On Anger, Book 3, Section 21 — In Plain English

Seneca — The Senator

Cyrus devoted his entire army to this pointless task. He stayed there working until he had cut one hundred and eighty channels across the riverbed. He divided the river into three hundred and sixty little streams and left the original bed completely dry. The water now flowed through other channels instead. By doing this, he lost precious time — which is crucial in major military campaigns. He also broke his soldiers' morale with pointless labor. And he missed his chance to attack his enemies while they were unprepared. All because he was fighting a war against a river instead of the war he had declared against actual people. This kind of madness — what else can you call it? — has struck Romans too. Gaius Caesar destroyed a beautiful villa at Herculaneum just because his mother had once been imprisoned there. He made the place famous for all the wrong reasons. When the villa still stood, we used to sail past it without even noticing it. Now people ask why it lies in ruins.

Seneca — The Senator Original

He thereupon devoted all the resources of his army to this object, and remained working until by cutting one hundred and eighty channels across the bed of the river he divided it into three hundred and sixty brooks, and left the bed dry, the waters flowing through other channels. Thus he lost time, which is very important in great operations, and lost, also, the soldiers’ courage, which was broken by useless labour, and the opportunity of falling upon his enemy unprepared, while he was waging against the river the war which he had declared against his foes. This frenzy, for what else can you call it, has befallen Romans also, for G. Caesar destroyed a most beautiful villa at Herculaneum because his mother was once imprisoned in it, and has thus made the place notorious by its misfortune; for while it stood, we used to sail past it without noticing it, but now people inquire why it is in ruins.