Pro Caelio 45

Cicero now stresses Caelius’ good qualities, whether they are natural or learned.

Audistis, cum pro se diceret, audistis antea, cum accusaret

You heard when he spoke in his own defence, you heard him previously when he was prosecuting

(defendendi haec causa, non gloriandi eloquor);

—I mention this for the sake of defending him, not for boasting—

genus orationis, facultatem, copiam sententiarum atque verborum, quae vestra prudentia est, perspexistis;

you have noticed, with a wisdom which is yours, his style of oratory, his technical ability, the richness of his ideas and diction.

atque in eo non solum ingenium elucere eius videbatis, quod saepe, etiamsi industria non alitur,

And in him you saw not only his natural talent shine forth, which often, even if it is not nourished by effort

valet tamen ipsum suis viribus, sed inerat,

is in itself strong, due to its own energy, but there was in him,

nisi me propter benevolentiam forte fallebat, ratio et bonis artibus instituta et cura et vigiliis elaborata.

unless I happen to have been deceived on account of my favourable opinion of him, knowledge implanted in him by liberal studies and perfected by practice and constant hard work.

Atqui scitote, iudices, eas cupiditates, quae obiciuntur Caelio, atque haec studia,

And yet you should be aware, gentlemen of the jury, that those passions, which are brought up as objections against Caelius, and these studies,

de quibus disputo, non facile in eodem homine esse posse.

which I have been discussing, cannot easily exist in the same person.

Fieri enim non potest, ut animus libidini deditus, amore, desiderio, cupiditate, saepe nimia copia,

For it cannot happen that a mind devoted to lust, to love, to desire, to passion, often hindered by overindulgence,

inopia etiam non numquam impeditus hoc, quicquid est, quod nos facimus in dicendo,

sometimes even by lack of resources, is able to undertake whatever it is we do in giving speeches,

quoquomodo facimus non modo agendo, verum etiam cogitando possit sustinere.

and the manner in which we do it not only as regards delivery but also the conceptual wor.