SENECA - College of Stoic Philosophers

EPISTLE LXXXI.
I
may use the term, the densest portion of it stays
at home and troubles the owner.* My master
Attalus used to " say
: Evil herself drinks the largest
portion of her own poison." The poison which
serpents carry for the destruction of others, and
secrete without harm to themselves, is not like this
poison for this sort is ruinous to the ; possessor.
The
ungrateful man tortures and torments himself; he
hates the gifts which he lias accepted, because he must
make a return for them, and he tries to belittle their
value, but he really enlarges and exaggerates the
injuries which he has received. And what is more
wretched than a man who forgets his benefits and
clings to his injuries ?
Wisdom, on the other hand, lends grace to every
benefit, and of her own free will commends it to
her own favour, and delights her soul by continued
recollection thereof. Evil men have but one
pleasure in benefits, and a very short-lived pleasure
at that ;
it lasts only while they are receiving them.
But the wise man derives therefrom an abiding and
eternal joy. For he takes delight not so much in
receiving the gift as in having received it and this
;
joy never perishes it abides with him always. He
;
despises the wrongs done him ;
he forgets them, not
accidentally, but voluntarily.
He does not put a
wrong construction upon everything, or seek for
someone whom he may hold responsible for each
happening he rather ascribes even the sins of men
;
to chance. He will not misinterpret a word or a
look ;
he makes light of all mishaps by interpreting
them in a
6
generous way. He does not remember an
injury rather than a service. As far as possible, he lets
his
memory rest upon the earlier and the better deed,
never changing his attitude towards those who have
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