Lucius Annaeus Seneca→Lucilius Junior|c. 64 AD|Seneca the Younger|From Southern Italy (regional)|To Sicily (regional)|AI-assisted
[1] Yesterday you were with us. You could object if I said only "yesterday"; that is why I added "with us"—for with me you are always. Some friends had dropped in, on whose account a larger fire was made, not the kind that bursts out of the kitchens of the wealthy and terrifies the night watch, but a modest one that merely signals that guests have arrived. [2] Our conversation ranged widely, as happens at a dinner party, carrying no single subject through to its conclusion but leaping from one thing to another. Then a book of Quintus Sextius the Elder was read aloud—a great man, if you take my word for it at all, and a Stoic, though he himself denies it. [3] What vigor is in him, good gods, what spirit! You will not find this in all philosophers: the writings of certain men who possess a famous name are bloodless. They lay down rules, they argue, they split hairs, but they do not fashion the mind, because they have no mind themselves. When you have read Sextius, you will say, "He is alive, he is full of force, he is free, he is above the merely human, he sends me away full of immense confidence." [4] I will confess to you the disposition of mind I am in when I read him: I long to challenge every misfortune, I long to cry out, "Why do you delay, Fortune? Come, engage me: you see I am ready." I put on the spirit of a man who looks for where he may test himself, where he may display his virtue, [...] [5] I want to have something to conquer, something by enduring which I may be exercised. For Sextius has this excellent quality too, that he will both show you the greatness of the happy life and not make you despair of it: you will know that it lies on high ground, but that it is accessible to one who is willing. [6] Virtue herself will grant you this same thing, that you may admire her and yet still hope. For my part, the very contemplation of wisdom usually steals much of my time; I gaze upon her, struck with wonder, no differently than I sometimes gaze upon the universe itself, which I often look at as if I were a new spectator. [7] And so I revere the discoveries of wisdom and those who discovered them; it gives me joy to come into them as into the inheritance of many. These things were acquired for me, labored over for me. But let us play the part of the good head of a household: let us make larger what we have received; let this inheritance pass from me to those who come after, enlarged. Much work still remains, and much will always remain, nor will the chance of adding something further be shut off from anyone born a thousand ages hence. [8] But even if everything has been discovered by the ancients, this one thing will always be new: the use, and the knowledge and arrangement of what others have discovered. Suppose medicines have been left to us by which the eyes may be healed: I have no need to seek out others, but these nonetheless must be adapted to the diseases and the circumstances. With this the soreness of the eyes is soothed; with this the thickness of the eyelids is reduced; with this a sudden onset and a flow of moisture is checked; with this the sight is sharpened: you must grind these up, and choose the right moment, and apply the correct measure to each case. Remedies for the mind were discovered by the ancients; but it is our task to inquire how they are to be applied, and when. [9] Those who came before us accomplished much, but they did not finish the work. Still, they are to be looked up to and worshipped after the manner of the gods. Why should I not keep portraits of great men as goads to my spirit, and celebrate their birthdays? Why should I not always invoke them out of respect? The veneration that I owe to my own teachers, that same veneration I owe to those teachers of the human race, from whom the beginnings of so great a good have flowed. [10] If I see a consul or a praetor, I will do everything by which honor is customarily paid to honor: I will dismount from my horse, uncover my head, give way on the path. What then? Shall I receive both the Marcus Catos—the Elder and the Younger—and Laelius the Wise, and Socrates with Plato, and Zeno and Cleanthes, into my soul without the highest reverence? On the contrary, I venerate them, and I always rise to my feet before such great names. Farewell.
Yesterday you were with us. You might complain if I said “yesterday” merely. This is why I have added “with us.” For, so far as I am concerned, you are always with me. Certain friends had happened in, on whose account a somewhat brighter fire was laid,—not the kind that generally bursts from the kitchen chimneys of the rich and scares the watch, but the moderate blaze which means that guests have come. Our talk ran on various themes, as is natural at a dinner; it pursued no chain of thought to the end, but jumped from one topic to another. We then had read to us a book by Quintus Sextius the Elder. He is a great man, if you have any confidence in my opinion, and a real Stoic, though he himself denies it. Ye Gods, what strength and spirit one finds in him! This is not the case with all philosophers; there are some men of illustrious name whose writings are sapless. They lay down rules, they argue, and they quibble; they do not infuse spirit simply because they have no spirit. But when you come to read Sextius, you will say: “He is alive; he is strong; he is free; he is more than a man; he fills me with a mighty confidence before I close his book.” I shall acknowledge to you the state of mind I am in when I read his works: I want to challenge every hazard; I want to cry: “Why keep me waiting, Fortune? Enter the lists! Behold, I am ready for you!” I assume the spirit of a man who seeks where he may make trial of himself, where he may show his worth:
And fretting ’mid the unwarlike flocks he prays
Some foam-flecked boar may cross his path, or else
A tawny lion stalking down the hills.
