Lectitō › Cicero › The Dream of Scipio (Somnium Scipionis)
Somnium Scipionis (De Re Publica 6.13)
A place in heaven for statesmen
Cicero, Somnium Scipionis. Latin text with a sentence-by-sentence English translation, notes and vocabulary.
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Read in LectitōRep. 6.13.1Sed quō sīs, Āfricāne, alacrior ad tūtandam rem pūblicam, sīc habētō: omnibus, quī patriam cōnservāverint, adiūverint, auxerint, certum esse in caelō dēfīnītum locum, ubi beātī aevō sempiternō fruantur;
'But so that you may be the more eager to protect the republic, Africanus, be assured of this: for all who have preserved, helped or enlarged their country there is a definite place marked out in heaven, where the blessed enjoy eternal life;
Note. quō … alacrior: quō introduces a purpose clause containing a comparative, 'so that you may be the more eager'. ad tūtandam rem pūblicam: gerundive of purpose. habētō: future imperative, 'consider it settled'. omnibus quī … cōnservāverint: perfect subjunctive inside the indirect statement. aevō … fruantur: fruor takes the ablative.
Rep. 6.13.1nihil est enim illī prīncipī deō, quī omnem mundum regit, quod quidem in terrīs fīat, acceptius quam concilia coetūsque hominum iūre sociātī, quae cīvitātēs appellantur;
for nothing that happens on earth is more pleasing to that supreme god who rules the whole universe than the gatherings and communities of men bound together by law, which are called states;
Note. nihil … acceptius quam: 'nothing more pleasing than'. illī prīncipī deō: 'that chief god', the god of the outermost sphere. iūre sociātī: 'joined by law'; Cicero's definition of a state rests on law and justice.
Rep. 6.13.1hārum rēctōrēs et cōnservātōrēs hinc profectī hūc revertuntur.
their rulers and preservers set out from here, and here they return.'
Note. hinc … hūc: 'from here … to here', that is, from heaven: the souls of statesmen come from heaven and return there.
Vocabulary
| sed, conj. | but |
| quō, adv. | to what place? whither? to which place, whither; for which reason, wherefore, therefore; quō ūsque, till when? how long? |
| sum, esse, fuī, futūrus | be |
| alacer, -cris, -cre | eager, keen |
| ad, prep. with acc. | to, toward; at, near; for |
| tūtō (adv.; comp. tūtius) | safely |
| rēs, reī, f. | thing, matter, affair, circumstance, situation; rē vērā, in truth, in fact, really |
| pūblicus, -a, -um | public, of the state (rēs pūblica: the state) |
| sīc, adv. | so, thus |
| habeō, -ēre, -uī, -itus | have, hold; consider |
| omnis, -e | all, every |
| quī, quae, quod, rel. pron. | who, which |
| patria, -ae, f. | fatherland, country |
| cōnservō, -servāre, -servāvī, -servātus | preserve, keep |
| adiuvō, -āre, adiūvī, adiūtum | help, assist |
| augeō, -ēre, auxī, auctum | increase, enlarge |
| certus, -a, -um | determined, fixed, certain; certiōrem facere, to make more certain, inform |
| in, prep. with acc. and abl. | with acc.: into, onto, against; with abl.: in, on |
| caelum, -ī, n. | heaven, sky |
| dēfīniō, -īre, -īvī, -ītus | mark out, fix, set |
| locus, -ī, m., plur. loca, -orum, n. | place, situation |
| ubi, adv. | where; conj., when |
| beātus, -a, -um | happy, blessed |
| aevum, -ī n. | age, lifetime; old age |
| sempiternus, -a, -um | everlasting, eternal |
| fruor, -ī, frūctus sum (+ abl.) | enjoy |
| nihil, n., indecl. | nothing |
| enim, conj. | for |
| ille, illa, illud, dem. pron. | that; he, she, it, they; ille ... hīc, see hīc |
| prīnceps, -ipis | first, chief; as noun: leader |
| deus, -ī, m. | god |
| mundus, -ī m. | world, universe |
| regō, -ere, rēxī, rēctum | guide, steer, rule |
| quidem, adv. | in fact, indeed, certainly; nē ... quidem, not ... even |
| terra, -ae, f. | land, earth |
| fīō, fierī, factus sum | be done or made, become, happen |
| acceptus, -a, -um (+ dat.) | welcome, popular (with) |
| quam, adv. | how? as; than; with superl., as ... as possible |
| concilium, -ī n. | meeting, council |
| coetus, -ūs m. | meeting, gathering, assembly |
| que, enclitic conj. | and |
| homō, hominis, m. | man |
| iūs, iūris, n. | right, justice, law; iūs dīcere, to pronounce judgment; iūs iūrandum, iūris iūrandī, oath |
| sociō, -āre, -āvī, -ātum | make a partner, share |
| cīvitās, -tātis, f. | state |
| appellō, -pellāre, -pellāvī, -pellātus | call, name |
| hic, haec, hoc, dem. pron. | this; ille ... hīc, that ... this, the former ... the latter |
| rēctor, -ōris m. | ruler, guide, director |
| et, conj. | and; et ... et, both ... and |
| cōnservātor, -ōris m. | preserver, saviour |
| hinc, adv. | from this place, hence |
| proficīscor, -ficīscī, -fectus sum | set out, depart, march |
| hūc, adv. | to this place, hither |
| revertor, -vertī, -versus, perf. act. -vertī | turn back, return |