De la divination Passage 117

Quo modo autem aut vates aut somniantes ea videant, quae nusquam etiam tunc sint, magna quaestio est. Sed explorata si sint ea, quae ante quaeri debeant, sint haec, quae quaerimus, faciliora. Continet enim totam hanc quaestionem ea ratio, quae est de natura deorum, quae a te secundo libro est explicata dilucide. Quam si obtinemus, stabit illud, quod hunc locum continet, de quo agimus, esse deos, et eorum providentia mundum administrari, eosdemque consulere rebus humanis, nec solum universis, verum etiam singulis. Haec si tenemus, quae mihi quidem non videntur posse convelli, profecto hominibus a dis futura significari necesse est.

How prophets or dreamers see things that do not yet exist anywhere is a great question. But if the matters that ought first to be investigated have been settled, the questions we are asking will be easier. This entire inquiry is embraced by the argument concerning the nature of the gods, which you explained clearly in the second book. If we maintain that argument, the proposition on which the present subject rests will stand: that gods exist, that the world is governed by their providence, and that they take thought for human affairs, not only collectively but also individually. If we hold to these principles, which in my view cannot be overthrown, it necessarily follows that future events are signified to human beings by the gods.

Mais comment les prophètes ou les rêveurs voient-ils ce qui n’existe encore nulle part à ce moment-là ? C’est une grande question. Si toutefois les points qu’il faudrait examiner auparavant étaient élucidés, les problèmes que nous étudions seraient plus faciles. Toute cette question est contenue dans la théorie de la nature des dieux que tu as clairement exposée au deuxième livre. Si nous la maintenons, le principe qui embrasse le sujet dont nous traitons demeurera établi : les dieux existent, leur providence gouverne le monde, ils prennent soin des affaires humaines, non seulement dans leur ensemble, mais encore dans chaque cas particulier. Si nous maintenons ces principes, qui me paraissent impossibles à renverser, les dieux doivent nécessairement signifier l’avenir aux hommes.