verbo liceat acervalem appellare; sed nihil opus est; ut enim ipsa philosophia et multa verba Graecorum, sic sorites satis Latino sermone tritus est): ergo haec quoque dialectici dicent, non divini. Quid? cum quaeritur, qui sit optimus rei publicae status, quae leges, qui mores aut utiles aut inutiles, haruspicesne ex Etruria arcessentur, an principes statuent et delecti viri periti rerum civilium?
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 “The same holds for literature and all the other subjects that can be taught. Do you think those said to divine can tell us whether the sun is larger than the earth or merely as large as it appears? Whether the moon shines by its own light or the sun's? What motions belong to the sun and moon, or to the five stars called wanderers? Those regarded as diviners do not profess to answer these questions, or to distinguish truth from falsehood in geometrical demonstrations. Such matters belong to mathematicians, not soothsayers.
“And among the questions philosophy debates, is there any that a diviner habitually answers or is asked—what is good, what evil, what neither? These are the particular concerns of philosophers.
11 “Again, does anyone consult a haruspex about duty: how to live with parents, brothers, or friends; how to use money, public office, or command? Such questions are generally referred to the wise, not to diviners. And can any of the subjects treated by logicians or natural philosophers be divined? Whether there is one universe or more than one, what the first principles of things are from which everything arises—knowledge of this belongs to natural philosophers. How to resolve the Liar, which they call the ψευδόμενον, or how to resist the sorites—we could, if necessary, call it the ‘heap argument’ in Latin, but there is no need: like ‘philosophy’ itself and many Greek words, ‘sorites’ is familiar enough in Latin speech—these questions too will be answered by logicians, not diviners. And when the inquiry concerns the best form of government, or which laws and customs are useful and which harmful, shall we summon haruspices from Etruria, or will our leading citizens and chosen men experienced in public affairs decide?
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 “The same applies to literature and other subjects that require study. Do you think the people said to practice divination can answer whether the sun is bigger than the earth or only as big as it looks? Whether the moon has its own light or uses the sun’s? How the sun and moon move? How the five stars called wandering stars move? These supposed diviners do not claim they can answer these questions, or say which propositions in geometry are true and which are false. These are matters for mathematicians, not fortune-tellers.
“And what about the subjects philosophy deals with? Does any diviner normally give answers, or get consulted, about what is good, what is bad, and what is neither? These subjects belong to philosophers.
11 “Does anyone consult a haruspex about duty: how to behave toward parents, brothers, or friends? How to use money, public office, or power? People normally take these questions to wise men, not diviners. And can anyone use divination on any subject studied by logicians or students of nature? Whether there is one universe or more than one, and what the basic elements are from which everything comes—knowledge of these things belongs to students of nature. How to solve the liar argument, which the Greeks call pseudomenon, or how to resist the sorites argument—these too will be explained by logicians, not diviners. We could call the sorites a ‘heap argument’ in Latin if we had to, but there is no need. Like ‘philosophy’ itself and many other Greek words, ‘sorites’ is familiar enough in Latin. And when the question is what form of government is best, or which laws and customs help and which harm, will we send for haruspices from Etruria? Or will leading men and chosen experts in public affairs decide?
About this section
Book 2, Chapter 4 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 62 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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