Book 1, Chapter 42
Original Latin
Ne ego haud paulo hunc animum malim quam eorum omnium fortunas, qui de hoc iudicaverunt. etsi, quod praeter deos negat scire quemquam, id scit ipse utrum sit melius—nam dixit ante—, sed suum illud, nihil ut adfirmet, tenet ad extremum;
100 nos autem teneamus, ut nihil censeamus esse malum, quod sit a natura datum omnibus, intellegamusque, si mors malum sit, esse sempiternum malum. nam vitae miserae mors finis esse videtur; mors si est misera, finis esse nullus potest.
Sed quid ego Socratem aut Theramenem, praestantis viros virtutis et sapientiae gloria, commemoro, cum Lacedaemonius quidam, cuius ne nomen quidem proditum est, mortem tantopere contempserit, ut, cum ad eam duceretur damnatus ab ephoris et esset voltu hilari atque laeto dixissetque ei quidam inimicus: ‘contemnisne leges Lycurgi?’, responderit: ‘ego vero illi maximam gratiam habeo, qui me ea poena multaverit, quam sine mutuatione et sine versura possem dissolvere.’ o virum Sparta dignum! ut mihi quidem, qui tam magno animo fuerit, innocens damnatus esse videatur. talis innumerabilis nostra civitas tulit.
101 sed quid duces et principes nominem, cum legiones scribat Cato saepe alacris in eum locum profectas, unde redituras se non arbitrarentur? pari animo Lacedaemonii in Thermopylis occiderunt, in quos Simonides: Dic, hospes, Spartae nos te hic vidisse iacentis, Dum sanctis patriae legibus obsequimur. quid ille dux Leonidas dicit? ‘pergite animo forti, Lacedaemonii, hodie apud inferos fortasse cenabimus.’ fuit haec gens fortis, dum Lycurgi leges vigebant. e quibus unus, cum Perses hostis in conloquio dixisset glorians: ‘solem prae iaculorum multitudine et sagittarum non videbitis’, ‘in umbra igitur’ inquit ‘pugnabimus.’
102 viros commemoro: qualis tandem Lacaena? quae cum filium in proelium misisset et interfectum audisset, ‘idcirco’ inquit ‘genueram, ut esset, qui pro patria mortem non dubitaret occumbere’.
Musean translation
Complete machine-assisted translation from the Latin. Latin transcription by the Perseus Project, Trustees of Tufts University, CC BY-SA 4.0.
“Certainly I would far rather have his spirit than the fortunes of all those who judged him. Yet he himself knows which is better, though he says no one but the gods knows—for he has said it already. But to the very end he keeps to his own practice of asserting nothing;
100 “let us, for our part, keep to this: we should count nothing an evil that nature has given to everyone, and should understand that, if death is an evil, it is an everlasting evil. For death appears to end a miserable life; but if death is miserable, there can be no end to it.
“But why do I mention Socrates or Theramenes, men outstanding for their renown in virtue and wisdom, when a certain Spartan, whose very name has not been handed down, despised death so thoroughly that he went to it, condemned by the ephors, with a cheerful, happy face? When an enemy said to him, ‘Do you despise the laws of Lycurgus?’ he answered, ‘On the contrary, I am most grateful to him for fining me a penalty I could pay without borrowing money or renewing a loan.’ A man worthy of Sparta! Such greatness of soul makes me think he was innocent when condemned. Our own city has produced countless men like him.
101 “But why name commanders and leading men, when Cato writes that legions often went eagerly to a place from which they did not expect to return? With the same spirit the Spartans died at Thermopylae, of whom Simonides wrote:
“‘Stranger, tell Sparta that you saw us lying here,“‘Obedient to our country’s sacred laws.’
“And what does their commander Leonidas say? ‘Go forward bravely, Spartans: perhaps today we shall dine in the underworld.’ This people was brave while the laws of Lycurgus flourished. When a Persian enemy boasted in conversation, ‘The multitude of our javelins and arrows will hide the sun from you,’ one of them answered, ‘Then we shall fight in the shade.’
102 “I speak of men; but what of a Spartan woman? When she had sent her son into battle and heard that he had been killed, she said, ‘That was why I bore him: so there would be a man who would not hesitate to meet death for his country.’”
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’d certainly much rather have his spirit than the fortunes of all the men who judged him. True, although he says no one but the gods knows which is better, he knows it himself—he said so earlier. But he sticks to his characteristic refusal to make definite assertions right to the end.
100 “Let’s stick to our own position: nothing nature has given to everyone should be considered bad. And let’s understand that if death is bad, it’s an everlasting bad thing. Death seems to end a miserable life. But if death itself is miserable, there can be no end.
“But why am I bringing up Socrates or Theramenes, men distinguished by their reputation for virtue and wisdom? There was a Spartan whose very name hasn’t been passed down, yet he showed such disregard for death that he looked cheerful and happy as he was led away to it after the ephors condemned him. An enemy said to him, ‘Are you showing contempt for the laws of Lycurgus?’ He replied, ‘On the contrary, I’m deeply grateful to him. He’s given me a penalty I can pay without borrowing or refinancing a debt.’ A man worthy of Sparta! To my mind, someone with such a great spirit must have been innocent when condemned. Our own country has produced countless men like him.
101 “But why name commanders and leading citizens, when Cato writes that whole legions often set off eagerly for a place they didn’t think they’d return from? The Spartans at Thermopylae died in the same spirit. Simonides wrote of them: “‘Stranger, tell Sparta you saw us lying here, “‘As we obeyed our country’s sacred laws.’ “What does their commander Leonidas say? ‘Go forward bravely, Spartans. Perhaps we’ll dine in the world below today.’ This was a brave people while the laws of Lycurgus were in force. In a conversation, one of them heard a Persian enemy boast, ‘Our spears and arrows will be so thick you won’t see the sun.’ ‘Then,’ he said, ‘we’ll fight in the shade.’
102 “I’m mentioning men. What about the Spartan woman who sent her son into battle and heard he’d been killed? ‘That’s why I gave birth to him,’ she said, ‘so there’d be someone who wouldn’t hesitate to die for his country.’”
About this section
Book 1, Chapter 42 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 42 of 189 in the work, which is kept in the Roman tradition.
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