Seneca Epistula XCIII

Commentary by Tanner Lake: revised by Jacques Bailly

Text

XCIII. SENECA LVCILIO SVO SALVTEM

[1] In epistula qua de morte Metronactis philosophi querebaris, tamquam et potuisset diutius vivere et debuisset, aequitatem tuam desideravi, quae tibi in omni persona, in omni negotio superest, in una re deest, in qua omnibus: multos inveni aequos adversus homines, adversus deos neminem. Obiurgamus cotidie fatum: 'quare ille in medio cursu raptus est? quare ille non rapitur? quare senectutem et sibi et aliis gravem extendit?' [2] Utrum, obsecro te, aequius iudicas, te naturae an tibi parere naturam? quid autem interest quam cito exeas unde utique exeundum est? Non ut diu vivamus curandum est, sed ut satis; nam ut diu vivas fato opus est, ut satis, animo. Longa est vita si plena est; impletur autem cum animus sibi bonum suum reddidit et ad se potestatem sui transtulit. [3] Quid illum octoginta anni iuvant per inertiam exacti? non vixit iste sed in vita moratus est, nec sero mortuus est, sed diu. 'Octoginta annis vixit.' Interest mortem eius ex quo die numeres. 'At ille obiit viridis.' [4] Sed officia boni civis, boni amici, boni filii executus est; in nulla parte cessavit; licet aetas eius inperfecta sit, vita perfecta est. 'Octoginta annis vixit.' Immo octoginta annis fuit, nisi forte sic vixisse eum dicis quomodo dicuntur arbores vivere. Obsecro te, Lucili, hoc agamus ut quemadmodum pretiosa rerum sic vita nostra non multum pateat sed multum pendeat; actu illam metiamur, non tempore. Vis scire quid inter hunc intersit vegetum contemptoremque fortunae functum omnibus vitae humanae stipendiis atque in summum bonum eius evectum et illum cui multi anni transmissi sunt? alter post mortem quoque est, alter ante mortem perit. [5] Laudemus itaque et in numero felicium reponamus eum cui quantulumcumque temporis contigit bene conlocatum est. Vidit enim veram lucem; non fuit unus e multis; et vixit et viguit. Aliquando sereno usus est, aliquando, ut solet, validi sideris fulgor per nubila emicuit. Quid quaeris quamdiu vixerit? vivit: ad posteros usque transiluit et se in memoriam dedit. [6] Nec ideo mihi plures annos accedere recusaverim; nihil tamen mihi ad beatam vitam defuisse dicam si spatium eius inciditur; non enim ad eum diem me aptavi quem ultimum mihi spes avida promiserat, sed nullum non tamquam ultimum aspexi. Quid me interrogas quando natus sim, an inter iuniores adhuc censear? habeo meum. [7] Quemadmodum in minore corporis habitu potest homo esse perfectus, sic et in minore temporis modo potest vita esse perfecta. Aetas inter externa est. Quamdiu sim alienum est: quamdiu ero, <vere> ut sim, meum est. Hoc a me exige, ne velut per tenebras aevum ignobile emetiar, ut agam vitam, non ut praetervehar. [8] Quaeris quod sit amplissimum vitae spatium? usque ad sapientiam vivere; qui ad illam pervenit attigit non longissimum finem, sed maximum. Ille vero glorietur audacter et dis agat gratias interque eos sibi, et rerum naturae inputet quod fuit. Merito enim inputabit: meliorem illi vitam reddidit quam accepit. Exemplar boni viri posuit, qualis quantusque esset ostendit; si quid adiecisset, fuisset simile praeterito. [9] Et tamen quousque vivimus? Omnium rerum cognitione fruiti sumus: scimus a quibus principiis natura se attollat, quemadmodum ordinet mundum, per quas annum vices revocet, quemadmodum omnia quae usquam erunt cluserit et se ipsam finem sui fecerit; scimus sidera impetu suo vadere, praeter terram nihil stare, cetera continua velocitate decurrere; scimus quemadmodum solem luna praetereat, quare tardior velociorem post se relinquat, quomodo lumen accipiat aut perdat, quae causa inducat noctem, quae reducat diem: illuc eundum est ubi ista propius aspicias. [10] 'Nec hac spe' inquit sapiens ille 'fortius exeo, quod patere mihi ad deos meos iter iudico. Merui quidem admitti et iam inter illos fui animumque illo meum misi et ad me illi suum miserant. Sed tolli me de medio puta et post mortem nihil ex homine restare: aeque magnum animum habeo, etiam si nusquam transiturus excedo.' Non tam multis vixit annis quam potuit. [11] Et paucorum versuum liber est et quidem laudandus atque utilis: annales Tanusii scis quam ponderosi sint et quid vocentur. Hoc est vita quorundam longa, et quod Tanusii sequitur annales. [12] Numquid feliciorem iudicas eum qui summo die muneris quam eum qui medio occiditur? numquid aliquem tam stulte cupidum esse vitae putas ut iugulari in spoliario quam in harena malit? Non maiore spatio alter alterum praecedimus. Mors per omnis it; qui occidit consequitur occisum. Minimum est de quo sollicitissime agitur. Quid autem ad rem pertinet quam diu vites quod evitare non possis? Vale.

