Seneca, Epistulae Moralis XIX
Commentary by Chris Waldo
Revised by Jacques Bailly

Text
XIX. SENECA LUCILIO SUO SALUTEM

[1] Exulto quotiens epistulas tuas accipio; implent enim me bona spe, et iam non promittunt de te sed spondent. Ita fac, oro atque obsecro - quid enim habeo melius quod amicum rogem quam quod pro ipso rogaturus sum? si potes, subducte istis occupationibus; si minus, eripe. Satis multum temporis sparsimus: incipiamus vasa in senectute colligere. [2] Numquid invidiosum est? in freto viximus, moriamur in portu. Neque ego suaserim tibi nomen ex otio petere, quod nec iactare debes nec abscondere; numquam enim usque eo te abigam generis humani furore damnato ut latebram tibi aliquam parari et oblivionem velim: id age ut otium tuum non emineat sed appareat. [3] Deinde videbunt de isto quibus integra sunt et prima consilia an velint vitam per obscurum transmittere: tibi liberum non est. In medium te protulit ingenii vigor, scriptorum elegantia, clarae et nobiles amicitiae; iam notitia te invasit; ut in extrema mergaris ac penitus recondaris, tamen priora monstrabunt. [4] Tenebras habere non potes; sequetur quocumque fugeris multum pristinae lucis: quietem potes vindicare sine ullius odio, sine desiderio aut morsu animi tui. Quid enim relinques quod invitus relictum a te possis cogitare? Clientes? quorum nemo te ipsum sequitur, sed aliquid ex te; amicitia olim petebatur, nunc praeda; mutabunt testamenta destituti senes, migrabit ad aliud limen salutator. Non potest parvo res magna constare: aestima utrum te relinquere an aliquid ex tuis malis. [5] Utinam quidem tibi senescere contigisset intra natalium tuorum modum, nec te in altum fortuna misisset! Tulit te longe a conspectu vitae salubris rapida felicitas, provincia et procuratio et quidquid ab istis promittitur; maiora deinde officia te excipient et ex aliis alia: quis exitus erit? [6] quid exspectas donec desinas habere quod cupias? numquam erit tempus. Qualem dicimus seriem esse causarum ex quibus nectitur fatum, talem esse *** cupiditatum: altera ex fine alterius nascitur. In eam demissus es vitam quae numquam tibi terminum miseriarum ac servitutis ipsa factura sit: subduc cervicem iugo tritam; semel illam incidi quam semper premi satius est. [7] Si te ad privata rettuleris, minora erunt omnia, sed affatim implebunt: at nunc plurima et undique ingesta non satiant. Utrum autem mavis ex inopia saturitatem an in copia famem? Et avida felicitas est et alienae aviditati exposita; quamdiu tibi satis nihil fuerit, ipse aliis non eris. [8] 'Quomodo' inquis 'exibo?' Utcumque. Cogita quam multa temere pro pecunia, quam multa laboriose pro honore temptaveris: aliquid et pro otio audendum est, aut in ista sollicitudine procurationum et deinde urbanorum officiorum senescendum, in tumultu ac semper novis fluctibus quos effugere nulla modestia, nulla vitae quiete contingit. Quid enim ad rem pertinet an tu quiescere velis? fortuna tua non vult. Quid si illi etiam nunc permiseris crescere? quantum ad successus accesserit accedet ad metus. [9] Volo tibi hoc loco referre dictum Maecenatis vera in ipso eculeo elocuti: 'ipsa enim altitudo attonat summa'. Si quaeris in quo libro dixerit, in eo qui Prometheus inscribitur. Hoc voluit dicere, attonita habet summa. Est ergo tanti ulla potentia ut sit tibi tam ebrius sermo? Ingeniosus ille vir fuit, magnum exemplum Romanae eloquentiae daturus nisi illum enervasset felicitas, immo castrasset. Hic te exitus manet nisi iam contrahes vela, nisi, quod ille sero voluit, terram leges.
[10] Poteram tecum hac Maecenatis sententia parem facere rationem, sed movebis mihi controversiam, si novi te, nec voles quod debeo <nisi> in aspero et probo accipere. Ut se res habet, ab Epicuro versura facienda est. 'Ante' inquit 'circumspiciendum est cum quibus edas et bibas quam quid edas et bibas; nam sine amico visceratio leonis ac lupi vita est.' [11] Hoc non continget tibi nisi secesseris: alioquin habebis convivas quos ex turba salutantium nomenclator digesserit; errat autem qui amicum in atrio quaerit, in convivio probat. Nullum habet maius malum occupatus homo et bonis suis obsessus quam quod amicos sibi putat quibus ipse non est, quod beneficia sua efficacia iudicat ad conciliandos animos, cum quidam quo plus debent magis oderint: leve aes alienum debitorem facit, grave inimicum. [12] 'Quid ergo? beneficia non parant amicitias?' Parant, si accepturos licuit eligere, si collocata, non sparsa sunt. Itaque dum incipis esse mentis tuae, interim hoc consilio sapientium utere, ut magis ad rem existimes pertinere quis quam quid acceperit. Vale.

