Seneca · c. 4 BCE – 65 CE
On Benefits 7.11 — Seneca
Translation by Aubrey Stewart (1887)
Seneca, On Benefits 7.11
When, therefore, Gaius Caesar offered him two hundred thousand sesterces, he laughingly refused it, thinking it unworthy of himself to boast of having refused so small a sum. Ye gods and goddesses, what a mean mind must the emperor have had, if he hoped either to honour or to corrupt him. I must here repeat a proof of his magnanimity. I have heard that when he was expressing his wonder at the folly of Gaius at supposing that he could be influenced by such a bribe, he said, “If he meant to tempt me, he ought to have tried to do so by offering his entire kingdom.”
Cite this passage
Seneca, On Benefits 7.11, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1887)
https://whatwouldstoicsdo.com/passage/on-benefits/7.11
Seneca, Dialogues, tr. Aubrey Stewart (1887–1889). Text: Standard Ebooks (CC0). Sources and licences
In plain English
AI-written notesWhen the emperor offered a large sum of money, the philosopher laughed and refused it, and remarked that if the emperor really wanted to tempt him he should have offered his whole kingdom. A mind that is not for sale cannot be bought cheaply or expensively.
Older wording
- “sesterces”
- — Roman silver coins
- “magnanimity”
- — greatness of spirit
Themes and situations
- Virtue and character
- Wealth and poverty
- Simplicity and frugality
- An ethical dilemma
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