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Notes Display Latin text | Translated by Alfred John Church and William Jackson Brodribb Book XIV Chapter 54: Fall of Seneca. Speech of Seneca (cont.)[AD 62] | Next chapter Return to index Previous chapter |
"And yet we have both filled up our respective measures, you [Note 1] in giving as much as a prince can bestow on a friend, and I [Note 2] in receiving as much as a friend can receive from a prince. All else only fosters envy, which, like all things human, sinks powerless beneath your greatness, though on me it weighs heavily. To me relief is a necessity. Just as I should implore support if exhausted by warfare or travel, so in this journey of life, old as I am and unequal even to the lightest cares, since I cannot any longer bear the burden of my wealth, I crave assistance. Order my property to be managed by your agents and to be included in your estate. Still I shall not sink myself into poverty, but having surrendered the splendours which dazzle me, I will henceforth again devote to my mind all the leisure and attention now reserved for my gardens and country houses. You have yet before you a vigorous prime, and that on which for so many years your eyes were fixed, supreme power. We, your older friends, can answer for our quiet behaviour. It will likewise redound to your honour that you have raised to the highest places men who could also bear moderate fortune." Note 1: you = Nero Event: Fall of Seneca |