Pro Archia 8

Arch. 8.1Quis nostrum tam animō agrestī ac dūrō fuit ut Roscī morte nūper nōn commovērētur?

Which of us was so boorish and hard of heart that he was not moved by the recent death of Roscius?

Note. Roscius: Q. Roscius Gallus, the great comic actor and Cicero's friend, who had died recently. Quis nostrum: nostrum is the partitive genitive of nōs, 'which of us'. animō agrestī ac dūrō: ablative of description. ut … nōn commovērētur: result clause.

Arch. 8.1Quī cum esset senex mortuus, tamen propter excellentem artem ac venustātem vidēbātur omnīnō morī nōn dēbuisse.

Though he died an old man, still, because of his outstanding art and grace, it seemed that he ought not to have died at all.

Note. cum … mortuus esset: concessive, 'though he had died'. senex is in apposition: 'as an old man'.

Arch. 8.1Ergō ille corporis mōtū tantum amōrem sibi conciliārat ā nōbīs omnibus;

So, by the movement of his body, he had won for himself so much love from all of us;

Note. A comparison from lesser to greater: if an actor won love by the movement of his body, how much more should a poet by the movement of his mind? conciliārat: shortened form of conciliāverat.

Arch. 8.1nōs animōrum incrēdibilīs mōtūs celeritātemque ingeniōrum neglegēmus?

shall we neglect the incredible movements of minds and the quickness of talents?

Note. incrēdibilīs: older accusative plural (= incrēdibilēs), agreeing with mōtūs. neglegēmus: an indignant question, 'shall we neglect …?'.

Arch. 8.18Quotiēns ego hunc Archiam vīdī, iūdicēs,— ūtar enim vestrā benignitāte, quoniam mē in hōc novō genere dīcendī tam dīligenter attenditis— quotiēns ego hunc vīdī, cum litteram scrīpsisset nūllam, magnum numerum optimōrum versuum dē eīs ipsīs rēbus quae tum agerentur dīcere ex tempore, quotiēns revocātum eandem rem dīcere commūtātīs verbīs atque sententiīs!

How often have I seen this Archias, gentlemen of the jury (for I shall make use of your kindness, since you are listening so attentively to me in this new kind of speaking), how often have I seen him, when he had not written a single letter, speak a great number of excellent verses off the cuff about the very things that were happening then, how often, when called back, speak the same matter again with the words and thoughts changed!

Note. quotiēns …!: an exclamation, repeated three times (anaphora). The dashes mark a parenthesis in which Cicero thanks the jury for letting him use 'this new kind of speaking', a literary style unusual in court. ex tempore: 'on the spur of the moment', improvised. dīcere depends on vīdī: 'I saw him speak'. revocātum: 'called back' for an encore.

Arch. 8.18Quae vērō accūrātē cōgitātēque scrīpsisset, ea sīc vīdī probārī ut ad veterum scrīptōrum laudem pervenīret.

And what he had written carefully and with thought, I have seen win such approval that it reached the fame of the ancient writers.

Note. Quae … scrīpsisset: subjunctive in a relative clause of repeated action, 'whatever he had written'. ad veterum scrīptōrum laudem: 'to the fame of the old writers'.

Arch. 8.18Hunc ego nōn dīligam, nōn admīrer, nōn omnī ratiōne dēfendendum putem?

Am I not to love this man, not to admire him, not to think he should be defended by every means?

Note. Deliberative subjunctives: dīligam, admīrer, putem, 'am I not to love …?'. dēfendendum (esse): gerundive of obligation, 'that he must be defended'.

Arch. 8.18Atque sīc ā summīs hominibus ērudītissimīsque accēpimus, cēterārum rērum studia ex doctrīnā et praeceptīs et arte cōnstāre, poētam nātūrā ipsā valēre et mentis vīribus excitārī et quasi dīvīnō quōdam spīritū īnflārī.

And yet we have learned from the greatest and most learned men that the pursuit of other things depends on learning, rules and technique, but that a poet is strong by nature itself, is roused by the powers of his mind, and is breathed into, as it were, by a kind of divine spirit.

Note. Indirect statement after accēpimus: studia … cōnstāre, poētam … valēre … excitārī … īnflārī. The idea that the poet is inspired by a divine breath (spīritus) goes back to Plato. quasi: 'as it were', softening a bold word.

Arch. 8.18Quā rē suō iūre noster ille Ennius "sānctōs" appellat poētās, quod quasi deōrum aliquō dōnō atque mūnere commendātī nōbīs esse videantur.

For this reason our own Ennius rightly calls poets "holy", because they seem to be commended to us by some gift and present, as it were, from the gods.

Note. Ennius (239-169 B.C.), the first great Latin poet; Cicero quotes his phrase 'holy poets'. quod … videantur: subjunctive giving the reason as Ennius' view.

Arch. 8.19Sit igitur, iūdicēs, sānctum apud vōs, hūmānissimōs hominēs, hoc poētae nōmen quod nūlla umquam barbaria violāvit.

So, gentlemen of the jury, let this name of poet, which no barbarous people has ever violated, be holy among you, most cultivated men.

Note. Sit … sānctum: jussive subjunctive, 'let it be holy'. hūmānissimōs hominēs: in apposition to vōs, 'you most cultivated men'.

Arch. 8.19Saxa atque sōlitūdinēs vōcī respondent, bestiae saepe immānēs cantū flectuntur atque cōnsistunt;

Rocks and wildernesses answer the voice; savage beasts are often swayed by song and stand still;

Note. An allusion to Orpheus, whose song moved rocks and tamed wild beasts. Asyndeton again: two short clauses side by side.

Arch. 8.19nōs īnstitūtī rēbus optimīs nōn poētārum vōce moveāmur?

shall we, trained in the best things, not be moved by the voice of poets?

Note. nōs … moveāmur?: an indignant question with the subjunctive, 'are we not to be moved?'. īnstitūtī rēbus optimīs: 'trained in the finest things'.

Arch. 8.19Homērum Colophōniī cīvem esse dīcunt suum, Chiī suum vindicant, Salamīniī repetunt, Smyrnaeī vērō suum esse cōnfirmant itaque etiam dēlūbrum eius in oppidō dēdicāvērunt, permultī aliī praetereā pugnant inter sē atque contendunt.

The people of Colophon say that Homer is their citizen, the Chians claim him as theirs, the Salaminians demand him back, the people of Smyrna assert that he is theirs and have even dedicated a shrine to him in their town; and many others besides fight and contend among themselves.

Note. Seven cities were said to claim Homer as a native; Cicero names four. Salamīniī: the people of Salamis on Cyprus. suum (esse): Homer is the subject of the infinitives. dēlūbrum: a shrine; Smyrna did have a Homereion.