Seneca's Letters from a Stoic

Table of Contents

Moral letters to Lucilius/Introduction

Introduction

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 1

I. On Saving Time

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 2

II. On Discursiveness in Reading

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 3

III. On True and False Friendship

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 4

IV. On the Terrors of Death

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 5

V. On the Philosopher's Mean

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 6

VI. On Sharing Knowledge

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 7

VII. On Crowds

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 8

VIII. On the Philosopher's Seclusion

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 9

IX. On Philosophy and Friendship

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 10

X. On Living to Oneself

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 11

XI. On the Blush of Modesty

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 12

XII. On Old Age

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 13

XIII. On Groundless Fears

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 14

XIV. On the Reasons for Withdrawing from the World

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 15

XV. On Brawn and Brains

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 16

XVI. On Philosophy, the Guide of Life

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 17

XVII. On Philosophy and Riches

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 18

XVIII. On Festivals and Fasting

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 19

XIX. On Worldliness and Retirement

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 20

XX. On Practising what you Preach

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 21

XXI. On the Renown which my Writings will Bring you

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 22

XXII. On the Futility of Half-Way Measures

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 23

XXIII. On the True Joy which Comes from Philosophy

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 24

XXIV. On Despising Death

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 25

XXV. On Reformation

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 26

XXVI. On Old Age and Death

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 27

XXVII. On the Good which Abides

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 28

XXVIII. On Travel as a Cure for Discontent

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 29

XXIX. On the Critical Condition of Marcellinus

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 30

XXX. On Conquering the Conqueror

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 31

XXXI. On Siren Songs

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 32

XXXII. On Progress

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 33

XXXIII. On the Futility of Learning Maxims

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 34

XXXIV. On a Promising Pupil

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 35

XXXV. On the Friendship of Kindred Minds

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 36

XXXVI. On the Value of Retirement

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 37

XXXVII. On Allegiance to Virtue

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 38

XXXVIII. On Quiet Conversation

Footnotes

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 39

XXXIX. On Noble Aspirations

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 40

XL. On the Proper Style for a Philosopher's Discourse

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 41

XLI. On the God within Us

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 42

XLII. On Values

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 43

XLIII. On the Relativity of Fame

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 44

XLIV. On Philosophy and Pedigrees

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 45

XLV. On Sophistical Srgumentation

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 46

XLVI. On a New Book by Lucilius

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 47

XLVII. On Master and Slave

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 48

XLVIII. On Quibbling as Unworthy of the Philosopher

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 49

XLIX. On the Shortness of Life

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 50

L. On our Blindness and its Cure

Footnotes

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 51

LI. On Baiae and Morals

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 52

LII. On Choosing our Teachers

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 53

LIII. On the Faults of the Spirit

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 54

LIV. On Asthma and Death

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 55

LV. On Vatia's Villa

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 56

LVI. On Quiet and Study

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 57

LVII. On the Trials of Travel

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 58

LVIII. On Being

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 59

LIX. On Pleasure and Joy

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 60

LX. On Harmful Prayers

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 61

LXI. On Meeting Death Cheerfully

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 62

LXII. On Good Company

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 63

LXIII. On Grief for Lost Friends

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 64

LXIV. On the Philosopher's Task

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 65

LXV. On the First Cause

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 66

LXVI. On Various Aspects of Virtue

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 67

LXVII. On Ill-Health and Endurance of Suffering

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 68

LXVIII. On Wisdom and Retirement

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 69

LXIX. On Rest and Restlessness

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 70

LXX. On the Proper Time to Slip the Cable

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 71

LXXI. On the Supreme Good

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 72

LXXII. On Business as the Enemy of Philosophy

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 73

LXXIII. On Philosophers and Kings

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 74

LXXIV. On Virtue as a Refuge from Worldly Distractions

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 75

LXXV. On the Diseases of the Soul

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 76

LXXVI. On Learning Wisdom in Old Age

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 77

LXXVII. On Taking One's Own Life

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 78

LXXVIII. On the Healing Power of the Mind

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 79

LXXIX. On the Rewards of Scientific Discovery

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 80

LXXX. On Worldly Deceptions

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 81

LXXXI. On Benefits

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 82

LXXXII. On the Natural Fear of Death

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 83

