Lettres à Lucilius Section 1

Quid non potest milli mihi persuaderi, cui persuasum est ut navigarem? Solvi mari languido. Erat sine dubio caelum grave sordidis nubibus, quae fere aut in aquasm aquam aut in ventum resolvuntur. Sed putavi tam pauca milia a Parthenope tua usque Puteolos subripi posse, quamvis dubio et inpendente caelo. Itaque quo celerius evaderem, protinus per altum ad Nesida derexi praecisurus omnes sinus.

Que ne me persuaderait-on pas ? On m’a persuadé de m’embarquer : au départ la mer était des plus calmes, mais le ciel, à ne pas s’y méprendre, se chargeait de nuages grisâtres qui presque toujours donnent de la pluie ou du vent ; je comptais, de ta chère Parthénope à Puteoli, gagner sur l’orage ce trajet de quelques milles, malgré les menaces du sinistre horizon. Afin donc d’échapper plus vite, je cinglai au large droit vers Nesida, coupant court aux sinuosités du rivage.

You can persuade me into almost anything now, for I was recently persuaded to travel by water. We cast off when the sea was lazily smooth; the sky, to be sure, was heavy with nasty clouds, such as usually break into rain or squalls. Still, I thought that the few miles between Puteoli and your dear Parthenope might be run off in quick time, despite the uncertain and lowering sky. So, in order to get away more quickly, I made straight out to sea for Nesis, with the purpose of cutting across all the inlets.