Book 2, Chapter 1
Original Latin
1 Neoptolemus quidem apud Ennium philosophari sibi ait necesse esse, sed paucis; nam omnino haud placere: ego autem, Brute, necesse mihi quidem esse arbitror philosophari—nam quid possum, praesertim nihil agens, agere melius?—sed non paucis, ut ille. difficile est enim in philosophia pauca esse ei nota, cui non sint aut pleraque aut omnia. nam nec pauca nisi e multis eligi possunt nec, qui pauca perceperit, non idem reliqua eodem studio persequetur.
2 sed tamen in vita occupata atque, ut Neoptolemi tum erat, militari pauca ipsa multum saepe prosunt et ferunt fructus, si non tantos quanti ex universa philosophia percipi possunt, tamen eos quibus aliqua ex parte interdum aut cupiditate aut aegritudine aut metu liberemur. velut ex ea disputatione, quae mihi nuper habita est in Tusculano, magna videbatur mortis effecta contemptio, quae non minimum valet ad animum metu liberandum. nam qui id quod vitari non potest metuit, is vivere animo quieto nullo modo potest; sed qui non modo quia necesse est mori, verum etiam quia nihil habet mors quod sit horrendum, mortem non timet, magnum is sibi praesidium ad beatam vitam comparavit.
3 Quamquam non sumus ignari multos studiose contra esse dicturos; quod vitare nullo modo potuimus, nisi nihil omnino scriberemus. etenim si orationes, quas nos multitudinis iudicio probari volebamus (popularis est enim illa facultas, et effectus eloquentiae est audientium adprobatio)—sed si reperiebantur non nulli, qui nihil laudarent nisi quod se imitari posse confiderent, quemque sperandi sibi, eundem bene dicendi finem proponerent, et cum obruerentur copia sententiarum atque verborum, ieiunitatem et famem se malle quam ubertatem et copiam dicerent, unde erat exortum genus Atticorum is ipsis, qui id sequi se profitebantur, ignotum, qui iam conticuerunt paene ab ipso foro inrisi:
4 quid futurum putamus, cum adiutore populo, quo utebamur antea, nunc minime nos uti posse videamus? est enim philosophia paucis contenta iudicibus, multitudinem consulto ipsa fugiens eique ipsi et suspecta et invisa, ut, vel si quis universam velit vituperare, secundo id populo facere possit, vel si in eam quam nos maxime sequimur conetur invadere, magna habere possit auxilia e reliquorum philosophorum disciplinis.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
1 In Ennius, Neoptolemus says that he needs to philosophize, but only a little: he has no liking for it as a whole. For my part, Brutus, I think I need to philosophize—what better occupation can I have, especially when I have none?—but not, as he does, only a little. In philosophy it is difficult to know a little without knowing most of it or all. A few things can be selected only from many; and anyone who has grasped a few will pursue the rest with the same enthusiasm.
2 Still, in a busy life, especially a soldier’s life such as Neoptolemus was then leading, even a little often does great good. It bears fruit—not fruit as rich as the whole of philosophy can yield, but enough to release us sometimes, in some measure, from desire or distress or fear. The discussion I recently held at Tusculum, for example, seemed to produce a profound disregard for death, which does a great deal to free the mind from fear. Someone who fears what cannot be avoided can never live with peace of mind. But someone who does not fear death, not merely because dying is inevitable but because death contains nothing terrible, has secured a powerful defense for a happy life.
3 I know, of course, that many people will argue eagerly against me. The only way to escape that was to write nothing at all. Even my speeches were meant to win the judgment of the multitude—eloquence is a public art, and its achievement is the approval of its listeners. Yet there were people who praised nothing unless they felt sure they could imitate it, and who set the limits of good speaking at the limits of their own hopes. Overwhelmed by a wealth of thoughts and words, they said they preferred leanness and starvation to richness and abundance. This gave rise to a species of ‘Attic’ speaker unknown to the very people who professed to follow it; they have now fallen silent, all but laughed out of the courts themselves.
4 What, then, should I expect now, when I see that I cannot possibly enlist the public support I once enjoyed? Philosophy is content with a few judges. She deliberately shuns the multitude, who in turn regard her with suspicion and dislike. Anyone who wishes to attack philosophy as a whole can therefore count on popular applause; and anyone who attempts to assault the school I chiefly follow can find strong reinforcements among the teachings of the other philosophers.
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.
1 In Ennius, Neoptolemus says he needs to study philosophy, but only a little. He says he doesn’t like taking it up fully. I too think I need to study philosophy, Brutus. What better use could I make of my time, especially now that I have nothing to do? But I don’t agree about studying only a little. In philosophy, it’s hard to know a few things without knowing most of it, or all of it. You can’t choose a few things unless you have a lot to choose from. And once you’ve grasped a few things, you’ll put the same effort into pursuing the rest.
2 Still, when your life is busy, especially with military service, as Neoptolemus’ life was then, even a little philosophy often does a lot of good. It pays off. The results may not be as great as those you can get from philosophy as a whole. Even so, sometimes they can give us some relief from desire, distress, or fear. Take the discussion I recently held at my place in Tusculum. It seemed to do a great deal to remove our concern about death. That’s no small help in freeing the mind from fear. If you’re afraid of something you can’t avoid, you can’t possibly live with peace of mind. But suppose you aren’t afraid of death, not just because you have to die, but because death contains nothing frightening. Then you’ve given yourself a powerful defense for living happily.
3 Of course, I know that plenty of people will be eager to argue against me. There was no way to avoid that, short of writing nothing at all. Think of my speeches. I wanted the public to approve of them. Speaking is a public activity, after all, and eloquence achieves its aim when listeners approve. Yet even there, some people would praise nothing unless they were confident they could copy it. They set the limit of good speaking at the limit of their own hopes of speaking well. When a flood of ideas and words overwhelmed them, they said they’d rather have thinness and starvation than richness and plenty. That gave rise to a kind of Attic speaking that was unknown even to the people who claimed to practice it. By now they’ve fallen silent, practically laughed down by the courts themselves.
4 What should we expect now, when I can no longer count on the public’s support, as I did before? Philosophy is happy with a small number of judges. It deliberately keeps away from the crowd, and the crowd itself distrusts and dislikes it. Someone who wants to attack philosophy as a whole can therefore count on public applause. And someone who tries to attack the school I chiefly follow can get plenty of help from the other philosophical schools.
About this section
Book 2, Chapter 1 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 50 of 189 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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