Seneca, Moral Epistles 106.1-3
“I am rather late in responding to your messages and not because I was too busy. Be skeptical when you hear this excuse. I had the time and everyone has the time if they want to. Work doesn’t control anyone. People get all mixed up in their tasks and imagine that busyness is a proof of their success.
So, what’s the reason that I didn’t respond right away? Well, that thing that you were asking about was just starting to develop as part of my writing. You know that I am trying to explain moral philosophy and all the issues that attend it. So, I was unsure about whether I would put answering you off until I got to the place of your question or whether it was right for me to answer you out of order. But it seemed nicer to not slow down someone coming from so far away. So I am taking this out of the logical sequence to send you along with associated questions you didn’t ask for.”
Tardius rescribo ad epistulas tuas, non quia districtus occupationibus sum. Hanc excusationem cave audias; vaco et omnes vacant, qui volunt. Neminem res secuntur. Ipsi illas amplexantur et argumentum esse felicitatis occupationem putant.
Quid ergo fuit, quare non protinus rescriberem? Id, de quo quaerebas, veniebat in contextum operis mei. Scis enim me moralem philosophiam velle conplecti et omnes ad eam pertinentis quaestiones explicare. Itaque dubitavi utrum differrem te, donec suus isti rei veniret locus, an ius tibi extra ordinem dicerem; humanius visum est tam longe venientem non detinere. Itaque et hoc ex illa serie rerum cohaerentium excerpam et, si qua erunt eiusmodi, non quaerenti tibi ultro mittam.