Text taken from www.thelatinlibrary.com.

Introduction

In this letter, Seneca discusses quality versus length of life. It is Seneca's view that a short life, if lived well, is much better than a long life without any merit or moral uprightness. Indeed, it is a central 'paradox' of stoic ethics that it does not matter how long we live, but whether we live well: a long good life is no better than a short good life. He uses various phenomena to illustrate that there are things whose quality is so much more important than their quantity that their quantity does not matter. Everybody dies at some point: the important thing is to have lived well.

Commentary

1. Why some good people die young, while some bad people live long is introduced as the topic. As he does frequently in the Epistulae, Seneca here inserts an imaginary second person, an adversarius, who speaks in quotations.
The philosopher Metronax mentioned here is also mentioned in Epistula 76§4, where his house is said to be a place where one discusses the question "what does it mean to be a good human?" Nothing much more than what we hear in Seneca is known about him.

[1] In epistula qua de morte Metronactis philosophi querebaris, tamquam et potuisset diutius vivere et debuisset, aequitatem tuam desideravi, quae tibi in omni persona, in omni negotio superest, in una re deest, in qua omnibus: multos inveni aequos adversus homines, adversus deos neminem. Obiurgamus cotidie fatum: 'quare ille in medio cursu raptus est? quare ille non rapitur? quare senectutem et sibi et aliis gravem extendit?'

qua: abl. of place where, here referring to a written 'place,' namely epistula, its antecedent. | et…et…: = "both…and…." | potuisset and debuisset: plupf. subj. in protasis of contrary-to-fact conditional (no apodosis) | superest and deest: quae = subject. | in qua omnibus: sc. in qua (re) omnibus (deest). |
multos ... neminem: inveni takes two accusatives (as in English "I find you amazing"); adversus is a preposition taking the accusative right after it; and inveni applies to both clauses. | gravem: pred. acc. modifying senectutem and taking the datives sibi et aliis.

2. Quality, not length, determines goodness and fullness of life. To become good, the soul itself discovers and implements what is best for itself and gives itself power over itself. At the heart of stoic ethics is that the only thing a human really controls is the inner state of his or her own soul, and perfecting one's soul is the only way to be a good full human.

[2] Utrum, obsecro te, aequius iudicas, te naturae an tibi parere naturam? quid autem interest quam cito exeas unde utique exeundum est? Non ut diu vivamus curandum est, sed ut satis; nam ut diu vivas fato opus est, ut satis, animo. Longa est vita si plena est; impletur autem cum animus sibi bonum suum reddidit et ad se potestatem sui transtulit.

Utrum…naturam: The full structure of the sentence is as follows:
aequius: neuter comparative adjective used as a substantive "a fairer thing." | quam: interrogative adv., "how," introducing indirect question (hence subjunctive exeas) and modifying adverbial cito. | unde: interrogative relative adv. This is an indirect question dependent on the previous indirect question. The "antecedent" of unde is not expressed, but it would be the demonstrative inde, "from that place," if it were expressed. | exeundum est and curandum est: passive periphrastic. | ut diu vivamus: nominal ut clause (also known as indirect command) dependent on curandum est. | diu, satis: adverbs modifying vivamus. | vivas: subjunctive in purpose clause; vivas must be undersood again with ut satis. | opus est: takes ablatives fato and animo. | impletur: = vita est plena. | cum: the adverb cum, not the preposition cum. | potestatem sui: sui is objective genitive, = "power over itself."

