Book 1, Chapter 41
Original Latin
‘magna me’ inquit ‘spes tenet, iudices, bene mihi evenire, quod mittar ad mortem. necesse est enim sit alterum de duobus, ut aut sensus omnino omnes mors auferat aut in alium quendam locum ex his locis morte migretur. quam ob rem, sive sensus extinguitur morsque ei somno similis est, qui non numquam etiam sine visis somniorum placatissimam quietem adfert, di boni, quid lucri est emori! aut quam multi dies reperiri possunt, qui tali nocti anteponantur! cui si similis est perpetuitas omnis consequentis temporis, quis me beatior?’
98 “sin vera sunt quae dicuntur, migrationem esse mortem in eas oras, quas qui e vita excesserunt incolunt, id multo iam beatius est. tene, cum ab is, qui se iudicum numero haberi volunt, evaseris, ad eos venire, qui vere iudices appellentur, Minoem Rhadamanthum Aeacum Triptolemum, convenireque eos qui iuste <et> cum fide vixerint— haec peregrinatio mediocris vobis videri potest? ut vero conloqui cum Orpheo Musaeo Homero Hesiodo liceat, quanti tandem aestimatis? equidem saepe emori, si fieri posset, vellem, ut ea quae dico mihi liceret invisere. quanta delectatione autem adficerer, cum Palamedem, cum Aiacem, cum alios iudicio iniquo circumventos convenirem! temptarem etiam summi regis, qui maximas copias duxit ad Troiam, et Ulixi Sisyphique prudentiam, nec ob eam rem, cum haec exquirerem sicut hic faciebam, capite damnarer.—Ne vos quidem, iudices i qui me absolvistis, mortem timueritis.”
99 “nec enim cuiquam bono mali quicquam evenire potest nec vivo nec mortuo, nec umquam eius res a dis inmortalibus neglegentur, nec mihi ipsi hoc accidit fortuito. nec vero ego is, a quibus accusatus aut a quibus condemnatus sum, habeo quod suscenseam, nisi quod mihi nocere se crediderunt.” et haec quidem hoc modo; nihil autem melius extremo: ‘sed tempus est’ inquit ‘iam hinc abire, me, ut moriar, vos, ut vitam agatis. utrum autem sit melius, dii inmortales sciunt, hominem quidem scire arbitror neminem.’
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
“‘Great hope possesses me,’ he says, ‘judges, that being sent to death will turn out well for me. One of two things must happen: either death takes away every sensation altogether, or by dying we move from this place to another. So, if sensation is extinguished and death resembles the sleep that sometimes brings the deepest peace without even the visions of dreams—good gods, what a gain it is to die! How many days could be found preferable to such a night? If all the eternity that follows resembles it, who could be happier than I?
98 “‘But if the stories are true, that death is a migration to the regions inhabited by those who have departed from life, that is a far happier prospect still. To escape from men who wish to be reckoned judges, and to come before those who truly deserve that name—Minos, Rhadamanthus, Aeacus, Triptolemus—and to meet those who have lived justly <and> faithfully: can you think this an ordinary journey? What value do you set upon being allowed to converse with Orpheus, Musaeus, Homer, and Hesiod? For my part, I would gladly die many times, if that were possible, to be allowed to visit the people I speak of. And what delight I should feel at meeting Palamedes, Ajax, and the others undone by an unjust verdict! I should also test the wisdom of the great king who led the mightiest forces to Troy, and of Ulysses and Sisyphus; nor should I be condemned to death for pursuing these inquiries as I did here. You too, judges who voted to acquit me, should have no fear of death.
99 “‘For no evil can happen to a good man, living or dead; his interests will never be neglected by the immortal gods, nor has this happened to me by chance. Nor have I any reason to be angry with those who accused or condemned me, except that they believed they were doing me harm.’ That is how he speaks on these points; but nothing is better than his ending: ‘But now,’ he says, ‘it is time to leave this place: I to die, you to live. Which is better, the immortal gods know; I do not think any human being knows.’”
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.
“‘I have strong hopes, judges,’ he says, ‘that my sentence of death is a blessing for me. There are only two possibilities. Death either removes every feeling or transfers us somewhere else from here. Suppose feeling ends. Suppose death resembles those nights when sleep brings utter peace, sometimes without a single dream. Good gods, dying would be a wonderful gain! How many days can you name that surpass such a night? If the whole endless future is to be like that, nobody could be happier than I.
98 “‘Or suppose the accounts are true: death carries us to the country inhabited by those who’ve left this life. That’s a still greater happiness. Once free of these men who claim a place among the judges, you’d reach judges who really merit the title—Minos, Rhadamanthus, Aeacus, Triptolemus. You’d join people whose lives were honest and just. Would you call that an ordinary trip? Imagine being able to speak with Orpheus or Musaeus, with Homer or Hesiod. What price would you put on it? I’d choose to die over and over, were it possible, for the chance to visit those I’ve mentioned. Meeting Palamedes, Ajax, and other victims of unjust trials would give me enormous pleasure. I’d probe the wisdom of that mighty king who took the greatest forces to Troy, as well as Ulysses and Sisyphus. I could carry on questioning as I did here without being condemned to death for it. You judges who voted for my acquittal mustn’t fear death either.
99 “‘Nothing bad can happen to a good person, either living or dead. The immortal gods will never neglect his interests. What has happened to me hasn’t happened by chance, either. Nor have I any reason to be angry with my accusers or with those who condemned me, except that they believed they were harming me.’ Those were his words on these points. But nothing is better than his ending: ‘Now,’ he says, ‘it’s time to leave this place: for me to die, and for you to go on living. Which is better, the immortal gods know. I don’t think any human being knows.’”
About this section
Book 1, Chapter 41 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 41 of 189 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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