I want something to overcome, something on which I may test my endurance. For this is another remarkable quality that Sextius possesses: he will show you the grandeur of the happy life and yet will not make you despair of attaining it; you will understand that it is on high, but that it is accessible to him who has the will to seek it.
And virtue herself will have the same effect upon you, of making you admire her and yet hope to attain her. In my own case, at any rate the very contemplation of wisdom takes much of my time; I gaze upon her with bewilderment, just as I sometimes gaze upon the firmament itself, which I often behold as if I saw it for the first time. Hence I worship the discoveries of wisdom and their discoverers; to enter, as it were, into the inheritance of many predecessors is a delight. It was for me that they laid up this treasure; it was for me that they toiled. But we should play the part of a careful householder; we should increase what we have inherited. This inheritance shall pass from me to my descendants larger than before. Much still remains to do, and much will always remain, and he who shall be born a thousand ages hence will not be barred from his opportunity of adding something further. But even if the old masters have discovered everything, one thing will be always new,—the application and the scientific study and classification of the discoveries made by others. Assume that prescriptions have been handed down to us for the healing of the eyes; there is no need of my searching for others in addition; but for all that, these prescriptions must be adapted to the particular disease and to the particular stage of the disease. Use this prescription to relieve granulation of the eyelids, that to reduce the swelling of the lids, this to prevent sudden pain or a rush of tears, that to sharpen the vision. Then compound these several prescriptions, watch for the right time of their application, and apply the proper treatment in each case.
The cures for the spirit also have been discovered by the ancients; but it is our task to learn the method and the time of treatment. Our predecessors have worked much improvement, but have not worked out the problem. They deserve respect, however, and should be worshipped with a divine ritual. Why should I not keep statues of great men to kindle my enthusiasm, and celebrate their birthdays? Why should I not continually greet them with respect and honour? The reverence which I owe to my own teachers I owe in like measure to those teachers of the human race, the source from which the beginnings of such great blessings have flowed. If I meet a consul or a praetor, I shall pay him all the honour which his post of honour is wont to receive: I shall dismount, uncover, and yield the road. What, then? Shall I admit into my soul with less than the highest marks of respect Marcus Cato, the Elder and the Younger, Laelius the Wise, Socrates and Plato, Zeno and Cleanthes? I worship them in very truth, and always rise to do honour to such noble names. Farewell.
[1] Fuisti here nobiscum. Potes queri, si here tantum; ideo adieci 'nobiscum'; mecum enim semper es. Intervenerant quidam amici propter quos maior fumus fieret, non hic qui erumpere ex lautorum culinis et terrere vigiles solet, sed hic modicus qui hospites venisse significet. [2] Varius nobis fuit sermo, ut in convivio, nullam rem usque ad exitum adducens sed aliunde alio transiliens. Lectus est deinde liber Quinti Sextii patris, magni, si quid mihi credis, viri, et licet neget Stoici. [3] Quantus in illo, di boni, vigor est, quantum animi! Hoc non in omnibus philosophis invenies: quorundam scripta clarum habentium nomen exanguia sunt. Instituunt, disputant, cavillantur, non faciunt animum quia non habent: cum legeris Sextium, dices, 'vivit, viget, liber es, supra hominem est, dimittit me plenum ingentis fiduciae'. [4] In qua positione mentis sim cum hunc lego fatebor tibi: libet omnis casus provocare, libet exclamare, 'quid cessas, fortuna? congredere: paratum vides'. Illius animum induo qui quaerit ubi se experiatur, ubi virtutem suam ostendat,
[5] Libet aliquid habere quod vincam, cuius patientia exercear. Nam hoc quoque egregium Sextius habet, quod et ostendet tibi beatae vitae magnitudinem et desperationem eius non faciet: scies esse illam in excelso, sed volenti penetrabilem. [6] Hoc idem virtus tibi ipsa praestabit, ut illam admireris et tamen speres. Mihi certe multum auferre temporis solet contemplatio ipsa sapientiae; non aliter illam intueor obstupefactus quam ipsum interim mundum, quem saepe tamquam spectator novus video. [7] Veneror itaque inventa sapientiae inventoresque; adire tamquam multorum hereditatem iuvat. Mihi ista acquisita, mihi laborata sunt. Sed agamus bonum patrem familiae, faciamus ampliora quae accepimus; maior ista hereditas a me ad posteros transeat. Multum adhuc restat operis multumque restabit, nec ulli nato post mille saecula praecludetur occasio aliquid adhuc adiciendi. [8] Sed etiam si omnia a veteribus inventa sunt, hoc semper novum erit, usus et inventorum ab aliis scientia ac dispositio. Puta relicta nobis medicamenta quibus sanarentur oculi: non opus est mihi alia quaerere, sed haec tamen morbis et temporibus aptanda sunt. Hoc asperitas oculorum collevatur; hoc palpebrarum