Humanitext Reader

Seneca the Younger · On Leisure §4.1-4.2

The Two Commonwealths and Contemplation in Leisure

Passage 4 of 8 · Latin

Summary

The author presents two commonwealths to which we belong—one universal containing gods and men, and another specific to our birth—and argues that by contemplating the nature of the cosmos and god during leisure, we serve the greater commonwealth.

§4.1Duas res publicas animo complectamur, alteram magnam et vere publicam, qua dii atque homines continentur, in qua non ad hunc angulum respicimus aut ad illum, sed terminos civitatis nostrae cum sole metimur; alteram, cui nos adscripsit condicio nascendi.
Let us embrace in our mind two commonwealths: the one great and truly public, in which both gods and men are contained, in which we do not look to this corner or to that, but measure the boundaries of our citizenship with the sun; the other, to which the condition of being born assigned us.
Haec aut Atheniensium erit aut Carthaginiensium,aut alterius alicuius urbis, quae non ad omnis pertineat homines sed ad certos.
This latter will be either of the Athenians or of the Carthaginians, or of some other city, which belongs not to all human beings but to specific ones.
Quidam eodem tempore utrique rei publicae dant operam, maiori minorique, quidam tantum minori, quidam tantum maiori.
Some at the same time devote their effort to both commonwealths, the greater and the lesser; some only to the lesser, some only to the greater.
§4.2Huic maiori rei publicae et in otio deservire possumus, immo vero nescio an in otio melius, ut quaeramus quid sit virtus, una pluresne sint; natura an ars bonos viros faciat; unum sit hoc, quod maria terrasque et mari ac terris inserta complectitur, an multa eiusmodi corpora deus sparserit; continua sit omnis et plena materia, ex qua cuncta gignuntur, an diducta et solidis inane permixtum; qui sit deus; deses opus suum spectet an tractet; utrumne extrinsecus illi circumfusus sit an toti inditus; immortalis sit mundus an inter caduca et ad tempus nata numerandus.
We can be of service to this greater commonwealth even in leisure—nay indeed, I am inclined to think, better in leisure—so that we may inquire what virtue is, whether it is one or more; whether nature or art makes good men; whether this universe is one, which embraces seas and lands and what is inserted in seas and lands, or whether god has scattered many such bodies; whether all matter, from which all things are begotten, is continuous and full, or separated and void is mixed with solid things; who god is; whether he, idle, beholds his work or actively directs it; whether he is poured around it from without, or implanted in the whole; whether the world is immortal, or to be numbered among things perishable and born for a time.
Haec qui contemplatur, quid deo praestat? Ne tanta eius opera sine teste sit.
He who contemplates these things, what service does he render to god? That so great works of his may not be without a witness.

Notes

  1. 4.1Haec — The feminine singular demonstrative pronoun 'haec' refers to the nearer (or more recently mentioned) element, namely the second specific commonwealth ('alteram') associated with our birth, rather than the first universal one.
  2. 4.2nescio an — Literally meaning 'I know not whether,' this is a classic Latin idiom used to express a polite or tentative affirmation ('I am inclined to think that' or 'perhaps indeed').
  3. 4.2diducta et solidis inane permixtum — An indirect question contrasted with the preceding 'continua sit...'. The structure is 'an diducta [sit materia] et [corporibus] solidis inane [sit] permixtum' with the ellipses of the verb 'sit'. 'Solidis' is a neuter plural dative adjective used substantively ('solid bodies'), and 'inane' means the void, representing the Epicurean/atomist view against the Stoic plenum.
  4. 4.2Ne tanta eius opera sine teste sit — A negative purpose clause introduced by 'ne' answering the preceding question 'quid deo praestat?' ('what does he render to god?'), expressing the purpose of human contemplation: to prevent God's vast works from being without a witness.

Cite this passage

Seneca the Younger, On Leisure §4.1-4.2. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:latinLit:stoa0255.stoa011.humanitext-lat2:4.1-4.2

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