Accustom thyself to attend carefully to what is said by another, and as much as it is possible, be in the speaker's mind. Marcus Aurelius. Meditations. Book 6.
Image: Caractacus, 1857, by John Henry Foley, sculpted for the Mansion House (Official residence of the Lord Mayor of London), London, England.
"Had my moderation in prosperity been equal to my noble birth and fortune, I should have entered this city as your friend rather than as your captive, and you would not have disdained to receive, under a treaty of peace, a king descended from illustrious ancestors and ruling many nations.
“My present lot is as glorious to you as it is degrading to me. I had men and horses, arms and wealth. What wonder if I parted with them reluctantly? If you Romans choose to lord it over the world, does it follow that the world is to accept slavery?
“Were I to have been at once delivered up as a prisoner, neither my fall nor your triumph would have become famous. My punishment would be followed by oblivion, whereas, if you save my life, I shall be an everlasting memorial of your clemency.” - Caractacus, King of the Catuvellauni, when the Emperor Claudius asked him why his life should be spared, as quoted by Cornelius Tacitus
Comments
Post a Comment