Pauperem praeferam: Beneficentia e dono ai poveri tra Cicerone e Seneca

The paper aims to examine the very meaning of beneficentia in ancient Rome in relation to the reassessment of the role of the inopes as recipients of the different forms of liberalitas within the representation provided by Cicero in De officiis and Seneca in De beneficiis, without neglecting the contribution provided by Aristotle to the philosophical debate at issue. If Cicero claims the utility of the gifts to the poor (as long as they deserve them), highlighting that they involve a return not only in terms of gratitude but also in terms of glory (Off. 2, 63; 69-71), Seneca uses the account of Aeschines (Ben. 1, 8-9) in order to show the way through which the pauper, even without means, can find in himself the most appropriate resources to repay the donor in a virtuous manner. Seneca goes further by reporting the tale of Arcesilaus’ anonymous gift to the pauper verecundus (Ben. 2, 10, 1), by which he points out that the very donor’s gain doesn’t concern the gratitude of the beneficiary neither any reputational benefit, but the knowledge that he’s done some good.