Cicero,
On Old Age 5.15 (tr. William Armistead Falconer):
And, indeed, when I reflect on this subject I
find four reasons why old age appears to be unhappy:
first, that it withdraws
us from active pursuits;
second, that it makes the body weaker; third, that
it deprives us of almost all physical pleasures; and,
fourth, that it is not far removed from death.
etenim, cum complector animo, quattuor reperio
causas cur senectus misera videatur:
unam, quod
avocet a rebus gerendis; alteram, quod corpus faciat
infirmius; tertiam, quod privet omnibus fere voluptatibus; quartam, quod haud procul absit a morte.
J.G.F. Powell ad loc. (the heading VI 15 is an error — it should be V 15):