Commentary

1.
Seneca encourages Lucilius’ retirement plans, exhorting him to proceed along a course of simplicity and productive leisure.

[1] Exulto quotiens epistulas tuas accipio; implent enim me bona spe, et iam non promittunt de te sed spondent. Ita fac, oro atque obsecro - quid enim habeo melius quod amicum rogem quam quod pro ipso rogaturus sum? si potes, subducte istis occupationibus; si minus, eripe. Satis multum temporis sparsimus: incipiamus vasa in senectute colligere.

quotiens: “as often as,” introduces a temporal clause taking the indicative. iam: iam can almost always be translated as "at this point/time" or "at that point/time." fac: irregular singular active imperative of facio. melius…quam: “better than”
quod…rogem: relative clause of purpose (hence subjunctive), usually translated with an English infinitive: nihil melius habeo quod legam = "I have nothing better to read." quod pro (sc. me) ipso rogaturus sum: quod direct object of rogaturus sum (periphrastic future). si potes, subducte: present simple condition, imperative apodosis is common. istis occupationibus: ablative of separation. si potes…si minus: “if you are able…if you are not able.” subducte (sc. te ipsum) istis occupationibus and eripe (sc. te ipsum): istis occupationibus is abl. of separation and goes with both verbs. satis multum: multus, -a, -um means "many, much": made into a substantive, it often takes genitive. satis and multum may not seem to go together well ("sufficiently much time" just seems awkward), but that is only because we speak English, not Latin: Cicero uses the phrase many times. Take a liberty here: "quite enough"? temporis: partitive genitive. incipiamus: hortatory subjunctive (‘let us’). vasa: cf. Cicero in Verrem 2.4.40 iam castra commoverat et vasa collegerat, Livy 22.30.1 signo dato conclamatur inde ut colligantur vasa.

2.
Seneca tells Lucilius to retire in a manner that, while forbidding obscurity, is not too prominent.

[2] Numquid invidiosum est? in freto viximus, moriamur in portu. Neque ego suaserim tibi nomen ex otio petere, quod nec iactare debes nec abscondere; numquam enim usque eo te abigam generis humani furore damnato ut latebram tibi aliquam parari et oblivionem velim: id age ut otium tuum non emineat sed appareat.

Numquid: interrogative adverb, a strengthened num, starts a direct question expecting a negative answer. moriamur: hortatory subjunctive, deponent. Neque ego suaserim tibi: “Not that I would advise you,” potential subjunctive. quod: antecedent is otio. usque eo: “to such a degree,” triggers the result clause ut velim .... furore damnato: in the ablative because of abigam (ab + ago to drive away), you drive away an accusative (te) from an ablative (furore damnato).
id: refers to retiring in the manner encouraged by Seneca. ut: purpose construction, primary sequence.

3.
Seneca explains that the fame of Lucilius’ previous accomplishments precludes total obscurity.

[3] Deinde videbunt de isto quibus integra sunt et prima consilia an velint vitam per obscurum transmittere: tibi liberum non est. In medium te protulit ingenii vigor, scriptorum elegantia, clarae et nobiles amicitiae; iam notitia te invasit; ut in extrema mergaris ac penitus recondaris, tamen priora monstrabunt.

videbunt: the subject of videbunt is the unexpressed antecedent of quibus. video can mean "consider," "reflect upon" (i.e. "see" in the mind). isto: literally "that thing (of yours)": supply the most recent appropriate noun. quibus: dative of possession. integra ... prima consilia: a thing is integer "whole, untouched" when it has not yet been begun. Seneca refers to people whose life projects are still integra. an velint: indirect question. per obscurum: adverbial prepositional clause, modifies transmittere. obscurum represents an abstract noun, as neuter singular adjectives often do in Latin. What English preposition goes with "secret" or "obscurity"? Use that for per. in medium: ‘into the middle’ (of the world or things) = "into the public eye." vigor…elegantia…amicitiae: protulit goes with each of these in turn. ut ... mergaris ac…recondaris: tamen later in the sentence clues us in that ut means "although" here (and hence takes subj.). priora: "prior things" seems a weak translation: "massage" it into “your prior accomplishments.” monstrabunt: monstro is a transitive verb, and that means there are three choices 1) we could understand te as the object here (perhaps from the subject of mergaris and recondaris), as Gummere, the Loeb translator, does. A parallel case of such an omitted object would help his case. 2) Dispense with the need for an object: sometimes transitive verbs are used "absolutely" (as "tell" is used in "time will tell": but what will it tell? one might ask). Here perhaps "your prior accomplishments will show forth." Again, parallels would help. 3) use priora as the object and something else as subject, but the meaning is not satisfactory.

