§76.1Inimicitias mihi denuntias, si quicquam ex iis, quae cotidie facio, ignoraveris.
You declare hostilities against me if you remain ignorant of anything of those things that I do daily.
Vide, quam simpliciter tecum vivam: hoc quoque tibi committam.
See how simply I live with you: I will entrust this to you as well.
Philosophum audio et quidem quintum iam diem habeo, ex quo in scholam eo et ab octava disputantem audio.
I am listening to a philosopher, and indeed I have now the fifth day since I began to go to his school and listen to him disputing from the eighth hour.
"Bona," inquis, "aetate.
"At a fine age," you say.
"Quidni bona? Quid autem stultius est quam, quia diu non didiceris, non discere?"
Why not a fine one? But what is more foolish than not to learn because you have not learned for a long time?
§76.2Quid ergo? Idem faciam, quod trossuli et iuvenes?" Bene mecum agitur, si hoc unum senectutem meam dedecet.
"What then? Shall I do the same thing that dandies and youths do?" It goes well with me if this one thing is what disgraces my old age.
Omnis aetatis homines haec schola admittit.
This school admits men of every age.
"In hoc senescamus, ut iuvenes sequamur? "In theatrum senex ibo et in circum deferar et nullum par sine me depugnabit ad philosophum ire erubescam?
"Shall we grow old in this, so that we may follow youths?" Shall I, an old man, go to the theater and be carried to the circus, and shall no pair of gladiators fight without me, and yet shall I blush to go to a philosopher?
§76.3Tamdiu discendum est, quamdiu nescias; si proverbio credimus, quamdiu vivas.
One must go on learning as long as one is ignorant; if we believe the proverb, as long as one lives.
Nec ulli hoc rei magis convenit quam huic: tamdiu discendum est, quemadmodum vivas, quamdiu vivas.
Nor does this apply to any matter more than to this one: one must go on learning how to live as long as one lives.
Ego tamen illic aliquid et doceo.
I, however, am also teaching something there.
Quaeris, quid doceam? Etiam seni esse discendum.
Do you ask what I am teaching? That even an old man must learn.
§76.4Pudet autem me generis humani, quotiens scholam intravi.
But I am ashamed of the human race whenever I enter the school.
Praeter ipsum theatrum Neapolitanorum, ut scis, transeundum est Metronactis petenti domum.
As you know, one heading for the house of Metronax must pass by the theater itself of the Neapolitans.
Illud quidem fartum est et ingenti studio, quis sit pythaules bonus, iudicatur; habet tubicen quoque Graecus et praeco concursum.
That indeed is packed, and with great zeal it is judged who is a good Pythian flute-player; the Greek trumpeter and the herald also draw a crowd.
At in illo loco, in quo vir bonus quaeritur, in quo vir bonus discitur, paucissimi sedent, et hi plerisque videntur nihil boni negotii habere quod agant; inepti et inertes vocantur.
But in that place where a good man is sought, where a good man is learned, very few sit, and these seem to most people to have no good business to do; they are called foolish and idle.
Mihi contingat iste derisus; aequo animo audienda sunt inperitorum convicia et ad honesta vadent! contemnenda est ipse contemptus.
Let that derision fall upon me; the insults of the ignorant must be heard with an even mind, and by one who is going toward honorable things, contempt itself must be despised.
§76.5Perge, Lucili, et propera, tibi ne et ipsi accidat, quod mihi, ut senex discas; immo ideo magis propera, quoniam diu non adgressus es, quod perdiscere vix senex possis.
Go on, Lucilius, and hasten, lest it should happen to you yourself also, as to me, that you must learn as an old man; indeed, hasten all the more for this reason, since you have not for a long time set about what you can scarcely learn thoroughly as an old man.
"Quantum," inquis, "proficiam?" §76.6Quantum temptaveris.
"How much progress," you ask, "shall I make?" As much as you attempt.
Quid expectas? Nulli sapere casu obtigit.
What are you waiting for? To no one has wisdom fallen by chance.
Pecunia veniet ultro, honor offeretur, gratia ac dignitas fortasse ingerentur tibi; virtus in te non incidet.
Money will come of its own accord, honor will be offered, influence and dignity will perhaps be thrust upon you; virtue will not fall upon you.
Ne levi quidem opera aut parvo labore cognoscitur; sed est tanti laborare omnia bona semel occupaturo.
It is not learned even with light effort or little labor; but it is worth the effort to work, for one who is going to possess all goods at once.
Unum est enim bonum, quod honestum; in illis nihil invenies veri, nihil certi, quaecumque famae placent.
For there is only one good, which is what is honorable; in those other things which please public rumor, you will find nothing true, nothing certain.
§76.7Quare autem unum sit bonum, quod honestum, dicam, quoniam parum me exsecutum priore epistula iudicas magisque hanc rem tibi laudatam quam probatam putas, et in artum, quae dicta sunt, contraham.
But why there is only one good, which is what is honorable, I will tell you, since you judge that I have pursued it too little in my previous letter and think that this matter was rather praised than proved to you, and I will condense what has been said into a narrow space.
§76.8Omnia suo bono constant.
All things stand by their own good.
Vitem fertilitas commendat et sapor vini, velocitas cervum.
Fertility and the flavor of wine commend the vine, swiftness the stag.
Quam fortia dorso iumenta sint quaeris, quorum hic unus est usus, sarcinam ferre.
You ask how strong in the back beasts of burden are, whose only use is this, to carry loads.
In cane sagacitas prima est, si investigare debet feras, cursus, si consequi, audacia, si mordere et invadere.
In a dog, sagacity is primary if he must track wild beasts, speed if he must catch them, boldness if he must bite and attack.
Id in quoque optimum esse debet, cui nascitur, quo censetur.
That should be best in each thing for which it is born and by which it is valued.
§76.9In homine optimum quid est? Ratio;
What is best in man?
hac antecedit animalia, deos sequitur.
Reason; by this he surpasses animals and follows the gods.
Ratio ergo perfecta proprium bonum est, cetera illi cum animalibus satisque communia sunt.
Perfected reason, therefore, is his own proper good; other things are common to him with animals and plants.
Valet; et leones.
He is strong; so are lions.
Formosus est; et pavones.
He is beautiful; so are peacocks.
Velox est; et equi.
He is swift; so are horses.
Non dico, in his omnibus vincitur.
I need not say that in all these things he is surpassed.
Non quaero, quid in se maximum habeat, sed quid suum.
I do not ask what he has greatest in himself, but what is his own.
Corpus habet; et arbores.
He has a body; so do trees.
Habet impetum ac motum voluntarium; et bestiae et vermes.
He has impulse and voluntary motion; so do beasts and worms.
Habet vocem; sed quanto clariorem canes, acutiorem aquilae, graviorem tauri, dulciorem mobilioremque luscinii?
He has a voice; but how much clearer do dogs have it, how much sharper eagles, how much deeper bulls, how much sweeter and more flexible nightingales?