Ep. 30.1Bassum Aufidium, virum optimum, vīdī quassum, aetātī obluctantem.I have seen Aufidius Bassus, the best of men, shattered and wrestling against his years. Ep. 30.1Sed iam plūs illum dēgravat quam quod possit attollī;But they now weigh him down more than he can be raised up; Ep. 30.1magnō senectūs et ūniversō pondere incubuit.old age has settled on him with a great, indeed its whole, weight. Ep. 30.1Scīs illum semper īnfirmī corporis et exsūctī fuisse.You know that he was always of a weak and wasted body. Ep. 30.1Diū illud continuit et, ut vērius dīcam, continuāvit;For a long time he held it together and, to put it more truly, held it on; Ep. 30.1subitō dēfēcit.suddenly it gave out. Ep. 30.2Quemadmodum in nāve, quae sentīnam trahit, ūnī rīmae aut alterī obsistitur, ubi plūrimīs locīs laxārī coepit et cēdere, succurrī nōn potest nāvigiō dēhīscentī;Just as in a ship that is shipping water, one or another leak can be stopped, but when it has begun to loosen and give way in very many places, the gaping vessel cannot be saved; Ep. 30.2ita in senīlī corpore aliquātenus inbēcillitās sustinērī et fulcīrī potest.so in an aged body the weakness can be borne and propped up to a certain point.
Ep. 30.2Ubi tamquam in putrī aedificiō omnis ūnctūra dīdūcitur, et dum alia excipitur, alia discinditur, circumspiciendum est, quōmodo exeās.When, as in a rotting building, every joint is pulling apart, and while one is being shored up another is splitting, you must look about for a way out. Ep. 30.3Bassus tamen noster alacer animō est.Yet our Bassus is brisk in spirit. Ep. 30.3Hoc philosophia praestat, in cōnspectū mortis hilarem et in quōcumque corporis habitū fortem laetumque nec dēficientem, quamvīs dēficiātur.This is what philosophy provides: to be cheerful in the sight of death, and in any state of body brave and glad, and not failing, though one's strength fails. Ep. 30.3Magnus gubernātor et scissō nāvigat vēlō, et, sī exarmāvit, tamen reliquiās nāvigiī aptat ad cursum.A great helmsman sails on even with a torn sail, and, if he has lost his rigging, still fits what remains of the ship for the voyage. Ep. 30.3Hoc facit Bassus noster et eō animō vultūque fīnem suum spectat, quō aliēnum spectāre nimis sēcūrī putārēs.This is what our Bassus does, and he watches his own end with such a spirit and expression that you would think him too unconcerned if he were watching another's.
Ep. 30.4Magna rēs est, Lūcīlī, haec et diū discenda, cum adventat hōra illa inēvītābilis, aequō animō abīre.It is a great thing, Lucilius, and one that takes long learning, to depart with a calm mind when that inevitable hour approaches. Ep. 30.4Alia genera mortis speī mīxta sunt: dēsinit morbus, incendium extinguitur, ruīna quōs vidēbātur oppressūra dēposuit;Other kinds of death are mixed with hope: an illness ends, a fire is put out, a collapse has set down unharmed those it seemed about to crush; Ep. 30.4mare quōs hauserat, eādem vī, quā sorbēbat, ēiēcit incolumēs;the sea has thrown out safe and sound those it had swallowed, with the same force with which it sucked them in; Ep. 30.4gladium mīles ab ipsā peritūrī cervīce revocāvit.the soldier has drawn back his sword from the very neck of the man about to die. Ep. 30.4Nīl habet quod spēret, quem senectūs dūcit ad mortem.The man whom old age leads to death has nothing to hope for. Ep. 30.4Huic ūnī intercēdī nōn potest.For him alone there can be no intervention.
