[38]
Therefore, as at present
its glory has waned because it is no longer noted
for the truth of its prophecies, so formerly it would
not have enjoyed so exalted a reputation if it had
not been trustworthy in the highest degree. Possibly, too, those subterraneous exhalations which
used to kindle the soul of the Pythian priestess with
divine inspiration have gradually vanished in the
long lapse of time; just as within our own knowledge some rivers have dried up and disappeared,
while others, by winding and twisting, have changed
their course into other channels. But explain the
decadence of the oracle as you wish, since it offers
a wide field for discussion, provided you grant what
cannot be denied without distorting the entire
record of history, that the oracle at Delphi made
true prophecies for many hundreds of years.
Cicero: De Senectute De Amicitia De Divinatione. With An English Translation. William Armistead Falconer. Cambridge. Harvard University Press; Cambridge, Mass., London, England. 1923.
The Annenberg CPB/Project provided support for entering this text.
This work is licensed under a
Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.
An XML version of this text is available for download, with the additional restriction that you offer Perseus any modifications you make. Perseus provides credit for all accepted changes, storing new additions in a versioning system.