Ep. 22.1Iam intellegis ēdūcendum esse tē ex istīs occupātiōnibus speciōsīs et malīs.You now understand that you must be drawn out of those showy and harmful occupations of yours. Ep. 22.1Sed quō modō id cōnsequī possīs quaeris.But you ask how you can achieve this. Ep. 22.1Quaedam nōn nisi ā praesente mōnstrantur.Some things can be shown only by someone who is present. Ep. 22.1Nōn potest medicus per epistulās cibī aut balineī tempus ēligere;A doctor cannot choose the time for food or for a bath by letter; Ep. 22.1vēna tangenda est.the pulse must be felt. Ep. 22.1Vetus prōverbium est gladiātōrem in harēnā capere cōnsilium;There is an old proverb that the gladiator makes his plan in the arena; Ep. 22.1aliquid adversāriī vultus, aliquid manus mōta, aliquid ipsa inclīnātiō corporis intuentem monet.something in his opponent's face, something in the movement of his hand, something in the very leaning of his body warns the man who watches closely. Ep. 22.2Quid fierī soleat, quid oporteat, in ūniversum et mandārī potest et scrībī;What is usually done, and what ought to be done, can be both prescribed and written down in general terms; Ep. 22.2tāle cōnsilium nōn tantum absentibus, etiam posterīs datur.such advice is given not only to those who are absent, but even to those who come after us.
Ep. 22.2Illud alterum, quandō fierī dēbeat aut quemadmodum, ex longinquō nēmō suādēbit, cum rēbus ipsīs dēlīberandum est.The other question, when or how a thing should be done, no one will advise from far away, since it must be decided in the face of the facts themselves. Ep. 22.3Nōn tantum praesentis, sed vigilantis est occāsiōnem observāre properantem.It takes not only a man who is present, but one who is wide awake, to watch for an opportunity as it hurries past. Ep. 22.3Itaque hanc circumspice, hanc sī vīderis, prēnde et tōtō impetū, tōtīs vīribus id age, ut tē istīs officiīs exuās.So look around for it, and if you see it, seize it, and with all your energy, with all your strength, make it your business to strip yourself of those duties. Ep. 22.3Et quidem quam sententiam feram, adtende.And indeed, pay attention to the opinion I am going to give. Ep. 22.3Cēnseō aut ex istā vītā tibi aut ē vītā exeundum.I hold that you must depart either from that life of yours or from life itself.
Ep. 22.3Sed idem illud exīstimō, lēnī eundum viā, ut quod male inplicuistī, solvās potius quam abrumpās, dummodo sī alia solvendī ratiō nōn erit, vel abrumpās.But I also think that you must go by a gentle path, so that what you have badly entangled you may untie rather than break off, provided that, if there is no other way of untying it, you do even break it off. Ep. 22.3Nēmō tam timidus est, ut mālit semper pendēre quam semel cadere.No one is so timid that he would rather hang forever than fall once. Ep. 22.4Interim, quod prīmum est, impedīre tē nōlī.Meanwhile, and this comes first, do not hamper yourself. Ep. 22.4Contentus estō negōtiīs, in quae dēscendistī, vel quod vidērī māvīs, incidistī.Be content with the business into which you have gone down, or, as you prefer it to seem, into which you have fallen. Ep. 22.4Nōn est quod ad ulteriōra nītāris;There is no reason for you to strive after anything further; Ep. 22.4aut perdēs excūsātiōnem et appārēbit tē nōn incidisse.or else you will lose your excuse, and it will be plain that you did not fall into it.
Ep. 22.4Ista enim, quae dīcī solent, falsa sunt: "Nōn potuī aliter.For those things which people usually say are false: 'I could not do otherwise. Ep. 22.4Quid, sī nōllem?What if I had not wanted to? Ep. 22.4Necesse erat."I had to.' Ep. 22.4Nūllī necesse est fēlīcitātem cursū sequī;No one is obliged to chase good fortune at a run; Ep. 22.4est aliquid, etiam sī nōn repugnāre, subsistere nec īnstāre fortūnae ferentī.it is something, even if you do not resist, to stand still and not press on when fortune carries you forward. Ep. 22.5Numquid offenderis, sī in cōnsilium nōn veniō tantum, sed advocō, et quidem prūdentiōrēs quam ipse sum, ad quōs soleō dēferre, sī quid dēlīberō?Surely you will not be offended if I not only come to the consultation myself, but call in others too, and indeed men wiser than I am, to whom I usually refer anything I am deliberating on? Ep. 22.5Epicūrī epistulam ad hanc rem pertinentem lege, Īdomeneō quae īnscrībitur, quem rogat, ut quantum potest fugiat et properet, antequam aliqua vīs maior interveniat et auferat lībertātem recēdendī.Read the letter of Epicurus that bears on this matter, the one addressed to Idomeneus, whom he asks to flee as fast as he can and to hurry, before some greater force intervenes and takes away his freedom to withdraw.
