Sen. Epist. LVII
Commentary by Richard G. Spaulding, Jr., Revised by J. Bailly
Text:
LVII. SENECA LUCILIO SUO SALUTEM
[1] Cum a Bais deberem Neapolim repetere, facile credidi tempestatem
esse, ne iterum navem experirer; et tantum luti tota via fuit ut
possim
videri nihilominus navigasse. Totum athletarum fatum mihi illo die
perpetiendum fuit: a ceromate nos haphe excepit in crypta
Neapolitana.
[2] Nihil illo carcere longius, nihil illis facibus obscurius, quae
nobis praestant non ut per tenebras videamus, sed ut ipsas. Ceterum
etiam si locus haberet lucem, pulvis auferret, in aperto quoque res
gravis et molesta: quid illic, ubi in se volutatur et, cum sine ullo
spiramento sit inclusus, in ipsos a quibus excitatus est recidit?
Duo
incommoda inter se contraria simul pertulimus: eadem via, eodem die
et
luto et pulvere laboravimus.
[3] Aliquid tamen mihi illa obscuritas quod cogitarem dedit: sensi
quendam ictum animi et sine metu mutationem quam insolitae rei
novitas
simul ac foeditas fecerat. Non de me nunc tecum loquor, qui multum
ab
homine tolerabili, nedum a perfecto absum, sed de illo in quem
fortuna
ius perdidit: huius quoque ferietur animus, mutabitur color. [4]
Quaedam enim, mi Lucili, nulla effugere virtus potest; admonet illam
natura mortalitatis suae. Itaque et vultum adducet ad tristia et
inhorrescet ad subita et caligabit, si vastam altitudinem in
crepidine
eius constitutus despexerit: non est hoc timor, sed naturalis
affectio
inexpugnabilis rationi. [5] Itaque fortes quidam et paratissimi
fundere
suum sanguinem alienum videre non possunt; quidam ad vulneris novi,
quidam ad veteris et purulenti tractationem inspectionemque
succidunt
ac linquuntur animo; alii gladium facilius recipiunt quam vident.
[6]
Sensi ergo, ut dicebam, quandam non quidem perturbationem, sed
mutationem: rursus ad primum conspectum redditae lucis alacritas
rediit
incogitata et iniussa. Illud deinde mecum loqui coepi, quam inepte
quaedam magis aut minus timeremus, cum omnium idem finis esset. Quid
enim interest utrum supra aliquem vigilarium ruat an mons? nihil
invenies. Erunt tamen qui hanc ruinam magis timeant, quamvis utraque
mortifera aeque sit; adeo non effectus, sed efficientia timor
spectat.
[7] Nunc me putas de Stoicis dicere, qui existimant animam hominis
magno pondere extriti permanere non posse et statim spargi, quia non
fuerit illi exitus liber? Ego vero non facio: qui hoc dicunt
videntur
mihi errare. [8] Quemadmodum flamma non potest opprimi - nam circa
id
diffugit quo urgetur -, quemadmodum aer verbere atque ictu non
laeditur, ne scinditur quidem, sed circa id cui cessit refunditur,
sic
animus, qui ex tenuissimo constat, deprehendi non potest nec intra
corpus effligi, sed beneficio subtilitatis suae per ipsa quibus
premitur erumpit. Quomodo fulmini, etiam cum latissime percussit ac
fulsit, per exiguum foramen est reditus, sic animo, qui adhuc
tenuior
est igne, per omne corpus fuga est. [9] Itaque de illo quaerendum
est,
an possit immortalis esse. Hoc quidem certum habe: si superstes est
corpori, obteri illum nullo genere posse, [propter quod non perit]
quoniam nulla immortalitas cum exceptione est, nec quicquam noxium
aeterno est. Vale.
Text from www.thelatinlibrary.com, as submitted there by Hansulrich
Guhl (Frauenfeld, Switzerland) from an unidentified edition and (the
later books) by Sally Winchester from the Reynolds edition.