Ep. 30.4Nūllō genere hominēs mollius moriuntur sed nec diūtius.In no way do people die more gently, but also in none more slowly. Ep. 30.5Bassus noster vidēbātur mihi prōsequī sē et conpōnere et vīvere tamquam superstes sibi et sapienter ferre dēsīderium suī.Our Bassus seemed to me to be attending his own funeral, laying himself out, and living as though he had outlived himself, and bearing the loss of himself wisely. Ep. 30.5Nam dē morte multa loquitur et id agit sēdulō, ut nōbīs persuādeat, sī quid incommodī aut metūs in hōc negōtiō est, morientis vitium esse, nōn mortis;For he talks a great deal about death, and works hard to persuade us that, if there is anything unpleasant or frightening in this business, it is the fault of the dying man, not of death; Ep. 30.5nōn magis in ipsā quicquam esse molestiae quam post ipsam.that there is no more trouble in death itself than after it. Ep. 30.6Tam dēmēns autem est, quī timet, quod nōn est passūrus, quam quī timet, quod nōn est sēnsūrus.And the man who fears what he will not suffer is as mad as the man who fears what he will not feel.
Ep. 30.6An quisquam hoc futūrum crēdit, ut per quam nihil sentiātur, ea sentiātur?Or does anyone believe it will come about that that through which nothing is felt should itself be felt? Ep. 30.6"Ergō," inquit, "mors adeō extrā omne malum est, ut sit extrā omnem malōrum metum."'Therefore,' he says, 'death is so far beyond all evil that it is beyond all fear of evils.' Ep. 30.7Haec ego sciō et saepe dicta et saepe dīcenda, sed neque cum legerem, aequē mihi prōfuērunt, neque cum audīrem iīs dīcentibus, quī negābant timenda, ā quōrum metū aberant;I know that these things have often been said and must often be said, but they did not help me as much when I read them, nor when I heard them from those who said they were not to be feared, being far from any fear of them themselves; Ep. 30.7hic vērō plūrimum apud mē auctōritātis habuit, cum loquerētur dē morte vīcīnā.this man, however, had the greatest authority with me, since he was speaking of a death that was near. Ep. 30.8Dīcam enim quid sentiam: putō fortiōrem esse eum, quī in ipsā morte est quam quī circā mortem.For I shall say what I think: I believe that the man who is in the very act of dying is braver than the one who is near death.
Ep. 30.8Mors enim admōta etiam inperītīs animum dedit nōn vītandī inēvītābilia.For death brought close has given even the untrained the courage not to avoid the unavoidable. Ep. 30.8Sīc gladiātor tōtā pugnā timidissimus iugulum adversāriō praestat et errantem gladium sibi adtemperat.So the gladiator, most fearful throughout the whole fight, offers his throat to his opponent and guides the wavering sword to himself. Ep. 30.8At illa, quae in propinquō est utique ventūra, dēsīderat lentam animī firmitātem, quae est rārior nec potest nisi ā sapiente praestārī.But a death that is close at hand and sure to come requires a slow, lasting firmness of mind, which is rarer and cannot be shown except by the wise man. Ep. 30.9Libentissimē itaque illum audiēbam quasi ferentem dē morte sententiam et quālis esset eius nātūra velut propius īnspectae indicantem.So I listened to him most gladly, as if he were delivering a verdict on death and reporting what its nature was, as though he had inspected it at closer quarters. Ep. 30.9Plūs, ut putō, fideī habēret apud tē, plūs ponderis, sī quis revīxisset et in morte nihil malī esse narrāret expertus;A man would have more credit with you, I think, more weight, if he had come back to life and reported from experience that there is nothing evil in death; Ep. 30.9accessus mortis quam perturbātiōnem adferat, optimē tibi hī dīcent, quī secundum illam stetērunt, quī venientem et vīdērunt et recēpērunt.what disturbance the approach of death brings, those will tell you best who have stood beside it, who have both seen it coming and welcomed it.
