Book 2, Chapter 14
Original Latin
33 Haec observari certe non potuerunt, ut supra docui. Sunt igitur artis inventa, non vetustatis, si est ars ulla rerum incognitarum; cum rerum autem natura quam cognationem habent? quae ut uno consensu iuncta sit et continens, quod video placuisse physicis, eisque maxume, qui omne, quod esset, unum esse dixerunt, quid habere mundus potest cum thesauri inventione coniunctum? Si enim extis pecuniae mihi amplificatio ostenditur idque fit natura, primum exta sunt coniuncta mundo, deinde meum lucrum natura rerum continetur. Nonne pudet physicos haec dicere? Ut enim iam sit aliqua in natura rerum contagio, quam esse concedo (multa enim Stoici colligunt; nam et musculorum iecuscula bruma dicuntur augeri, et puleium aridum florescere brumali ipso die, et inflatas rumpi vesiculas, et semina malorum, quae in iis mediis inclusa sint, in contrarias partis se vertere, iam nervos in fidibus aliis pulsis resonare alios, ostreisque et conchyliis omnibus contingere, ut cum luna pariter crescant pariterque decrescant, arboresque ut hiemali tempore cum luna simul senescente, quia tum exsiccatae sint, tempestive caedi putentur.
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.
33 “Certainly these things could not have been established by observation, as I showed above. They are therefore inventions of a system, not discoveries of antiquity—if there can be a system concerning things unknown. But what kinship do they have with the nature of things? Grant that nature is bound together in a single harmony and forms a continuous whole, as I see natural philosophers believe, especially those who have declared that everything that exists is one: what connection can the universe have with the discovery of treasure? If entrails show that my money will increase, and nature brings this about, then first the entrails are linked to the universe, and next my gain is contained in the nature of things. Are natural philosophers not ashamed to say this? Let there indeed be some interaction within nature—I grant that there is. The Stoics collect many instances: the little livers of mice are said to grow at the winter solstice; dried pennyroyal to bloom on the very day of that solstice; inflated bladders to burst; and the seeds enclosed in the centers of apples to turn in opposite directions. Again, when some strings of a lyre are struck, others resonate; oysters and all shellfish increase and diminish with the moon; and trees are thought best felled in winter when the moon is also waning, because they are then dry.
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.
33 “As I showed above, these things certainly could not have been learned by observation. So they are inventions of a technique, not the product of long experience—if there can be a technique for things we know nothing about. But what connection do they have with the natural world? Suppose nature is joined in one continuous, harmonious whole. I see that students of nature have held this view, especially those who said that everything that exists is one. Even so, what connection can the universe have with finding treasure? If internal organs show that my money will increase, and that happens by nature, then first the organs are connected with the universe, and second my profit is contained in the natural order. Aren’t students of nature ashamed to say such things? Let us grant that there is some connection between things in nature. I admit that there is. The Stoics collect many examples. They say the little livers of mice grow at the winter solstice; dried pennyroyal flowers on the very day of the winter solstice; inflated bladders burst; and seeds enclosed in the centers of apples turn in opposite directions. Again, when some strings on an instrument are struck, other strings sound in response. Oysters and all shellfish grow and shrink along with the moon. And winter, when the moon is waning too, is thought the right time to cut trees, because they are then dry.
About this section
Book 2, Chapter 14 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 72 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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