Introduction:
Two themes predominate in the first half of this letter: 1. the
limits
of philosophy in overcoming nature, and 2. the preferability of any
one
form of death. Seneca argues that certain reactions to certain
things
are natural and unavoidable even by the strongest minds and so
should
not
be considered the sort of fear that the wise avoid (the stoic sage
does not feel fear, but may experience some unavoidable conditions,
such as the startle reflex or other unavoidable phenomena). He also
argues that
it is unreasonable to prefer
any form of death, since all have the same result.
The second half of the letter is a digression in which Seneca argues
against the belief, which he attributes to some Stoic philosophers,
that the animum can be crushed or contained. He argues that,
while it
does have substance, it is so tenuous that nothing is able to
obstruct
its free motion. Seneca therefore concludes, in an apparent lapse of
logic, that if animum survives the body, it must be immortal
because
"immortality is without exception."
The crypta Neapolitana discussed in the letter provided a
shortcut,
avoiding a circuitous journey around the promontory of Pausilipum.
Petronius fragment 16 says that some people had to stoop to get
through
it. Its
exact location has now been lost, although Petrarch claims to have
visited it in 1343 (Petrarch Re Reb. Fam. 5.4).
Commentary
1-2
Coming to Naples by land, I first was drenched in mud and then
coated
in suffocating dust in the Neapolitan Tunnel.
[1] Cum a Bais deberem Neapolim repetere, facile credidi tempestatem
esse, ne iterum navem experirer; et tantum luti tota via fuit ut
possim
videri nihilominus navigasse. Totum athletarum fatum mihi illo die
perpetiendum fuit: a ceromate nos haphe excepit in crypta
Neapolitana.
[2] Nihil illo carcere longius, nihil illis facibus obscurius, quae
nobis praestant non ut per tenebras videamus, sed ut ipsas. Ceterum
etiam si locus haberet lucem, pulvis auferret, in aperto quoque res
gravis et molesta: quid illic, ubi in se volutatur et, cum sine ullo
spiramento sit inclusus, in ipsos a quibus excitatus est recidit?
Duo
incommoda inter se contraria simul pertulimus: eadem via, eodem die
et
luto et pulvere laboravimus.
cum deberem: cum temporal clauses referring to
present or future
have indicative, but those referring to the past have subjunctive.
Why
is it imperfect subjunctive? Hint: what sequence?
repetere: complementary infinitive with debeo.
iterum: in letter 53, Seneca recounts the sea voyage.
experirer: subj. in a clause that may be purpose or perhaps
fear. Result would be ut ... non normally.
luti: partitive genitive.
tota via: nominative, the subject of fuit.
ut possim tantum:in the main clause prepares for this result
clause.
nihilominus:adverbial. "not at all less" A combination of nihilo
(ablative of measure from nihilum) and minus, the
neuter accusative
comp. of parvus used adverbially.
fatum atheletarum: wrestlers were first annointed with oil,
then
sprinkled
with sand to improve their opponent's grip.
mihi: dative of agent with passive periphrastic.
illo die: ablative of time when.
perpetiendum fuit: past passive periphrastic: "it had to be
endured "
haphe: Seneca refers to the dust of the road. The term is
from the Greek
meaning "touch."
longius ... obscurius (est): as often, supply a form of esse.
praestant: "accomplish." Its objects are the result clauses
that follow.
