Splendida Arbitria

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Mercy and Loyalty

[The merciful leader’s], after all, is a lasting and grounded greatness, whom all know to be beyond himself as well as for himself; whose care they by experience know keeps watch daily over the welfare of individual men as well as for all men; from whom, when he comes forth, they do not scatter, as when some evil or injurious animal leaps from its den, but toward whom they fly as toward a bright and auspicious star. They are most ready to fling themselves upon the blades of ambush and lay forth their bodies, if by this slaughter the path toward human welfare will by him be erected; over his sleep does the nighttime watch keep guard; exposed and surrounding him, they defend his flank; they set themselves against the dangers that assail him.  Seneca, de clementia, II 2-3 --- I really just love the passage because of the imagery Seneca presents in contrasting the aliquod noxium animal e cubili prosiliens and the clarum et beneficum sidus An instrumental view does Seneca seem to take of mercy in this section, but like many virtues, a thing can be both good in itself and also have effects that are useful for other ends - does that render the practice of the virtue sordid?Perhaps Seneca would say no, seeing that he’s a Stoic and his school focuses, as far as I am aware, on virtue as the way or even the very image of beatitude. But I still need to read more. On the one hand, moreover, blind loyalty is unwise - but on the other, Seneca does not seem to describe a blind loyalty. These followers are loyal to the leader that is honorable because of his mercy and virtue. Loyalty for the right reasons than for the wrong.  I’m also making a choice to agree humanam with salutem rather than stragem to soften the imagery, unless Seneca did want to pair stragem with humanam lol.

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Seneca, on Friendship

But because particular secrets interrupt the things that familiarity has fostered*, share all your cares, all your thinking with your friend. If you might suppose him trustworthy, you will do this. For indeed certain men have taught to deceive, while they fear being deceived...

Certain men tell to anyone at hand things that, to a great degree, ought to be entrusted to friends, and unburden to any ears soever whatever things that consume these men. Certain men even often dread the conscience of their dearest friends, and if they can, in order not even to trust themselves, suppress every inward secret.

Neither must be done: either indeed is a sin - both trusting everyone and no one - but I would say that the one sin is more honorable, and the other, more safe. But reject both: both they who are always restless, and those who are always at rest.

*Sed quia interveniunt quaedam quae consuetudo fecit arcana

Confusing sentence. Idk if quaedam is a general plural neuter nominative (certain things) or singular feminine adjective modifying consuetudo (a certain familiarity). So what Im coming up with is

"And because particular things have intervened that familiarity has made hidden (quae consuetudo fecit arcana)"

Or

"And because particular secrets intervene (interveniunt quaedam arcana), which familiarity has bred (quae fecit consuetudo)"

Or

"And because a particular familiarity has bred (quaedam consuetudo fecit) secrets that come between (arcana quae interveniunt) [friend and friend]"

Now maybe this is case where a modifier and the noun are distanced bn a relative clause - thus quaedam and arcana -

Sed quia Interveniunt quaedam - quae consuetudo fecit - arcana

That is, certain secrets - which familiarity has bred - do interpose.

In this case maybe the quae in quae consuetudo doesnt refer to arcana but things in general, ie "particular secrets interrupt [the things that] familiarity has fostered [fecit]", ie secrets ruin a friendship. This seems the most logical, since Seneca is encouraging the sharing of secrets and the opening up of the soul to a friend

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Publilius Syrus, On Love

Love cannot be wrested away, but it can slip away.

In Love [Venere], madness is always sweet.

In Love [Venere], pain and gladness always are vying.

A lover, like a torch, is inflamed more greatly by shaking him about!

Sweet Desire [Venus] is made by allurement, not by command.

Love, like a tear, arises from the eye and falls upon the heart.

He who heals the wounds of love is the same one who inflicts it.

With the mind, and not with the eye, do chaste girls choose a man.

Nobody at all can flee from death, nor from love.

A lovely face is a silent recommendation.

Sententiae

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Cicero, On Hunting

But what source of delight can there be to a refined man when a feeble man is torn savagely by a very strong animal, or when a splendid beast is transfixed by a hunting spear? These things - if they must be seen - you did see, and we who looked upon these things have not seen anything new. It was the last day of the elephants. In the place where there was astonishment for the common people and the crowd, there was no source of delight; no, even a particular mercy followed in consequence, and the belief of this fashion: that there was a particular fellowship to that beast with the human race.

Cicero, Ad Familiares VII.1.3

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Omg

Tried to compare my rendering against the Loeb translation and well

Extremus elephantorum dies fuit should mean "the past day was for [hunting of the] elephants", not the more uh existential "last day of the elephants has come, theyre going extinct omg" that I had thought.

And thus in quo of the next sentence means properly in quo die ie on that day/at that time, ie the elephant hunting day, not some day or place in the distant past as I thought.

Also nulla should have gone w admiratio as well as dilectatio thus "no astonishment" as well as "no source of delight"

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Cicero, On Hunting

But what source of delight can there be to a refined man when a feeble man is torn savagely by a very strong animal, or when a splendid beast is transfixed by a hunting spear? These things - if they must be seen - you did see, and we who looked upon these things have not seen anything new. It was the last day of the elephants. In the place where there was astonishment for the common people and the crowd, there was no source of delight; no, even a particular mercy followed in consequence, and the belief of this fashion: that there was a particular fellowship to that beast with the human race.

Cicero, Ad Familiares VII.1.3

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Wondering if

Quid aliud quam telis me opposui et malevolentiae quod morderet ostendi?

Means

Quid [est/erat] aliud quod morderet quam telis [quibus] me opposui et malevolentiae [cui] [me] ostendi?