4.
Seneca suggests that Lucilius can retire from the public eye without difficulty, as men are fickle and desirous only of material possessions. A key word here is invitus: Seneca in letter 61.3 advocates against doing anything ever unwillingly, da operam ne quid umquam invitus facias "take care not to do anything unwillingly ever." Here, Seneca suggests that one should adjust one's attitude so that one realizes that things others find important are not.

[4] Tenebras habere non potes; sequetur quocumque fugeris multum pristinae lucis: quietem potes vindicare sine ullius odio, sine desiderio aut morsu animi tui. Quid enim relinques quod invitus relictum a te possis cogitare? Clientes? quorum nemo te ipsum sequitur, sed aliquid ex te; amicitia olim petebatur, nunc praeda; mutabunt testamenta destituti senes, migrabit ad aliud limen salutator. Non potest parvo res magna constare: aestima utrum te relinquere an aliquid ex tuis malis.

Tenebras habere: cf. vitia tenebras habent "vices remain obscure" at Seneca de Clementia 1.8.1. sequetur ... fugeris: similar tenses to a future more vivid conditional. Note that the main verb and its subject (multum pristinae lucis) frame the relative clause. quocumque: “to whatever place.”  sine ullius odio, sine disiderio aut morsu animi tui: ullius is objective genitive with odio, while animi tui is obj. gen. with desiderio and morsu. relinques: 2nd person future indicative active of the verb “relinquo.” invitus: syntactically, this adj. modifies the subject of possis cogitare, but in sense a good English translation must make it modify relictum a te as an adverb, similar to inuitus aspicit se sibi relictum in Seneca Dialogi 9.2.9, where the unwillingness likewise belongs in sense to relictum more so than the subject of aspicit ("the soul notices that it has been unwillingly left to itself"). Adjust your mind so that it accepts this as a normal Latin way to speak. Clientes: as often, fill in from the previous sentence clientes invitus a te relictos possis cogitare. Mutabunt testamenta destituti, migrabit ad aliud limen salutator: the practice of sneaking one’s way into the will of an elderly person comes up elsewhere in Roman literature. For instance, Pliny the Younger ridicules this, by way of the character Regulus in his Epistle XXV: Martial is scathing on this score. sed aliquid ex te: understand sequuntur from previous clause. ad aliud limen salutator: a client, here called a salutator "greeter," typically waited for an audience outside the door of their patron in the morning to "greet" their patron. parvo: ablative of price. constare: the English word "cost" derives from constare, a good mnemonic for this meaning. aestima: imperative. malis: present subjunctive of malo ("prefer"): indirect question, primary sequence.

5.
Seneca suggests that Lucilius was, in some sense, corrupted by the conditions of his success, and that the simplicity of his youth is better suited to old age. The surrounding sections make it clear that maiora and altum here refer to how other people see Lucilius' achievements, not their real worth (they are simply not the sort of thing a stoic would consider that worth applies to: they are merely external circumstances).

[5] Utinam quidem tibi senescere contigisset intra natalium tuorum modum, nec te in altum fortuna misisset! Tulit te longe a conspectu vitae salubris rapida felicitas, provincia et procuratio et quidquid ab istis promittitur; maiora deinde officia te excipient et ex aliis alia: quis exitus erit?

Utinam: “would that" introduces the past unreal subjunctives of wish contigisset and misisset. tibi senescere contigisset: a quasi-impersonal construction, called "quasi-impersonal" because contigisset has a subject, namely the nominative infinitive senescere. natalium modum ... altum (sc. modum): clearly, with this antithesis, Seneca implies that Lucilius birthright (natalis plural refers to the circumstances one is born into) was lower than the rank he has achieved. rapida felicitas, provincia et procuratio: subjects of ‘tulit’ and also what is referred to by ‘istis.’ ex aliis alia: prior successes, honors, and achievements beget later ones.

6.
Seneca describes the cycle of ‘desire’ as an unbroken succession resulting in wretchedness: this analysis goes all the way back to Plato, who noticed that many desires only serve to fuel the next greater desire, and so can never be satisfied. In Seneca's description of fate, note that it simply is a name for the chain of causes, not something that causes that chain of causes. Seneca's remedy sounds drastic: better to have one's head chopped off once than have chains around one's neck forever. Stoics are wont to use such drastic and paradoxical metaphors.

[6] quid exspectas donec desinas habere quod cupias? numquam erit tempus. Qualem dicimus seriem esse causarum ex quibus nectitur fatum, talem esse cupiditatum: altera ex fine alterius nascitur. In eam demissus es vitam quae numquam tibi terminum miseriarum ac servitutis ipsa factura sit: subduc cervicem iugo tritam; semel illam incidi quam semper premi satius est.