Note the switch from past to present, which makes the story more
vivid.
ut per tenebras videamus, sed ut ipsas: substantive clauses
of result are used with
verbs of accomplishing an effort (A&G 568).
ut ipsas: the verb must be fetched from the previous clause,
as often
happens, and ipsas modifies a feminine plural noun which
must also be
fetched from the previous clause. Whenever items are apparently
missing
from a clause, look backward (sometimes forward even) and fetch
whatever makes sense and fits
the syntax.
ceterum: adverbial: see vocabulary.
haberet auferret: imperfect subjunctives in present unreal
(also called present contrary to fact) conditions.
in aperto quoque res gravis et molesta: this whole nominal
phrase is in
apposition to pulvis.
quid: interrogative adverb, like English 'What about' as in
'Where do muddy shoes go? What about
there on the step?' Note that the
object of 'about' in English can be anything, not just a noun. It's
similar in Latin, where illic operates similarly.
volutatur: fetch a subject from what precedes.
cum sit inclusus: cum causal clause.
in ipsos: that is, onto the people going through the tunnel.
eadem via, eodem die et luto et pulvere: three different
types of
ablative in a row: ablatives of location, time, and cause (A&G
404a).
3-6
The Tunnel provided food for thought: the novelty of the place
produced
an involuntary change, which was not fear, but the quite natural
reaction of even the most courageous. Stoics held that a wise person
was not subject to any strong passion, even when confronted with a
terrible or odious situation. Rather, the wise person would
experience
a certain inevitable physical reaction, but in the soul, there would
be
no passionate reaction. The reason for this lack of passion is that
the
wise person realizes that such things do not affect virtue, and so
are
not ultimately important. Only things that affect virtue are
ultimately
important and they are all under the wise person's full control.
[3] Aliquid tamen mihi illa obscuritas quod cogitarem dedit: sensi
quendam ictum animi et sine metu mutationem quam insolitae rei
novitas
simul ac foeditas fecerat. Non de me nunc tecum loquor, qui multum
ab
homine tolerabili, nedum a perfecto absum, sed de illo in quem
fortuna
ius perdidit: huius quoque ferietur animus, mutabitur color. [4]
Quaedam enim, mi Lucili, nulla effugere virtus potest; admonet illam
natura mortalitatis suae. Itaque et vultum adducet ad tristia et
inhorrescet ad subita et caligabit, si vastam altitudinem in
crepidine
eius constitutus despexerit: non est hoc timor, sed naturalis
affectio
inexpugnabilis rationi. [5] Itaque fortes quidam et paratissimi
fundere
suum sanguinem alienum videre non possunt; quidam ad vulneris novi,
quidam ad veteris et purulenti tractationem inspectionemque
succidunt
ac linquuntur animo; alii gladium facilius recipiunt quam vident.
quod cogitarem: a relative clause of characteristic can
express purpose
or result.
animi: objective genitive with ictum. Objective
genitives occur with
nouns that have some notion of an action in them (e.g. amor
has the
notion of amo, amare in it). The genitive acts like the
object of that
verbal notion in the noun (e.g. 'love of
your dog' expresses the
thought 'you love your dog' in which 'your dog' is the object of
'love').
nedum a perfecto: a parenthetical remark.
absum ab: "I am far from ."
in quem ius: ius in quem = "authority over whom."
ferietur mutabitur: these futures have the same force as the
future in
the English saying 'boys will be boys.' In other words, it does not
refer to a future time so much as it serves to generalize the
statement
so that it applies to all time. Such futures are often used in
philosophy. Other tenses may have the same atemporal, gnomic quality
(e.g. the perfect).
quaedam: agrees with virtus.
mi Luculli: voc.
admonet: admoneo takes an accusative and a genitive.
For example,
admoneo te huius = 'I call your attention to this' or 'I call
this to
your mind.'
illam: find a feminine noun in what precedes for this to
refer to.
adducet ... inhorrescet ... caligabit: future in the apodosis
of a future more
vivid condition.
despexerit: future perfect in protasis of a future more vivid
condition,
indicating action occurring prior to that of the apodosis. Latin
frequently uses the future perfect where English uses the future or
even the present. For example, in English we say 'If you do that, I
will do this.' In Latin, the same sentence would be 'si illud
feceris,
hoc faciam.'
crepidine: originally from a Greek word for pedestal, base,
the word
crepido came to have the meaning 'edge, ledge' and from there
'precipice.'
