Seneca Epistulae Morales ad Lucilium, III.
Commentary by Jacques Bailly

Text

III. SENECA LUCILIO SUO SALUTEM

[1] Epistulas ad me perferendas tradidisti, ut scribis, amico tuo; deinde admones me ne omnia cum eo ad te pertinentia communicem, quia non soleas ne ipse quidem id facere: ita eadem epistula illum et dixisti amicum et negasti. Itaque si proprio illo verbo quasi publico usus es et sic illum amicum vocasti quomodo omnes candidatos 'bonos viros' dicimus, quomodo obvios, si nomen non succurrit, 'dominos' salutamus, hac abierit.

[2] Sed si aliquem amicum existimas cui non tantundem credis quantum tibi, vehementer erras et non satis nosti vim verae amicitiae. Tu vero omnia cum amico delibera, sed de ipso prius: post amicitiam credendum est, ante amicitiam iudicandum. Isti vero praepostero officia permiscent qui, contra praecepta Theophrasti, cum amaverunt iudicant, et non amant cum iudicaverunt. Diu cogita an tibi in amicitiam aliquis recipiendus sit. Cum placuerit fieri, toto illum pectore admitte; tam audaciter cum illo loquere quam tecum.

[3] Tu quidem ita vive ut nihil tibi committas nisi quod committere etiam inimico tuo possis; sed quia interveniunt quaedam quae consuetudo fecit arcana, cum amico omnes curas, omnes cogitationes tuas misce. Fidelem si putaveris, facies; nam quidam fallere docuerunt dum timent falli, et illi ius peccandi suspicando fecerunt. Quid est quare ego ulla verba coram amico meo retraham? quid est quare me coram illo non putem solum?

[4] Quidam quae tantum amicis committenda sunt obviis narrant, et in quaslibet aures quidquid illos urit exonerant; quidam rursus etiam carissimorum conscientiam reformidant et, si possent, ne sibi quidem credituri interius premunt omne secretum. Neutrum faciendum est; utrumque enim vitium est, et omnibus credere et nulli, sed alterum honestius dixerim vitium, alterum tutius.

[5] Sic utrosque reprehendas, et eos qui semper inquieti sunt, et eos qui semper quiescunt. Nam illa tumultu gaudens non est industria sed exagitatae mentis concursatio, et haec non est quies quae motum omnem molestiam iudicat, sed dissolutio et languor. [6] Itaque hoc quod apud Pomponium legi animo mandabitur: 'quidam adeo in latebras refugerunt ut putent in turbido esse quidquid in luce est'. Inter se ista miscenda sunt: et quiescenti agendum et agenti quiescendum est. Cum rerum natura delibera: illa dicet tibi et diem fecisse se et noctem. Vale.

Introduction
This letter contains Seneca's thoughts on what one should tell a friend and what friendship is, communication with others, and a life of activity versus a quiet life. In §2, Seneca says that first we should form a considered judgement about a person, and then, if we judge that that person should be a friend, we should let that person into our confidence completely. In §3, Seneca suggests that although we should live such that nothing need be secret or private, nonetheless, there are things that are secret and private, and friends are people with whom we share such things. We speak with a friend as we think to ourselves when we are alone. But §3 also contains the thought that if we think someone is loyal, that will make them loyal: that friendship can be a self-fulfilling prophecy. That makes one question the idea in §2 that we must first judge a person and decide if the person is worthy of friendship, then commit to friendship. If committing to a person is a self-fulfilling prophecy, what need of judgement beforehand. Then in §4, he says that both sharing everything with everyone and not trusting anyone, not even trusting oneself, are bad, although the former is a vice, and the latter is more secure. But that may not square with the idea in §3 that we should live such that nothing need be secret. §5 moves into different territory: it suggests that the life of utter quiet, calm inaction is as bad as the life that revels excessively in activity. A balance must be struck.

There are ways to solve the tensions in the letter noticed above in a way that makes the statements consistent and sensible, but we are not told which way is the correct one or whether Seneca noticed the tensions or had a specific way to resolve them. Evidence from other letters is the first logical stopping place to find material to resolve those tensions. But perhaps Seneca meant for us to solve them, and that is part of his pedagogy: that, however, could be said of any text that has internal problems. If we are to claim pedagogical technique, it would be good to have direct evidence that Seneca intends his letters to raise tensions that we ourselves must solve.