Quid: “Why?” desinas: subjunctive after donec "until" because of the notion of expectation (or possibly purpose) in the subordinate clause (Bradley’s Arnold 441). Qualem dicimus seriem esse causarum ... talem esse cupiditatum: talem correlates with qualem and modifies an implied seriem, which makes cupiditatum parallel to causarum. But this sentence lacks a main verb. Something like dicimus would do, supplied from the relative clause qualem dicimus ..., or perhaps a main verb has been omitted from the text (Madvig suggested puta or scias, neither of which would be out of place). All those suggestions have similar meanings. The sentence is thus a main verb of saying like dicimus + indirect speech (talem esse (seriem) cupiditatum) + a relative clause (indirect speech qualem seriem esse causarum dependent on dicimus: antecedent of qualem is talem) + another relative clause (ex quibus nectitur fatum: antecedent of quibus is causarum). altera (sc. cupiditas) ex fine alterius (sc. cupiditatis) nascitur: alter ... alterius = "one ... the next ... ." eam ... vitam, quae ... ipsa: elements that form single phrases are split up to frame other phrases. factura sit: periphrastic future: subjunctive in a relative clause of characteristic, primary sequence (i.e. demissus es is a perfect referring to a present state "you have been put" rather than a past state "you were put"), not that it makes a big interpretative difference here. subduc cervicem iugo: a yoke is a common metaphor for being subject to fate or fortune. semel illam incidi quam semper premi satius est: illam refers to cervicem. The accusative + inf. semel illam incidi is the subject of satius est. As a comparative, satius takes the comparative quam (sc. illam) semper premi, another acc. + infinitive: remember that whatever is on one side of a comparative quam is parallel to and hence the same construction as what is on the other side.

7.
Seneca explains that a life of simplicity is more likely to result in satisfaction, because it is devoid of greed. mavis ex inopia saturitatem an in copia famem is a nice Senecan paradoxical antithesis.

[7] Si te ad privata rettuleris, minora erunt omnia, sed affatim implebunt: at nunc plurima et undique ingesta non satiant. Utrum autem mavis ex inopia saturitatem an in copia famem? Et avida felicitas est et alienae aviditati exposita; quamdiu tibi satis nihil fuerit, ipse aliis non eris.

si rettuleris ... erunt: future more vivid. affatim: affatim = adfatim. implebunt: used absolutely as is satiant in the next clause, or perhaps te should be supplied as an object from the protasis. mavis: 2nd singular present indicative form of the verb malo, "prefer." avida felicitas est: personification, an effect much used by Seneca, is conducive to brevity (Summers). alienae aviditati exposita: the Latin adjective alienus is often best translated as the English prepositional phrase "of another," "of someone else." ipse aliis non eris: sc. satis.

8.
Seneca believes that Lucilius must act in order to obtain leisure, for his stately position requires the opposite.

[8] 'Quomodo' inquis 'exibo?' Utcumque. Cogita quam multa temere pro pecunia, quam multa laboriose pro honore temptaveris: aliquid et pro otio audendum est, aut in ista sollicitudine procurationum et deinde urbanorum officiorum senescendum, in tumultu ac semper novis fluctibus quos effugere nulla modestia, nulla vitae quiete contingit. Quid enim ad rem pertinet an tu quiescere velis? fortuna tua non vult. Quid si illi etiam nunc permiseris crescere? quantum ad successus accesserit accedet ad metus.
 
Utcumque: “However you like.” Think of the song "there must be 50 ways to leave your lover." It's easy if you just do it is the message.  quam multa: quam adverbial interrogative "how" modifying multa: "how many," which introduces the primary sequence indirect quesiton of temptaveris, primary sequence. audendum est ... senescendum: 'future' passive periphrastic: amanda est , for example, means "she must be loved." in ista ... in tumultu ac ...: both of these long prepositional phrases (including the relative clause that modifies fluctibus) modify senescendum. nulla modestia, nulla…quiete: ablatives of means. an tu quiescere velis: the subject of pertinet is the indirect question, which is why velis is subjunctive, primary sequence. Quid si...: sc. quid ad rem pertinet si .... quantum ad successus accesserit: this relative clause coul dbe considered the subject of accedet: alternatively, one could understand tantum as the antecedent of quantum. Note that the tense structure is the same as a future more vivid, and the sense would hardly be changed if si were in the place of quantum.
illi: permiseris takes dat.

9.
Seneca cites Maecenas as an example of excess. The gratuitous insult to Maecenas seems out of place: it is a distraction from the moral Seneca is propounding.

