My two years of high school Latin got me to Julius Caesar’s account of his exploits in the Gallic war Commentarii de Bello Gallico, written in a straightforward, rather simple style. Unfortunately, I never took third-year Latin, which would have got me to Cicero, whose style was more sophisticated, more complex, and thus more difficult. But I have read Cicero in English and his words of wisdom are eminently clear. Here are some excerpts, which I’ve versified,
(Musei Capitolini)
... the recollection in calm
of a sorrow that is past
is pleasure of a kind.
Anzio, April or May, 54 B.C.
from Letters on His Consulship and Exile
Letter Four, To Lucius Lucceius
[Ad Familiares, V, 12]
°°°
... the study of letters
is the food of youth,
the delight of old age,
the ornament of prosperity,
the refuge and comfort of adversity,
a delight at home and no burden abroad;
it stays with us at night,
and goes with us on our travels,
near and far.
from In Defense of Archias [Pro Archias] (62 B.C.)
°°°
Wise men tell us that,
whereas the practice of all other arts
is based on systematic instruction
and acquired skills,
the true poet is a born poet,
supported by forces within his own soul,
and inspired by a vision that is divine.
So our own great poet Ennuis
says rightly that poets are holy,
being sent to us as a gift or reward
from the gods.
Let the name of poet be sacred to you,
gentlemen, civilized as you all are,
since not even barbarians
have ever desecrated it!
Rocks and deserts
echo the human voice;
savage beasts are often moved
and tamed by song.
Shall we, so nobly nurtured,
stop our ears to a poet's words?
from In Defense of Archias [Pro Archias]
°°°
... even the grimmest enemy
of the Muses will readily consent
to have his own deeds
made immortal in poetry.
Themistocles, the great man of Athens,
when asked what music
or whose voice
he liked best to hear,
is said to have replied:
"The voice of him
who best celebrates my exploits."
from In Defense of Archias [Pro Archias]
°°°
A mediocre poet
in the crowd
once offered Sulla
a flattering epigram,
with every other line
a little too long;
and we saw Sulla
instantly present him
with a gift out of the spoils
he was then selling off,
on condition that
he would write no more.
from In Defense of Archias [Pro Archias]
°°°
How can I move you by my speech?
If Caesar's fate cannot show you
that it is better to be loved than feared,
no words will have any affect on you.
Those who once thought Caesar happy
are most miserable themselves.
No man is happy who lives in such a way
that he can be killed not merely with impunity,
but actually to the greater glory of his slayer.
Hence, I entreat you, change you methods!
Follow the example of your ancestors,
and rule the state so that your fellow citizens
may rejoice that you were born,
for without their affection
no one can be happy or illustrious,
however powerful he may be.
from a series of speeches
delivered between September 2, 44 and April 21, 43 B.C.
First Philippic Against Mark Antony [In Antonium, I]
°°°
... a man who considers pain
the supreme evil
can never be brave;
one who calls pleasure
the supreme good
can never be temperate.
The truth of this observation
is so patent
that it needs no argument ...
from On Duty: Book One [De Officis 1]
written during the last few months of 44 B.C.
°°°
Most men are inclined
to forget justice altogether,
when once the craving
for military power
or political honors and glory
has taken possession of them.
Remember the saying of Ennius,
"When crowns are at stake
No friendship is sacred, no faith will be kept,"
— words that have a wide application.
For whenever a situation is such
that only one man can be on top,
the competition is ordinarily so bitter
that to preserve "sacred friendship"
is very difficult.
An example of this behavior
was given just recently
by the unscrupulous Julius Caesar,
who disregarded all rights,
divine and human,
in order to attain
his ill-conceived and imaginary
supreme command.
from On Duty: Book One [De Officis 1]
All excerpts taken from Selected Works of Cicero © 1948 by Walter J. Black.
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