On Old Age
by Cicero · Cato Maior de Senectute
Assigned by 1 of the 9 reading lists, catalogue entry only
- Written
- 44 BCE
- Language
- Latin
- Length
- Short · 45 ppunder 120 pages
- Difficulty
- Approachable1 of 5 for a first-year reader
We recommendOn Old Age, On Friendship, On Divination, translated by W. A. FalconerLoeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press, 1923Latin and English facing; the three short late works are usually read together.
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Written in 44 BCE when Cicero was sixty-two and dedicated to his friend Atticus, the dialogue puts its argument in the mouth of Cato the Elder at eighty-four, talking with the young Scipio and Laelius. Cato answers four complaints against old age in turn, that it withdraws us from activity, weakens the body, takes away pleasure and brings death near. He cites old statesmen, farmers and philosophers, praises the pleasures of agriculture and conversation, and argues that death is either the end of sensation or the beginning of a better life, so that neither prospect should frighten a good man.
No reading guide yet
The catalogue entry above is complete: the dates, the form, the themes and every program that assigns On Old Age are verified against each program's published list.
What is missing is the part that takes real work: the summary, the key passages, and a recommended translation. The edition named below is the one most programs assign, so the buy links are useful already.