[9] Volo tibi hoc loco referre dictum Maecenatis vera in ipso eculeo elocuti: 'ipsa enim altitudo attonat summa'. Si quaeris in quo libro dixerit, in eo qui Prometheus inscribitur. Hoc voluit dicere, attonita habet summa. Est ergo tanti ulla potentia ut sit tibi tam ebrius sermo? Ingeniosus ille vir fuit, magnum exemplum Romanae eloquentiae daturus nisi illum enervasset felicitas, immo castrasset. Hic te exitus manet nisi iam contrahes vela, nisi, quod ille sero voluit, terram leges.

hoc loco: “at this point."  Maecenatis: born in 70 BC of prominent Etruscan lineage, Maecenas was a political adviser to Octavian and a notable patron of the arts (Horace, Virgil, etc).  His lifestyle was extremely decadent, as the ‘gardens of Maecenas’ became a byword for conspicuous luxury (Inwood). vera: “true things,” neuter plural adjective ‘verum’ used substantively, and accusative as the direct object of the participle elocuti, which modifies the genitive Maecenatis. eculeo: diminutive of ‘equus’ (horse), here means ‘torture rack or torture-horse,' but it is hard to see what sort of torture rack Maecenas was on: perhaps Seneca means that as a rich and successful person, Maecenas was vulnerable to just the sort of busy and hectic life full of fears and worries that he is warning Lucilius against. eculeo elocuti: Seneca.  Seneca is fond of wordplays (Summers): here he repeats the sounds of ‘eculeo’ in elocuti. ipsa enim altitudo attonat summa: ipsa solitudo is subject of attonat, and summa the direct object. A highly unusual use of attono, both because it is used as a finite verb (most instances are the past participle attonitus, -a, um occur), and because the sense is not straightforward (usually a person or a mind is struck). This quotation from Maecenas both illustrates what people may have disliked about his style and suggests the disconnection between great success and personal happiness or satisfaction. Prometheus: the title (inscribitur) of a dialogue of Maecenas (fr. 10), whose style affected deliberate obscurity by way of neologisms, transpositions, and inter-locked word order.  It was apparently a dialogue, perhaps like Plato's. That it was not well received is evidenced by the comments of Seneca here as well as others' comments. Hoc (sc. dictum) voluit dicere, attonita habet summa: unusual for dicere to introduce not indirect speech but direct speech. The subject of attonita habet summa is perhaps altitudo. ebrius sermo: the snippet quoted is supposed to justify the claim that Maecenas' style is ebrius, clearly not an admirable stylistic trait. ingeniosus ille vir fuit: the main clause of the sentence: the rest is a very long appositive to ille vir consisting of daturus and all the things dependent upon it (a direct object with a genitive of description and a contrary to fact apodosis). immo: immo is used to introduce a rejection and correction of a previous elemen. Here castrasset corrects enervasset by being a stronger metaphor.  contrahes vela…terram leges: “shorten sail…hug the land,” a nautical metaphor enjoining caution and safety. quod: quod or id quod is often used to introduce a relative clause whose antecedent is not a particular nominal element but rather a whole thought in the rest of the sentence, here that thought is terram leges.  sero: “too late.”

10.
Seneca cites also a passage from Epicurus.

[10] Poteram tecum hac Maecenatis sententia parem facere rationem, sed movebis mihi controversiam, si novi te, nec voles quod debeo <nisi> in aspero et (in?)probo accipere. Ut se res habet, ab Epicuro versura facienda est. 'Ante' inquit 'circumspiciendum est cum quibus edas et bibas quam quid edas et bibas; nam sine amico visceratio leonis ac lupi vita est.'

hac sententia: ablative of means. parem facere rationem: an idiom meaning “square an account,” "pay up." movebis controversiam: a juridical suggestion that Lucilius will dispute that the accounts are squared. nec voles quod debeo…accipere: ‘accipere’ is the complimentary infinitive to voles, and the object of accipere is (id) quod, which introduces a relative clause whose verb is debeo. <nisi> in aspero et (in?)probo: sc. accipis. nisi is an emendation (the pointy brackets indicate that an editor thinks it is necessary in the text but is not found in a manuscript: that editor printed aspero et probo "in newly minted good (sc. currency)." Another editor (that of the Loeb) does not print nisi, but thinks the text reads in aspero et inprobo "in rough and inferior (sc. currency)." Coins were "rough" when newly minted and not yet smoothed by handling, and new coins were perhaps more liable to being debased (improbus). Both texts make sense and it is beyond the brief of this commentary to attempt to muster the evidence and argument for which is more likely to have been Seneca's. It is healthy to always bear in mind that ancient texts are constructions put together by modern editors from imperfect evidence. ut: "just as" or "as." res: refers to "the situation" at this point in the letter. Epicuro: born in 342 BC in Samos, Epicurus promoted a lifestyle of happiness, which for him consisted in the absence of disturbances of any kind. The Epicurean school was clearly respected by Seneca, but it was not his school, and so quoting Epicurus might be meant to illustrate his enlightenment and openmindedness: he will take a good idea where he finds it. versura facienda est: "future" passive periphrastic construction. Ante: not the preposition. Antequam is frequently separated into ante, which is found earlier in a sentence and is not to be translated there, and quam, which occurs later and is to be translated as "before."
cum quibus…quam quid: two interrogatives introducing indirect questions (hence subjunctives edas et bibas).