Ep. 22.6Īdem tamen subicit nihil esse temptandum, nisi cum aptē poterit tempestīvēque temptārī.Yet he also adds that nothing should be attempted except when it can be attempted fittingly and at the right time. Ep. 22.6Sed cum illud tempus captātum diū vēnerit, exiliendum ait.But when that long-awaited time has come, he says, one must leap out. Ep. 22.6Dormītāre dē fugā cōgitantem vetat et spērat salūtārem etiam ex difficillimīs exitum, sī nec properēmus ante tempus nec cessēmus in tempore.He forbids the man who is thinking of escape to doze, and he hopes for a safe way out even from the most difficult situations, if we neither hurry before the time nor hang back when the time comes. Ep. 22.7Putō, nunc et Stōicam sententiam quaeris.Now, I suppose, you want to hear the Stoic view as well. Ep. 22.7Nōn est quod quisquam illōs apud tē temeritātis īnfāmet;There is no reason for anyone to slander them to you as reckless; Ep. 22.7cautiōrēs quam fortiōrēs sunt.they are more cautious than brave. Ep. 22.7Expectās forsitan, ut tibi haec dīcant: "Turpe est cēdere onerī.Perhaps you expect them to say this to you: 'It is shameful to give way under a burden.
Ep. 22.7Luctāre cum officiō, quod semel recēpistī.Wrestle with the duty which you have once taken on. Ep. 22.7Nōn est vir fortis ac strēnuus quī labōrem fugit, nisi crēscit illī animus ipsā rērum difficultāte."He is no brave and vigorous man who runs away from toil, unless his spirit grows with the very difficulty of things.' Ep. 22.8Dīcentur tibi ista, sī operae pretium habēbit persevērantia, sī nihil indignum bonō virō faciendum patiendumve erit;These things will be said to you, if perseverance is going to be worth the effort, if there is nothing unworthy of a good man that will have to be done or suffered; Ep. 22.8aliōquī sordidō sē et contumēliōsō labōre nōn conteret nec in negōtiīs erit negōtiī causā.otherwise he will not wear himself out with sordid and degrading toil, nor will he be busy for the sake of being busy. Ep. 22.8Nē illud quidem, quod exīstimās factūrum eum, faciet, ut ambitiōsīs rēbus inplicitus semper aestūs eārum ferat.Nor will he do what you think he will do, namely remain entangled in ambitious affairs and always endure their surges. Ep. 22.8Sed cum vīderit gravia, in quibus volūtābātur, incerta, ancipitia, referet pedem, nōn vertet terga, sed sēnsim recēdet in tūtum.But when he sees how grave, how uncertain, how perilous are the affairs in which he was rolling about, he will step back; he will not turn tail, but will withdraw gradually to safety.
Ep. 22.9Facile est autem, mī Lūcīlī, occupātiōnēs ēvādere, sī occupātiōnum pretia contempseris.Moreover, my Lucilius, it is easy to escape from occupations if you despise the rewards of occupations. Ep. 22.9Illa sunt, quae nōs morantur et dētinent: "Quid ergō?These are what delay and detain us: 'What then? Ep. 22.9Tam magnās spēs relinquam?Shall I give up such great hopes? Ep. 22.9Ab ipsā messe discēdam?Shall I go away at the very harvest? Ep. 22.9Nūdum erit latus, incomitāta lectīca, ātrium vacuum?"Will my side be bare, my litter unescorted, my hall empty?' Ep. 22.9Ab hīs ergō invītī hominēs recēdunt et mercēdem miseriārum amant, ipsās execrantur.It is from these things, then, that men withdraw unwillingly; they love the wages of their miseries, while they curse the miseries themselves. Ep. 22.10Sīc dē ambitiōne quōmodo dē amīcā queruntur;They complain about ambition as they do about a mistress; Ep. 22.10id est, sī vērum adfectum eōrum īnspiciās, nōn ōdērunt, sed lītigant.that is, if you look into their true feelings, they do not hate it, they are quarrelling with it. Ep. 22.10Excute istōs, quī, quae cupiēre, dēplōrant et dē eārum rērum locuntur fugā, quibus carēre nōn possunt;Examine closely those who lament what they have longed for and talk of escaping from things which they cannot do without; Ep. 22.10vidēbis voluntāriam esse illīs in eō moram, quod aegrē ferre ipsōs et miserē locuntur.you will see that their delay is voluntary in staying with what they say they bear with difficulty and misery.