3. Long life without fullness is dying over the course of many years. Again, the adversarius appears to converse with Seneca's own authorial voice. Between sections three and four, Seneca compares the man who lives long to the man who lives justly.

[3] Quid illum octoginta anni iuvant per inertiam exacti? non vixit iste sed in vita moratus est, nec sero mortuus est, sed diu. 'Octoginta annis vixit.' Interest mortem eius ex quo die numeres. 'At ille obiit viridis.'

iuvant: octaginta anni exacti subject. Remember that octaginta is indeclinable: here it is nominative plural modfying anni. Within a couple phrases of here, it will be ablative. | sero: adverbial. | mortem eius ex quo die numeres: occasionally, as here with mortem eius, words that belong in a relative clause preceed it. Why subjunctive numeres?

4. Pursuing the long-vs-good comparison, Seneca claims that a good man's aetas ("normal life expectancy") may not have reached its end at the time of his death, but his life will have been complete in the most important sense, just as the non-good person may exist and be biologically alive although dead to his or her real nature as a human. Seneca urges Lucillus to measure life in the same way as gems: by weight (or 'weightiness,' 'importance,' 'quality'), not by simple dimensional measurements.

[4] Sed officia boni civis, boni amici, boni filii executus est; in nulla parte cessavit; licet aetas eius inperfecta sit, vita perfecta est. 'Octoginta annis vixit.' Immo octoginta annis fuit, nisi forte sic vixisse eum dicis quomodo dicuntur arbores vivere. Obsecro te, Lucili, hoc agamus ut quemadmodum pretiosa rerum sic vita nostra non multum pateat sed multum pendeat; actu illam metiamur, non tempore. Vis scire quid inter hunc intersit vegetum contemptoremque fortunae functum omnibus vitae humanae stipendiis atque in summum bonum eius evectum et illum cui multi anni transmissi sunt? alter post mortem quoque est, alter ante mortem perit.

cessavit: intransitive. Because Seneca has redefined death as not living well, here cessavit means "has died." | licet: conjunction "although," "granted that" which takes subjunctive inperfecta sit. | obsecro te: as above (§2), this phrase is parenthetical, which means it does not affect the syntax of the rest of the sentence. | agamus and metiamur: hortatory subj., or perhaps a semi-independent subjunctive (i.e. a sort of indirect command semi-independent of obsecro without an introductory conjunction). | ut quemadmodum…sic…: ut introduces result clauses (pateat and pendeat). quemadmodum is correlated with sic, = "just as…thus/so too…." | inter ... intersit: intersit subjunctive in indirect question. inter with its objects modifies intersit. It has two long phrases as objects (1. hunc vegetum comtemptoremque fortunae functum omnibus vitae humanae stipendiis atque in summum bohum eius evectum and 2. illum cui multi anni transmiss sunt). | functum: takes abl. omnibus stipendiis. | in summum bonum eius: eius probably refers to humanae. | alter…alter…: "the one…the other…" referring to the two persons of the previous sentence.

[5] Laudemus itaque et in numero felicium reponamus eum cui quantulumcumque temporis contigit bene conlocatum est. Vidit enim veram lucem; non fuit unus e multis; et vixit et viguit. Aliquando sereno usus est, aliquando, ut solet, validi sideris fulgor per nubila emicuit. Quid quaeris quamdiu vixerit? vivit: ad posteros usque transiluit et se in memoriam dedit.

Laudemus and reponamus: juss. subj. | usus est: utor takes abl. | ut: = "as." | vixerit: subj. in indirect question. | usque: adv. with consiluit.