11.
Seneca warns Lucilius that trustworthy friends are difficult to come by in his position.

[11] Hoc non continget tibi nisi secesseris: alioquin habebis convivas quos ex turba salutantium nomenclator digesserit; errat autem qui amicum in atrio quaerit, in convivio probat. Nullum habet maius malum occupatus homo et bonis suis obsessus quam quod amicos sibi putat quibus ipse non est, quod beneficia sua efficacia iudicat ad conciliandos animos, cum quidam quo plus debent magis oderint: leve aes alienum debitorem facit, grave inimicum.

continget…secesseris: future more vivid conditions have future perfect in the protasis (secesseris) and future in the apodosis (continget). Note that habebis and digesserit follow the same pattern, although they are not a conditional: the pattern occurs in several such constructions in Latin. errat autem qui: the omitted antecedent of qui, perhaps ille or is is the subject of errat. errat autem…amicum…atrio quaerit: alliteration and other similar sound patterns, an instrument for which the Romans always showed aptitude, from the theater to Vergil (Summers). In Seneca, it helps him to produce aphoristic prose (alliteration etc. makes formulations memorable). occupatus homo et bonis suis obsessus: this whole phrase is the subject of habet. quod…quod: parallel conjunctions meaning ‘that.’ quibus ipse non est: sc. amicus. ad conciliandos animos: ad + gerundive is one of several Latin ways to express purpose. cum: an adversative cum, meaning "whereas" or "while on the contrary." quo plus…magis: “the more…the more.” oderint: as a defective verb, the perfect, pluperfect and future perfect of odi have present, past, and future meanings respectively.  grave inimicum: supply aes alienum (modified by grave) and facit from the previous clause: inimicum is the direct object of facit.

12.
Seneca urges Lucilius to choose his debtors carefully.

[12] 'Quid ergo? beneficia non parant amicitias?' Parant, si accepturos licuit eligere, si collocata, non sparsa sunt. Itaque dum incipis esse mentis tuae, interim hoc consilio sapientium utere, ut magis ad rem existimes pertinere quis quam quid acceperit. Vale.

parant, si ..., si ...: a douple protasis. The first and the second redescribe the same condition, as in "I'd take your picture if I had a good camera if the camera took nice pictures." Seneca's two if's, choosing who will accept the benefits and investing them wisely instead of bestowing them willy nilly, are pretty much the same thing. accepturos: future active participle. collocata (sunt)…sparsa sunt: adjectives modifying the implicit beneficia, which is the subject of parant. incipis esse mentis tuae: mentis tuae is a defining genitive, as in Es mentis sanae, which means "You are of sound mind." hoc consilio: utor takes ablative. acceperit: subjunctive in indirect question: notice the interrogative pronoun quid. Notice too that an indirect question can be the subject of a verb (here it is the subject of pertinere) or the object (as in rogavi te quid acceperit).


Works Cited:

Inwood, Brad. Seneca Selected Philosophical Letters. Oxford: Oxford, 2007.
Mountford, J. F., ed. Bradley's Arnold Latin Prose Composition. Mundelein: Bolchazy-Carducci, 2006.
Summers, Walter C. Select Letters of Seneca. New York: St. Martin's, 1962.

