- 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-lat2:2.1-2.6
- Generated
- Humanitext Reader · reader.humanitext.ai · 2026-11-03
Seneca advises Lucilius against constant traveling and random reading of too many authors, urging him instead to focus on a few select minds. He also discusses the importance of contentment, quoting Epicurus.
Ex iis quae mihi scribis, et ex iis quae audio, bonam spem de te concipio; non discurris nec locorum mutationibus inquietaris. Aegri animi ista iactatio est.1 Primum argumentum conpositae mentis existimo posse consistere et secum morari.
From what you write to me, and from what I hear, I conceive good hope for you; you do not run about, nor are you disquieted by changes of place. That tossing about is a sign of a sick mind. The first evidence, I think, of a well-ordered mind is to be able to stay in one place and linger with oneself.
Illud autem vide, ne ista lectio auctorum multorum et omnis generis voluminum habeat2 aliquid vagum et instabile. Certis ingeniis inmorari et innutriri oportet, si velis aliquid trahere, quod in animo fideliter sedeat. Nusquam est, qui ubique est. Vitam in peregrinatione exigentibus hoc evenit, ut multa hospitia habeant, nullas amicitias. Idem accidat necesse est iis, qui nullius se ingenio familiariter applicant, sed omnia cursim et properantes transmittunt.
But look to this, lest that reading of many authors and of books of every kind should have something vague and unstable about it. You must linger among certain writers of genius and be nourished by them, if you wish to derive anything which may settle faithfully in your mind. He who is everywhere is nowhere. To those who spend their life in traveling, it happens that they have many lodgings but no friendships. The same must happen to those who apply themselves familiarly to no single writer’s genius, but pass over everything hastily and in a hurry.
Non prodest cibus nec corpori accedit, qui statim sumptus emittitur; nihil aeque sanitatem impedit quam remediorum crebra mutatio; non venit vulnus ad cicatricem, in quo medicamenta temptantur; non convalescit planta, quae saepe transfertur. Nihil tam utile est, ut in transitu prosit. Distringit librorum multitudo. Itaque cum legere non possis, quantum habueris, satis est habere, quantum legas.3 "
Food does not benefit nor enter the body if it is ejected as soon as it is taken; nothing so much impedes health as a frequent change of remedies; a wound does not come to a scar on which medicines are constantly tried; a plant does not grow strong which is often transplanted. Nothing is so useful that it can be of service in passing. A multitude of books distracts the mind. Therefore, since you cannot read all that you may possess, it is enough to possess as much as you can read.
Sed modo," inquis, "hunc librum evolvere volo, modo illum." Fastidientis stomachi est4 multa degustare; quae ubi varia, sunt et diversa, inquinant, non alunt. Probatos itaque semper lege, et si quando ad alios deverti libuerit, ad priores redi. Aliquid cotidie adversus paupertatem, aliquid adversus mortem auxilii compara, nec minus adversus ceteras pestes; et cum multa percurrens, unum excerpe, quod illo die concoquas.
”But now,” you say, “I want to turn over this book, and now that.” It is the sign of a squeamish stomach to taste many things; when these are varied and diverse, they spoil rather than nourish. Read, therefore, always approved authors, and if ever you wish to turn aside to others, return to the former. Procure daily some help against poverty, some against death, and no less against other plagues; and when you have run through many things, select one to digest on that day.
Hoc ipse quoque facio; ex pluribus, quae legi, aliquid adprehendo. Hodiernum hoc est, quod apud Epicurum nanctus sum; soleo enim et in aliena castra transire, non tamquam transfuga, sed tamquam explorator. "
This I do myself; from the many things I have read, I seize upon something. This is today’s, which I found in Epicurus; for I am accustomed to cross over even into the enemy’s camp, not as a deserter, but as a scout.
Honesta," inquit, "res est laeta paupertas." Illa vero non est paupertas, si laeta est. Non qui parum habet, sed qui plus cupit, pauper est. Quid enim refert, quantum5 illi in arca, quantum in horreis iaceat, quantum pascat aut feneret, si alieno inminet, si non adquisita sed adquirenda computat? Quis sit divitiarum modus, quaeris? Primus habere quod necesse est, proximus quod sat est. VALE.
”A cheerful poverty,” he says, “is an honorable thing.” But indeed, it is not poverty if it is cheerful. Not he who has little, but he who craves more, is poor. For what does it matter how much lies in his chest, how much in his barns, how much he feeds or lends on interest, if he gapes after what belongs to another, if he computes not what has been acquired, but what is to be acquired? What is the limit of wealth, you ask? First, to have what is necessary; next, to have what is enough. FAREWELL.
- 2.1Aegri animi ista iactatio est.
The pronoun ista (that tossing about/restlessness) refers back to discurris (running about) and inquietaris (being disquieted) in the preceding sentence. The genitive aegri animi is a genitive of characteristic (predicative genitive), meaning 'is characteristic of a sick mind'.
- 2.2ne ista lectio... habeat
A clause of fearing or precaution introduced by ne after the imperative vide (see to it, take care). The combination vide ne functions as a warning, meaning 'take care lest' or 'make sure that... not'.
- 2.3quantum habueris, satis est habere, quantum legas
The conjunction cum introduces a causal clause ('since/as'). In this context, quantum habueris is in the future perfect indicative, expressing a hypothetical state of possession ('whatever you may have acquired'), while quantum legas is in the subjunctive present, indicating capability or limit ('as much as you can actually read').
- 2.4Fastidientis stomachi est
Predicative genitive of characteristic ('it is characteristic of a squeamish stomach'). The infinitive phrase multa degustare (to taste many things) serves as the subject of the sentence.
- 2.6Quid enim refert, quantum...
A construction of the impersonal verb refert ('it matters', 'it makes a difference'). The subject consists of multiple indirect questions introduced by quantum, while the person concerned is in the dative case (illi). The conditional si-clauses at the end set the premise for the question.
Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25) · Revision history (1, latest 2026-09-22)
- 2026-09-22 AI review — source 1