Book 2, Chapter 31
Original Latin
66 Atque haec ostentorum genera mirabile nihil habent; quae cum facta sunt, tum ad coniecturam aliqua interpretatione revocantur, ut illa tritici grana in os pueri Midae congesta aut apes, quas dixisti in labris Platonis consedisse pueri, non tam mirabilia sint quam coniecta belle; quae tamen vel ipsa falsa esse vel ea, quae praedicta sunt, fortuito cecidisse potuerunt. De ipso Roscio potest illud quidem esse falsum, ut circumligatus fuerit angui, sed ut in cunis fuerit anguis, non tam est mirum, in Solonio praesertim, ubi ad focum angues nundinari solent. Nam quod haruspices responderint nihil illo clarius, nihil nobilius fore, miror deos immortales histrioni futuro claritatem ostendisse, nullam ostendisse Africano.
67 Atque etiam a te Flaminiana ostenta collecta sunt: quod ipse et equus eius repente conciderit; non sane mirabile hoc quidem! quod evelli primi hastati signum non potuerit; timide fortasse signifer evellebat, quod fidenter infixerat. Nam Dionysii equus quid attulit admirationis, quod emersit e flumine quodque habuit apes in iuba? Sed quia brevi tempore regnare coepit, quod acciderat casu, vim habuit ostenti. At Lacedaemoniis in Herculis fano arma sonuerunt, eiusdemque dei Thebis valvae clausae subito se aperuerunt, eaque scuta, quae fuerant sublime fixa, sunt humi inventa. Horum cum fieri nihil potuerit sine aliquo motu, quid est, cur divinitus ea potius quam casu facta esse dicamus?
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.
66 “These sorts of portents contain nothing astonishing. After they occur, some interpretation is applied to turn them into a conjecture. Thus the grains of wheat heaped into the infant Midas's mouth, or the bees you said settled on Plato's lips as a child, are less remarkable as events than as prettily interpreted stories. Yet the stories themselves may be false, or the things predicted may have come about by chance. In Roscius's own case it may be false that a snake was wound around him; but that a snake was in his cradle is not so astonishing, especially at Solonium, where snakes regularly hold their markets by the hearth. As for the haruspices' response that no one would be more famous or distinguished than he, I wonder that the immortal gods foretold glory for a future actor, but none for Africanus.
67 “You also collected the portents concerning Flaminius: that he and his horse suddenly fell—surely nothing astonishing in that!—and that the standard of the first company of spearmen could not be pulled out. Perhaps the standard-bearer was timidly pulling at what he had firmly planted. And what was so astonishing about Dionysius's horse emerging from the river with bees in its mane? But because he began his reign soon afterward, a chance occurrence acquired the force of a portent. ‘But at Sparta weapons rang out in Hercules' sanctuary; at Thebes the closed doors of the same god's temple suddenly opened, and shields fixed high up were found on the ground.’ Since none of these things could have happened without some movement, why should we say they were caused by divine power rather than chance?
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.
66 “There is nothing amazing in these kinds of portents. After they happen, some interpretation turns them into a basis for prediction. So the grains of wheat piled into the child Midas’ mouth, or the bees you said settled on Plato’s lips when he was a child, are not so amazing in themselves as cleverly interpreted. Yet the stories themselves may be false, or the predicted events may have happened by chance. With Roscius himself, the story that a snake coiled around him may be false. But a snake in his cradle is not so amazing, especially at Solonium, where snakes regularly crowd around the hearth as if at a market. The haruspices declared he would surpass everyone in fame and distinction; I am surprised that the immortal gods foretold fame for a future actor but none for Africanus.
67 “Your list also included Flaminius’ portents: a sudden fall for him and his horse. That is certainly not amazing! And the first company of spearmen had a standard that could not be lifted from the ground. Perhaps the standard-bearer pulled timidly at what he had planted firmly. And what was amazing about Dionysius’ horse coming out of the river and having bees in its mane? But because he became king shortly afterward, something that had happened by chance acquired the force of a portent. ‘But the Spartans’ weapons rattled in Hercules’ temple. At Thebes the closed doors of the same god’s temple suddenly opened, and shields that had been fastened high up were found on the ground.’ None of these things could have happened without some movement. Why should we say they happened by divine action rather than chance?
About this section
Book 2, Chapter 31 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 89 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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