Vocabulary
abigo, abigere, abegi, abactum, drive away
abscondo, abscondere, abscondi/abscondidi, absconditum, hide
ac = atque
accedo, accedere, accessi, accessum, be added to (with ad)
accipio, accipere, accepi, acceptus, accept, receive
aes alienum, debt, another's money
aestimo (1), estimate, consider
affatim, sufficiently
ago, agere, egi, actum, put in motion, do
alienus, -a, -um, of another, of someone else, another's
alioquin, otherwise
altitudo, -inis, f., height
altus, -a, -um, high
amicitia, -ae, f., friendship
amicus, -i, m., friend (male)
an, whether (introduces an indirect question), also introduces an alternate indirect question
appareo, apparere, apparui, apparitum, appear, be visible
asper, aspera, asperum, rough (used of new coins)
atque, and
atrium, -i, n., hall, entry, forecourt
attono, attonere, attonui, attonitus, thunder at, stun, stupefy; attonitus = thunderstruck
audeo, audere, ausus est, dare
aviditas, -atis, f., greediness, strong desire
avidus, -a, -um, greedy
beneficium, -i, n., benefit
bibo, bibere, bibi, drink
bonus, -a, -um, good
castro (1), castrate, emasculate, weaken
cervix, -icis, f., neck
circumspicio, circumspicere, circumspexi, circumspectum, look around; survey, ponder; catch sight of
clarus, -a, -um, illustrious
cliens, clientis, client
cogito (1), think, consider
colligo, colligere, collexi, collectum, gather
colloco (1), station, set up, place; invest (money)
concilio (1), bring together, reconcile, unite
consilium, -e, n., advice, plan, counsel
conspectus, -us, m., presence, proximity; view, sight
consto, constare, cost
contingo, contingere, contigi, contactus, happen, occur
contraho, contrahere, contraxi, contractus, reef (sails), pull back
controversia, -ae, f., debate, dispute, argument, controversy
conviva, -ae, m. or f., table companion, guest
convivium, -i, n., banquet, entertainment
copia, -ae, f., plenty, plenitude
cresco, crescere, crevi, cretum, grow
cupiditas, -atis, f., desire
cupio, cupere, cupivi, cupitus, desire
damno (1), reject (when used of things); condemn (used of people)
debeo, debere, debui, debitum, to be obligated, to owe, ought
debitor, -oris, m., debtor
deinde, then, next
demitto, demittere, demisi, demissus, send down; put
desiderium, -i, n., desire, longing
desino, desinere, desi(v)i, desist, stop, cease
destituti
dictum, -i, n., saying
digero, digerere, digessi, digestum, distribute, arrange
donec, until
dum, while
ebrius, -a, -um, drunk
eculeus, -i, m., colt, young horse; torture rack
edo, edere, edi, esum, eat
efficax, -cis, powerful, effective
effugio, effugere, effugi, flee, avoid, escape
elegantia, -ae, f., elegance, polish
eligo, eligere, elegi, electum, select, choose
eloquentia, -ae, f., eloquence
eloquor, eloqui, elocutus, deliver, pronounce
emineo, eminere, eminui, stand out, be prominent
enervo (1), enervate, weaken
enim, conj., for, because
eo, to this degree, to that degree, to this point, to that point
epistula, -ae, f., letter
ergo, thus, therefore
eripio, eripere, eripui, ereptum, snatch away
erro (1), wander
excipio, excipere, excepi, exceptus, befall, overtake
exemplum, -i, n., example
existimo (1), value, estimate, reckon, esteem
exitus, -us, m., end, result
expono, exponere, exposui, expositus, expose, leave open, be vulnerable
exspecto (1), wait
extremus, -a, -um, farthest, remote
exulto (1), rejoice
facio, facere, feci, factum, do, bring about, make
fames, famis, f., hunger
fatum, -i, n., fate
felicitas, -atis, f., happiness
finis, finis, m., end
fluctus, -us, m., flow, stream; disturbance, commotion
fortuna, -ae, f., fortune, chance
fretum, -i, n., the sea
fugio, fugere, fugi, flee
furor, -oris, m, passion, frenzy, madness
genus, generis, n., race, species, kind
gravis, grave, serious, sizable
habeo, habere, habui, habitum, have
humanus, -a, -um, human
iacto (1), utter, boast, boast about, proclaim
iam, at this point (now, already)
immo, nay, on the contrary (used to reject something previous, like doch in German)
impleo, implere, implevi, impletum, satisfy, fill
improbus, -a, -um, low quality, inferior
incido, incidere, incidi, incisum, cut into, divide
incipio, incipere, incepi, inceptum, begin
ingeniosus, -a, -um, talented, intelligent, clever
ingenium, -i, n., character
ingero, ingerere, ingessi, ingestum, bring to, heap upon; ingest
inimicus, -a, -um, enemy
inopia, -ae, f., lack of resources, poverty
improbus, -a, -um, see inprobus
inquis, you say
inscribo, inscribere, inscripsi, inscriptum, write on; entitle (passive)
integer, integra, integrum, whole, untouched, in pristine shape
interim, meanwhile
intra, within (+ acc.)
invado, invadere, invasi, invasum, take over, come over
invidiosus, -a, -um, envied, enviable; hated, hateful)
invitus, -a, -um, unwilling
ita, thus, in this way
itaque, thus
iudico (1), judge, think, deem
iugum, -i, n., yoke
laboriose, industriously
latebra, -ae, f., hiding place, retreat
lego, legere, legi, lectum, skirt (the shore), hug (the land)
sententia, -ae, f., opinion; saying
leo, leonis, m., lion
levis, -e, trifling, small
liber, -a, -um, allowable, available
liber, libri m., book
licet, licuit, it is permitte, it is allowed; although
limen, liminis, n., threshold
longe, adv., far
lupus, -i, m., wolf
