Exams are coming near in the Netherlands and I am now training
two students who discovered that almost 6 years of Latin haven’t brought them
the skills to read and translate a text with confidence. For this year Seneca
is the exam author and so I have been reading a lot of Seneca, also texts which
I haven’t read before. This one is quite interesting. It is from Ad Helviam matrem de consolation, a text
Seneca wrote to his mother when he was exiled by Claudius to Corsica in 41 AD
on the accusation of adultery with Iulia Livilla, the sister of Caligula. The
only reason he was not put to death is that Claudius thought that Seneca’s life
would end soon. He spent there years in studying till he was called back in 49
by Agrippina the Younger to tutor her son Nero. In that year he wrote about his exile to his mother
Helvia. Circumstances were tolerable, but Seneca did not have access to
expensive food. Instead of complaining about that, he is criticizing the taste
for rare and exquisite food for which animals are slaughtered and woods
destroyed. This makes him the first environmentalist and what he is saying is
still valid….
Seneca, Ad Helviam matrem de consolatione 10 1-6
Bene ergo exilium tulit Marcellus nec quicquam in animo eius mutauit
loci mutatio, quamuis eam paupertas sequeretur; in qua nihil mali esse,
quisquis modo nondum peruenit in insaniam omnia subuertentis auaritiae atque
luxuriae intellegit. Quantulum enim est quod in tutelam hominis necessarium
est! et cui deesse hoc potest ullam modo uirtutem habenti? 2. Quod ad me quidem
pertinet, intellego me non opes sed occupationes perdidisse. Corporis exigua
desideria sunt: frigus summoueri uult, alimentis famem ac sitim extinguere;
quidquid extra concupiscitur, uitiis, non usibus laboratur. Non est necesse
omne perscrutari profundum nec strage animalium uentrem onerare nec conchylia
ultimi maris ex ignoto litore eruere: di istos deaeque perdant quorum luxuria
tam inuidiosi imperii fines transcendit! 3. Vltra Phasin capi uolunt quod
ambitiosam popinam instruat, nec piget a Parthis, a quibus nondum poenas
repetimus, aues petere. Vndique conuehunt omnia nota fastidienti gulae; quod
dissolutus deliciis stomachus uix admittat ab ultimo portatur oceano; uomunt ut
edant, edunt ut uomant, et epulas quas toto orbe conquirunt nec concoquere
dignantur. Ista si quis despicit, quid illi paupertas nocet? Si quis
concupiscit, illi paupertas etiam prodest; inuitus enim sanatur et, si remedia
ne coactus quidem recipit, interim certe, dum non potest, illa nolenti similis
est. 4. C. Caesar [Augustus], quem mihi uidetur rerum natura edidisse ut
ostenderet quid summa uitia in summa fortuna possent, centiens sestertio
cenauit uno die; et in hoc omnium adiutus ingenio uix tamen inuenit quomodo
trium prouinciarum tributum una cena fieret. 5. O miserabiles, quorum palatum
nisi ad pretiosos cibos non excitatur! Pretiosos autem non eximius sapor aut
aliqua faucium dulcedo sed raritas et difficultas parandi facit. Alioqui, si ad
sanam illis mentem placeat reuerti, quid opus est tot artibus uentri
seruientibus? quid mercaturis? quid uastatione siluarum? quid profundi
perscrutatione? Passim iacent alimenta quae rerum natura omnibus locis
disposuit; sed haec uelut caeci transeunt et omnes regiones peruagantur, maria
traiciunt et, cum famem exiguo possint sedare, magno inritant. 6. Libet dicere:
'quid deducitis naues? Quid manus et aduersus feras et aduersus homines
armatis? Quid tanto tumultu discurritis? Quid opes opibus adgeritis? Non uultis
cogitare quam parua uobis corpora sint? Nonne furor et ultimus mentium error
est, cum tam exiguum capias, cupere multum? Licet itaque augeatis census,
promoueatis fines, numquam tamen corpora uestra laxabitis. Cum bene cesserit
negotiatio, multum militia rettulerit, cum indagati undique cibi coierint, non
habebitis ubi istos apparatus uestros conlocetis.
Marcellus: Marcus Claudius Marcellus was consul in 51 BC. He was an enemy of
Caesar and went into voluntary exile after the battle of Pharsalos.
in qua (pauperitate)
insaniam omnia subuertentis
auaritiae: the madness of everything overthrowing
greed
quantulus: very little
tutela: protection, maintenance
hoc: sc. intelligere
vult (corpus)
uitiis, non usibus
laboratur: is exerted for our vices, not for use
profundum: the depth of the sea
strages –is (f): slaughter, massacre
onero: to overload
conchylium:, shell-fish, oyster
eruo –ui –tum: to dig up
perdo –didi –ditum: to destroy
invidiosus: enviable
Phasis: the river Rioni in Georgia
quod ambitiosam popinam
instruat: what furnishes an ambitious eating-house
a quibus nondum poenas
repetimus: in 53 BC Crassus was defeated by the
Parthians and the standards were captured. Seneca forgets to mention that in 20
BC August got the standards back through negotiations.
poenam repeto: to demand compensation
Vndique conuehunt omnia
nota fastidienti gulae: From everywhere they collect everything for a throat despising
the well-known (but the transmission of the text is disputed and some read omnia, nota ignota, everything, known
and unknown.)
dissolutus deliciis: weakened by fine food
epulae: sumptuous food, dishes
concoquo: digest
invitus: unwilling
ne quidem: not even
C. Caesar [Augustus]:
Caligula
rerum natura: nature
edo:
to bring forth
in summa fortuna: in the highest position
centiens sestertio: ten million sesterces
omnium adiutus ingenio: helped by the genius of all
palatum:
taste
eximius:
excellent
sapor -oris (m): taste
fauces -ium (f): throat
alioqui:
otherwise
mercatura: trade
vastatio –onis (f): devastation
caecus:
blind
exiguus:
little
irrito:
stimulate
deduco:
to launch
fera:
wild animal
discurro: to run in different directions
Quid opes opibus adgeritis?: wherefore are you putting wealth upon wealth?
furor –oris (m): madness
census –us (m) wealth
laxo:
to expand
Cum bene cesserit negotiation: though business turns out well
indago:
to search
istos apparatus uestros: that stock of food of yours
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