Seneca XLVII

(per pectus et clunes certis ductibus circumferens eruditam manum frusta excutit: infelix, qui huic uni rei uiuit, ut altilia decenter secet, nisi quod miserior est qui hoc uoluptatis causa docet quam qui necessitatis discit),

(around the breast and rump with fixed strokes moving the learned hand he cuts small pieces: Unhappy man, who lives for this one thing, namely he cuts fowls fittingly, unless who is more unhappy is he who teaches this for the cause of pleasure rather than he who learns of necessity),

nam illi quoque obliti et suarum uirium et imbecillitatis alienae sic excandescunt, sic saeuiunt, quasi iniuriam accepertint: a cuius rei periculo illos fortunae suae magnitudo tutissimos praestat.

-Verbs of remembering/ forgetting take the genitive Surely they also are forgetting their own strength and the weaknesses of others such that they are increased, so they act ferociously, almost as if they had received an insult: from the danger of which thing the magnitude of their fortune prepares us as the safest.

dominus Callistum uendidit: sed domino quam multa Callistus! uis tu cogitare istum quem seruum tuum uocas ex isdem seminibus ortum eodem frui caelo, aeque spirare, aeque uiuere, aeque mori! tam tu illum uidere ingenuum potes quam ille te seruum.

The Master sold Callistus, but to the master how much has Callistus sold!

cum ad cenandum discubuimus, alius sputa deterget, alius reliquias temulentorum subditus colligit, alius pretiosas aues scindit

When we recline for dining, one slave wipes away the split, another crouching gathers leftovers of the tipsy people, another carves the priceless game birds

contemne nunc euis fortunae hominem in quam transire, dum contemnis, potes. nolo in ingentem me locum immittere et de usu seruorum disputare, in quos superbissimi, crudelissimi, contumeliosissimi sumus.

You despise now the man of that fortune into which you are able to pass, while you despise him. I do not wish to introduce myself into a great place and to debate about the use of slaves, amongst whom we are the most arrogant, the most cruel, and the most insulting.

sibi quisque dat mores, ministeria casus assignat. quidam cenent tecum, quia digni sunt, quidam, ut sint.

[Cenent in jussive subjunctive] [Ut purpose clause] Each person gives its character to itself, chance assigns employment. Let certain ones eat with you, because they are worthy; some, [in order] that they may be/become.

nec hoc ignorant, sed occasionem nocendi captant querendo: acceperunt iniuriam ut facerent. diutius te morari nolo; non est enim tibi exhortatione opus.

[Nocendi (gen), querendo (abl) = gerund, not modifying anything] -Facerent in imp subj according to secondary sequence of tenses (contemporaneous) Nor do they ignore this, but they seize the occasion of doing harm by complaining: They have taken the insult in order that do the insult. I do not want to delay you longer; it is not necessary for your exhortation.

'ita' inquit 'prorsus: colant tamquam clientes, tamquam salutatores?' hoc qui diverit, obliuiscetur id dominis parum non esse quod deo sat est.

[Simple future fact / Future more vivid with emphatic protasis] 'Yes,' he said, 'exactly: may they show respect just as clients, just as morning callers?' He who will have said this will forget that which is enough for a god is not little for a master.

quare non est quod fastidiosi isti te deterreant quominus seruis tuis hilarem tes praestes et non superbe superiorem: colant potius te quam timeant.

[Verb of hindering within a 'that' non clause] [Jussive subjunctive] Therefore there is no reason that these fastidious men should deter you from (quominos as "from" connects the rest of the sentence) showing yourself cheerful to the servants and not arrogantly superior: Let them respect you rather than fear you.

non est, mi Lucili, quod amicum tantum in foro et in curia quaeras: si diligenter attenderis, et domi inuenies. saepe bona materia cessat sine artifice: tempta et experire.

There is no reason, my Lucilius, you should seek for a friend only in the forum and in the courtroom: if you pay attention diligently (future perfect), you will find [them] at home. Often good matter lies idle without the artist: try and try again.

'at ego' inquis ' nullum habeo dominum.' bona aetas est: forsitan habebis. nescis qua aetate Hecuba seruire coeperit, qua Croesus, qua Darei mater, qua Platon, qua Diogenes?

'But I,' you say 'have no master.' age is good: perhaps you will have [one]. do you not know at what age Hecuba began to starve, what about Croesus, what about the mother of Darius, what about Plato, what about Diogenes?

'serui sunt.' immo homines. 'serui sunt.' immo contubernales. 'serui sunt.' immo humiles amici. 'serui sunt.' immo conserui, si cogitaueris tantundem in utrosque licere fortunae.

'They are slaves.' Indeed men. 'They are slaves.' Indeed companions. 'They are slaves.' Indeed humble friends. 'They are slaves.' Indeed a fellow slave, if you will consider that the same amount of fortune is allowed against both.

'quid ergo omnes seruos admouebo mensae meae?' non magis quam omnes liberos.

'what therefore should I bring all the servants to my table?' not more than all of the freedmen.

Itaque rideo istos qui turpe existimant cum seruo suo cenare: quare, nisi quia superbissima consuetudo cenanti domino stantium seruorum turbam circumdedit?

