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Montag, 23. Februar 2015

WHEN DID PYTHAGORAS COME TO ITALY: CICERO, DE RE PUBLICA II 15 (28f.)

15 (28) Quae cum Scipio dixisset (After (as) Scipio had told this), "Verene (Truly)", inquit Manilius (said Manilius) "hoc memoriae proditum est (is this handed down ("transmitted to memory") Africane (Africanus=Scipio), regem istum Numam (that this king Numa) Pythagorae ipsius discipulum (the disciple; pupil of Pythagoras himself) aut certe Pythagoreum fuisse (or surely; certainly a Pythagorean (a follower of P.) was)? Saepe enim hoc (Namely often this) de maioribus natu audivimus (we heard from the older people "by birth"=ancestors), et ita (and so; this way) intellegimus (we understand) vulgo existimari (is generally; commonly believed); neque  vero satis (but not satisfactory) id (this) annalium publicorum auctoritate (through the authority of the public annals) declaratum videmus (we see declared; explained)." Tum Scipio (Then Scipio): "Falsum est enim Manili (For it is false, Manilius"), inquit (said) "id totum (the whole thing) neque solum fictum (and not only made up (of whole cloth); invented, lied) sed etiam imperite absurdeque fictum (but even invented in an unexperienced and unlogical; absurd manner); ea sunt enim demum (these finally are) non ferenda mendacia (unbearable lies), quae non solum ficta esse sed ne fieri quidem potuisse cernimus (which we see that they are not only invented, but that they even could not have happened). Nam quartum iam annum (For in the fourth year already) regnante Lucio Tarquinio Superbo (under the reign of Lucius Tarquinius Superbus) Sybarim et Crotonem et in eas Italiae partis (to Sybaris and Croton and these parts of Italy) Pythagoras venisse reperitur (Pythagoras is found to have come); olympias enim secunda et sexagesima (for the 62. Olympiad) Superbi regni initium et Pythagorae declarat adventum (declares; announces the beginning of the reign of Superbus and the arrival of Pythagoras). (29) Ex quo intellegi (From this (can)  be understood) regiis annis dinumeratis (if; when we count the years of the "kingly" years=time of the kingdom) potest (can; can be understood) anno fere centesimo et quadragesimo (nearly (about) in the 140. year) post mortem Numae (after the death of Numa) primum (for the first time) Italiam Pythagoram attigisse (that Pythagoras has "touched" Italy; has come to Italy); neque (and not) hoc (this) inter eos (among those) qui diligentissime persecuti sunt (who diligently investigated) temporum annales (the annals of the times), ulla est umquam in dubitatione versatum (is ever ("not ever"=never) called in(to) question;  "any doubt")." "Di immortales (By the immortal gods)" inquit Manilius (said Manilius) "quantus iste est hominum et quam inveteratus error (how big (great) is this error (fault; mistake) of the people and how old; deep-rooted). Ac tamen facile patior (But nontheless I bear (stand it) non esse nos (that we are not) transmarinis nec inportatis artibus eruditos (educated by transmarine (from oversea) and imported arts (science)), sed genuinis domesticisque virtutibus (but through natural (genuine) and domestic virtues).-
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by decurio




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