fundere: complementary infinitive with paratissimi.
alienum: understand a second sanguinem.
ad vulneris novi ad: ad never occurs without an
accusative object. Thus
the first ad
needs an object. Usually, things that need to be supplied by the
reader
occur before they need to be supplied, but in this case, the object
occurs afterward: supply another tractationem inspectionemque
for the
first ad.
linquuntur animo: idiomatic for "they fainted." linquo
with ablative of agent.
gladium recipiunt: recipio is the term used for the
action of the
doomed
gladiator who resignedly 'accepts' the sword into his body and is
killed. Note how the resonance with the horrific gladiatorial games
gives color to a seemingly innocuous sentence.
6-7
I began to consider the irrationality of our fears; for we fear
equally
deadly events to different extents.
[6]
Sensi ergo, ut dicebam, quandam non quidem perturbationem, sed
mutationem: rursus ad primum conspectum redditae lucis alacritas
rediit
incogitata et iniussa. Illud deinde mecum loqui coepi, quam inepte
quaedam magis aut minus timeremus, cum omnium idem finis esset. Quid
enim interest utrum supra aliquem vigilarium ruat an mons? nihil
invenies. Erunt tamen qui hanc ruinam magis timeant, quamvis utraque
mortifera aeque sit; adeo non effectus, sed efficientia timor
spectat.
[7] Nunc me putas de Stoicis dicere, qui existimant animam hominis
magno pondere extriti permanere non posse et statim spargi, quia non
fuerit illi exitus liber? Ego vero non facio: qui hoc dicunt
videntur
mihi errare.
redditae lucis: objective genitive with conspectum.
alacritas incogitata et iniussa: the adjectives are in the
predicate
position, as in English, when one says "I returned unbidden,"
unbidden
is predicative and modifies the subject.
illud: sometimes, illud anticipates something to
follow, in which case
tranlate it as 'the following.' In this case, it anticipates the
indirect question to follow.
deinde: although this adverb usually indicates that something
follows
in
time or sequence, here it seems to have a logical force,
'therefore.'
quam: interrogative particle in indirect question.
timeremus: subjunctive in an indirect question.
omnium: refers either to nos (subject of timeremus)
or quaedam (object
of timeremus).
cum esset: cum adversative clause.
utrum: introduces the indirect question following interest.
mons: sc. the mountain above the tunnel.
qui: most relative pronouns have an antecedent, but sometimes
it is
understood. Here you have to supply something like ei as the
antecedent
and at the same time as the subject of erunt.
qui timeant: relative clause of characteristic.
hanc: "the latter." Refers to the nearer of two previously
mentioned
elements.
quamvis: quamvis usually takes the subjunctive.
non effectus, sed efficentia: this jingly juxtaposition of
acts and
agents is typical of Seneca's sententious style .
Stoicis: Summers finds no other evidence for the belief
Seneca here
ascribes to the Stoics, and it certainly was not a typically Stoic
belief, as the sentence appears to imply. Because the stoics thought
the soul was made of matter (non-atomic: Epicureans believed in
atomic
matter), albeit extremely extenuated, it is perhaps logically
possible
that the soul could be trapped or crushed, and perhaps there was
some
discussion of whether a stoic sage ought to fear that (the stoics
categorically denied that a sage experienced fear of death).
qui existimant: normally, one would expect the subjunctive in
a
subordinate clause in indirect speech (or thought, as in this case).
The indicative shows that the clause is not a part of the reported
thought, but rather is given by the author as though it were a
statement of fact independent of the reported thought.
extriti: notice the typical pattern: hominis and its
adjective extriti
surround the ablative of instrument that goes with them.
fuerit: existential: "there was." This subordinate clause in
indirect
speech is in the subjunctive because it is part of the reported
thought.
Ego vero non facio: facio is transitive and so needs
an object. What is
Seneca not doing? See the main verb of the previous sentence.
