Book 2, Chapter 15
Original Latin
34 Quid de fretis aut de marinis aestibus plura dicam? quorum accessus et recessus lunae motu gubernantur. Sescenta licet eiusdem modi proferri, ut distantium rerum cognatio naturalis appareat)—demus hoc; nihil enim huic disputationi adversatur; num etiam, si fissum cuiusdam modi fuerit in iecore, lucrum ostenditur? qua ex coniunctione naturae et quasi concentu atque consensu, quam συμπάθειαν Graeci appellant, convenire potest aut fissum iecoris cum lucello meo aut meus quaesticulus cum caelo, terra rerumque natura? Concedam hoc ipsum, si vis, etsi magnam iacturam causae fecero, si ullam esse convenientiam naturae cum extis concessero;
35 sed tamen eo concesso qui evenit, ut is, qui impetrire velit, convenientem hostiam rebus suis immolet? Hoc erat, quod ego non rebar posse dissolvi. At quam festive dissolvitur! pudet me non tui quidem, cuius etiam memoriam admiror, sed Chrysippi, Antipatri, Posidonii, qui idem istuc quidem dicunt, quod est dictum a te, ad hostiam deligendam ducem esse vim quandam sentientem atque divinam, quae toto confusa mundo sit. Illud vero multo etiam melius, quod et a te usurpatum est et dicitur ab illis: cum immolare quispiam velit, tum fieri extorum mutationem, ut aut absit aliquid aut supersit; deorum enim numini parere omnia.
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.
34 “Why say more about straits or the ocean tides, whose ebb and flow are governed by the moon's movement? Six hundred examples of this sort could be produced to show the natural kinship of things far apart. Let us grant this; it does not conflict with the present argument. But does a fissure of a particular kind in a liver also signify profit? By what bond of nature, by what harmony and accord, which the Greeks call συμπάθειαν, can a fissure in a liver agree with my little gain, or my petty profit with heaven, earth, and the nature of things? I will grant even this, if you wish, although I shall have surrendered a great part of my case by allowing any correspondence between nature and entrails.
35 “But even granted that, how does someone seeking favorable signs come to sacrifice a victim suited to his own circumstances? This was what I thought could not be answered. Yet how prettily it is answered! I am ashamed—not for you, whose powers of memory I admire, but for Chrysippus, Antipater, and Posidonius. They say just what you said: some conscious, divine power, diffused throughout the universe, guides the choice of the victim. Better still is that other claim, used by you and made by them: when someone intends to sacrifice, the entrails change, so that something is missing or something is added. Everything, they say, obeys the will of the gods.
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.
34 “Why should I say more about sea channels or tides, whose rise and fall are governed by the moon’s movement? Six hundred things of the same kind could be brought forward to show the natural connection between things far apart. Let us grant all this. Nothing in that concession counts against the argument we are making. But does a split of a certain kind in a liver also indicate profit? Through what natural connection, through what harmony and agreement—the Greeks call it sympatheia—can a split in a liver fit with my little profit? Or my small gain with the sky, the earth, and the natural world? I will grant even this if you like, though I will have badly damaged my case by admitting any natural agreement with internal organs.
35 “But even after that is granted, how does someone seeking favorable signs happen to sacrifice an animal that fits his situation? This was the problem I thought could not be solved. But how neatly it is solved! I feel ashamed, not of you—I even admire your memory—but of Chrysippus, Antipater, and Posidonius. In their account, which you repeated, the choice of sacrificial animal is directed by a conscious, divine force that pervades the universe. Even better is something else you used and they say too: when someone is about to sacrifice, the internal organs change, so that something is missing or there is something extra. Everything obeys the will of the gods.
About this section
Book 2, Chapter 15 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 73 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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