Book 1, Chapter 29
Original Latin
In quo igitur loco est? credo equidem in capite et cur credam adferre possum. sed alias, ubi sit animus; certe quidem in te est. quae est eius natura? propria, puto, et sua. sed fac igneam, fac spirabilem: nihil ad id de quo agimus. illud modo videto, ut deum noris, etsi eius ignores et locum et faciem, sic animum tibi tuum notum esse oportere, etiamsi ignores et locum et formam.
71 in animi autem cognitione dubitare non possumus, nisi plane in physicis plumbei sumus, quin nihil sit animis admixtum, nihil concretum, nihil copulatum, nihil coagmentatum, nihil duplex: quod cum ita sit, certe nec secerni nec dividi nec discerpi nec distrahi potest, ne interire <quidem> igitur. est enim interitus quasi discessus et secretio ac diremptus earum partium, quae ante interitum iunctione aliqua tenebantur.
His et talibus rationibus adductus Socrates nec patronum quaesivit ad iudicium capitis nec iudicibus supplex fuit adhibuitque liberam contumaciam a magnitudine animi ductam, non a superbia, et supremo vitae die de hoc ipso multa disseruit et paucis ante diebus, cum facile posset educi e custodia, noluit, et tum, paene in manu iam mortiferum illud tenens poculum, locutus ita est, ut non ad mortem trudi, verum in caelum videretur escendere.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Where, then, is it located? In the head, I believe, and I can give reasons for my belief. But where the soul is may wait for another time: certainly it is in you. What is its nature? One peculiar to itself, I think. But suppose it is fiery, suppose it is airy: that has no bearing on our present question. Only bear this in mind: just as you recognize a god although you do not know his location or appearance, so you ought to recognize your own soul, even though you do not know its location or shape.
71 “In our understanding of the soul, unless we are utterly leaden in natural philosophy, we cannot doubt that souls contain nothing mixed, compounded, joined, cemented, or twofold. Since that is so, the soul certainly cannot be separated, divided, torn apart, or wrenched apart, and therefore cannot <even> perish. For perishing is, as it were, the departure, separation, and sundering of parts which before death were held together by some bond.
“Led by these and similar arguments, Socrates neither sought an advocate at his trial for his life nor pleaded with his judges. He displayed a free defiance born of greatness of soul, not pride. On the last day of his life he spoke at length on this very subject; a few days earlier he had refused to be led out of prison, though it could easily have been done. And then, with that fatal cup all but in his hand, he spoke as though he were not being driven to death but ascending to heaven.”
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 where is it located? I believe it’s in the head, and I can give reasons for that belief. But where the soul is can wait for another time. At any rate, it’s in you. What’s its nature? Something special and distinct, I think. But suppose it’s made of fire; suppose it’s made of breath. That makes no difference to our subject. Just keep this in view: you know a god even though you don’t know either his location or his appearance. In the same way, you should know your own soul even if you don’t know its location or shape.
71 “Now, unless we’re completely dense about natural science, our understanding of the soul leaves no room for doubt on this point: souls contain nothing mixed, compounded, coupled, fitted together, or made of two elements. So a soul certainly can’t be separated, divided, torn apart, or pulled to pieces. It can’t perish, either. Perishing is a sort of breakup, separation, and dispersal of parts that were held together in some combination before they perished.
“Arguments like these persuaded Socrates not to seek a lawyer at his capital trial or beg the judges for mercy. Instead, he showed an outspoken defiance that came from greatness of spirit, not arrogance. On his last day he discussed this very subject at length. A few days earlier, when he could easily have been brought out of prison, he refused. And then, with that deadly cup practically in his hand, he spoke like someone rising into heaven, not someone being pushed toward death.”
About this section
Book 1, Chapter 29 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 part 29 of 189 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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