The Rarity of a Good Man and Value of Self-Possession — Seneca the Younger, Moral Letters to Lucilius 42.1–42.10, Latin & English

§42.1

Iam tibi iste persuasit virum se bonum esse? Atqui vir bonus tam cito nec fieri potest nec intellegi. Scis quem nunc virum bonum dicam? Huius secundae notae.¹ Nam ille alter fortasse tamquam phoenix semel anno quingentesimo nascitur. Nec est mirum ex intervallo magna generari; mediocria et in turbam nascentia saepe fortuna producit, eximia vero ipsa raritate commendat.

Has that man already persuaded you that he is a good man? And yet, a good man can neither be made nor understood so quickly. Do you know whom I now call a good man? One of this second class. For that other one is born, perhaps, like a phoenix, once in five hundred years. Nor is it a wonder that great things are generated at long intervals; fortune often produces mediocre things that are born for the crowd, but recommends exquisite things by their very rarity.

§42.2

Sed iste multum adhuc abest ab eo, quod profitetur. Et si sciret, quid esset vir bonus, nondum esse se crederet, fortasse etiam fieri posse desperaret. "At male existimat de malis." Hoc etiam mali faciunt, nec ulla maior poena nequitiae est quam quod sibi ac suis displicet. "

But that man is still far from what he professes. And if he knew what a good man was, he would not yet believe himself to be one, and perhaps would even despair of being able to become one. “But he speaks ill of bad men.” This even bad men do, nor is there any greater punishment for wickedness than that it displeases itself and its own kind.

§42.3

At odit eos, qui subita et magna potentia inpotenter utuntur." Idem faciet, cum idem potuerit. Multorum, quia inbecilla sunt, latent vitia, non minus ausura, cum illis vires suae placuerint, quam illa, quae iam felicitas aperuit.

”But he hates those who use sudden and great power powerlessly (without restraint).” He will do the same when he has the same power. The vices of many are hidden because they are weak, and are ready to dare no less, once their own strength pleases them, than those vices which good fortune has already revealed.

§42.4

Instrumenta illis explicandae nequitiae desunt. Sic tuto serpens etiam pestifera tractatur, dum riget frigore; non desunt tunc illi venena, sed torpent. Multorum crudelitas et ambitio et luxuria, ut paria pessimis audeat, fortunae favore deficitur. Eadem velle sic subinde cognosces: da posse, quantum volunt.

They lack the instruments to display their wickedness. Thus, even a venomous snake is handled safely while it is stiff with cold; its venom is not lacking then, but is torpid. The cruelty, ambition, and luxury of many are failed by the favor of fortune, so that they do not dare deeds equal to the worst. That they wish the same things, you will soon realize in this way: give them the power to do as much as they want.

§42.5

Meministi, cum quendam adfirmares esse in tua potestate, dixisse me volaticum esse² ac levem et te non pedem eius tenere, sed pennam. Mentitus sum? Pluma tenebatur, quam remisit et fugit. Scis, quos postea tibi exhibuerit ludos, quam multa in caput suum casura temptaverit. Non videbat se per aliorum pericula in suum ruere. Non cogitabat, quam onerosa essent, quae petebat, etiam si supervacua non essent.

Do you remember, when you asserted that a certain person was in your power, that I said he was volatile and light, and that you were not holding his foot, but his feather? Did I lie? A feather was held, which he let go and fled. You know what games he later displayed to you, how many things he attempted that were destined to fall upon his own head. He did not see that he was rushing through the dangers of others into his own. He did not think how burdensome those things were which he was seeking, even if they were not superfluous.

§42.6

Hoc itaque in his, quae adfectamus, ad quae labore magno contendimus, inspicere debemus, aut nihil in illis commodi esse aut plus incommodi. Quaedam supervacua sunt, quaedam tanti non sunt. Sed hoc non pervidemus, et gratuita nobis videntur, quae carissime constant.

Therefore, in these things which we affect, and toward which we strive with great labor, we ought to inspect this: either there is no advantage in them, or there is more disadvantage. Some things are superfluous, some are not worth so much. But we do not see this clearly, and things seem free to us which cost us most dearly.