8-9
I am not talking of those
Stoics who think a crushing death may trap the soul (since the
Stoics
thought the soul is material, it was inevitable that someone would
ask
what happens if a huge mountain falls on someone: can the soul
escape?).
The mind, like a flame, is made of such fine material that it can
pass
right through any obstacle. We ought to ask, then, whether the mind
is
immortal; if it survives the body, it surely is, for immortality is
without exception.
[8] Quemadmodum flamma non potest opprimi - nam circa id
diffugit quo urgetur -, quemadmodum aer verbere atque ictu non
laeditur, ne scinditur quidem, sed circa id cui cessit refunditur,
sic
animus, qui ex tenuissimo constat, deprehendi non potest nec intra
corpus effligi, sed beneficio subtilitatis suae per ipsa quibus
premitur erumpit. Quomodo fulmini, etiam cum latissime percussit ac
fulsit, per exiguum foramen est reditus, sic animo, qui adhuc
tenuior
est igne, per omne corpus fuga est. [9] Itaque de illo quaerendum
est,
an possit immortalis esse. Hoc quidem certum habe: si superstes est
corpori, obteri illum nullo genere posse, [propter quod non perit]
quoniam nulla immortalitas cum exceptione est, nec quicquam noxium
aeterno est. Vale.
quemadmodum ... quemadmodum ... sic: these adverbs tell us
that the
first two
parts are preparing for the third: "just as ... (and) just as ... so
also ... ."
Note that there is no "and" in Latin, but we need one in English.
That
lack of connectives is called 'asyndeton,' and is frequent in Latin.
When you notice it, it is usually an intentional stylistic effect,
which draws attention to the fact that the author has a style (when
no
attention is drawn to the style, that too is, of course, a style).
The examples tell us something about stoic physics: how they
conceived of air and flame and objects in air or flame.
ne ... quidem: idiomtic "not even." The two elements bracket
the word
they
modify.
ex tenuissimo constat: constat, meaning "to consist,"
can take either
the genitive of material or, as here, ex + ablative.
subtilitatis suae: suae refers to animum, the
subject of the sentence.
fulmini: predicative dative indicating possession. animo
is also
predicative dative.
exiguum foramen: lightning was thought to return to the sky.
est: existential "there is." see note on l. 7.4.
reditus: substantive, subject of est.
adhuc: adhuc adverbial + a comparative is a Silver
Latin usage, meaning
"even more " or "still more ."
de illo: illo refers to animum.
quaerendum est: passive periphrastic.
an possit: indirect question: what sequence?
certum habe: idiomatic for "know for certain."
superstes: superstes takes a dative.
proteri: what form of the verb protero?
nullo genere: "by no means." genus, -eris may
mean "way," "method" or
"mode."
aeterno: dative of disadvantage with noxium.
Vocabulary:
absum abesse afui, afuturus, afore (fut. inf.), be away, be far from
adduco, adducere, adduxi, adductum, draw together, wrinkle
adhuc, up to now
admoneo, admonere, admonui, admonitus, remind, warn
aeque, equally
affectio, -onis, f., disposition, state of mind
alacritas, -atis, f., spryness, nimbleness
alienus, -a, -um, belonging to another
altitudo, -inis, f., height, cliff
an, whether
apertum, I, n., (ppp.of aperio), the outdoors, open space
athleta, ae, f., wrestler
aufero, auferre, ablatus, abstuli, take away
beneficium, -I, n., kindness, benefit, service
caligo (1), become dizzy
carcer, eris, m., prison
cedo, cedere, cessi, cessum, (+ dat.), yield, give way
ceroma atis, n., wrestling ointment
ceterum, on the other hand
color, coloris, m., color; style; external condition