crassitudo tenuatur; hoc vis subita et umor avertitur; hoc acuetur visus: teras ista oportet et eligas tempus, adhibeas singulis modum. Animi remedia inventa sunt ab antiquis; quomodo autem admoveantur aut quando nostri operis est quaerere. [9] Multum egerunt qui ante nos fuerunt, sed non peregerunt. Suspiciendi tamen sunt et ritu deorum colendi. Quidni ego magnorum virorum et imagines habeam incitamenta animi et natales celebrem? quidni ego illos honoris causa semper appellem? Quam venerationem praeceptoribus meis debeo, eandem illis praeceptoribus generis humani, a quibus tanti boni initia fluxerunt. [10] Si consulem videro aut praetorem, omnia quibus honor haberi honori solet faciam: equo desiliam, caput adaperiam, semita cedam. Quid ergo? Marcum Catonem utrumque et Laelium Sapientem et Socraten cum Platone et Zenonem Cleanthenque in animum meum sine dignatione summa recipiam? Ego vero illos veneror et tantis nominibus semper assurgo. Vale.
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[1] Yesterday you were with us. You could object if I said only "yesterday"; that is why I added "with us"—for with me you are always. Some friends had dropped in, on whose account a larger fire was made, not the kind that bursts out of the kitchens of the wealthy and terrifies the night watch, but a modest one that merely signals that guests have arrived. [2] Our conversation ranged widely, as happens at a dinner party, carrying no single subject through to its conclusion but leaping from one thing to another. Then a book of Quintus Sextius the Elder was read aloud—a great man, if you take my word for it at all, and a Stoic, though he himself denies it. [3] What vigor is in him, good gods, what spirit! You will not find this in all philosophers: the writings of certain men who possess a famous name are bloodless. They lay down rules, they argue, they split hairs, but they do not fashion the mind, because they have no mind themselves. When you have read Sextius, you will say, "He is alive, he is full of force, he is free, he is above the merely human, he sends me away full of immense confidence." [4] I will confess to you the disposition of mind I am in when I read him: I long to challenge every misfortune, I long to cry out, "Why do you delay, Fortune? Come, engage me: you see I am ready." I put on the spirit of a man who looks for where he may test himself, where he may display his virtue, [...] [5] I want to have something to conquer, something by enduring which I may be exercised. For Sextius has this excellent quality too, that he will both show you the greatness of the happy life and not make you despair of it: you will know that it lies on high ground, but that it is accessible to one who is willing. [6] Virtue herself will grant you this same thing, that you may admire her and yet still hope. For my part, the very contemplation of wisdom usually steals much of my time; I gaze upon her, struck with wonder, no differently than I sometimes gaze upon the universe itself, which I often look at as if I were a new spectator. [7] And so I revere the discoveries of wisdom and those who discovered them; it gives me joy to come into them as into the inheritance of many. These things were acquired for me, labored over for me. But let us play the part of the good head of a household: let us make larger what we have received; let this inheritance pass from me to those who come after, enlarged. Much work still remains, and much will always remain, nor will the chance of adding something further be shut off from anyone born a thousand ages hence. [8] But even if everything has been discovered by the ancients, this one thing will always be new: the use, and the knowledge and arrangement of what others have discovered. Suppose medicines have been left to us by which the eyes may be healed: I have no need to seek out others, but these nonetheless must be adapted to the diseases and the circumstances. With this the soreness of the eyes is soothed; with this the thickness of the eyelids is reduced; with this a sudden onset and a flow of moisture is checked; with this the sight is sharpened: you must grind these up, and choose the right moment, and apply the correct measure to each case. Remedies for the mind were discovered by the ancients; but it is our task to inquire how they are to be applied, and when. [9] Those who came before us accomplished much, but they did not finish the work. Still, they are to be looked up to and worshipped after the manner of the gods. Why should I not keep portraits of great men as goads to my spirit, and celebrate their birthdays? Why should I not always invoke them out of respect? The veneration that I owe to my own teachers, that same veneration I owe to those teachers of the human race, from whom the beginnings of so great a good have flowed. [10] If I see a consul or a praetor, I will do everything by which honor is customarily paid to honor: I will dismount from my horse, uncover my head, give way on the path. What then? Shall I receive both the Marcus Catos—the Elder and the Younger—and Laelius the Wise, and Socrates with Plato, and Zeno and Cleanthes, into my soul without the highest reverence? On the contrary, I venerate them, and I always rise to my feet before such great names. Farewell.
