Seneca · c. 4 BCE – 65 CE
On Benefits 5.24 ¶5 — Seneca
Translation by Aubrey Stewart (1887)
Seneca, On Benefits 5.24 ¶5
“I do not blame you, Caesar,” answered the man, “for not recognizing me; for when this took place, I was unwounded; but afterwards, at the battle of Munda, my eye was struck out, and the bones of my skull crushed. Nor would you recognize that helmet if you saw it, for it was split by a Spanish sword.” Caesar would not permit this man to be troubled with lawsuits, and presented his old soldier with the fields through which a village right of way had given rise to the dispute.
Cite this passage
Seneca, On Benefits 5.24 ¶5, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1887)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-benefits/5.24.5
Seneca, Dialogues, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1887–1889). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesThe veteran explains that Caesar cannot recognise him because he was later wounded, losing an eye and suffering a crushed skull, and the helmet was split by a sword. Moved, Caesar spares him further lawsuits and grants him the fields in dispute.
Older wording
- “Munda”
- — the Spanish battle where Caesar defeated Pompey's sons
Themes and situations
- Gratitude
- Courage
- Kindness and forgiveness
- Justice and fairness
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