Book 2, Chapter 32
Original Latin
68 At in Lysandri statuae capite Delphis extitit corona ex asperis herbis, et quidem subita. Itane? censes ante coronam herbae extitisse, quam conceptum esse semen? herbam autem asperam credo avium congestu, non humano satu; iam, quicquid in capite est, id coronae simile videri potest. Nam quod eodem tempore stellas aureas Castoris et Pollucis Delphis positas decidisse, neque eas usquam repertas esse dixisti, furum id magis factum quam deorum videtur.
69 Simiae vero Dodonaeae improbitatem historiis Graecis mandatam esse demiror. Quid minus mirum quam illam monstruosissumam bestiam urnam evertisse, sortes dissupavisse? Et negant historici Lacedaemoniis ullum ostentum hoc tristius accidisse! Nam illa praedicta Veientium, si lacus Albanus redundasset isque in mare fluxisset, Romam perituram; si repressus esset, Veios […] ita aqua Albana deducta ad utilitatem agri suburbani, non ad arcem urbemque retinendam. At paulo post audita vox est monentis, ut providerent, ne a Gallis Roma caperetur; ex eo Aio Loquenti aram in nova via consecratam. Quid ergo? Aius iste Loquens, cum eum nemo norat, et aiebat et loquebatur <et> ex eo nomen invenit; posteaquam et sedem et aram et nomen invenit, obmutuit? Quod idem dici de Moneta potest; a qua praeterquam de sue plena quid umquam moniti sumus?
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.
68 “‘But on the head of Lysander's statue at Delphi a wreath of rough weeds appeared, and suddenly too.’ Really? Do you think the wreath appeared before the seeds had taken root? The rough weeds, I suppose, came from seeds carried by birds, not planted by people. Besides, anything on a head can look like a wreath. As for your story that the golden stars dedicated to Castor and Pollux at Delphi fell at the same time and could never be found, that looks more like the work of thieves than gods.
69 “I am truly amazed that the mischief of the monkey at Dodona has been committed to Greek histories. What could be less astonishing than that this hideous beast overturned an urn and scattered the lots? Yet the historians declare that no more dreadful portent ever befell the Spartans! Then there were the predictions made at Veii: if Lake Alban overflowed and its water reached the sea, Rome would perish; if it was held back, Veii […] Thus the Alban water was diverted for the benefit of farmland near the city, not to preserve its citadel and the city itself. ‘But a little later a voice was heard warning them to take precautions against Rome's capture by the Gauls. Hence an altar was dedicated on the New Street to Aius Loquens, the Speaker.’ What then? When no one knew him, this Aius Loquens spoke and talked, earning his name thereby; but after acquiring a shrine, an altar, and a name, did he fall silent? The same may be said of Moneta, the Warner: apart from the pregnant sow, what has she ever warned us about?
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.
68 “‘But a crown of rough weeds appeared on the head of Lysander’s statue at Delphi, and appeared suddenly.’ Really? Do you think the crown of plants appeared before any seed took root? I imagine the rough weeds came from something birds dropped, not from human planting. Besides, anything on a head can look like a crown. You said that at the same time the gold stars of Castor and Pollux at Delphi fell and could not be found anywhere. That looks more like the work of thieves than of gods.
69 “I am amazed that the mischief of the monkey at Dodona was recorded in Greek histories. What could be less amazing than that very ugly beast overturning an urn and scattering lots? Yet historians say no more dreadful portent ever happened to the Spartans! Then there were the predictions of the people of Veii: if Lake Alban overflowed and ran into the sea, Rome would perish; if its waters were held back, Veii would […] So the Alban water was drained to benefit the land near the city, not to preserve the citadel and the city. ‘But soon afterward they heard a voice telling them to guard against the Gauls’ capture of Rome. That was why they consecrated an altar to Aius Loquens on the New Street.’ Well then, this Aius Loquens, this ‘Sayer and Speaker,’ said and spoke when no one knew him, and got his name from it. Did getting his home, altar, and name leave him speechless? We could ask the same question about Moneta, the Warner: has she warned us of anything at all except the pregnant sow?
About this section
Book 2, Chapter 32 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 90 of 130 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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