On the good which abides
27:5
Book Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Book Description: Full of insight and wisdom, Seneca's letters are a Stoic treasure. They've influenced famous philosophers, leaders, and students over the centuries. Each letter can be read on its own. By reading this volume you'll absorb the thoughts of a thoughtful Stoic aimed at living well.
5.
The other kind of literary activity admits of outside assistance.
Within our own time there was a certain rich man named Calvisius Sabinus; he had the bank-account and the brains of a freedman.
I never saw a man whose good fortune was a greater offence against propriety.
His memory was so faulty that he would sometimes forget the name of Ulysses, or Achilles, or Priam,—names which we know as well as we know those of our own attendants.
No major-domo in his dotage, who cannot give men their right names, but is compelled to invent names for them,—no such man, I say, calls off the names of his master’s tribesmen so atrociously as Sabinus used to call off the Trojan and Achaean heroes.
But none the less did he desire to appear learned.
Book: Moral Letters Vol I
Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.
Author: Seneca
Chapter: On the good which abides
Location: Chapter 27, Section 5
Content:
5.
The other kind of literary activity admits of outside assistance.
Within our own time there was a certain rich man named Calvisius Sabinus; he had the bank-account and the brains of a freedman.
I never saw a man whose good fortune was a greater offence against propriety.
His memory was so faulty that he would sometimes forget the name of Ulysses, or Achilles, or Priam,—names which we know as well as we know those of our own attendants.
No major-domo in his dotage, who cannot give men their right names, but is compelled to invent names for them,—no such man, I say, calls off the names of his master’s tribesmen so atrociously as Sabinus used to call off the Trojan and Achaean heroes.
But none the less did he desire to appear learned.