On Anger, Book 1, Section 16 — In Plain English

Seneca — The Senator

The next man is thoroughly evil and needs harsher treatment: chains and public prison. You, finally, have a mind that can't be cured. You pile crime on top of crime. You've reached the point where you don't need arguments to convince you to do evil — sin itself is reason enough to sin. You've soaked your whole heart in wickedness so completely that we can't remove the wickedness without tearing out your heart too. Miserable man! You've been wanting to die for a long time. We'll do you a favor. We'll take away the madness you suffer from. To you who have been a misery to yourself and everyone else for so long, we'll give the only good thing left: death. Why should I be angry with a man when I'm doing him good? Sometimes the truest compassion is killing someone.

Seneca — The Senator Original

The next man's thorough villany needs harsher remedies: chains and public imprisonment must be applied to him. You, lastly, have an incurably vicious mind, and add crime to crime: you have come to such a pass, that you are not influenced by the arguments which are never wanting to recommend evil, but sin itself is to you a sufficient reason for sinning: you have so steeped your whole heart in wickedness, that wickedness cannot be taken from you without bringing your heart with it. Wretched man! you have long sought to die; we will do you good service, we will take away that madness from which you suffer, and to you who have so long lived a misery to yourself and to others, we will give the only good thing which remains, that is, death. Why should I be angry with a man just when I am doing him good: sometimes the truest form of compassion is to put a man to death.