treatises on friendship and old age-第13节

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take　the　trouble　to　read　or　listen　to　foreign　history；　you　will　find
that　the　mightiest　States　have　been　brought　into　peril　by　young
men；　have　been　supported　and　restored　by　old。　The　question
occurs　in　the　poet　Naevius's　_Sport_：

Pray；　who　are　those　who　brought　your　State　
With　such　despatch　to　meet　its　fate？

There　is　a　long　answer；　but　this　is　the　chief　point：

A　crop　of　brand…new　orators　we　grew；
And　foolish；　paltry　lads　who　thought　they　knew。

For　of　course　rashness　is　the　note　of　youth；　prudence　of　old　age。

7。　But；　it　is　said；　memory　dwindles。　No　doubt；　unless　you　keep　it　in
practice；　or　if　you　happen　to　be　somewhat　dull　by　nature。　
Themistocles　had　the　names　of　all　his　fellow…citizens　by　heart。　　Do
you　imagine　that　in　his　old　age　he　used　to　address　Aristides　as
Lysimachus？　　For　my　part；　I　know　not　only　the　present　generation；
but　their　fathers　also；　and　their　grandfathers。　Nor　have　I　any　fear　of
losing　my　memory　by　reading　tombstones；　according　to　the　vulgar
superstition。　　　On　the　contrary；　by　reading　them　I　renew　my
memory　of　those　who　are　dead　and　gone。　Nor；　in　point　of　fact；
have　I　ever　heard　of　any　old　man　forgetting　where　he　had　hidden
his　money。　　They　remember　everything　that　interests　them：　when
to　answer　to　their　bail；　business　appointments；　who　owes　them
money；　and　to　whom　they　owe
it。　　What　about　lawyers；　pontiffs；　augurs；　philosophers；　when　old？　
What　a　multitude　of　things　they　remember！　Old　men　retain　their
intellects　well　enough；　if　only　they　keep　their　minds　active　and
fully　employed。　　Nor　is　that　the　case　only　with　men　of　high
position　and　great　office：
it　applies　equally　to　private　life　and　peaceful　pursuits。　Sophocles
composed　tragedies　to　extreme　old　age；　and　being　believed　to
neglect　the　care　of　his　property　owing　to　his　devotion　to　his　art；　his
sons　brought　him　into　court　to　get　a　judicial　decision　depriving
him　of　the　management　of　his　property　on　the　ground　of　weak
intellect…just　as　in　our　law　it　is　customary　to　deprive　a
paterfamilias　of　the　management　of　his　property　if　he　is
squandering　it。　There…upon　the　old　poet　is　said　to　have　read　to　the
judges　the　play　he　had　on　hand　and　had　just　composed…the
_Oedipus　Coloneus_…and　to　have　asked　them　whether　they　thought
that　the　work　of　a　man　of　weak　intellect。　After　the　reading　he　was
acquitted　by　the　jury。　　Did　old　age　then　compel　this　man　to　become
silent　in　his　particular　art；　or　Homer；　Hesiod；　Simonides；　or
Isocrates　and　Gorgias　whom　I　mentioned　before；　or　the　founders　of
schools　of　philosophy；　Pythagoras；　Democritus；　Plato；　Xenocrates；
or　later　Zeno　and　Cleanthus；　or　Diogenes　the　Stoic；　whom　you　too
saw　at　Rome？　Is　it　not　rather　the　case　with　all　these　that　the　active
pursuit　of　study　only　ended　with　life？

But；　to　pass　over　these　sublime　studies；　I　can　name　some　rustic
Romans　from　the　Sabine　district；　neighbours　and　friends　of　my
own；　without　whose　presence　farm　work　of　importance　is　scarcely
ever　performed…whether　sowing；　or　harvesting　or　storing　crops。
And　yet　in　other　things　this　s'　less　surprising；　for　no　one　is　so　old
as　to　think　that　he　may　not　live　a　year。　But　they　bestow　their　labour
on　what　they　know　does　not　affect　them　in　any　case：

