Book 2, Chapter 23
Original Latin
50 conceptio contra naturam fortasse, sed partus prope necessarius.
Sed quid plura? ortum videamus haruspicinae; sic facillume, quid habeat auctoritatis, iudicabimus. Tages quidam dicitur in agro Tarquiniensi, cum terra araretur et sulcus altius esset impressus, extitisse repente et eum adfatus esse, qui arabat. Is autem Tages, ut in libris est Etruscorum, puerili specie dicitur visus, sed senili fuisse prudentia. Eius adspectu cum obstipuisset bubulcus clamoremque maiorem cum admiratione edidisset, concursum esse factum, totamque brevi tempore in eum locum Etruriam convenisse; tum illum plura locutum multis audientibus, qui omnia verba eius exceperint litterisque mandarint; omnem autem orationem fuisse eam, qua haruspicinae disciplina contineretur; eam postea crevisse rebus novis cognoscendis et ad eadem illa principia referendis. Haec accepimus ab ipsis, haec scripta conservant, hunc fontem habent disciplinae.
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.
50 “Conception may be contrary to nature, but birth is almost inevitable.
“But why say more? Let us look at the origin of haruspicy; that will be the easiest way to judge its authority. A certain Tages is said to have suddenly emerged in the territory of Tarquinii when a field was being plowed and the furrow had been cut unusually deep, and to have spoken to the plowman. According to the Etruscan books, this Tages appeared in the form of a child but possessed the wisdom of an old man. The ox-driver, stunned by the sight, gave a loud cry of astonishment. A crowd gathered, and soon all Etruria had assembled on the spot. Tages then spoke at length before many listeners, who took down all his words and committed them to writing. His entire discourse contained the discipline of haruspicy. This was later expanded as new facts were learned and referred back to those same principles. This is the account we have received from the Etruscans themselves; this is what their writings preserve; this is the wellspring of their discipline.
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.
50 “Conception may be against nature, but birth is almost inevitable.
“Enough talk: where did the haruspices’ practice begin? By examining that, we can most easily decide how much weight it deserves. They say that while land near Tarquinii was being plowed and a furrow had been cut deeper than usual, a certain Tages suddenly appeared and spoke to the plowman. According to the Etruscans’ books, this Tages looked like a child but had an old man’s wisdom. The ox driver was stunned at the sight and gave a loud cry of amazement. People came running, and before long all Etruria gathered at that spot. Then Tages spoke at length, with many people listening. They took down all his words and put them into writing. His whole speech contained the system of the haruspices. Later this system grew as new facts were learned and brought under the same original principles. This is what we have learned from the Etruscans themselves. They preserve it in writing. This is the source of their teaching.
About this section
Book 2, Chapter 23 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 81 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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