Therefore I laugh at those who think it is a dishonor to dine with their own servant: why (should they think it is degrading), unless because of the most arrogant custom that has surrounded the dining master with a crowd of standing slaves.

adice obsonatores quibus dominici palati notitia subtilis est, qui sciunt cuius illum rei sapor excitet, cuius delectet aspectus, cuius nouitate nauseabundus erigi possit, quid iam ipsa satietate fastidiat, quid illo die esuriat.

Add the food shoppers to whom there is a subtle knowledge of the palate of the master, who know the taste of what very thing excited him, the appearance of what thing delights him, the novelty of what thing the nauseous stomach will be able to lift, they know what he will already loathe in satiety, and what he hungers for that day.

uirga murmur, omen compescitur, et ne fortuita quidem uerberibus excepta sunt, tussis, sternumenta, singultus.

All murmurs are checked by a switch, and not even chance occurrences are exempted from lashes, namely coughing, sneezing, and sobbing.

cum his cenare non sustinet et maiestatis suae deminutionem putat ad eandem mensam cum seruo suo accedere. di melius! quot ex istis dominos habet!

Although he cannot sustain to eat with these people and thinks it beneath his dignity to associate with his slave at his own table. God forbid! How many of these masters has he?

magno malo ulla voce interpellatum silentium luitur. nocte tota ieiuni mutique perstant.

An interruption of silence with any voice is punished by a great evil. At night they persist hungry and mute.

alius uini minister in muliebrem modum ornatus cum aetate luctatur, non potest effugere pueritiam, retrahitur, iamque militari habitu glaber retritis pilis aut penitus evulsis tota nocte pervigilat, quam inter ebrietatem domini ac libidinem dividit et in cubiculo vir, in convivio puer

Another, a minister of wine, dressed in a female manner, wrestles with age, he is not able to flee from boyhood, he is pulled back, and though having military appearance, hairless or with his hair dilapidated or wholly pulled out, he stays awake the whole night, which he divides between the drunkenness of his master and his lust, and in the bedroom he is a man, at the banquet he is a boy.

alius, cui conuiuarum censura permissa est, perstat infelix et spectat quos adulatio et intemperantia aut gulae aut linguae reuocet in crastinum.

Another, to whom the assessment of the guests is entrusted, he persists unfortunate and watches those whom adulation and intemperance of hunger or of language calls back until the next day.

quotiens in mentem uenerit quantum tibi in seruum liceat, uieniat in mentem tantundem in te domino tuo licere.

As often as it comes into your mind as much as it is lawful for you as a slave, it should come to your mind as much for your master to be allowed.

dominum patream familiae appellauerunt, seruos, quod etiam in mimis adhuc durat, familiares.

They called the master the father of the family, the slaves, which he even still endures, [he called] the family.

Variana claude multos splendidissime natos, senatorium per militiam auspicantes gradum, fortuna depressit: alium ex illis pastorem alium cusodem casae fecit.

Close to Variana many were born most splendidly, and taking the first step of senatorial service, fortune depressed [him]: on of them was made a shepherd, another, guardian of the cottage.

est ille plus quam capit, et ingenti auiditate onerat distentum uentrem, ac desuetum iam uentris officio, ut maiore opera omnia egerat quam ingessit:

He eats more than he can take, and with great greed he load his swollen belly, as if the function of the belly were unused now, so that he had discharges all with a greater effort than that with which he added consumed it:

instituerunt diem festum, non quo solo cum seruis domini uescerentur, sed quo utique; honores illis in domo gerere, ius dicere permiserunt et domum pusillam rem publicam esse iudicauerunt.

They instituted a daily feast, not only at which they fed the servants of the master, but at which of course; they permitted them to hold honors in the house, to assert their rights, and they decided that the republic was a small house.

'seruus est.' sed fortasse liber animo. 'seruus est.' hoc illi nocebit? ostende quis non sit: alius libidini seruit, alius auaritiae, alius ambitioni, omnes spei omnes timori.

Datives not genitives 'He is a slave.' But perhaps free in mind. 'He is a slave.' Will this harm him? Show [me] who is not [a slave]: one is slave to lust, another to greed, another to ambition, all to hope, all to fear.

ne illud quidem uidetis, quam omnem inuidiam maiores nostri dominis, omnem contumeliam seruis dextraxerint?

Do you not see even that, how every envy of our masters our ancestors righted, and every every insult to the slaves [they righted]?

quemadmodum stultus est qui equum empturus non ipsum inspicit, sed stratum euis ac frenos, sic stultissimus est qui hominem aut ex ueste aut ex condicione, quae uestis modo nobis circumdata est, aestimat.

Empturus = future active participle in nominative modifying Just as [he] is stupid who is about to buy a horse that does not inspect the horse itself, but its saddle and reigns, so [he] is the most stupid who evaluates a man from clothing or rank, which has been put around us in the manner of dress.

si quid enim in illis ex sordida conuersatione seruile est, honestiorum conuictus excutiet.