He　plants　his　trees　to　serve　a　race　to　come；

as　our　poet　Statius　says　in　his　Comrades。　　Nor　indeed　would　a
farmer；　however　old；　hesitate　to　answer　any　one　who　asked　him　for
whom　he　was　planting：　〃For　the　immortal　gods；　whose　will　it　was
that　I　should　not　merely　receive　these　things　from　my　ancestors；
but　should　also　hand　them　on　to　the　next　generation。〃

8。　That　remark　about　the　old　man　is　better　than　the　following：

If　age　brought　nothing　worse　than　this；
It　were　enough　to　mar　our　bliss；
That　he　who　bides　for　many　years
Sees　much　to　shun　and　much　for　tears。

Yes；　and　perhaps　much　that　gives　him　pleasure　too。　　Besides；　as　to
subjects　for　tears；　he　often　comes　upon　them　in　youth　as　well。

A　still　more　questionable　sentiment　in　the　same　Caecilius　is：

No　greater　misery　can　of　age　be　told
Than　this：　be　sure；　the　young　dislike　the　old。

Delight　in　them　is　nearer　the　mark　than　dislike。　　For　Just　as　old
men；　if　they　are　wise；　take　pleasure　in　the　society　of　young　men　of
good　parts；　and　as　old　age　is　rendered　less　dreary　for　those　who　are
courted　and　liked　by　the　youth；　so　also　do　young　men　find　pleasure
in　the　maxims　of　the　old；　by　which　they　are　drawn　to　the　pursuit　of
excellence。　　Nor　do　I　perceive　that　you　find　my　society　less
pleasant　than　I　do　yours。　　But　this　is　enough　to　show　you　how；　so
far　from　being　listless　and　sluggish；　old　age　is　even　a　busy　time；
always　doing　and　attempting　something；　of　course　of　the　same
nature　as　each　man's　taste　had　been　in　the　previous　part　of　his　life。
Nay；　do　not　some　even　add　to　their　stock　of　learning？　　We　see
Solon；　for　instance；　boasting　in　his　poems　that　he　grows　old　〃daily
learning　something　new。〃　　Or　again　in　my　own　case；　it　was　only
when　an　old　man　that　I　became　acquainted　with　Greek　literature；
which　in　fact　I　absorbed　with　such　avidity…in　my　yearning　to
quench；　as　it　were；　a　long…continued　thirst…that　I　became
acquainted　with　the　very　facts　which　you　see　me　now　using　as
precedents。　　When　I　heard　what　Socrates　had　done　about　the　lyre　I
should　have　liked　for　my　part　to　have　done　that　too；　for　the
ancients　used　to　learn　the　lyre　but；　at　any　rate；　I　worked　hard　at
literature。