LXXXIII. On Drunkenness

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 84

LXXXIV. On Gathering Ideas

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 85

LXXXV. On Some Vain Syllogisms

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 86

LXXXVI. On Scipio's Villa

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 87

LXXXVII. Some Arguments in Favour of the Simple Life

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 88

LXXXVIII. On Liberal and Vocational Studies

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 89

LXXXIX. On the Parts of Philosophy

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 90

XC. On the Part Played by Philosophy in the Progress of Man

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 91

XCI. On the Lesson to be Drawn from the Burning of Lyons

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 92

XCII. On the Happy Life

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 93

XCIII. On the Quality, as Contrasted with the Length, of Life

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 94

XCIV. On the Value of Advice

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 95

XCV. On the Usefulness of Basic Principles

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 96

XCVI. On Facing Hardships

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 97

XCVII. On the Degeneracy of the Age

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 98

XCVIII. On the Fickleness of Fortune

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 99

XCIX. On Consolation to the Bereaved

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 100

C. On the Writings of Fabianus

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 101

CI. On the Futility of Planning Ahead

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 102

CII. On the Intimations of Our Immortality

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 103

CIII. On the Dangers of Association with our Fellow-Men

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 104

CIV. On Care of Health and Peace of Mind

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 105

CV. On Facing the World with Confidence

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 106

CVI. On the Corporeality of Virtue

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 107

CVII. On Obedience to the Universal Will

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 108

CVIII. On the Approaches to Philosophy

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 109

CIX. On the Fellowship of Wise Men

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 110

CX. On True and False Riches

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 111

CXI. On the Vanity of Mental Gymnastics

Footnotes

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 112

CXII. On Reforming Hardened Sinners

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 113

CXIII. On the Vitality of the Soul and Its Attributes

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 114

CXIV. On Style as a Mirror of Character

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 115

CXV. On the Superficial Blessings

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 116

CXVI. On Self-Control

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 117

CXVII. On Real Ethics as Superior to Syllogistic Subtleties

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 118

CXVIII. On the Vanity of Place-Seeking

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 119

CXIX. On Nature as our Best Provider

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 120

CXX. More about Virtue

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 121

CXXI. On Instinct in Animals

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 122

CXXII. On Darkness as a Veil for Wickedness

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 123

CXXIII. On the Conflict between Pleasure and Virtue

Moral letters to Lucilius/Letter 124

CXXIV. On the True Good as Attained by Reason

Moral letters to Lucilius/Appendix

Appendix

Moral letters to Lucilius/Index of proper names

Index of Proper Names

Moral letters to Lucilius/Subject index

Subject Index

Moral letters to Lucilius/Introduction

Introduction

Among the personalities of the early Roman Empire there are few who offer to the readers of to-day such dramatic interest as does Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the author of the Epistles which are translated in this volume. Born in a province, educated at Rome, prominent at the bar, a distinguished exile, a trusted minister of State, and a doomed victim of a capricious emperor, Seneca is so linked with the age in which he lived that in reading his works we read those of a true representative of the most thrilling period of Roman history.

Seneca was born in the year 4 B.C., a time of great opportunity, at Corduba, in Spain, son of the talented rhetorician, Annaeus Seneca. We gather that the family moved to Rome during the boyhood of Lucius, that he was educated for the bar, and that he was soon attracted by the Stoic philosophy, the stern nurse of heroes during the first century of the Empire. That his social connexions were distinguished we infer from the prominence and refinement of his brother Gallio, – the Gallio of the New Testament, – from the fact that he himself was noticed and almost condemned to death by the Emperor Caligula soon after he began to speak in public, and especially because his aunt, whom he visited in Egypt, was the wife of the governor of that country.

Up to the year 41 he prospered. He makes mention of his children, of his mother who, like the mother of Goethe, seems to have imbued him with idealism and a certain amount of mysticism, and of many valued friends. But during that year, as a result of court intrigue, he was banished to the island of Corsica. The charge against him was a too great intimacy with Iulia Livilla, unfortunate sister of the late emperor, and the arch-foe of Messalina, whose husband, Claudius, had recalled the princess from exile. We may discount any crime on Seneca's part because even the gossip-laden Suetonius says: "The charge was vague and the accused was given no opportunity to defend himself."

The eight years of exile were productive of much literary work. The tragedies, which have had such influence on later drama, are the fruit of this period, besides certain essays on philosophic subjects, and a rather cringing letter to Polybius, a rich freedman at the court of Claudius. In 49, however, Fortune, whom Seneca as a Stoic so often ridicules, came to his rescue. Agrippina had him recalled and appointed tutor to her young son, later to become the Emperor Nero. Holding the usual offices of state, and growing in prominence, Seneca administered the affairs of the prince, in partnership with Burrus, the praetorian. Together they maintained the balance of power between throne and Senate until the death of Burrus in the year 62. After that time, a philosopher without the support of military power was unable to cope with the vices and whims of the monster on the throne.

The last two years of Seneca's life were spent in travelling about southern Italy, composing essays on natural history and relieving his burdened soul by correspondence with his friend Lucilius. In the year 65 came his suicide, anticipating an act of violence on the Emperor's part; in this deed of heroism he was nobly supported by his young wife Paulina. The best account of these dark days is given in Tacitus.

