Book 1, Chapter 2
Original Latin
sero igitur a nostris poëtae vel cogniti vel recepti. quamquam est in Originibus solitos esse in epulis canere convivas ad tibicinem de clarorum hominum virtutibus; honorem tamen huic generi non fuisse declarat oratio Catonis, in qua obiecit ut probrum M. Nobiliori, quod is in provinciam poëtas duxisset; duxerat autem consul ille in Aetoliam, ut scimus, Ennium. quo minus igitur honoris erat poëtis, eo minora studia fuerunt, nec tamen, si qui magnis ingeniis in eo genere extiterunt,
4 non satis Graecorum gloriae responderunt. an censemus, si Fabio, nobilissimo homini, laudi datum esset, quod pingeret, non multos etiam apud nos futuros Polyclitos et Parrhasios fuisse? honos alit artes, omnesque incenduntur ad studia gloria, iacentque ea semper, quae apud quosque improbantur. summam eruditionem Graeci sitam censebant in nervorum vocumque cantibus; igitur et Epaminondas, princeps meo iudicio Graeciae, fidibus praeclare cecinisse dicitur, Themistoclesque aliquot ante annos cum in epulis recusaret lyram, est habitus indoctior. ergo in Graecia musici floruerunt, discebantque id omnes, nec qui nesciebat satis excultus doctrina putabatur.
5 in summo apud illos honore geometria fuit, itaque nihil mathematicis inlustrius; at nos metiendi ratiocinandique utilitate huius artis terminavimus modum.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Our people, then, were slow either to recognize poets or to welcome them. Admittedly, the Origins tells us that guests at banquets used to sing of famous men’s virtues to the accompaniment of a flute. Yet the lack of honor accorded to this art is clear from a speech of Cato, in which he reproached Marcus Nobilior for taking poets to his province. As we know, Nobilior had taken Ennius to Aetolia during his consulship. The less honor poets received, therefore, the less enthusiasm there was for poetry. Yet whenever men of great gifts did emerge in this field,
4 they were fully equal to the glory of the Greeks. Do we suppose that, if Fabius, a man of the highest rank, had been praised for his painting, there would not have been many a Polyclitus and Parrhasius among us too? Honor nourishes the arts; glory fires everyone’s enthusiasm for study, while pursuits disapproved of in any society always languish. The Greeks thought the highest culture lay in music for strings and voice. Thus Epaminondas, in my judgment the foremost man of Greece, is said to have played the lyre magnificently; and some years earlier Themistocles was considered rather uneducated because he declined the lyre at a banquet. Musicians therefore flourished in Greece; everyone studied music, and anyone who did not know it was thought insufficiently cultivated.
5 Geometry was held in the highest honor among them, and so no one was more distinguished than their mathematicians. We, however, confined that art to its usefulness in measurement and calculation.
Plain English translation
Complete independent machine-assisted translation directly from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
So our people were late in getting to know poets or welcoming them. The Origins does say that guests at dinners used to sing about the brave deeds of famous men, accompanied by a pipe player. Still, Cato’s speech shows how little respect this kind of work received. He attacked Marcus Nobilior for taking poets to his province, treating it as something shameful. As we know, the poet that consul had taken to Aetolia was Ennius. So the less respect poets received, the less enthusiasm there was for poetry. Even so, whenever people with great talent emerged in that field,
4 they held their own quite well against the Greeks’ fame. Suppose Fabius, a man of the highest birth, had been praised for painting. Don’t we think we’d have had plenty of Polyclituses and Parrhasiuses here too? Respect feeds the arts. Fame fires everyone’s enthusiasm for study, and activities that a people disapproves of always languish among them. The Greeks thought the highest education lay in singing and playing stringed instruments. So Epaminondas, whom I consider Greece’s greatest man, is said to have played the lyre wonderfully. Some years earlier, Themistocles was considered rather poorly educated because he refused to play the lyre at a dinner. Musicians therefore flourished in Greece. Everyone learned music, and anyone who didn’t know it wasn’t thought adequately educated.
5 They gave geometry the greatest respect, so no one was more celebrated than mathematicians. We, on the other hand, limited that art to what was useful for measuring and calculating.
About this section
Book 1, Chapter 2 is part of Tusculan Disputations 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 2 of 189 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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