Book 2, Chapter 13
Original Latin
30 Democritus tamen non inscite nugatur, ut physicus, quo genere nihil adrogantius:
Quód est ante pedes, némo spectat, caéli scrutantúr plagas.
Verum is tamen habitu extorum et colore declarari censet haec dumtaxat: pabuli genus et earum rerum, quas terra procreet, vel ubertatem vel tenuitatem; salubritatem etiam aut pestilentiam extis significari putat. O mortalem beatum! cui certo scio ludum numquam defuisse; huncine hominem tantis delectatum esse nugis, ut non videret tum futurum id veri simile, si omnium pecudum exta eodem tempore in eundem habitum se coloremque converterent? Sed si eadem hora aliae pecudis iecur nitidum atque plenum est, aliae horridum et exile, quid est, quod declarari possit habitu extorum et colore?
31 an hoc eiusdem modi est, quale Pherecydeum illud, quod est a te dictum? qui cum aquam ex puteo vidisset haustam, terrae motum dixit futurum. Parum, credo, inpudenter, quod, cum factus est motus, dicere audent, quae vis id effecerit; etiamne futurum esse aquae iugis colore praesentiunt? Multa istius modi dicuntur in scholis, sed credere omnia vide ne non sit necesse.
32 Verum sint sane ista Democritea vera; quando ea nos extis exquirimus? aut quando aliquid eius modi ab haruspice inspectis extis audivimus? Ab aqua aut ab igni pericula monent; tum hereditates, tum damna denuntiant; fissum familiare et vitale tractant; caput iecoris ex omni parte diligentissime considerant; si vero id non est inventum, nihil putant accidere potuisse tristius.
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.
30 “Democritus, however, talks nonsense with some ingenuity, as befits a natural philosopher—a breed unsurpassed in arrogance:
“‘No one looks at what lies at his feet; they search the tracts of heaven.’
“Still, he thinks the condition and color of entrails reveal only this: the kind of pasture, and the abundance or scarcity of what the earth produces. He also thinks entrails indicate healthy conditions or pestilence. Happy mortal! I am quite sure he never lacked amusement. Could this man have delighted so deeply in such nonsense that he failed to see it would become plausible only if the entrails of all animals changed at the same time to the same condition and color? But if at the very same hour one animal's liver is smooth and full and another's rough and shriveled, what can the condition and color of entrails reveal?
31 “Or is this like the story you told about Pherecydes, who saw water drawn from a well and said an earthquake was coming? It is not shameless enough, I suppose, for these men to venture an explanation of the force that caused an earthquake after it has happened: must they also foresee one from the color of spring water? Many such things are said in the schools; but consider whether you really need to believe them all.
32 “Yet let these notions of Democritus be true. When do we inquire into such things through entrails? When have we ever heard anything of the kind from a haruspex after he inspected them? They warn of dangers from water or fire; they announce inheritances or losses. They discuss the favorable fissure and the vital fissure; they scrutinize the liver's head-lobe most carefully from every side. And if it cannot be found, they think nothing more dreadful could have happened.
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.
30 “Democritus, though, talks nonsense with some skill, as a student of nature would. No class of people makes greater claims for itself:
“‘No one looks at what is at their feet; they search the reaches of the sky.’
“Still, he thinks the condition and color of internal organs reveal only these things: the kind of pasture, and whether the earth’s produce is plentiful or scarce. He also thinks internal organs indicate healthy conditions or disease. What a happy man! I am sure he never ran out of amusement. Could he have enjoyed such nonsense so much that he failed to see the problem? His idea would be plausible only if the internal organs of all livestock changed to the same condition and color at the same time. But if, at the very same hour, one animal has a smooth, full liver and another a rough, shrunken one, what can the condition and color of their organs reveal?
31 “Does this belong with your account of Pherecydes? He saw water drawn from a well and said there would be an earthquake. It is not bold enough, I suppose, that they dare to explain what force caused an earthquake after it has happened. Must they even foresee a future one from the color of spring water? Many things like that are said in the schools. But consider whether you really have to believe them all.
32 “Still, let us grant that Democritus’ claims are true. When do we ask internal organs about these things? When have we ever heard anything of this kind from a haruspex who has inspected them? They warn of dangers from water or fire. They announce inheritances or losses. They discuss the split belonging to oneself and the one concerning life. They examine the head of the liver very carefully from every side. If it is missing, they think nothing worse could have happened.
About this section
Book 2, Chapter 13 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 71 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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