Pro Archia 7

Arch. 7.1Quaeret quispiam: "quid?

Someone will ask: "What?

Note. Cicero imagines an objector (quispiam, 'someone') and answers him: a common move in a speech. Quaeret: future, 'will ask'. Quid?: 'What?', introducing an objection.

Arch. 7.1Illī ipsī summī virī quōrum virtūtēs litterīs prōditae sunt istāne doctrīnā quam tū effers laudibus ērudītī fuērunt?"

Those very great men whose virtues have been handed down in writing, were they educated in that learning which you praise so highly?"

Note. istāne doctrīnā … ērudītī fuērunt: 'were they trained in that learning of yours?'. iste often points to something belonging to the person addressed, here the learning 'you' praise. -ne marks the question. litterīs prōditae: 'handed down in writing'.

Arch. 7.1Difficile est hoc dē omnibus cōnfirmāre, sed tamen est certum quid respondeam.

It is hard to assert this about all of them, but still I am sure what I should answer.

Note. certum est quid respondeam: an indirect question (quid … respondeam, subjunctive) as the subject of certum est.

Arch. 7.1Ego multōs hominēs excellentī animō ac virtūte fuisse sine doctrīnā, et nātūrae ipsīus habitū prope dīvīnō per sē ipsōs et moderātōs et gravīs exstitisse fateor;

I admit that many men of outstanding character and virtue have existed without learning, and by an almost divine natural disposition have of themselves been both self-controlled and serious;

Note. Indirect statement after fateor (at the end): multōs hominēs … fuisse … exstitisse. excellentī animō ac virtūte: ablative of description, 'of outstanding character and virtue'. per sē ipsōs: 'by themselves', without teaching. gravīs: older accusative plural for gravēs.

Arch. 7.1etiam illud adiungō, saepius ad laudem atque virtūtem nātūram sine doctrīnā quam sine nātūrā valuisse doctrīnam.

I add this too, that nature without learning has more often led to praise and virtue than learning without nature.

Note. A neat chiasmus (crossed order): nātūram sine doctrīnā … sine nātūrā … doctrīnam. saepius … quam: 'more often … than'.

Arch. 7.1Atque īdem ego hoc contendō, cum ad nātūram eximiam et inlūstrem accesserit ratiō quaedam cōnfōrmātiōque doctrīnae, tum illud nesciō quid praeclārum ac singulāre solēre exsistere.

And yet I also maintain this: when a certain method and training that comes from learning is added to an outstanding and brilliant nature, then that remarkable and unique something usually comes into being.

Note. cum … tum: 'when … then'. accesserit: perfect subjunctive inside indirect statement (after contendō). illud nesciō quid praeclārum: 'that remarkable something or other'; nesciō quid works as one word, 'something'.

Arch. 7.16Ex hōc esse hunc numerō quem patrēs nostrī vīdērunt, dīvīnum hominem, Āfricānum, ex hōc C. Laelium, L. Fūrium, moderātissimōs hominēs et continentissimōs, ex hōc fortissimum virum et illīs temporibus doctissimum, M. Catōnem illum senem;

Of this number, I say, was the man our fathers saw, the godlike Africanus; of this number Gaius Laelius and Lucius Furius, most moderate and self-controlled men; of this number that bravest of men and, for those times, most learned, the old Marcus Cato;

Note. The 'Scipionic circle': Scipio Aemilianus (Africanus), his friend Laelius and L. Furius Philus, Romans of the 2nd century B.C. famous for their Greek culture. Cato the Elder, the stern censor, is a surprising example, since he made a show of disliking Greek learning, yet he studied Greek in old age. ex hōc … numerō: 'from this number', i.e. men in whom nature and learning combined.

Arch. 7.16quī profectō sī nihil ad percipiendam colendamque virtūtem litterīs adiuvārentur, numquam sē ad eārum studium contulissent.

and they would surely never have devoted themselves to the study of letters if they had not been helped by letters in grasping and practising virtue.

Note. Past contrary-to-fact condition: sī … adiuvārentur (imperfect subjunctive, ongoing), numquam … contulissent (pluperfect subjunctive). nihil: adverbial, 'not at all'.

Arch. 7.16Quod sī nōn hic tantus frūctus ostenderētur, et sī ex hīs studiīs dēlectātiō sōla peterētur, tamen, ut opīnor, hanc animī remissiōnem hūmānissimam ac līberālissimam iūdicārētis.

But even if so great a benefit were not offered, and only pleasure were sought from these studies, still, I think, you would judge this relaxation of the mind most humane and most worthy of a free man.

Note. Quod sī: 'but if'. A present contrary-to-fact supposition: ostenderētur, peterētur … iūdicārētis. remissiōnem: 'relaxation'. hūmānissimam ac līberālissimam: 'most worthy of a cultured and free man'.

Arch. 7.16Nam cēterae neque temporum sunt neque aetātum omnium neque locōrum;

For other pursuits do not belong to every time, every age or every place;

Note. cēterae (sc. remissiōnēs or rēs): other pursuits. The genitives temporum, aetātum, locōrum are predicative: 'do not belong to every time …'.

Arch. 7.16at haec studia adulēscentiam acuunt, senectūtem oblectant, secundās rēs ōrnant, adversīs perfugium ac sōlācium praebent, dēlectant domī, nōn impediunt forīs, pernoctant nōbīscum, peregrīnantur, rūsticantur.

but these studies sharpen youth and delight old age, adorn good fortune and offer a refuge and a comfort in bad, give pleasure at home and are no hindrance abroad; they stay up through the night with us, they travel with us, they go with us to the country.

Note. The most famous passage of the speech, quoted in schools for centuries. Notice the rhythm: short clauses without connectives (asyndeton), each a verb with its object, pairs of opposites (adulēscentiam/senectūtem, secundās/adversīs, domī/forīs). adversīs (sc. rēbus): dative, 'to bad fortune'. pernoctant nōbīscum, peregrīnantur, rūsticantur: the studies are pictured as companions who spend the night, travel and go to the country with us.

Arch. 7.17Quod sī ipsī haec neque attingere neque sēnsū nostrō gustāre possēmus, tamen ea mīrārī dēbērēmus, etiam cum in aliīs vidērēmus.

And even if we ourselves could not touch them or taste them with our own senses, still we ought to admire them, even when we saw them in others.

Note. attingere … gustāre: 'touch … taste': we should admire literature even if we could not enjoy it ourselves.