6. Although hope bids us plan for many days, we get what we get. Seneca looks on today as possibly his last.

[6] Nec ideo mihi plures annos accedere recusaverim; nihil tamen mihi ad beatam vitam defuisse dicam si spatium eius inciditur; non enim ad eum diem me aptavi quem ultimum mihi spes avida promiserat, sed nullum non tamquam ultimum aspexi. Quid me interrogas quando natus sim, an inter iuniores adhuc censear? habeo meum.

recusaverim: the "perfect" subjunctive is regularly used for present time in potential subjunctives. | nihil: subject of defuisse. | spatium: "extent," used of time here. | eius: = vita. | ultimum: both instances of ultimum are in predicate position, perhaps best Englished with "as." Compare English "I see today as my last." The second ultimum is modified by tamquam, which explicitly means "as (if)." | natus sim: subj. in indirect question, primary sequence. | censear: subj. in indirect question. | meum: modifies some unspecified noun, perhaps "time," "allotment of life" or something similar.

7. One cannot decide how long one will live, but one can decide how to exist in the time one is given. The sentence Aetas inter externa est refers to the stoic doctrine of externals: they consider everything except one's soul to be an 'external.' That includes other people, one's body, how long one lives, whether one is in pain, possessions--everything outside of one's soul. And all externals have no positive or negative value: one might prefer or disprefer them, but that is not because they have any real value. The only thing that has value is one's soul and the state it is in, and that is also the only thing that one can control at all.
The last part of this section alludes to without fully explaining the stoic doctrine that life is like being in a vehicle: one can be a passenger, driven by things, or one can take the helm. Taking the helm does not so much change fate as it is part of it and itself also fated. But taking the helm changes one's inner state, one's attitude toward fate. One should take the helm, drive one's life, not because that will change fate, but embracing and making the best internally of whatever happens externally will be a transformation of one's self. The next section tells us that wisdom is the key to doing this successfully.

[7] Quemadmodum in minore corporis habitu potest homo esse perfectus, sic et in minore temporis modo potest vita esse perfecta. Aetas inter externa est. Quamdiu sim alienum est: quamdiu ero, <vere> ut sim, meum est. Hoc a me exige, ne velut per tenebras aevum ignobile emetiar, ut agam vitam, non ut praetervehar.

Quemadmodum…sic et…: "just as…so … ." et adverbial "too" or "also." | sim: indirect question. | alienum: pred. nom. "another's thing," "another's affair." | quamdiu ero ut sim meum est: 1. quamdiu ero is a question, but it is treated as a noun in that it is also the subject of est. 2. ut has many functions. One that fits Seneca's message here is "given that," "provided that" (sense II.C.4.e.α (or γ)), which takes a subjunctive. 3. meum is predicate nominative "my affair," "my business." | hoc a me exige, : exige imperative. hoc refers to the indirect command clause (ne ...emetiar) immediately following. | ne ..., ut ..., non ut ... : 1. ne (indirect command: this clause is in apposition to hoc); 2. ut (indirect command or purpose clause: the meaning is much the same). Often ago + a 'time' word means "spend time" or "pass time" in a passive way, but here, in order to fit the thought, it must have a more deliberate active sense, closer to "take charge of life." Fortunately, ago can have that sense; and 3. non ut (rejected purpose or indirect command). Note that non here modifies the whole clause as a rejected option rather than introducing a negative purpose clause or prohibition (in which case we would see ne): Seneca frequently writes non ut ... sed ut... (sometimes in reverse order).

8. Reminiscent of Epistle 43, Seneca says wisdom is the complete goal of any life.

[8] Quaeris quod sit amplissimum vitae spatium? usque ad sapientiam vivere; qui ad illam pervenit attigit non longissimum finem, sed maximum. Ille vero glorietur audacter et dis agat gratias interque eos sibi, et rerum naturae inputet quod fuit. Merito enim inputabit: meliorem illi vitam reddidit quam accepit. Exemplar boni viri posuit, qualis quantusque esset ostendit; si quid adiecisset, fuisset simile praeterito.

sit: subj. in indirect question. | illam: = sapientiam. | glorietur .. agat ... inputet ... : potential subjunctives.
interque eos sibi: sc. agat gratias. Attaining wisdom is the same as attaining godly status, and attaining wisdom is up to each individual. | inputet quod fuit: conj., "the fact that." fuit "existed." The clause quod fuit acts as the direct object of inputet "count (an acc. direct object) as a credit (to a dative object)." | illi: dative of possession, referring to quod fuit. | esset: subj. in indirect question, secondary sequence. | adiecisset ... fuisset: past unreal conditional. The wise person is subject of adiecisset. Simile, a predicate nominative, makes it clear that the subject of fuisset, however, is neuter (and refers to the same thing as quid refers to in the protasis).

