Book 1, Chapter 1

1 When at last I was wholly, or at least largely, released from the labor of defending cases and my duties in the Senate, I returned, Brutus, chiefly at your urging, to those studies I had kept in my heart but set aside under the pressure of events, and took them up again after a long interruption. The theory and training of every art that leads to the right way of life are contained in the pursuit of wisdom, which is called philosophy; I therefore thought I should bring this pursuit to light in Latin literature. Not that philosophy could not be learned from Greek books and teachers; but I have always held that our people have either shown greater wisdom than the Greeks in making discoveries for themselves, or improved on what they received from them—whatever, that is, they considered worth devoting their efforts to.

2 For we certainly preserve our customs, our ways of life, and our domestic and family affairs better and with greater dignity; and our ancestors undoubtedly regulated the state with better institutions and laws. What need I say of warfare? In that field our people have been powerful through courage, but still more through discipline. Then there are the qualities they attained by nature, not by learning, in which neither Greece nor any other nation can be compared with them. What people ever possessed such dignity, such steadfastness, greatness of soul, integrity, loyalty—such outstanding virtue of every kind—as to bear comparison with our ancestors?

3 Greece surpassed us in learning and in every branch of literature; but it was easy to defeat opponents who offered no resistance. For while poets are the oldest class of learned men among the Greeks—Homer and Hesiod lived before Rome was founded, Archilochus in the reign of Romulus—we received poetry rather late. About 510 years after Rome’s foundation, Livius produced a play in the consulship of Gaius Claudius, the son of Caecus, and Marcus Tuditanus, the year before Ennius was born. Ennius was older than Plautus and Naevius.

1 Brutus, I finally had some freedom from defending cases and doing my work in the Senate—if not complete freedom, at least a good deal of it. With your encouragement above all, I went back to my studies. They’d stayed in my thoughts, but circumstances had made me set them aside for a long time. The study of wisdom, which we call philosophy, includes the principles and teaching of every art concerned with living the right way. So I thought I should bring that subject to life in Latin writing. It’s not that you can’t learn philosophy from Greek books and teachers. But I’ve always held that our people either discovered things for themselves more intelligently than the Greeks did, or improved on what they got from the Greeks—at least in the fields they considered worth working at.

2 We certainly manage our customs, our way of life, and our homes and families better and with more refinement. Our ancestors certainly organized public life with better institutions and laws. And what about military matters? Our people have been very strong in courage, but stronger still in discipline. Then there are the qualities they developed naturally, without book learning. Neither Greece nor any other nation can compare with them there. Where has anyone shown such seriousness, such steadiness, greatness of spirit, integrity, trustworthiness, or such outstanding virtue of every kind that they could be compared with our ancestors?

3 In education and every branch of writing, Greece was ahead of us. There was no difficulty beating us, though: we weren’t putting up a fight. Poetry is the oldest kind of learned writing among the Greeks. Homer and Hesiod, after all, came before the founding of Rome; Archilochus lived under King Romulus. Our introduction to poetry came later. It was roughly Rome’s 510th year when Livius put on a play, during the consulship of Gaius Claudius, Caecus’ son, and Marcus Tuditanus. Ennius wasn’t born until the following year. Livius was older than either Plautus or Naevius.