Pro Archia 2

Arch. 2.1Sed nē cui vestrum mīrum esse videātur, mē in quaestiōne lēgitimā et in iūdiciō pūblicō, cum rēs agātur apud praetōrem populī Rōmānī, lēctissimum virum, et apud sevērissimōs iūdicēs, tantō conventū hominum ac frequentiā hōc utī genere dīcendī quod nōn modo ā cōnsuētūdine iūdiciōrum vērum etiam ā forēnsī sermōne abhorreat, quaesō ā vōbīs ut in hāc causā mihi dētis hanc veniam accommodātam huic reō, vōbīs, quem ad modum spērō, nōn molestam, ut mē prō summō poētā atque ērudītissimō homine dīcentem hōc concursū hominum litterātissimōrum, hāc vestrā hūmānitāte, hōc dēnique praetōre exercente iūdicium, patiāminī dē studiīs hūmānitātis ac litterārum paulō loquī līberius, et in eius modī persōnā quae propter ōtium ac studium minimē in iūdiciīs perīculīsque trāctāta est utī prope novō quōdam et inūsitātō genere dīcendī.

But so that none of you may think it strange that in a trial under statute, in a public court, when the case is being heard before a praetor of the Roman people, a most distinguished man, and before the strictest of judges, with such a crowd and gathering of people, I am using a style of speaking out of keeping not only with the custom of the courts but even with the language of the forum, I ask you to grant me in this case an indulgence suited to this defendant and, I hope, not burdensome to you: namely, that you allow me, as I speak on behalf of a great poet and a most learned man, before this gathering of highly cultured people, with your own humanity, and finally with this praetor presiding over the court, to speak a little more freely about the study of humanity and letters, and, in the case of a man of a kind that through his leisure and his studies has had very little to do with courts and lawsuits, to use an almost new and unusual style of speaking.

Note. The longest sentence in the speech, and itself an apology for the speech's style. nē cui … videātur: 'so that it may not seem to any of you'. quaestiō lēgitima: a court set up by statute. lēctissimum virum: the praetor presiding was probably Quintus Cicero, the orator's brother. The main verb is quaesō ā vōbīs ut … dētis … veniam, and the second ut-clause (ut … patiāminī) explains what the favour is. Note the run of ablative absolutes: hōc concursū, hāc vestrā hūmānitāte, hōc … praetōre exercente iūdicium.

Arch. 2.4Quod sī mihi ā vōbīs tribuī concēdīque sentiam, perficiam profectō ut hunc A. Licinium nōn modo nōn sēgregandum, cum sit cīvis, ā numerō cīvium vērum etiam, sī nōn esset, putētis ascīscendum fuisse.

If I feel that this is being granted and allowed me by you, I shall certainly make you think that this Aulus Licinius not only should not be separated from the number of citizens, since he is a citizen, but that, even if he were not, he ought to have been admitted.

Note. Quod sī: 'and if'. nōn modo nōn sēgregandum … vērum etiam … ascīscendum fuisse: two gerundives of obligation in indirect statement after putētis, 'that he not only should not be separated … but should have been admitted'. cum sit cīvis: 'since he is a citizen'.