9. Once we are wise and hence know how to deal with the world, what do we live for? We have scientific knowledge of how the world works, including that the nature of things determines everything that will ever happen anywhere and that nature is its own completion. Next, after this life, we go where we can examine such things even closer.

[9] Et tamen quousque vivimus? Omnium rerum cognitione fruiti sumus: scimus a quibus principiis natura se attollat, quemadmodum ordinet mundum, per quas annum vices revocet, quemadmodum omnia quae usquam erunt cluserit et se ipsam finem sui fecerit; scimus sidera impetu suo vadere, praeter terram nihil stare, cetera continua velocitate decurrere; scimus quemadmodum solem luna praetereat, quare tardior velociorem post se relinquat, quomodo lumen accipiat aut perdat, quae causa inducat noctem, quae reducat diem: illuc eundum est ubi ista propius aspicias.

fruiti sumus: fruor takes abl. | attollat ... ordinet ... revocet .... cluserit ... fecerit ... : subjunctives in indirect questions. | sui: objective genitive dependent on finem: nature is the completion of itself. | vadere ... stare ... decurrere ... : infinitives in indirect statements. | praetereat ... relinquat ... accipiat ... perdat ... inducat ... reducat ... : subjunctives in indirect questions. | eundum est: passive periphrastic. | aspicias: subjunctive in relative clause of characteristic.

10. But even if there is nothing after this life, by becoming wise, we will have equalled a god. Here, the 'adversarius' character speaking with Seneca is replaced by the 'sapiens,' the stoic wise person. Also note that Seneca here rejects the idea that we live well for the sake of an afterlife: if there is one, it is just an added bonus.

[10] 'Nec hac spe' inquit sapiens ille 'fortius exeo, quod patere mihi ad deos meos iter iudico. Merui quidem admitti et iam inter illos fui animumque illo meum misi et ad me illi suum miserant. Sed tolli me de medio puta et post mortem nihil ex homine restare: aeque magnum animum habeo, etiam si nusquam transiturus excedo.' Non tam multis vixit annis quam potuit.

hac spe: abl. of cause. | fortius: compar. adv. | exeo: euphemistic for "die," just as English "depart." | quod: "because." | patere ... iter: acc. + infinitive in indirect statement dependent on iudico. | admitti: pres. pass. inf. dependent on merui. | fui: the tense has shifted: the sapiens has now died and is addressing Seneca: hence the tenses of fui and misi and miserant. | illo: sc. loco: an adverial use of illo synonymous with illuc or ad + acc. (cf. ille in Lewis and Short, sense II.B.d.2). | tolli me ... puta ... nihil ... restare: indirect statement dependent on puta "suppose." | transiturus: fut. act. part., modifying subject of excedo (another euphemism for "die").

11. Seneca explains the differences between a long, empty life and a short, good life again, this time through a metaphor of books. The Tanusius Seneca mentions is most likely Tanusius Geminus, a historian of Rome who lived around the same time as Cicero. His works have been lost to us, and not much is known about them, except for a fragment found in Suetonius. Seneca seems to imply here that they are overly long (and perhaps not of the best quality: he does not say 'what they are called,'  but the implication is nothing good).

[11] Et paucorum versuum liber est et quidem laudandus atque utilis: annales Tanusii scis quam ponderosi sint et quid vocentur. Hoc est vita quorundam longa, et quod Tanusii sequitur annales.

laudandus: gerundive, modifying liber. | annales Tanusii: this phrase is 'proleptic' in that it occurs before its proper place, which would be in the relative clause. A commonly cited example is "the lilies of the field" in "consider the lilies of the field, how they grow." | sint and vocentur: subjunctives in indirect questions.