§42.7

Ex eo licet stupor noster appareat, quod³ ea sola putamus emi, pro quibus pecuniam solvimus, ea gratuita vocamus, pro quibus nos ipsos inpendimus. Quae emere nollemus, si domus nobis nostra pro illis esset danda, si amoenum aliquod fructuosumve praedium, ad ea paratissimi sumus pervenire cum sollicitudine, cum periculo, cum iactura pudoris et libertatis et temporis; adeo nihil est cuique se vilius.⁴

From this our stupidity may appear, that we think only those things are bought for which we pay money, while we call those things free for which we spend ourselves. Those things which we would refuse to buy if our house had to be given for them, or some pleasant or fruitful estate, we are most ready to attain with anxiety, with danger, with the loss of shame, of freedom, and of time; so true is it that nothing is cheaper to anyone than himself.

§42.8

Idem itaque in omnibus consiliis rebusque faciamus, quod solemus facere, quotiens ad institorem alicuius mercis accessimus; videamus, hoc quod concupiscimus, quanti deferatur. Saepe maximum pretium est, pro quo nullum datur. Multa possum tibi ostendere, quae adquisita acceptaque libertatem nobis extorserint; nostri essemus, si ista nostra non essent.

Let us therefore do the same in all our plans and affairs that we are accustomed to do whenever we go to the seller of some merchandise: let us see at what price this which we desire is offered. Often the greatest price is that for which nothing is given. I can show you many things which, when acquired and accepted, wrested our freedom from us; we would be our own masters, if those things were not ours.

§42.9

Haec ergo tecum ipse versa, non solum ubi de incremento agetur, sed etiam ubi de iactura. "Hoc periturum est." Nempe adventicium fuit; tam facile sine isto vives quam vixisti. Si diu illud habuisti, perdis postquam satiatus es; si non diu, perdis antequam adsuescas. "Pecuniam minorem habebis."

Turn these things over with yourself, therefore, not only where gain is concerned, but also where loss is concerned. “This is going to perish.” To be sure, it was adventitious; you will live without it as easily as you have lived. If you have had it for a long time, you lose it after you are satisfied; if not for a long time, you lose it before you become accustomed to it. “You will have less money.”

§42.10

Nempe et molestiam. "Gratiam minorem." Nempe et invidiam. Circumspice ista, quae nos agunt in insaniam, quae cum plurumis lacrimis amittimus; scies non damnum in is molestum esse, sed opinionem damni. Nemo illa perisse sentit, sed cogitat. Qui se habet, nihil perdidit. Sed quoto cuique⁵ habere se contigit? VALE.

To be sure, and less trouble. “Less favor.” To be sure, and less envy. Look around at those things which drive us into madness, which we lose with the most tears; you will know that it is not the loss in them that is troublesome, but the belief in the loss. No one feels that those things have perished, but thinks so. He who has himself has lost nothing. But to how few has it been granted to possess themselves? FAREWELL.

Syntax notes5 items

42.1Huius secundae notae
Genitive of quality. It modifies the implied 'viri boni' (of a good man). It refers to a 'second-class' good man who falls short of the ideal sage but is still commendable.
42.5dixisse me volaticum esse
Accusative with infinitive construction functioning as the object of 'meministi', where 'me' is the subject accusative and 'dixisse' is the infinitive. 'Memini' can take a perfect infinitive to recall a past action.
42.7Ex eo licet stupor noster appareat, quod
The impersonal verb 'licet' (it is permitted/possible) governs the subjunctive 'appareat'. The 'quod' clause is an appositive noun clause explaining the content of 'eo' or 'stupor noster' (namely, that we think... and call...).
42.7nihil est cuique se vilius
The pronoun 'se' is an ablative of comparison required by the comparative adjective 'vilius', referring back to the logical subject 'quisque' (in 'cuique'). 'Cuique' is a dative of reference or judgment. Literally, 'nothing is cheaper to anyone than himself.'
42.10quoto cuique
A combination of the interrogative adjective 'quotus' (which number, how few) and 'quisque' (each) in the dative case. It is used rhetorically to mean 'to how very few (does it happen)', implying a strong negative: 'scarcely anyone.'

Translated by Gemini 3.5 Flash (published 2026-05-25)urn:cts:latinLit:phi1017.phi015.humanitext-lat2:42.1-42.10