Sen. 1.1" Ō Tite, sī quid ego adiūerō cūramve levāssō quae nunc tē coquit et versat in pectore fīxa, ecquid erit praemī?'O Titus, if I give you some help or lighten the care that now scorches you and turns you about, lodged in your breast, will there be any reward?' Sen. 1.1" Licet enim mihi versibus īsdem affārī tē, Attice, quibus affātur Flāminīnum " ille vir haud magnā cum rē, sed plēnus fideī, " quamquam certō sciō nōn, ut Flāminīnum, " sollicitārī tē, Tite, sīc noctēsque diēsque, " nōvī enim moderātiōnem animī tuī et aequitātem, tēque nōn cognōmen sōlum Athēnīs dēportāsse, sed hūmānitātem et prūdentiam intellegō.For I may address you, Atticus, in the same verses in which 'that man of no great wealth, but full of loyalty' addresses Flamininus, although I know for certain that you are not, like Flamininus, 'troubled so, Titus, by night and day'; for I know the moderation and evenness of your mind, and I understand that you brought home from Athens not only a surname but culture and good sense. Sen. 1.1Et tamen tē suspicor īsdem rēbus quibus mē ipsum interdum gravius commovērī, quārum cōnsōlātiō et maior est et in aliud tempus differenda.And yet I suspect that you are sometimes rather gravely disturbed by the same things that disturb me, the consolation for which is both a larger matter and must be put off to another time.
Sen. 1.1Nunc autem vīsum est mihi dē senectūte aliquid ad tē cōnscrībere, hōc enim onere, quod mihi commūne tēcum est, aut iam urgentis aut certē adventantis senectūtis et tē et mē ipsum levārī volō;But now it has seemed good to me to write something for you on old age, for I wish both you and myself to be relieved of this burden, which I share with you, of an old age that is either already pressing upon us or at any rate approaching; Sen. 1.2etsī tē quidem id modicē ac sapienter, sīcut omnia, et ferre et lātūrum esse certō sciō.although I know for certain that you, at least, both bear it and will bear it with moderation and wisdom, as you bear everything. Sen. 1.2Sed mihi, cum dē senectūte vellem aliquid scrībere, tū occurrēbās dignus eō mūnere, quō uterque nostrum commūniter ūterētur.But when I wished to write something on old age, you kept coming to my mind as worthy of a gift which each of us might enjoy in common. Sen. 1.2Mihi quidem ita iūcunda huius librī cōnfectiō fuit, ut nōn modo omnīs absterserit senectūtis molestiās, sed effēcerit mollem etiam et iūcundam senectūtem.For my part, the composing of this book has been so pleasant that it has not only wiped away all the annoyances of old age, but has even made old age gentle and pleasant.
Sen. 1.2Numquam igitur laudārī satis dignē philosophia poterit, cui quī pāreat omne tempus aetātis sine molestiā possit dēgere.Philosophy, then, can never be praised as worthily as she deserves, since whoever obeys her can pass every season of life without annoyance. Sen. 1.3Sed dē cēterīs et dīximus multa et saepe dīcēmus: hunc librum ad tē dē senectūte mīsimus.But on other subjects we have said much and shall often say more: this book on old age we have sent to you. Sen. 1.3Omnem autem sermōnem tribuimus nōn Tīthōnō, ut Aristō Cīus, parum enim esset auctōritātis in fābulā, sed M. Catōnī senī, quō maiōrem auctōritātem habēret ōrātiō;The whole discourse, however, we have assigned not to Tithonus, as Aristo of Ceos did, for there would be too little authority in a myth, but to Marcus Cato in his old age, so that the discussion might carry greater authority; Sen. 1.3apud quem Laelium et Scīpiōnem facimus admīrantīs, quod is tam facile senectūtem ferat, eīsque eum respondentem;at his house we represent Laelius and Scipio wondering that he bears old age so easily, and him replying to them; Sen. 1.3quī sī ērudītius vidēbitur disputāre quam cōnsuēvit ipse in suīs librīs, attribuitō litterīs Graecīs, quārum cōnstat eum perstudiōsum fuisse in senectūte.and if he seems to argue more learnedly than he was accustomed to do in his own books, put it down to Greek literature, of which it is well known that he was very fond in his old age.
Sen. 1.3Sed quid opus est plūra?But what need is there of more? Sen. 1.3Iam enim ipsīus Catōnis sermō explicābit nostram omnem dē senectūte sententiam.For now Cato's own discourse will set out all my views on old age.