("What [is/was] another thing of the sort that bites as much as the spears [with which] I opposed myself and the malice [to which] I exposed [myself]?")

????

When in doubt, just close the gaps myself ig .....

Seneca, de vita beata II.3

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Thinking For Yourself

He - if ever to him it might be permitted to breathe and withdraw into himself - himself, having truly been twisted for himself and from himself, will confess and also will say,

"I would have preferred that whatsoever I have done hitherto to be undone; when I reflect upon whatsoever I have said, I envy the mute; whatsoever I have desired, I consider as the abomination of my enemies; whatsoever I feared - good gods! - how much more frivolous it was than that which I wildly desired!"

Seneca, *De vita beata*, II 2-3

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Checkimg with the Audrey Stewart translation on the Wiki, and also the French one on Wiki, the first part at least Ive rendered pretty poorly

Sibi here is Dative of Indirect Object, reflexive pronoun; not Dative of reference

Verum here is Accusative, Direct Object; not adverb

Ā sē here is Ablative of Personal Agent, not Ablative of Separation

Thus

"Oh, how he, tortured by himself, will confess and also say to himself, "blah blah blah"

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Thinking For Yourself

He - if ever to him it might be permitted to breathe and withdraw into himself - himself, having truly been twisted for himself and from himself, will confess and also will say,

"I would have preferred that whatsoever I have done hitherto to be undone; when I reflect upon whatsoever I have said, I envy the mute; whatsoever I have desired, I consider as the abomination of my enemies; whatsoever I feared - good gods! - how much more frivolous it was than that which I wildly desired!"

Seneca, De vita beata, II 2-3

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War and The Economy

And therefore, Quirites, the province - if you wish to keep hold of the advantage of war and of the dignity of peace - must be defended by you not only from disaster but also from the fear of disaster. For in other things, when disaster comes, then harm is received. But in tax revenues: not only the arrival of harm, but also the very fear [of it] brings forth disaster. For when the troops of the enemies are not long absent, even if no incursion has been made, nevertheless the farm animals are left behind, the cultivation of the farms is forsaken, the sailing of the merchants ceases. Thus, the tax revenue cannot be maintained either from the port, or from the decumus [grain tax], or from the scriptura [grazing tax]; wherefore often the profit of the whole year, because of a single rumor of danger and also because of a single terror of war, is lost Cicero Pro Lege Manilia, 14-16.

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The Abuse of A Roman Citizen

A Roman citizen was being struck with rods in the middle of the forum of Messana, O judges, although meanwhile no groan, no other voice from that wretch, between the pain and the crackling of the blows, was heard except: “I am a Roman citizen!”

He reckoned that by the reminder of this citizenship he was going to drive away all the blows and was going to divert the tortures away from his body. He not only did not accomplish this - that he warded off, with prayer, the rods - but although he entreated more often and invoked repeatedly the name of his citizenship, a cross - a cross, I say! - was prepared for this unhappy and wretched man, who never had seen that plague.

Cicero, In Verrem II, 2.162

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Vergilian Concision

Do you wish to hear the illustrious man who speaks with such brevity that brevity itself would not be able more greatly to be compressed and reduced?

“Et campos ubi Troia fuit.”

[”And the plains where Troy has been”]

Behold: with the fewest words he emptied out and devoured the greatest city, and left her not even a ruin.

Macrobius, Saturnalia V.1.8

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How Diogenes Bears an Insult

This illustrious man bore it mildly and wisely: “I do not, indeed,” says he, “Become angry, but I wonder indeed whether it would be right to become angry.”

Seneca, Dialogi V.38.1

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Seneca Quotes Posidonius

"It is right that [Plato's] Law be short, that by that much it be more easily grasped by the inexperienced."

Seneca, Epistulae Morales, XCIV.38

"Quo facilius ab imperitis teneatur" I imagine is a Relative Clause of Result, with "quo" being an Ablative of Degree of Difference.

Otherwise the clause could be a Relative Purpose Clause, and be rendered "in order that by that degree the easy thing may be grasped."

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Vice of Roman Soldiers

As so much did Pleminius surpass Hamilcar, the commander of the guard,

So much did the Roman soldiers of the garrison surpass the Phoenicians in wicked deeds and greed, that they seemed to struggle not by means of arms but by means of vices.

Livy, Ab Urbe Condita XXIX.8.7

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A Long Exile

But I seem, to my loss, to be away from my fatherland for as many years as

Dardanian Troy was at the feet of the Greek enemy.

You might think that the times stand still - such is the extent to which they proceed slowly.

Ovid, Tristia, V.10.3-5

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An Unpleasant Exile

If I look upon the place: the place is unattractive, and nothing

In the world can be sadder than here!

Or if I look upon the people: they are hardly worthy of this name, "people,"

And have more cruel fierceness than wolves!

They fear not the laws, but the just yields to men,

And rights, having been conquered, lie at the feet of the warlike sword.

Ovid, Tristia (Sad Things), V.7b.43-48

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The Art of Love

If anyone among the people has not learned of the art of loving,

Let him read this, and having been taught by this poem which he will have read, may he love!

Because of this art, ships are set swiftly into motion by the sail and by the oar,

Because of this art, chariots are light. Love must be ruled by this skill.

Ovid, Ars Amatoria (The Amatory Art) I.1-4

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After some hunting around, because the last two lines sounded a bit awkward, I think I was mistaken in adding a "this" before "art". The meaning seems more to be "by art/skill are ships set into motion, by art/skill, chariots, etc," thus speaking of skill in general and not of loving. This then sets up the analogy of skill in loving.

To be fair, I imagined that the "art of love" set the ships in motion because those in the ships would be hurrying to their lovers - likewise those in chariots. So it made sense to me anyway lol