9。　Nor；　again；　do　I　now　MISS　THE　BODILY　STRENGTH　　OF　A
YOUNG　MAN　（for　that　was　the　second　point　as　to　the
disadvantages　of　old　age）　any　more　than　as　a　young　man　I　missed
the　strength　of　a　bull　or　an　elephant。　　You　should　use　what　you
have；　and　whatever　you　may　chance　to　be　doing；　do　it　with　all　your
might。　　What　could　be　weaker　than　Milo　of　Croton's　exclamation？
When　in　his　old　age　he　was　watching　some　athletes　practising　in
the　course；　he　is　said　to　have　looked　at　his　arms　and　to　have
exclaimed　with　tears　in　his　eyes：　〃Ah　well！　these　are　now　as　good
as　dead。〃　Not　a　bit　more　so　than　yourself；　you　trifler！　　For　at　no
time　were　you　made　famous　by　your　real　self；　but　by　chest　and
biceps。　　Sext。　Aelius　never　gave　vent　to　such　a　remark；　nor；　many
years　before　him；　Titus　Coruncanius；　nor；　more　recently；　P。
Crassus…all　of　them　learned　juris…consults　in　active　practice；　whose
knowledge　of　their　profession　was　maintained　to　their　last　breath。　I
am　afraid　an　orator　does　lose　vigour　by　old　age；　for　his　art　is　not　a
matter　of　the　intellect　alone；　but　of　lungs　and　bodily　strength。　
Though　as　a　rule　that　musical　ring　in　the　voice　even　gains　in
brilliance　in　a　certain　way　as　one　grows　old…certainly　I　have　not　yet
lost　it；　and　you　see　my　years。　　Yet　after　all　the　style　of　speech
suitable　to　an　old　man　is　the　quiet　and　unemotional；　and　it　often
happens　that　the　chastened　and　calm　delivery　of　an　old　man
eloquent　secures　a　hearing。　If　you　cannot　attain　to　that　yourself；
you　might　still　instruct　a　Scipio　and　a　Laelius。　　For　what　is　more
charming　than　old　age　surrounded　by　the　enthusiasm　of　youth？
Shall　we　not　allow　old　age　even　the　strength　to　teach　the　young；　to
train　and　equip　them　for　all　the　duties　of　life？　And　what　can　be　a
nobler　employment？　For　my　part；　I　used　to　think　Publius　and
Gnaeus　Scipio　and　your　two　grandfathers；　L。　Aemilius　and　P。
Africanus；　fortunate　men　when　I　saw　them　with　a　company　of
young　nobles　about　them。　　Nor　should　we　think　any　teachers　of　the
fine　arts　otherwise　than　happy；　however　much　their　bodily　forces
may　have　decayed　and　failed。　　And　yet　that　same　failure　of　the
bodily　forces　is　more　often　brought　about　by　the　vices　of　youth
than　of　old　age；　for　a　dissolute　and　intemperate　youth　hands　down
the　body　to　old　age　in　a　worn…out　state。　Xenophon's　Cyrus；　for
instance；　in　his　discourse　delivered　on　his　death…bed　and　at　a　very
advanced　age；　says　that　he　never　perceived　his　old　age　to　have
become　weaker　than　his　youth　had　been。　　I　remember　as　a　boy
Lucius　Metellus；　who　having　been　created　Pontifex　Maximus　four
years　after　his　second　consul…ship；　held　that　office　twenty…two
years；　enjoying　such　excellent　strength　of　body　in　the　very　last
hours　of　his　life　as　not　to　miss　his　youth。　　I　need　not　speak　of
myself；　though　that　indeed　is　an　old　man's　way　and　is　generally
allowed　to　my　time　of　life。　　Don't　you　see　in　Homer　how　frequently
Nestor　talks　of　his　own　good　qualities？　For　he　was　living　through　a
third　generation；　nor　had　he　any　reason　to　fear　that　upon　saying
what　was　true　about　himself　he　should　appear　either　over　vain　or
talkative。　For；　as　Homer　says；　〃from　his　lips　flowed　discourse
sweeter　than　honey；〃　for　which　sweet　breath　he　wanted　no　bodily
strength。　And　yet；　after　all；　the　famous　leader　of　the　Greeks
nowhere　wishes　to　have　ten　men　like　Ajax；　but　like　Nestor：　if　he
could　get　them；　he　feels　no　doubt　of　Troy　shortly　falling。

10。　But　to　return　to　my　own　case：　I　am　in　my　eighty…fourth　year。　　I
could　wish　that　I　had　been　able　to　make　the　same　boast　as　Cyrus；
but；　after　all；　I　can　say　this：　I　am　not　indeed　as　vigorous　as　I　was　as
a　private　soldier　in　the　Punic　war；　or　as　quaestor　in　the　same　war；
or　as　consul　in　Spain；　and　four　years　later　when　as　a　military
tribune　I　took　part　in　the　engagement　at　Thermopylae　under　the
consul　Manius　Acilius　G