Commentary
1. Epistulas ad me perferendas tradidisti, ut scribis, amico tuo; deinde admones me ne omnia cum eo ad te pertinentia communicem, quia non soleas ne ipse quidem id facere: ita eadem epistula illum et dixisti amicum et negasti. Itaque si proprio illo verbo quasi publico usus es et sic illum amicum vocasti quomodo omnes candidatos 'bonos viros' dicimus, quomodo obvios, si nomen non succurrit, 'dominos' salutamus, hac abierit.

perferendas: a gerundive ("passive verbal adjective"). As an adjective, it modifies epistulas. As a verb it is modified by the adverbial prepositional phrase ad me.
ut scribis: a parenthetical remark that does not affect the rest of the sentence.
amico tuo: English punctuation would put "scare quotes" around amico tuo, because Seneca is about to call into question whether this person is really a friend.
ne ... communicem: indirect command.
pertinentia: modifies omnia.
quia ... soleas: subjunctive because it is a reason reported by the author rather than a reason the author endorses.
ne ipse quidem: remember that ne X quidem means "not even X."
eadem epistula: ablative.
illum et dixisti amicum et negasti: an esse is understood as the verb of indirect discourse dependent on both dixisti and  negasti.
negasti: = negavisti.
vocasti: = vocavisti, and takes double accusative construction.
bonos viros: this implies that it was customary to call all candidates bonos viros, as a courtesy, just as you might call someone you don't know "my friend" or "kind lady."
dicimus: takes a double accusative: dico te amicum means "I call you a friend."
obvios: those one happens to meet are ob-vi(a)-os "those in one's path."
dominos: the standard way to address people one comes across in the course of a day, like "sir."
salutamus: takes a double accusative, obvios and dominos.
hac abierit: here, abeo means "turn out, end." hac is feminine modifying an understood via, "in this way." So hac abierit means "let it be that way." Seneca is dismissing using the word 'friend' loosely or as a polite way to refer to people as a mere manner of speaking, not worth worrying about.

2. Sed si aliquem amicum existimas cui non tantundem credis quantum tibi, vehementer erras et non satis nosti vim verae amicitiae. Tu vero omnia cum amico delibera, sed de ipso prius: post amicitiam credendum est, ante amicitiam iudicandum. Isti vero praepostero officia permiscent qui, contra praecepta Theophrasti, cum amaverunt iudicant, et non amant cum iudicaverunt. Diu cogita an tibi in amicitiam aliquis recipiendus sit. Cum placuerit fieri, toto illum pectore admitte; tam audaciter cum illo loquere quam tecum.

existimas: takes a double accusative.
tantundem ... quantum: correlatives. The first is demonstrative "the same amount," "as much" and the second is relative "as the amount which" or simply "as" in English.
quantum tibi: because quantum is a relative, this is a relative clause. The verb must be understood from what precedes.
nosti = novisti. These alternate forms are said to be "syncopated," because part is omitted.
ipso: refers back to the nearest masculine, amico.
post amicitiam credendum est antea amicitiam iudicandum: Seneca speaks of time "before" and "after" a friendship has been joined: the impersonal periphrastic constructions could be fleshed out as a te amico tuo credendum est and proto-amico a te iudicandum est (proto-amico is meant to refer to the person one is considering making one's friend).
Theophrasti: the saying that, "one should not, having befriended others, judge them, but rather having judged befriend them," is attributed to Theophrastus by Stobaeus Anthology 4.27.14 line 3 and Plutarch De fraterno amore 482 b4.
cum amaverunt/iudicaverunt: cum clauses referring to the past can take the subjunctive, but don't always.
an ... sit: indirect question dependent on the interrogative cogita.
recipiendus: another passive verbal adjective, aka "gerundive." Remember that the agent is dative with gerundives.
placuerit: future perfect indicative in a future more vivid conditional: the imperative admitte has a future implication, as do all imperatives.
placuerit fieri: sc. placuerit tibi eum amicum fieri.
loquere: imperative.

3. Tu quidem ita vive ut nihil tibi committas nisi quod committere etiam inimico tuo possis; sed quia interveniunt quaedam quae consuetudo fecit arcana, cum amico omnes curas, omnes cogitationes tuas misce. Fidelem si putaveris, facies; nam quidam fallere docuerunt dum timent falli, et illi ius peccandi suspicando fecerunt. Quid est quare ego ulla verba coram amico meo retraham? quid est quare me coram illo non putem solum?

ut ... committas nisi quod ... possis: committas subjunctive in result clause. quod, a relative pronoun, is direct object of committere and has nihil as antecedent. possis subjunctive in relative clause of characteristic.
quaedam: subject of interveniunt.
omnes curas, omnes cogitationes tuas: asyndeton.
dum timent: historic present with dum referring to the time within which the action of the main clause takes place.
peccandi suspicando: gerunds in genitive and ablative.
Quid est quare: literally "what/which is for which thing": translate "what reason is there why."
retraham ... putem: subjunctives. Why?

