I have beheld Aufidius Bassus, that noble man, shattered in health and wrestling with his years. But they already bear upon him so heavily that he cannot be raised up; old age has settled down upon him with great, – yes, with its entire, weight. You know that his body was always delicate and sapless. […]
Letter 29: On the Critical Condition of Marcellinus
Letter 29, “On the Critical Condition of Marcellinus,” is about a friend in trouble — a gifted man drifting toward ruin who avoids Seneca precisely because he’s afraid of hearing the truth. Seneca uses the case to think carefully about how honest counsel actually works. Against the scattershot approach of the wandering Cynics, he insists […]
Letter 28: On Travel as a Cure for Discontent
Letter 28, “On Travel as a Cure for Discontent,” contains one of Seneca’s most famous and enduring insights. Lucilius has traveled far and wide, hoping to shake off a persistent gloom — and it hasn’t worked. Seneca’s diagnosis is unforgettable: “You need a change of soul rather than a change of climate.” No matter how […]
Letter 27: On the Good Which Abides
Letter 27, “On the Good Which Abides,” opens with disarming honesty. When Lucilius teases him — who are you to give advice, have you cured your own faults? — Seneca doesn’t pretend to be a finished sage. “I’m not so shameless as to try to cure others while I’m sick myself,” he says. “We’re lying […]
Letter 26: On Old Age and Death
Letter 26, “On Old Age and Death,” is a serene and moving companion to Letter 12. Seneca, now quite old, reflects that he may have moved even past old age — and yet finds cause for gratitude rather than complaint. His body shows its years, but his mind, he says, is strong and even flourishing, […]