Humanitext Reader

Seneca the Younger · Moral Letters to Lucilius §112.1-112.4

Difficulty of Reforming a Vicious Friend and the Vine

Passage 223 of 254 · Latin

Summary

Seneca explains the difficulty of training Lucilius' friend by using the metaphor of grafting onto an old vine, pointing out that a person steeped in vice does not easily change even if they show temporary regret.

§112.1Cupio mehercules amicum tuum formari, ut desideras, et institui; sed valde durus capitur, immo, quod est molestius, valde mollis capitur et consuetudine mala ac diutina fractus.
By Hercules, I desire your friend to be formed, as you wish, and trained; but he is taken when very hard, or rather, what is more troublesome, he is taken when very soft and broken by bad and long-standing habit.
volo tibi ex nostro artificio exemplum referre.
I wish to bring you an example from our craft.
§112.2Non quaelibet insitionem vitis patitur; si vetus et exesa est, si infirma gracilisque, aut non recipiet surculum aut non alet nec adplicabit sibi nec in qualitatem eius naturamque transibit.
Not every vine tolerates grafting; if it is old and decayed, if weak and slender, it will either not receive the graft or not nourish it, nor will it attach it to itself, nor will it pass into its quality and nature.
Itaque solemus supra terram praecidere, ut si non respondit, temptari possit secunda fortuna, et iterum repetita infra terram inseratur.
Therefore we are accustomed to cut it back above the ground, so that if it does not respond, a second fortune can be tried, and, repeated again, it may be grafted below the ground.
§112.3Hic, de quo scribis et mandas, non habet vires; indulsit vitiis.
This man, about whom you write and entrust to me, has no strength; he has indulged in vices.
Simul et emarcuit et induruit.
At once he has both withered and hardened.
Non potest recipere rationem, non potest nutrire.
He cannot receive reason, he cannot nourish it.
"At cupit ipse. "Noli credere.
"But he himself desires it." Do not believe it.
Non dico illum mentiri tibi; putat se cupere.
I do not say that he is lying to you; he thinks he desires it.
Stomachum illi fecit luxuria; cito cum illa redibit in gratiam. "
Luxury has upset his stomach; soon he will return into favor with her.
§112.4Sed dicit se offendi vita sua. "Non negaverim.
"But he says he is offended by his own life." I would not deny it.
Quis enim non offenditur? Homines vitia sua et amant simul et oderunt.
For who is not offended? Men at once love and hate their own vices.
Tunc itaque de illo feremus sententiam, cum fidem nobis fecerit invisam iam sibi esse luxuriam; nunc illis male convenit.
Therefore, we shall pass judgment on him then, when he has made us believe that luxury is now hateful to him; at present they are on bad terms.
VALE.
FAREWELL.

Notes

  1. 112.1capitur — The passive third-person singular of the verb capio (to take, receive, undertake). Here used metaphorically to mean 'is taken in hand' or 'is received (for training)'. Accompanied by the adjectives durus (hard) and mollis (soft), it suggests the state of raw material like clay or a tree branch being worked on.
  2. 112.4Non negaverim — Perfect active subjunctive first-person singular, functioning as a potential subjunctive. It expresses a mild affirmation: 'I would not deny' or 'I am not inclined to deny.'
  3. 112.4male convenit — An impersonal construction (third-person singular). Combined with illis (dative, 'to them', referring to the man and luxury), it means 'things are going badly between them' or 'they are on bad terms,' metaphorically resembling a temporary domestic quarrel.

Cite this passage

Seneca the Younger, Moral Letters to Lucilius §112.1-112.4. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:phi1017.phi015.humanitext-lat2:112.1-112.4

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