SENECA - College of Stoic Philosophers

THE EPISTLES OF SENECA
faciant, quibus sobrii erubescant, niliil aliud esse
ebrietatem quam voluntariam insaniam. Extende in
plures dies ilium ebrii habitum ; numquid de furore
19 dubitabis ? Nunc quoque non est minor, sed brevior.
Refer Alexandri Macedonis exemplum, qui Clitum,
carissimum sibi ac fidelissimum, inter epulas transfodit
et intellecto facinore mori voluit, certe debuit. 1
Omne vitium ebrietas et incendit et detegit,
obstantem malis conatibus verecundiam removet.
Plures enim pudore peccandi quam bona voluntate
20 prohibitis abstinent. Ubi possedit animum nimia vis
vini, quicquid mali latebat, emergit. Non facit
ebrietas vitia, sed protrahit tune libidinosus
;
ne
cubiculum quidem expectat, sed cupiditatibus suis
quantum petierunt sine dilatione permittit tune
;
inpudicus morbum profitetur ac publicat tune
;
petulans non linguam, non manuni continet. Crescit
insolenti superbia, crudelitas saevo, malignitas livido.
21 Omne vitium laxatur 2 et prodit. Adice illam
ignorationem sui, dubia et parum explanata verba,
incertos oculos, gradum errantem, vertiginem capitis,
tecta ipsa mobilia velut aliquo turbine circumagente
totam domum, stomachi tormenta, cum effervescit
merum ac viscera ipsa distendit. Tune tamen
1
debuit Lipsius ;
deruit VPb ; meruit Gruter.
2 laxatur Lipsius ; taxatur or texatur MSS.
a Like anger, which was interpreted by the ancients as
"short-lived madness."
6
For a dramatic account of the murder see Plutarch's
Alexander, ch. 51.
c
This is the firm conviction of Seneca, himself a most
temperate man. 14 and 15 admit that natural genius may
triumph over drunkenness ;
17 may allow (with Chrysippus)
a certain amount of hilarity ;
but the general conclusion is
obvious.
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