These letters are all addressed to Lucilius. From internal evidence we gather that the native country of this Lucilius was Campania, and his native city Pompeii or Naples. He was a Roman knight, having gained that position, as Seneca tells us, by sheer industry. Prominent in the civil service, he had filled many important positions and was, at the time when the Letters were written, procurator in Sicily. He seems to have had Epicurean tendencies, like so many men from this part of Italy; the author argues and tries to win him over to Stoicism, in the kindliest manner. Lucilius wrote books, was interested in philosophy and geography, knew intimately many persons in high places, and is thought by some to be the author of the extant poem Aetna.

When their friendship began we cannot say. The Naturales Quaestiones and the Letters are the work of Seneca's closing years. Both are addressed to Lucilius. The essay De Providentia, which was also dedicated to him, is of doubtful date, and may be fixed at any time between the beginning of the exile in Corsica and the period when the Letters were written.

In spite of the many problems which confront us, it may be safely said that the years 63-65 constitute the period of the Letters. We find possible allusions to the Campanian earthquake of 63, a reference to the conflagration at Lyons, which took place either in 64 or in 65, and various hints that the philosopher was travelling about Italy in order to forget politics. The form of this work, as Bacon says, is a collection of essays rather than of letters. The recipient is often mentioned by name; but his identity is secondary to the main purpose. The language at the beginning of the seventy-fifth letter, for example, might lead one to suppose that they were dashed off in close succession: "You complain that you receive from me letters which are rather carelessly written;" but the ingenious juxtaposition of effective words, the balance in style and thought, and the continual striving after point, indicate that the language of the diatribe had affected the informality of the epistle.

The structure of each letter is interesting. A concrete fact, such as the mention of an illness, a voyage by sea or land, an incident like the adventure in the Naples tunnel, a picnic party, or an assemblage of friends who discuss questions from Plato, or Aristotle, or Epicurus, – these are the elements which serve to justify the reflections which follow. After such an introduction, the writer takes up his theme; he deals with abstract subjects, such as the contempt of death, the stout-heartedness of the sage, or the quality of the Supreme Good. We shall not mention the sources of all these topics in footnotes, but shall aim only to explain that which is obscure in meaning or unusual in its import. Plato's Theory of Ideas, Aristotle's Categories, Theophrastus on Friendship, Epicurus on Pleasure, and all the countless doctrinal shades of difference which we find in the Stoic leaders, are at least sketched in outline.

But we must give full credit to the philosopher's own originality. In these letters, it is impossible to ignore the advance from a somewhat stiff and Ciceronian point of view into the attractive and debatable land of what one may fairly call modern ideas. The style of the Epistles is bold, and so is the thought.

Considered en masse, the letters form a fruitful and helpful handbook, of the very widest scope and interest. The value of intelligent reading and the studies which make for culture is presented to Lucilius with frequency, notably in Nos. II. and LXXXVIII. Seneca agrees with the definition of higher studies as "those which have no reference to mere utility." The dignity of the orator's profession (XL. and CXIV.) is brought to the attention of a young self-made merchant who seems inclined towards platform display. The modern note is struck when the author protests against the swinish and debasing effects of slavery or gladiatorial combats (XLVII. and LXX.); preaches against the degeneracy of drunkenness (LXXXIII.); portrays the charms of plain living and love of nature (LVII., LXVII., LXXIX., LXXXVI., LXXXVII., XC., XCIV.); recommends retirement (XVIII., LI., LVI., LXXX., CXXII.); or manifests a Baconian interest in scientific inventions (LVII., LXXIX.). Most striking of all is the plea (XCIV.) for the equality of the sexes and for conjugal fidelity in the husband, to be interpreted no less strictly than honour on the part of the wife. The craze for athletics is also analyzed and rebuked (XV.).

The Epistles contain also, of course, the usual literary types which every Roman epistolographer would feel bound to introduce. There is the consolatio; there is the theme of friendship; there are second-hand lectures on philosophy taken from Plato and Aristotle and Theophrastus, as we have indicated above; and several characteristically Roman laudations of certain old men (including the author himself) who wrestle with physical infirmities. But the Stoic doctrine is interpreted better, from the Roman point of view, by no other Latin writer. The facts of Seneca's life prove the sincerity of his utterances, and blunt the edge of many of the sneers which we find in Dio Cassius, regarding the fabulous sums which he had out at interest and the costly tables purchased for the palace of a millionaire.

Finally, in no pagan author, save perhaps Vergil, is the beauty of holiness (XLI.) so sincerely presented from a Roman standpoint. Although his connexion with the early Church has been disproved, Seneca shows the modern, the Christian, spirit. Three of the ideals mentioned above, the hatred of combats in the arena, the humane treatment of slaves, and the sanctity of marriage, draw us towards Seneca as towards a teacher like Jeremy Taylor.

There is no pretence of originality in the Latin text; the translator has adopted, with very few deviations, that of O. Hense's second edition. This text he has found to be excellent, and he has also derived assistance from the notes accompanying the Selected Letters of W. C. Summers.

Richard M. Gummere.

Haverford College, May, 1916.