- Source
- Seneca, Lucius Annaeus. Ad Lucilium Epistulae Morales, Vol 1-3. Gummere, Richard Mott, editor. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press; London: William Heinemann, Ltd., 1917-1925.
- Translation
- AI-generated (gemini-3.5-flash) — machine translation; may contain errors
- Languages
- 日本語 · English · 简体中文 · 한국어
- CTS URN
- urn:cts:latinLit:phi1017.phi015.humanitext-lat2:100.8-100.12
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-08
Seneca argues that Fabianus's style is placid rather than lowly, positions him highly even when compared to giants like Cicero, Pollio, and Livy, and concludes that his focus on the greatness of subjects and the moral progress of youth outweighs any lack of rhetorical polish.
Humilia praeterea tibi videri dicis omnia et parum erecta; quo vitio carere eum iudico.1 Non sunt enim humilia illa sed placida et ad animi tenorem quietum compositumque formata, nec depressa sed plana. Deest illis oratorius vigor stimulique, quos quaeris, et subiti ictus sententiarum. Sed totum corpus videris quam sit comptum;2 honestum est. Non habet oratio eius, sed dabit, dignitatem.
Furthermore, you say that everything seems to you lowly and insufficiently elevated; a fault from which I judge him to be free. For those things are not lowly, but placid and formed according to a quiet and composed state of mind, nor are they depressed, but level. They lack oratorical vigor and the stimuli that you look for, and the sudden blows of maxims. But look at the whole body, how well-ordered it is; it is honorable. His speech does not have majesty, but will give it.
Adfer, quem Fabiano possis praeponere. Dic Ciceronem, cuius libri ad philosophiam pertinentes paene totidem sunt, quot Fabiani; cedam, sed non statim pusillum est, si quid maximo minus est. Dic Asinium Pollionem; cedam, et respondeamus: in re tanta eminere est post duos esse. Nomina adhuc. T. Livium, scripsit enim et dialogos, quos non magis philosophiae adnumerare possis quam historiae, et ex professo philosophiam continentis libros; huic quoque dabo locum. Vide tamen, quam multos antecedat, qui a tribus vincitur et tribus eloquentissimis.
Bring forward anyone whom you can prefer to Fabianus. Mention Cicero, whose books pertaining to philosophy are almost as many as those of Fabianus; I shall yield, but it is not immediately petty if something is less than the greatest. Mention Asinius Pollio; I shall yield, and let us reply: in so great a matter, to be after two is to be eminent. Name still others. Titus Livius, for he wrote both dialogues, which you could not count more to philosophy than to history, and books containing philosophy professedly; to him also I will give a place. See, however, how many he precedes, who is surpassed by three, and those three most eloquent.
Sed non praestat omnia: non est fortis oratio eius, quamvis elata sit; non est violenta nec torrens, quamvis effusa sit; non est perspicua, sed pura. "Desideres," inquis, "contra vitia aliquid aspere dici, contra pericula animose, contra fortunam superbe, contra ambitionem contumeliose, volo luxuriam obiurgari, libidinem traduci, inpotentiam frangi. Sit aliquid oratorie acre, tragice grande, comice exile." vis illum adsidere pusillae rei, verbis; ille rerum se magnitudini addixit, eloquentiam velut umbram non hoc agens trahit.3
But he does not excel in all things: his speech is not strong, although it is elevated; it is not violent nor torrential, although it is poured out; it is not transparently clear, but pure. “You might wish,” you say, “for something to be said harshly against vices, courageously against dangers, proudly against fortune, insolently against ambition; I want luxury to be reproved, lust to be exposed, self-indulgence to be broken. Let there be something oratorically sharp, tragically grand, comically plain.” You wish him to sit down at a petty thing, words; he has devoted himself to the greatness of things, and drags eloquence along like a shadow, not making this his business.
Non erunt sine dubio singula circumspecta nec in se collecta nec omne verbum excitabit ac punget, fateor. Exibunt multa nec ferient et interdum otiosa praeterlabetur oratio, sed multum erit in omnibus lucis, sed ingens sine taedio spatium. Denique illud praestabit, ut liqueat tibi illum sensisse quae scripsit. Intelleges hoc actum, ut tu scires quid illi placeret, non ut ille placeret tibi. Ad profectum omnia tendunt, ad bonam mentem, non quaeritur plausus.
Undoubtedly individual words will not be carefully weighed, nor compressed into themselves, nor will every word arouse and sting, I confess. Many things will go forth and not strike, and sometimes the speech will glide past idly, but there will be much light in all of them, and a vast space without weariness. Finally, he will perform this, that it may be clear to you that he felt what he wrote. You will understand that this was done so that you might know what pleased him, not so that he might please you. All things tend toward progress, toward a good mind; applause is not sought.
Talia esse scripta eius non dubito, etiam si magis reminiscor quam teneo haeretque mihi color eorum non ex recenti conversatione familiariter, sed summatim, ut solet ex vetere notitia. Cum audirem certe illum, talia mihi videbantur, non solida, sed plena, quae adulescentem indolis bonae attollerent et ad imitationem sui evocarent sine desperatione vincendi, quae mihi adhortatio videtur efficacissima. Deferret enim qui imitandi cupiditatem fecit, spem abstulit.4 Ceterum verbis abundabat, sine commendatione partium singularum in universum magnificus. VALE.
I do not doubt that his writings are such, even if I recollect them rather than hold them fast, and their color clings to me not familiarly from recent association, but in outline, as is usual from old acquaintance. Certainly when I heard him, they seemed such to me, not solid, but full, such as would elevate a young man of good disposition and summon him to imitation of himself without despair of surpassing, which seems to me the most effective encouragement. For he would discourage who created a desire to imitate, but took away hope. For the rest, he was abundant in words, magnificent as a whole without the commendation of individual parts. FAREWELL.
- 100.8quo vitio carere eum iudico
The relative pronoun 'quo' functions as a relative connection (relativus cum nexu), agreeing with 'vitio' which refers back to the criticism of being lowly and flat. The ablative 'quo' is governed by 'carere' (to be free from).
- 100.8videris quam sit comptum
The verb 'videris' (either as a potential subjunctive 'you may see' or as a variant reading for the imperative 'vide') introduces the indirect question clause 'quam sit comptum' ('how well-ordered it is').
- 100.10eloquentiam velut umbram non hoc agens trahit
The participle phrase 'non hoc agens' literally means 'not doing this (as one's primary aim)', expressing that the subject (Fabianus) does not pursue eloquence as his chief goal; eloquence simply follows as a natural accompaniment (like a shadow) of his main preoccupation with great subjects.
- 100.12Deferret enim qui imitandi cupiditatem fecit, spem abstulit
The imperfect subjunctive 'deferret' expresses a potential or counterfactual result ('he would discourage'). The subject is the omitted antecedent 'is' of the relative clause 'qui...'. Within the relative clause, 'fecit' and 'abstulit' are in the perfect indicative, stating a factual characteristic of such a person.