12. In closing, Seneca points out that our lives are short, whether we die early or in old age, and that it may not be better to die at the end of a wretched experience than at the beginning: consider being a gladiator in the games, he says.

[12] Numquid feliciorem iudicas eum qui summo die muneris quam eum qui medio occiditur? numquid aliquem tam stulte cupidum esse vitae putas ut iugulari in spoliario quam in harena malit? Non maiore spatio alter alterum praecedimus. Mors per omnis it; qui occidit consequitur occisum. Minimum est de quo sollicitissime agitur. Quid autem ad rem pertinet quam diu vites quod evitare non possis? Vale.

feliciorem: compar. adj. modifying eum. Later, quam eum depends on it. | muneris: as often, the sense of munus here is "the gladiatorial games." | summo die ... medio: abl. of time at which. | occiditur: take with both qui-clauses. | stulte: adv. with cupidum, which takes vitae. | iugulari: perf. pass. complementary infinitive dependent on malit. | malit: subj. in result clause. | alter alterum praecedimus: the verb is plural to match the thought, although the subject alter is singular. Compare probably correct English "we each one of us go there." | maiore spatio: abl. of degree of difference. | ad rem pertinet: "is it relevant." | quam: conj., "how,"modifying diu and introducing indirect question. | vites and possis: subj.'s in indirect questions

