Читать книгу Yale Classics (Vol. 2) - Луций Анней Сенека - Страница 452

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Among these was Sempronia, a woman of masculine spirit, and who had often been engaged in many daring and hardy enterprises. In her person and family, in her husband and children, she was abundantly happy. With no inconsiderable tincture of Greek and Roman literature, she could sing and dance with greater elegance than was needful or becoming in a modest woman.17 She had also other accomplishments of the same cast; numerous, indeed, though little useful, except as the instruments of luxury; the charms of which were ever dearer to her heart than the graces of modesty or the praise of virtue. On money she set no value; none whatever on reputation: and in affairs of the heart, she was sometimes more ready to make the first advances, than wait to receive them. She had often forfeited her faith, perjured herself to avoid paying her debts, been privy to murders,—in a word, her extravagance and indigence had carried her to the utmost excesses of wickedness. Notwithstanding all this, she had a great deal of wit, could compose verses, was very facetious in conversation, could talk modestly, tenderly, or satirically; in short, she excelled in humour and pleasantry.