Ep. 30.10Inter hōs Bassum licet numerēs, quī nōs dēcipī nōluit.Among these you may count Bassus, who did not wish us to be deceived. Ep. 30.10Is ait tam stultum esse, quī mortem timeat, quam quī senectūtem.He says that the man who fears death is as foolish as the one who fears old age. Ep. 30.10Nam quemadmodum senectūs adulēscentiam sequitur, ita mors senectūtem.For just as old age follows youth, so death follows old age. Ep. 30.10Vīvere nōluit, quī morī nōn vult.He who does not want to die did not want to live. Ep. 30.10Vīta enim cum exceptiōne mortis data est;For life was given on the condition of death; Ep. 30.10ad hanc itur.towards this we are going. Ep. 30.10Quam ideō timēre dēmentis est, quia certa expectantur, dubia metuuntur!How mad it is, then, to fear it, since what is certain is awaited, and only what is doubtful is feared! Ep. 30.11Mors necessitātem habet aequam et invictam.Death has a necessity that is fair and unconquerable. Ep. 30.11Quis querī potest in eā condiciōne sē esse, in quā nēmō nōn est?Who can complain that he is in a condition in which everyone is?
Ep. 30.11Prīma autem pars est aequitātis aequālitās.And the first part of fairness is equality. Ep. 30.11Sed nunc supervacuum est nātūrae causam agere, quae nōn aliam voluit lēgem nostram esse quam suam;But it is superfluous now to plead the cause of nature, who wished our law to be no other than her own; Ep. 30.11quicquid conposuit, resolvit, et quicquid resolvit, conpōnit iterum.whatever she has put together she takes apart, and whatever she has taken apart she puts together again. Ep. 30.12Iam vērō sī cui contigit, ut illum senectūs lēniter ēmitteret nōn repente āvolsum vītae, sed minūtātim subductum;Now if it has befallen anyone that old age released him gently, not torn suddenly from life but withdrawn little by little; Ep. 30.12ō nē illum agere grātiās dīs omnibus decet, quod satiātus ad requiem hominī necessāriam, lassō grātam perductus est.truly it is right for him to give thanks to all the gods that, having had his fill, he has been brought to a rest necessary to man and welcome to the weary. Ep. 30.12Vidēs quōsdam optantēs mortem, et quidem magis quam rogārī solet vīta.You see some people longing for death, and indeed more than life is usually prayed for.
Ep. 30.12Nesciō utrōs exīstimem maiōrem nōbīs animum dare, quī dēposcunt mortem an quī hilarēs eam quiētīque opperiuntur, quoniam illud ex rabiē interdum ac repentīnā indignātiōne fit, haec ex iūdiciō certō tranquillitās est.I do not know which I should consider to give us greater courage, those who demand death or those who await it cheerfully and calmly, since the former comes at times from madness and sudden indignation, while the latter is a tranquillity born of sure judgement. Ep. 30.12Venit aliquis ad mortem īrātus;A man sometimes goes to death in anger; Ep. 30.12mortem venientem nēmō hilaris excipit, nisi quī sē ad illam diū composuerat.no one welcomes death cheerfully as it comes, unless he has long been preparing himself for it. Ep. 30.13Fateor ergō ad hominem mihi cārum ex plūribus mē causīs frequentius vēnisse, ut scīrem, an illum totiēns eundem invenīrem, numquid cum corporis vīribus minuerētur animī vigor.I confess, then, that I visited this man, who is dear to me, more often for several reasons, to learn whether I would find him the same every time, whether the vigour of his mind was diminishing along with the strength of his body.