Vocabulary
accedo, accedere, accessi, accessum, go/come to
accipio, accipere, accepi, acceptum, receive, get
actus, -us, m., act, action
adhuc, up to this point
adiicio, adiicere, adieci, adiectum, augment, increase
admitto, admittere, admisi, admissum, be allowed in, give access
adversus, prep., toward, vis-à-vis
aeque, equally
aequitas, -atis, f., evenness
aequus, -a, -um, fair, even, just
aetas, -atis, f., life, lifetime; age; time
aevum, -i, n., eternity
ago, agere, egi, actus, proceed
ago, agere, egi, actus, spend, pass (time); give thanks (with gratias)
alienus, -a, -um, another’s, belong to another
aliquando, sometimes
alter, altera, alterum, the other, another, other
amicus, -i, m., friend
amplissimus, -a, -um, most ample, most spacious, most roomy
an, whether, or (introduces questions)
animus, -i, m., spirit, soul
annalis, -is, m., yearly chronicle
annus, -i, m., year
ante prep. + acc., before
apto (1), adapt, fit, adjust, apply
arbor, -oris, m., tree
aspicio, aspicere, aspexi, aspectum, look at, behold
at, but
atque, and
attingo, attingere, attigi, attactum, reach, attain
attollo, attollere, lift up, raise up, elevate
audacter, boldly
avidus, -a, -um, eager, longing
beatus, -a, -um, blessed, happy
bene, well
censeo, censere, censui, censum, reckon, put on a census list; judge, think, suppose (among many other meanings)
cesso (1), cease, stop
ceterus, -a, -um, the rest, the remaining
cito, swiftly
civis, civis, m., citizen
cludo, cludere, clusi, clusus (alternate form of claudo), close
cognitio, cognitionis, f., thought, understanding
conloco (1), invest
consequor, consequi, consecutus, follow
contemptor, -oris, m., disdainer, despiser
contingo, contingere, contigi, contactus, (+dat.), fall to, happen to
continuus, -a, -um, continual
corpus, corporis, n., body
cotidie, daily
cupidus, -a, -um, desirous
curo (1), take care, worry about
cursus, -us, m., course, journey, path
debeo, debere, debui, debitus, ought, should; owe
decurro, decurrere, decucurri, decursum, run down, move down; traverse
desidero (1), miss, feel the absence of (+acc.)
desum, deesse, defui, be lacking, fail
dies, -i, m., day
diu, diutius, diutissime, adv., long, longer, longest
emetior, emetiri, emensus, measure out
emico, emicare, emicui, emicatum, flash forth
enim, conj., for
epistula, -ae, f., letter
eveho evehere, evexi, evectum, promote, life up, raise up
evito (1), avoid
excedo, excedere, excedi, excessum, die, leave
exemplar, -aris, n., pattern, model, example
exeo, exire, exi(v)i, exitus, leave
exequor, exequi, executus est, attain, fulfill
exigo, exigere, exegi, exactum, demand, require
exigo, exigere, exegi, exactus, lead, spend (time)
extendo, extendere, extendi, extensus, lengthen, increase
externus, -a, -um, external
fatum, -i, n., fate
felix, felicis, happy, fortunate
felix, felicis, happy, fortunate
filius, -i, m, son
finis, finis, m., goal, end
forte, perhaps
fortis, forte, brave, strong
fortuna, -ae, f., fortune, luck
fruor, frui, fructus/fruitus, enjoy (+ abl.)
fulgor, -oris, m., lightning; flash
fungor, fungi, functus, use, employ (+ abl.)
glorior (1), boast, brag, vaunt
gravis, e, heavy, serious, onerous
habitus, -us, m., stature, appearance, bearing
harena, -ae, f., sand (of the arena)
homo,hominis, m., human
humanus, -a, -um, human
iam, at this point (in time)
ideo, therefore, for that reason
ignobilis, -e, undistinguished, base, unknown
illuc, to there, thither
immo, nay, on the contrary
impetus, -us, m., motion, vigor, force
impleo, implere, implevi, impletus, fill
incido, incidere, incidi, incisum, cut into; interrupt
induco inducere, induxi, inductus, bring on, lead in
inertia, -ae, f., inactivity; ignorance
inperfectus, -a, -um, incomplete
inputo (1), reckon, attribute, count something (acc.) as a credit to (dat.)
inter, prep. + acc., between
interest, is the difference
interrogo (1), ask
intersit
invenio, invenire, inveni, inventus, find, discover
itaque, thus
iter, itineris, n., path, way, journey
iudico (1), decide, judge
iugulo (1), slit the throat, slay, murder
iunior, comparative of juvenis, young
iuvo (1), delight, gratify, please, cause joy to (+ acc.)
laudo (1), praise
liber, libri, m., book
licet, although
licet, licere, licuit, licitus, it is permitted
longissimus, -a, -um, most distant, longest
lumen, luminis, n., light
luna, -ae, f., moon
lux, lucis, f., light
malo, malle, malui, prefer
maximus, -a, -um, greatest
medium, -i, n., the presence of all, the public, the communit
melior, melius, better
memoria, -ae, f., recollection, memory
mereo, merere, meritus, merui, deserve, earn
merito, adverbial, rightly, deservedly
metior, metiri, mensus, measure
minimus, -a, -um, least, smallest
minor, minus, lesser, smaller
mitto, mittere, misi, missum, send
modus, -i, m., measure
morior, moriri, mortuus est, die
moror (1), delay,
mors, mortis, f., death
multum, adverb, a great deal, much
mundus, -i, m., world