Ep. 22.11Ita est, Lūcīlī;So it is, Lucilius; Ep. 22.11paucōs servitūs, plūrēs servitūtem tenent.slavery holds few men fast, but more hold fast to slavery. Ep. 22.11Sed sī dēpōnere illam in animō est et lībertās bonā fidē placuit, in hoc autem ūnum advocātiōnem petis, ut sine perpetuā sollicitūdine id tibi facere contingat, quidnī tōta tē cohors Stōicōrum probātūra sit?But if you have it in mind to lay it down, and if freedom has pleased you in good faith, and you seek advice only for this one purpose, that you may manage to do it without unending anxiety, why should the whole company of Stoics not approve of you? Ep. 22.11Omnēs Zēnōnēs et Chrysippī moderāta, honesta, tua suādēbunt.All the Zenos and Chrysippuses will urge on you what is moderate, what is honourable, what is fitting for you. Ep. 22.12Sed sī propter hoc tergiversāris, ut circumspiciās, quantum ferās tēcum et quam magnā pecūniā īnstruās ōtium, numquam exitum inveniēs.But if you are dodging about for this reason, to look around and see how much you can take with you and with how great a sum of money you can furnish your leisure, you will never find a way out.
Ep. 22.12Nēmō cum sarcinīs ēnatat.No one swims to shore with his baggage. Ep. 22.12Ēmerge ad meliōrem vītam propitiīs dīs, sed nōn sīc, quōmodo istīs propitiī sunt, quibus bonō ac benignō vultū mala magnifica tribuērunt, ad hoc ūnum excūsātī, quod ista, quae ūrunt, quae excruciant, optantibus data sunt.Rise up to a better life with the gods' favour, but not with favour such as they show to those men to whom, with kind and gracious faces, they have granted splendid evils, the gods being excused only on this one ground, that those things which burn and torture were given to men who prayed for them. Ep. 22.13Iam inprimēbam epistulae signum;I was already pressing the seal on the letter; Ep. 22.13resolvenda est, ut cum sollemnī ad tē mūnusculō veniat et aliquam magnificam vōcem ferat sēcum, et occurrit mihi ecce nesciō utrum vērior an ēloquentior.it must be opened again, so that it may come to you with its customary little present and carry with it some splendid saying, and look, one occurs to me, of which I do not know whether it is more true or more eloquent.
Ep. 22.13"Cuius?"'Whose?' Ep. 22.13inquis;you ask; Ep. 22.13Epicūrī, adhūc enim aliēnās sarcinās adserō;Epicurus', for I am still laying claim to other men's baggage; Ep. 22.14"Nēmō nōn ita exit ē vītā, tamquam modo intrāverit."'Everyone leaves life just as if he had only now entered it.' Ep. 22.14Quemcumque vīs occupā, adulēscentem senem medium;Seize anyone you like, a young man, an old man, a man in middle life; Ep. 22.14inveniēs aequē timidum mortis, aequē īnscium vītae.you will find him equally afraid of death, equally ignorant of life. Ep. 22.14Nēmō quicquam habet factī, in futūrum enim nostra distulimus.No one has anything finished, for we have put off our concerns into the future. Ep. 22.14Nihil mē magis in istā vōce dēlectat quam quod exprobrātur senibus īnfantia.Nothing in that saying delights me more than that old men are reproached with infancy. Ep. 22.15"Nēmō," inquit, "aliter quam quī modo nātus est exit ē vītā."'No one,' he says, 'leaves life otherwise than as one who has just been born.' Ep. 22.15Falsum est;That is false; Ep. 22.15peiōrēs morimur quam nāscimur.we die worse than we are born. Ep. 22.15Nostrum istud, nōn nātūrae vitium est.That fault is ours, not nature's.
Ep. 22.15Illa nōbīscum querī dēbet et dīcere: "Quid hoc est?She ought to complain about us and say: 'What is this? Ep. 22.15Sine cupiditātibus vōs genuī, sine timōribus, sine superstitiōne, sine perfidiā cēterīsque pestibus;I brought you into being without desires, without fears, without superstition, without treachery and the other plagues; Ep. 22.15quālēs intrāstis exīte."go out as you came in.' Ep. 22.16Percēpit sapientiam, sī quis tam sēcūrus moriētur quam nāscitur;A man has grasped wisdom if he dies as free from care as he is born; Ep. 22.16nunc vērō trepidāmus, cum perīculum accessit, nōn animus nōbīs, nōn color cōnstat;but as it is we tremble when danger has come near; neither our courage nor our colour holds steady; Ep. 22.16lacrimae nihil prōfutūrae cadunt.tears fall that will do no good. Ep. 22.16Quid est turpius quam in ipsō līmine sēcūritātis esse sollicitum?What is more shameful than to be anxious on the very threshold of freedom from care? Ep. 22.17Causa autem haec est, quod inānēs omnium bonōrum sumus, vītae iactūrā labōrāmus.But the reason is this, that we are empty of all goods, and we are distressed at the loss of life.
Ep. 22.17Nōn enim apud nōs pars eius ūlla subsēdit;For no part of it has stayed behind with us; Ep. 22.17trānsmissa est et efflūxit.it has passed on and flowed away. Ep. 22.17Nēmō quam bene vīvat, sed quam diū, cūrat, cum omnibus possit contingere, ut bene vīvant, ut diū, nūllī.No one cares how well he lives, but how long, although it is within everyone's reach to live well, but within no one's to live long. Ep. 22.17Valē.Farewell.