For if there is anything servile/slave-like in them because of a sordid association, he who will dine with honorable men will shake it off.

hoc habent inter cetera boni mores: placent sibi, permanent. leuis est malitia, saepe mutatur, non in melius, sed in aliud. Vale.

Good customs have this among others: they are pleasing to themselves, they remain. Malice is shallow, it is often changed, not in the better, but into something different. Farewell.

in conuiuiis loquebantur, sed in tormentis tacebant.

They were speaking at private parties, but they remained silent in their tortures.

qui colitur, et amatur: non potest amor cum timore misceri.

He who is respected, and is also loved: love is not able to be mixed with fear.

uiue cum seruo clementer, comiter quoque, et in sermonem illum admitte et in consilium et in conuictum. hoc ego eosdem deprendam alienorum seruorum osculantes manum.

Live with your servant mercifully, and courteously also, and into conversation admit him, both into counsel and into conviction. By this kissing the hand of the slaves of another I may catch [their] eyes.

Libenter ex his qui a te ueniunt cognoui familiariter te cum seruis tuis uiuere. hoc prudentiam tuam, hoc eruditionem decet.

I gladly know from these who come from you that you live closely with your servants. This one is right for your prudence, this is right for your education.

stare ante limen Callisti dominum suum uidi et eum qui illi impegerat titulum, qui inter ridicula mancipia produxerat, aliis intrantibus excludi.

I have seen his own master stand before the threshold of Callistus, and he who had given him a title, who had brought out the ridiculous slaves, the purchase among the worthless, I excluded others from entering.

rectissime ergo facere te iudico quod timeri a seruis tuis non uis, quod uerborum castigatione uteris: uerberibus muta admonentur.

I judge you therefore to act in the most right manner, because you do not want to be feared by your servants, because you use the chastisement of words: the mute ones are warned by strikes.

Alia interim crudelia, inhumana praetereo, quod ne tamquam hominibus quidem sed tamquam iumentis abutimur, quod...

I shall pass over other cruel and inhumane conduct toward them, the fact that not like humans but like beasts we abuse them

sic fit ut isti de domino loquantur, quibus coram domino loqui non licet at illi, quibus non tantum coram dominis, sed cum ipsis erat sermo, quorum os non consuebatur, parati erant pro domino porrigere ceruicem, periculum imminens in caput suum auertere:

So it happens that those speaking about the master, to which masters it is not lawful to speak before except those, who not only in the eye of the masters, but the servant was with themselves, of which the mouth was not being used, was being prepared for the master to extend [his] neck, threatening to steal danger on its head:

dicet aliquis nunc me uocvare ad pilleum seruos et dominos de fastigio suo deicere, quod dixi 'colant potius dominum quam timeant.'

Someone will say now that I am calling for the felt cap of the slaves and I am throwing down the masters from their rights (roof), because I said, 'Let them rather respect their master than fear.'

rettulit illi gratiam seruus ille in primam decuriam coniectus, in qua uocem praeco experitur: et ipse illum inuicem apologauit, et ipse non indicauit domo sua dignum.

The slave had returned the favor to him, that man throwing together the first set of the division of ten, in which the auctioneer tries the voice: he himself apologized to one or another, and he himself did not declare [them] worthy in his own house.

deinde eiusdem arrogantiae prouerbium iactatur, totidem hostes esse quot seruos. non habemus illos hostes, sed facimus.

Then the same proverb of arrogance is lost, today there are as many enemies as slaves. We do not have those enemies, but we make them.

non quicquid nos offendit, et laedit. sed ad rabiem cogunt peruenire deliciae, ut quicquid non ex uoluntate respondit iram euocet. regum nobis induimus aimos.

Whatever does not offends us, so too does not harm us. But luxuries compel us to go toward madness, that whatever does not voluntarily answer with its own free will calls out anger. We put on the minds of kings for ourselves.

BREAK FOR NEXT WEEK erras si esitimas me quosdam quasi sordidioris operae reiecturum, ut puta illum mulionem et illum bubulcum: non ministeriis illos aestimabo, sed moribus.

[main clause [reiecturum in acc modifying me as future active participle in indirect statement; esse often left off as it is here - a type of periphrastic to express future] you are mistaken if you think that I am one about to reject some because of a more sordid task, as for example that very muleteer and that cow-herd: I will esteem them not by their tasks but by their characters.

dabo consularem aniculae seruientem, dabo ancillulae diuitem, ostendam nobilissimos iuuenes mancipia pantomimorum: nulla seruitus turpior est quam uoluntaria.

ancillulae = diminutive; 'little' I will give the former consul enslaved to a little old woman, I will give a rich person enslaved to a little servant girl, I will show young men of very noble birth as the property of pantomime dancers: no servitude is more disgraceful than that which is voluntary.

at infelicibus seruis mouere labra ne in hoc quidem, ut loquantur, licet.

but it is not permissible for unfortunate servants to move their lips for this purpose, namely to speak.

haec tamen praecepti mei summa est: sic cum inferiore uiuas, quemadmodum tecum superiorem uelis uiuere.

this however is the highest commandment of mine: so you shall live with the inferior, just as you wish to live with the higher.