4. Quidam quae tantum amicis committenda sunt obviis narrant, et in quaslibet aures quidquid illos urit exonerant; quidam rursus etiam carissimorum conscientiam reformidant et, si possent, ne sibi quidem credituri interius premunt omne secretum. Neutrum faciendum est; utrumque enim vitium est, et omnibus credere et nulli, sed alterum honestius dixerim vitium, alterum tutius.

Quidam quae .... exonerant: this consists of two parallel clauses, each of which has buried within it a relative clause (quae ... sunt and quidquid ...urit). Neither relative has an expressed antecedent, just as in English we often say "I'm doing what I like" instead of "I'm doing that which I like."
English word order might be quidam narrant obviis (eas res) quae tantum committenda sunt amicis. and (quidam) exonerant in quaslibet aures quidquid urit illos. (illos refers to the same people as quidam).
tantum: adverbial, "only."
committenda sunt: passive periphrastic construction. committenda modifies quae.
conscientia: this word refers to "knowledge shared with others," as its etymology implies.
si possent: imperfect subjunctive, present contrary to fact conditional whose apodosis is hidden in ne sibi quidem credituri. The full thought might be si possent sibi credere, sibi crederent.
credituri: Seneca and later Latin use the future participle much more extensively than authors of Augustan and late Republican times.
interius: neuter acc. sg. comparative used as comparative adverb.
faciendum est: passive periphrastic construction. faciendum modifies neutrum.
et ... et ... : "both ... and ..."
nulli: in form, this could be nom. pl. or dat. sg.
alterum ... alterum ... : "the one ... the other ... ." alter is "the other (of two)." The two things referrred to are the same things as neutrum refers to, namely trusting everyone or trusting everyone.
dixerim: potential subjunctive. Both 'present' and 'perfect' subjunctives are used with present meaning.
honestius ... tutius ... : n. acc. sg. comparative adjectives.

  5. Sic utrosque reprehendas, et eos qui semper inquieti sunt, et eos qui semper quiescunt. Nam illa tumultu gaudens non est industria sed exagitatae mentis concursatio, et haec non est quies quae motum omnem molestiam iudicat, sed dissolutio et languor. [6] Itaque hoc quod apud Pomponium legi animo mandabitur: 'quidam adeo in latebras refugerunt ut putent in turbido esse quidquid in luce est'. Inter se ista miscenda sunt: et quiescenti agendum et agenti quiescendum est. Cum rerum natura delibera: illa dicet tibi et diem fecisse se et noctem. Vale.

utrosque: Latin uterque can be plural: English "each" cannot.
reprehendas: independent subjunctive of will.
illa: sc. industria. Seneca says that that busy-ness is just frantic activity, not true busy-ness.
haec: sc. quies. Seneca denies that torpor and lassitude is peace and quiet.
Pomponium: Perhaps Pomponius Secundus, who lived in the first half of the 1st c. CE and wrote tragedies. Perhaps Pomponius Bononiensis, who wrote Atellan farces in late 1st c. CE.
ut putent: result clause.
miscenda sunt: passive periphrastic.
agendum ...  quiescendum ... : remember that with the passive periphrastic, the agent is dative. Both of these are impersonal.