conspectus, -us, m., sight
constituo, constituere, constitutum, stand
consto, constare, constiti, constatum, consist (of)
crepido, inis, f., brim, brink
crypta, ae, f., vault, tunnel
debeo, debere, debui, debitus, be obliged to; owe
deprehendo, deprehendere, deprehensi, deprehensum, catch
despicio, despicere, despexi, despectus, look down
effectus, us, m., effect
efficio, efficere, effeci, effectus, effect, bring to pass
effligo, effligere, efflixi, efflictum, strike dead, exterminate
effugio, effugere, effugi,escape
erumpo, erumpere, erupi, eruptum,break out, burst forth
exceptio, -onis, f.,exception, limitation, restriction
excito (1),stir up
exiguus, -a, -um,small, scanty
exitus, -us, m., leaving; death
experior, periri, pertus sum, try, know by experience
extero, exterere, extrivi, extritus, crush
fax, facis, f., torch
ferio, ferire, strike, hit
foeditas, -atis, f., filthiness
foramen, inis, n., aperture
fulgeo, fulgere, fulsi, gleam, shine
fulmen, fulminis, n., lightning
fundo, fundere, fudi, fusus, pour
genus, eris, n., here:way or manner
gladius, -I, m., sword; murder, death
haphe, es, f. (greek), wrestling sand
ictus, -us, m., blow
illic, in that place
includo, includere, inclusi, inclusum, confine
incogitatus, -a, -um, without thought
incommodus, -a, -um, uncomfortable
inepte, inappositely, unappropriately
inexpugnabilis, -e, unable to be overcome
inhorresco, horrescere, horrui, begin to bristle
iniussus, -a, -um, unbidden
insolitus, -a, -um, unusual
inspectio, -onis, f., sight, examination
invenio, invenire, inveni, inventus, find
iterum, again
ius, iuris, n., law; right; authority
laboro (1), struggle
laedo, laedere, laesi, laesum, strike
latus, -a, -um,wide, broad; widespread
linquo, linqere, liqui, leave; linqui animo: faint
lutus, i, m., mud
lux, lucis, f., light
mons, montis, m., mountain
mortiferus, a, um, deadly
mutatio, -onis, change, alteration
nedum, adv., much less, not to speak of, to say nothing of
nihilominus, nonetheless
noxius, a, us, harmful
opprimo, opprimere, ippressi, oppressus, press down, overwhelm,
suppress
perdo, dere, didi, ditus, lose
perfero, perferre, pertuli, perlatus, endure
permaneo, permanere, permansi, permansus, last, persist, endure
perpetior, peti, pessus, endure
perturbatio, -onis, f., disturbance
pondus, ponderis, n.,weight, mass
praesto, stare, steti, status, accomplish, perform
protero, proterere, protrivi, protritus, crush, rub out
pulvis, eris, m., dust
purulens, entis, festering
quemadmodus, in the way that
re(c)cido, (c)cidere, (c)cidi, casurus, fall back
reddo, reddere, reddidi, redditus, return, give back
redeo, redire, redivi, reditus, go back, return
refundo, refundere, refudi, refusus, flow back
repeto, repetere, repetivi, repetitus, return to, head back to
ruina, -ae, f., tumbling down, collapse; disaster, catastrophe
ruo, ruere, rui, rutus, hurl down
rursus, again, back
sanguis, sanguinis, m., blood
scindo, scindere, scidi, scissus, cut
spargo, spargere, sparsi, sparsus, scatter
spiramentus, i, n., breathing hole
subtilitas, -atis, f., extenuation, rarefaction
succido, succidere, succidi, collapse
superstes, stitis, surviving
tenebrae, tenebrarus, f. pl., darkness
tenuis, tenue,rarefied
timor, timoris, m., fer, dread
tolerabilis, -e,patient
tractatio, -onis, f., handling
urgeo, urgere, ursi,prod on
uterque, utraque, utrumque,each (of two), both
utrus, whether
verber, verberis, n., blow
vetus, veteris,old, aged
vigilarius, i, n., watch tower
volvo, volvere, volvi, volutus, turn or twist around
vulnus, vulneris, n., wound
vultus, us, m., facial expression
voluto (1), keep revolving