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 separationand 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.
anvelint: 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. inmedium:
‘into the middle’ (of the world or things) = "into the public eye."
vigor…elegantia…amicitiae: protulit goes with
each of these in turn. ut ... mergarisac…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. withdesiderio
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 sequunturfrom 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 ... talemessecupiditatum: 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
virconsisting 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 aesalienum (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