Boethius, The Consolation 3.14

. . . “Need I speak of intimacies with kings, when kingship itself is shown to be full of weakness? Not only when kings' powers fall are their friends laid low, but often even when their powers are intact.

“Nero compelled his friend and tutor, Seneca, to choose how he would die. Papinianus, for a long while a powerful courtier, was handed over to the soldiers' swords by the Emperor Antoninus. Yet each of these was willing to surrender all his power. Seneca even tried to give up all his wealth to Nero, and to seek retirement. But the very weight of their wealth and power dragged them down to ruin, and neither could do what he wished.

“What then is that power, whose possessors fear it? In desiring to possess it, you are not safe, and from which you cannot escape, even though you try to lay it down?

“What help are friends, made not by virtue but by fortune? The friend gained by good fortune becomes an enemy in ill fortune. And what plague can more effectually injure than an intimate enemy?”

—from Book 3, Prose 5

Just as possessing power for myself is always deficient, so too depending on others who possess power is always deficient. While I may have thought I could ride on their coattails, receiving all the benefits of power without any of the risks, neither the benefactor nor the recipient can ever truly rely on anything.

Not only will I fall as soon as he falls, but I can just as easily fall while he is still strong. It will depend only on his whim, his preference, or his mood of the hour. It isn’t even my power, after all, but the favor of another’s power.

There are, in the end, the fools who think they can make themselves content by being influential, and then there are the other fools who seek security by becoming their attendants.

Aemilius Papinianus is often considered not only one of the greatest jurists of Ancient Rome, but even of all time. He was a close friend of the Emperor Severus, and so received high office and influence, eventually even being given charge over Severus’ two sons.

This, however, would be his undoing. The elder brother, Caracalla, formally becoming the Emperor Antoninus, resented sharing any power with his younger brother, Geta, or with Papinianus, who still tried to encourage cooperation between his wards. Both Geta and Papinianus were murdered, along with many others whom Antoninus considered a threat.

Papinianus may well have been a truly wise man, a great student of the law, and possessed of character and moderation, but look at what playing with power brought him.

Lucius Annaeus Seneca, or Seneca the Younger, was already born into a family of great ability, wealth, and connections. Those who follow Stoicism know him as one its greatest and prolific writers, though beyond this he was an impressive statesman, orator, and dramatist.

He became the tutor and advisor of the Emperor Nero, and was said to have done his best to teach the young man right from wrong, encourage him to live the the good life, and inspire him to become a just ruler.

Yet political intrigue found him exiled, robbed of both his influence and wealth. This misfortune was not the end, however, and Nero himself, convinced that Seneca had plotted against him, ordered his teacher to commit suicide. Seneca, always the loyal Roman, heeded the request, though apparently his death did not come easy.

Seneca may have been a profound philosopher, a master of words, and a follower of virtue, but look what playing with power brought him.

Some might say Papinianus was just a corrupt lawyer, or that Seneca was just a clever hypocrite. I imagine that Boethius refers to both of them, however, not to condemn what was really good in them, but to warn us away from all the temptations of using our gifts to get involved in all the wrong endeavors.

Should a man who truly loves the law rub shoulders with schemers? Should a man who truly loves the truth make his bed with a tyrant?

Remember Boethius’ own story. Why do those so great in skill and insight repeatedly seem to be seduced by position and status? Why is it never enough to just be good, instead of also wanting to be rewarded for being good in all of the wrong ways?

Written in 9/2015

IMAGE: Seneca tries to inspire the young Nero

IMAGE: Aemilius Papinianus