Last weekend I have been walking with 2 friends; something we do
yearly around this time of the year. We are now all in our fifties and
inevitably the topic `age’ pops up now and then. Indeed: our consumption of
alcohol during those weekends has dropped, we go to bed earlier and we walk
less kilometres than some years before, mostly around 14 daily nowadays. But in
our perception we are still young men, certainly when we compare ourselves with
the pensioners at the camping we stayed at. They live in large caravans with a
shed next to it, narrowly packed together with meticulously cut hedges between
the plots. All so sterile that it reminded us of a burial place. At night the
camping was lit to such an extent that we didn’t dare to pee next to the small log
cabin we had rented lest an angry old man or woman would show its head out of
the window and shout at us youngsters for this disgraceful deed, so we duly
walked to the toilet building some 80 meters away.
Thinking of old age, Cicero’s Cato Maior de Senectute came into my mind. In this dialogue Cato the
Elder is discussing old age with his friends Scipio and Laelius. Cicero wrote this dialogue for
his friend Atticus in 44 BC, when he was about 62 and Atticus 65. Both were
growing old now and Cicero consoles his friend with pointing to the advantages
of old age. He gives various examples of old men doing well and one of them is
Masinissa, king of the Massylians (in North Africa), who joined Scipio
Africanus in his war against the Carthaginians. He died in 148 BC at the age of
90 and as this age is explicitly mentioned, the dialogue is set in this year.
Cato the Elder (234-149 BC) was at that time 82. He was the prototype of the
diehard Roman, upholder of ancient Roman values and long-time enemy of Carthage
(et ceteram censeo….). Scipio
Aemilianus (185-129) destroyed Carthage in 148 BC. He was adopted by the son of
Scipio Africanus (235- 183), famous for defeating Hannibal at the battle of
Zama in 202 BC. Little is known about Laelius Sapiens (ca. 188 BC -?) and he is
best known for his friendship with Scipio Aemilianus, with whom he shared a deep
interest in Greek literature.
Cato is speaking and tells his younger friends to resist the
cultural idea of being old and to use all the powers you still have.
As the age of retirement will be increased here in the Netherlands
in the coming decennium, this dialogue of Cicero should be read by everyone! In
the meantime I and my friends will continue walking and resist old age.
Cicero, Cato Maior de
Senectute, 34- 36 (first line)
34. Audire te arbitror, Scipio, hospes tuus avitus Masinissa quae
faciat hodie nonaginta natus annos; cum ingressus iter pedibus sit, in equum
omnino non ascendere; cum autem equo, ex equo non descendere; nullo imbri,
nullo frigore adduci ut capite operto sit, summam esse in eo siccitatem
corporis, itaque omnia exsequi regis officia et munera. Potest igitur
exercitatio et temperantia etiam in senectute conservare aliquid pristini
roboris. “Non sunt in senectute vires”. Ne postulantur quidem vires a
senectute. Ergo et legibus et institutis vacat aetas nostra muneribus eis, quae
non possunt sine viribus sustineri. Itaque non modo, quod non possumus, sed ne
quantum possumus quidem cogimur.
Audire te arbitror, Scipio,
hospes tuus avitus Masinissa quae faciat hodie nonaginta natus annos = audire te arbitror, Scipio,
(ea), quae hospes tuus avitus – hodie nonaginta natus annos – faciat.
arbitror arbitratus sum: to think, be of opinion that
hospes avitus: guest friend of your grandfather
(avus)
cum…sit: subjunctive because it is
reported speech (i.e. something is told which is not seen by the speaker
himself.)
ingredior ingressus sum: to begin
iter itineris (n.): journey (for those who wonder where the n comes from: the paradigm is a mixture of the stems iter and itiner.)
omnino non: not at all
cum autem equo (iter ingressus sit)
imber imbris (m.): heavy rain
adduco adduxi adductum: to lead to, bring to
operio operui opertum: to cover
siccitas – atis (f.): dryness (it refers to the idea that evil juices harm the
body,)
exsequor exsecutus sum: to perform
offiica et munera: duties and functions (munus muneris (n.)
exercitatio –onis (f.): exercise, discipline
pristinus: former, original, pristine
“Non sunt in senectute vires” (it is said) “there is no strength in
old age”.
ne: granted that
postulo: to ask, demand
et legibus et institutis
vacat aetas nostra muneribus eis: and by law and by
customs our age is free from those services (for instance men of 60 were exempt
from military service.)
non modo…. quidem cogimur: in English an extra not must be supplied: not only are we not forced to do etc.
sed ne quantum: but not even the little
35. At multi ita sunt imbecilli senes, ut nullum offici aut omnino
vitae munus exsequi possint. At id quidem non proprium senectutis vitium est,
sed commune valetudinis. Quam fuit imbecillus P. Africani filius, is qui te
adoptavit, quam tenui aut nulla potius valetudine! Quod ni ita fuisset, alterum
illud exstitisset lumen civitatis; ad paternam enim magnitudinem animi doctrina
uberior accesserat. Quid mirium igitur in senibus si infirmi sint aliquando,
cum id ne adulescentes quidem effugere possint? Resistendum, Laeli et Scipio,
senectuti est, eiusque vitia diligentia compensanda sunt, pugnandum tamquam
contra morbum sic contra senectutem; 36. habenda ratio valetudinis, utendum
exercitationibus modicis, tantum cibi et potionis adhibendum ut reficiantur
vires, non opprimantur
imbecillus: weak, feeble (not imbecilic!)
imbecilli: predicate (there are many elderly men who are so weak)
omnimo: at all
proprium vitium: peculiar fault
valitudo -inis (f.): condition of the body (often it means `heath, strength’, but not
here of course.)
commune (vitium)
adoptavit: adoption was quite common in case one had not an own heir to
secure the continuation of the family.
tenuis: frail
tenui…nulla valitudine: abl. of description
Quod ni ita fuisset: if that would not have been the case
Illud for ille because of
attraction to the gender of lumen.
alterum lumen civitatis: the
first lumen civitatis was Scipio the
Elder, because he defeated Hannibal and so finished the Second Punic War.
doctrina uberior accesserat: a greater learning came to (accedo).
In English we would say: He added a greater learning to the greatness of mind
of his father.
Quid mirium igitur in
senibus si infirmi sint aliquando, cum id ne adulescentes quidem effugere
possint?: What wonder therefore that there are sometimes
feeble persons amongst the elderly, when not even youngsters cannot indeed
escape this (feebleness)? (Cato is apparently referring to the bad health of
Scipio’s father.)
diligentia: care, perseverance, diligence (diligentia
is abl: its vices must be compensated with)
resistendum…pugnandum…habenda
…utendum…adhibendum: gerundives `we must resist…fight…adopt..use (utor + abl!)… stick to
morbus: disease
ratio valetudinis: regimen of health
tantum cibi et potionis: just enough of food and drink
reficio refeci refectum: to restore
opprimo oppressi oppressum: to press down, `destroy’
Translation:
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