Vocabulary
abeo, abire, abii, abitum, get off (w/ impunity), be allowed to pass
ad (+acc.), to
adeo, to such a degree
admitto, admittere, admisi, admissum, accept
admoneo, admonere, admonui, admonitum, warn, remind, advise, urge, bid
ago, agere, egi, actum, do, drive
alter, altera, alterum, another
amo, amare, amavi, amatum, love
amicus, -a, -um, friendly (frequently used as a substantive, "friend")
amicitia, -ae, f., friendship
an, whether
animus, -i, m., mind
ante, before
apud (+acc.), at the house of
arcanus, -a, -um, secret, hidden, private
audaciter, boldly
auris, auris, f., ear
candidatus, -i, m., candidate (for office)
carus, -a, -um, dear
cogito (1), think about
cogitatio, -onis, f., thought
committo, committere, commisi, commissum, entrust
communico (1), share
concursatio, -onis, f., skirmish, frantic activity
conscientia, -ae, f., knowledge of a crime; conscience
consuetudo, -inis, f., habit
contra (+acc.), against, contrary to
coram (+abl.) in the presence of
credo, credere, credidi, creditum, entrust (+acc. direct object+dat. person)
cura, -ae, f., trouble, care
deinde, then, next
delibero (1), consider carefully, mull over, ponder
dies, diei, m., day
dico, dicere, dixi, dictum, say; call
dissolutio, -onis, f., loss of coherence
diu, for a long time, long
doceo, docere, docui, doctum, teach
dominus, -i, m., sir
enim, for
epistula, -ae, f., letter
erro (1), make a mistake
etiam, even
exagito (1), overexcite
existimo (1), think, suppose, deem
exonero (1), disburden, unload
fallo, fallere, fefelli, falsum, deceive
fidelis, fidele, faithful
fio, fieri, factus sum, happen, occur
gaudeo, gaudere, gavisus sum, enjoy (+abl.)
hac, in this way
honestus, -a, -um, honorable
industria, -ae, f., energy, diligent attention
inimicus, -a, -um, enemy, unfriendly
inquietus, -a, -um, talkative
interius, inwardly, within
intervenio, intervenire, interveni, interventum, happen along, drop in
ita, thus, in this way
itaque, and thus
iudico (1), judge
ius, iuris, n., right, privilege
languor, languoris, m., laziness, sluggishness, weariness
latebra, -ae, f., hole, lair, concealment
lego, legere, legi, lectum, read
loquor, loqui, locutus sum, speak
lux, lucis, f., light
mando (1), hand over
mens, mentis, f., mind
misceo, miscere, miscui, mixtum, mix, share
molestia, -ae, f., annoyance
motus, -us, m., motion
nam, for
narro (1), tell, relate
natura, -ae, f., nature
nego (1), say ... not; deny
neuter, neutra, neutrum, neither
nihil, nothing
nisi, unless
nox, noctis, f., night
nomen, nominis, n., name
nosco, noscere, novi, notum, get to know, find out; know (in perfect with present meaning)
nullus, -a, -um, no, none
obvius, -a, -um, in one's path
officium, -i, n., obligation, duty
pecco (1), transgress, sin
pectus, -oris, n., chest; heart (as in "with all your heart")
perfero, perferre, pertuli, perlatum, carry, deliver
permisceo, permiscere, permiscui, permixtum, mix up, confound
pertineo, pertinere, pertinui, relate to, pertain to (+ ad + acc)
placeo, placere, placui, placitum, be pleasing, be acceptable (often used impersonally)
post, after
praeceptum, -i, n., precept, teaching
praepostero, topsy-turvily (an alternative to praepostere)
premo, premere, pressi, pressum, push, drive
prius, before
proprius, -a, -um, belonging to one person, peculiar, one's own; suitable, proper, appropriate
publicus, -a, -um, shared by all, public, universal
puto (1), think
quare, wherefore
quasi, as if
quilibet, quaelibet, quodlibet, any
quia, because
quies, quietis, f., quiet, peace
quiesco, quiere, quievi, quietum, be silent
quomodo, as, how, in the way in which
recipio, recipere, recepi, receptum, receive, accept
reformido (1), dread, shrink from
refugio, refugere, refugi, run away
reprehendo, reprehendere, reprehensi, reprehensum, censure, criticize
retraho, retrahere, retraxi, retractum, hold back, restrain
rursus, again
saluto (1), greet (+acc.) as (+acc.)
satis, enough, sufficiently
scribo, scribere, scripsi, scriptum, write
secretus, -a, -um, private, hidden, secret
semper, always
soleo, solere, solitum, be accustomed (to), make it a practice (to)
solus, -a, -um, alone
succurro, succurrere, succurri, succursum, come to mind, occur to one
suspico/suspicor (1), suspect, believe guilty, mistrust
tam ... quam, as ... as
tantum, adv., only
tantus, -a, -um, so much
tantusdem, tantadem, tantumdem, just as much
timeo, timere, timui, fear
totus, -a, -um, all
trado, tradere, tradidi, traditum, hand over
tumultus, -us, m., upset, chaos
turbidus, -a, -um, in turmoil, confused, disordered
tutus, -a, -um, safe
ullus, -a, -um, any
uro, urere, ussi, ustum, burn, inflame
utor, uti, usus sum, use (+abl)
uterque, utraque, utrumque, each
vale, good-bye (from valeo, valere, valui)
vehementer, very much, very greatly
verus, -a, -um, true, genuine
verbum, -i, n., word
vero, but, in truth
vis, vis, f., force, meaning (of words)
vir, viri, m., man
vitium, -i, vice, fault
vivo, vivere, vixi, victum, live
voco (1), call