munus, muneris, n., the game, public show, spectacle, gladiatorial combat
nam, conjunction, for
nascor, nasci, natus sum, be born
natura, -ae, f., nature
negotium, -i, n., business
nemo, neminis, no one
nox, noctis, f., night
nubila, -orum, n. pl., clouds
numero (1), count,  number, reckon, compute
numerus, -i, m, number; set, group
numquid (marks the beginning of a question, but usually needs no translation)
nusquam, nowhere
obeo, obire, obi(v)i, obitus, die
obiurgo (1), repraoch, chide, scold
obsecro (1), pray, beg
occido, occidere, occisi, occisum, kill, slay
octoginta, 80
officium, -i, n., duty
opus est, there is need of (+abl.)
ordino (1), arrange, set in order
ostendo, ostendere, ostendi, ostensum, show
pareo, parere, parui, paritus, (+dat), obey; submit, yield; pay attention to
pars, partis, f., part
pateo, patere, patui, extend, fill space; lie open
pauci, paucorum, few
pendeo, pendere, pependi, pensus, weigh
per, through (+ acc.)
perdo, perdere, perdidi, perditum, lose; dissipate, squander
pereo, perire, perivi, peritus, die
perfectus, -a, -um, complete
persona, -ae, f., character, personality
pertineo, pertinere, pertinui, pertain to (+ ad + acc.)
pervenio, pervenire, perveni, preventum, reach, arrive at (+ ad + acc.)
philosophus, -i, m., philosopher
plenus, -a, -um, full
ponderosus, -a, -um, weighty, heavy
pono, ponere, posui, positum, place, put, establish
possum, posse, potui, be able
post, prep. + acc., after
posteri, -orum, m.pl., coming generations, descendants, posterity
potestas, -atis, f., power, ability
praecedo, praecedere, praecessi, praecessum, precede, go before
praeter, prep. + acc., by, alongside, beyond
praetereo, praeterire, praeterivi, praeteritum, go by, go past
praeteritus, -a, -um, gone by, past
praetervehor, praetervehi, praetervectus, be borne past, drive by, go by
pretiosus, -a, -um, precious, costly
principium, -i, n., beginning
promitto, promittere, promisi, promissum, promise
propius, nearer
puto (1), think, suppose
quaero, quaerere, quaesivi, quaesitum, ask
qualis, quale, of which sort, such
quam, adv., how
quamdiu, how long
quando, interrog., when
quantuluscumque, quantulumcunque, quantulacumque, whatever little bit
quantus, -a, -um, of which/such amount, of which/such degree
quare, why
quemadmodum... sic, just as ... so
queror, queri, questus, complain, gripe
quid, why, how
quidem, indeed
quod, that, the fact that; because
quomodo, how; as
quousque, to where, for what, how long
rapio, rapere, rapui, raptus, take, seize
recuso (1), refuse
reddo, reddere, reddidi, redditus, give x (acc.) to y (dat.); make, render x (acc.) y (also acc.)
reduco, reducere, reduxi, reductus, bring back
relinquo, relinquere, reliqui, relictus, leave behind, abandon
repono, reponere, reposui, repositus, place back, put back, restore
res, rei, f., thing, affair, matter
resto, restare, resteti, restitus, remain, be left
revoco (1), call back
sapiens, sapientis, wise
sapientia, -ae, f., wisdom
satis, enough, sufficiently
scio, scire, scivi, know
senectus, -utis, f., old age
sequor, sequi, secutus sum, follow
serenus, -a, -um, clear, fair (of weather)
sero, late
sidus, sideris, n., star
similis, -e, like, similar to
sol, solis, m., sun
soleo, solere, -, solitus, be wont to, be accustomed to
sollicitus, -a, -um, worried
spatium, -i, n., extension, extent; space
spes, spei, f., hope
spoliarium, -i, n., place where dead gladiators were stripped of their clothes
stipendium, -e, n., wages, pay
sto, stare, steti, status, stand; stand still
stultus, -a, -um, foolish, stupid
summus, -a, -um, greatest
supersum, superesse, superfui, be in excess, be in abundance
tamen, nevertheless; however
tamquam, as if
tardus, -a, -um, slow
tempus, -oris, n., time
tenebrae, -arum. f. pl., darkness
terra, -ae, f., earth
tollo, tollere, sustuli, sublatus, remove
transeo, transire, transi(v)i, transitus, go across, transfer
transfero, transferre, transtuli, translatus, carry across; transfer
transilio, transilire, transilivi/transilui, leap over, jump over
transmitto, transmittere, transmisi, transmissus, pass, spend (time: synonymous with ago in this sense)
ultimus, -a, -um, last
unde, whence
usquam, anywhere, at any place
usque, up to, all the way to
utilis, -e, useful
utique, in any case
utor, uti, usus est, experience (this word has many meanings, the core of which is “use, emply”: often, one must “massage” it into good English: in this letter, it means “experience, enjoy”)
utrum, whether (often introducing indirect question)
vado, vadere, go, move
valeo, valere, valui, be well, be strong
validus, -a, -um, strong, robust
vegetus, -a, -um, invigorating, lively
velocior, velocius, faster
velocitas, -atis, f., speed
velut, as
versus, -us, m., verse
vicis (gen.: the nominative does not occur), alternation, succession, change
vigesco, vigescere, vigui, thrive, grow lively
viridis, -e, green; young
vita, -ae, f., life
vito (1), avoid
vivo, vivere, vixi, victus, live
voco (1), call, name, summon