lux, lucis, f., light
magis, adv., more
maior, maius (major, majus), greater
maneo, manere, mansi, mansum, remain; await
medium, -i, n., public (sphere)
melior, melius, better
mergo, mersi, mersum, hide, conceal, bury, cover
metus, -us, m., fear
migro (1),
minus, not (in the phrase si minus and in quominus)
miseria, -ae, f., wretchedness
modestia, -ae, f., moderation
modus, -i, m., measure
monstro (1), reveal, show, point out
morior, moriri, mortuus sum, die
morsus, -us, m., twinge, bite
moveo, movere, movi, motus, move; provoke; create
muto (1), change
nascor, nasci, (g)natus, be born, be begotten
natalis, natale, of birth, natal: pl. used as a noun birthright, origin
necto, nectere, nexui, nexus, connect, fasten, bind, tie
nobilis, nobile, noble, highborn
nomen, nominis, n., name; reputation
nomenclator, -oris, m., nomenclator (a slave who whispers the names of people one meets or sees)
notitia, -ae, f., notoriety
novus, -a, -um, new, novel, strange
numquam, never
numquid, strengthened form of num, used to mark interrogatives
nunc, now
oblivio, -onis, f., forgetting, oblivion
obscurus, -a, -um, secret, unknown, obscure
obsecro (1), beg, beseech
obsideo, obsidere, obsessi, obsessus, occupy, seize, possess
occupatio, occupationis, f., employment, business
occupatus, -a, -um, busy, occupied
odi, odisse, hate
odium, -i, n., hatred, animosity
officium, -i, n., duty
olim, once
oro (1), beg
otium, -i, n., leisure, retirement
par, paris, equal, balanced, matching
paro (1), furnish, provide, prepare, make, ready
parvus, -a, -um
pecunia, -ae, f., money
penitus, deeply
per, + acc., through (usually, but not here: see commentary)
permitto, permittere, permisi, permissum, allow, permit
pertineo, pertinere, pertinui, pertain to, regard; reach
peto, petere, petivi, petitum, seek, ask for
plurimus, -a, -um, very many
portus, -us, m., port, harbor
potentia, -ae, f. power
praeda, -ae, f., plunder, loot
premo, premere, premi, pressus, press
primus, -a, -um, initial
prior, prius, previous
pristinus, -a, -um, former, early, original
privatus, -a, -um, private, one's own
pro, for, for the sake of, on behalf of (+abl)
probo (1), approve; esteem; test
procuratio, -onis, f., management, administration
profero, proferre, protuli, prolatus, bring forth, carry forth
promitto, promittere, promisi, promissum, promise, assure
promitto, promittere, promisi, promissus, promise
provincia, -ae, f., province; official duty, charge, business; provincial administration
quaero, quaerere, quaesivi, quaesitus, ask; seek
quam, than
quamdiu, as long as
quidem, indeed (not the same as quidam)
quies, quietis, f., quiet
quiesco, quiescere, quievi, quietus, rest, repose; keep quiet
quisquis, quidquid, whosoever, whatsoever; whoever, whatever
quocumque, wherever
quotiens, as often as, however many times
rapidus, -a, -um, swift
ratio, -onis, f., reason, reasoning, argument; account (monetary)
recondo, recondidi, reconditum, bury, conceal
refero, referre, rettuli, relatus, report; return, bring back
relinquo, relinquere, reliqui, relictus, abandon, leave
rogo (1), ask
salubris, -e, wholesome, healthful
salutator, -oris, m.,
saluto (1), greet, pay respects
sapiens, -ntis, wise
satio (1), satisfy, sate, fill
satis, enough
satius, comparative of satis
saturitas, -atis, f., satiety, fullness, satisfaction
scriptor, -oris, m., writer, author
secedo, secedere, secessi, secessum, withdraw
sed, conj., but
semel, once
semper, always
senectus, -utis, f., old age
senesco, senescere, senui, grow old
senex, senis, m., old man
sequor, sequi, secutus sum, follow
series, f., series, row
sermo, -onis, m., talk, conversation
sero, too late
servitus, -utis, f., slavery, condition of being a servant, servitude
si minus, if not
sine, prep. + abl., without
sollicitudo, -inis, f., worry, bothersomeness
spargo, spargere, sparsi, sparsum, scatter, strew around; squander (of time), waste, consume aimlessly
spes, spei, f., hope
spondeo, spondere, spopondi, sponsum, make a pledge, promise solemnly
suadeo, suadere, suasi, suasum, persuade, (+dat.)
subduco, subducere, subduxi, subductum, sneak away; remove
successus, -us, m., success, advance
summus, -a, -um, highest
tamen, nevertheless
temere, heedlessly, rashly, by chance
tempto (1), try, attempt
tempus, -oris, n., time
tenebrae, tenebrarum, f.pl., darkness (here used figuratively for “obscurity”)
terminus, -i, m., endpoint
terno, ternere, trivi, tritus, wear, wear down
terra, -ae, f., land
testamentum, -i, n., will
transmitto, transmittere, transmisi, transmissum, go through
tumultus, -i, m., disturbance, uproar
turba, -ae, f., crowd
undique, from everywhere, on all sides
urbanus, -a, -um, of the city, the city's
usque, all the way (to), up (to)
utcumque, in any way whatsoever
utinam, would that (introduces subjunctive wishes)
utor, uti, usus sum, use (+ abl.)
utrum, whether
valeo, valere, valui, be well, be strong
vas, vasis, n., baggage (vasa colligere, pack one’s bags)
velint, form of volo
velum, -i, n., sail
versura, -ae, f., a new loan to pay an old one, a borrowing
verus, -a, -um, true
vigor, -oris, m., strength, vigor
vindico (1),
visceratio, -onis, f., feeding
vita, -ae, f., life
vivo, vivere, vixi, victus, live
volo, velle, volui, want