Ep. 30.13Quī sīc crēscēbat illī, quōmodo manifestior notārī solet agitātōrum laetitia, cum septimō spatiō palmae adpropinquant.But it grew in him, just as the joy of charioteers is usually seen more plainly when, on the seventh lap, they draw near the prize. Ep. 30.14Dīcēbat quidem ille Epicūrī praeceptīs obsequēns, prīmum spērāre sē nūllum dolōrem esse in illō extrēmō anhēlitū;He used to say, following the teachings of Epicurus, first that he hoped there was no pain in that last gasp; Ep. 30.14sī tamen esset, habēre aliquantum in ipsā brevitāte sōlāciī.but that if there were, there was some comfort in its very brevity. Ep. 30.14Nūllum enim dolōrem longum esse, quī magnus est.For no pain that is great is long. Ep. 30.14Cēterum succursūrum sibi etiam in ipsā distractiōne animī corporisque, sī cum cruciātū id fieret, post illum dolōrem sē dolēre nōn posse.Besides, he would find help even in the very separation of soul and body, if it came with torment, in the thought that after that pain he could feel pain no more. Ep. 30.14Nōn dubitāre autem sē, quīn senīlis anima in prīmīs labrīs esset nec magnā vī distraherētur ā corpore.He had no doubt, moreover, that an old man's soul was already on the edge of his lips and would not be torn from the body with great force.
Ep. 30.14"Ignis, quī alentem māteriam occupāvit, aquā et interdum ruīnā extinguendus est;'A fire that has seized on fuel that feeds it must be put out with water and sometimes by pulling down the building; Ep. 30.14ille, quī alimentīs dēficitur, suā sponte subsīdit."one that lacks nourishment dies down of its own accord.' Ep. 30.15Libenter haec, mī Lūcīlī, audiō nōn tamquam nova, sed tamquam in rem praesentem perductus.I listen to these things gladly, my Lucilius, not as new, but as though brought face to face with the fact itself. Ep. 30.15Quid ergō?What then? Ep. 30.15Nōn multōs spectāvī abrumpentēs vītam?Have I not watched many breaking off their lives? Ep. 30.15Ergō vērō vīdī, sed plūs mōmentī apud mē habent, quī ad mortem veniunt sine odiō vītae et admittunt illam, nōn adtrahunt.I have indeed seen them, but those carry more weight with me who come to death without hatred of life, and let it in rather than drag it to them. Ep. 30.16Illud quidem aiēbat tormentum nostrā nōs sentīre operā, quod tunc trepidāmus, cum prope ā nōbīs esse crēdimus mortem.He used to say that it is our own doing that we feel that torment, because we tremble when we believe death is near us.
Ep. 30.16Ā quō enim nōn prope est, parāta omnibus locīs omnibusque mōmentīs?For from whom is it not near, when it is ready in every place and at every moment? Ep. 30.16"Sed cōnsīderēmus," inquit, "tunc, cum aliqua causa moriendī vidētur accēdere, quantō aliae propiōrēs sint, quae nōn timentur."'But let us consider,' he said, 'when some cause of death seems to be approaching, how much nearer are others which are not feared.' Ep. 30.16Hostis alicui mortem minābātur, hanc crūditās occupāvit.An enemy was threatening someone with death; indigestion got there first. Ep. 30.17Sī distinguere voluerimus causās metūs nostrī, inveniēmus aliās esse, aliās vidērī.If we are willing to distinguish the causes of our fear, we shall find that some are real and others only seem so. Ep. 30.17Nōn mortem timēmus, sed cōgitātiōnem mortis.We do not fear death, but the thought of death. Ep. 30.17Ab ipsā enim semper tantundem absumus.For from death itself we are always just as far away. Ep. 30.17Ita sī timenda mors est, semper timenda est.So if death is to be feared, it is always to be feared.
Ep. 30.17Quod enim mortī tempus exēmptum est?For what time is exempt from death? Ep. 30.18Sed verērī dēbeō, nē tam longās epistulās peius quam mortem ōderīs.But I ought to be afraid that you may hate such long letters worse than death. Ep. 30.18Itaque fīnem faciam.So I shall make an end. Ep. 30.18Tū tamen mortem ut numquam timeās, semper cōgitā.But you, so that you may never fear death, must always think of it. Ep. 30.18Valē.Farewell.