AI-assisted translation - This translation was produced with AI assistance and has not been peer-reviewed. See the 19th-century translation or original Latin/Greek below for scholarly use.
Latin / Greek Original
[1] Fuisti here nobiscum. Potes queri, si here tantum; ideo adieci 'nobiscum'; mecum enim semper es. Intervenerant quidam amici propter quos maior fumus fieret, non hic qui erumpere ex lautorum culinis et terrere vigiles solet, sed hic modicus qui hospites venisse significet. [2] Varius nobis fuit sermo, ut in convivio, nullam rem usque ad exitum adducens sed aliunde alio transiliens. Lectus est deinde liber Quinti Sextii patris, magni, si quid mihi credis, viri, et licet neget Stoici. [3] Quantus in illo, di boni, vigor est, quantum animi! Hoc non in omnibus philosophis invenies: quorundam scripta clarum habentium nomen exanguia sunt. Instituunt, disputant, cavillantur, non faciunt animum quia non habent: cum legeris Sextium, dices, 'vivit, viget, liber es, supra hominem est, dimittit me plenum ingentis fiduciae'. [4] In qua positione mentis sim cum hunc lego fatebor tibi: libet omnis casus provocare, libet exclamare, 'quid cessas, fortuna? congredere: paratum vides'. Illius animum induo qui quaerit ubi se experiatur, ubi virtutem suam ostendat,
[5] Libet aliquid habere quod vincam, cuius patientia exercear. Nam hoc quoque egregium Sextius habet, quod et ostendet tibi beatae vitae magnitudinem et desperationem eius non faciet: scies esse illam in excelso, sed volenti penetrabilem. [6] Hoc idem virtus tibi ipsa praestabit, ut illam admireris et tamen speres. Mihi certe multum auferre temporis solet contemplatio ipsa sapientiae; non aliter illam intueor obstupefactus quam ipsum interim mundum, quem saepe tamquam spectator novus video. [7] Veneror itaque inventa sapientiae inventoresque; adire tamquam multorum hereditatem iuvat. Mihi ista acquisita, mihi laborata sunt. Sed agamus bonum patrem familiae, faciamus ampliora quae accepimus; maior ista hereditas a me ad posteros transeat. Multum adhuc restat operis multumque restabit, nec ulli nato post mille saecula praecludetur occasio aliquid adhuc adiciendi. [8] Sed etiam si omnia a veteribus inventa sunt, hoc semper novum erit, usus et inventorum ab aliis scientia ac dispositio. Puta relicta nobis medicamenta quibus sanarentur oculi: non opus est mihi alia quaerere, sed haec tamen morbis et temporibus aptanda sunt. Hoc asperitas oculorum collevatur; hoc palpebrarum crassitudo tenuatur; hoc vis subita et umor avertitur; hoc acuetur visus: teras ista oportet et eligas tempus, adhibeas singulis modum. Animi remedia inventa sunt ab antiquis; quomodo autem admoveantur aut quando nostri operis est quaerere. [9] Multum egerunt qui ante nos fuerunt, sed non peregerunt. Suspiciendi tamen sunt et ritu deorum colendi. Quidni ego magnorum virorum et imagines habeam incitamenta animi et natales celebrem? quidni ego illos honoris causa semper appellem? Quam venerationem praeceptoribus meis debeo, eandem illis praeceptoribus generis humani, a quibus tanti boni initia fluxerunt. [10] Si consulem videro aut praetorem, omnia quibus honor haberi honori solet faciam: equo desiliam, caput adaperiam, semita cedam. Quid ergo? Marcum Catonem utrumque et Laelium Sapientem et Socraten cum Platone et Zenonem Cleanthenque in animum meum sine dignatione summa recipiam? Ego vero illos veneror et tantis nominibus semper assurgo. Vale.