Stoicism - College of Stoic Philosophers

1PROFESSIONAL MORALISTS AT ROME. 121naturally leads our thoughts to one of the brightestfeatures of the age, which may rank also among thefairest fruits of Stoicism at Rome. In the hotbed ofImperial license there had been indeed a portentousgrowth of female shamelessness and lust. Many abad woman, like Messalina, had flaunted in thepeople's sight her orgies of extravagance and crime,and with such examples in high places there wasdanger that vice would cease to pay the homage ofhypocrisy to virtue. But now, as by natural reaction,and with the spread of philosophic teaching, thereappears suddenly upon the scene another and a higherstandard of true womanhood.The matrons of the early days of the Republicwere expected to be grave, decorous figures ; theystayed at home and spun their wool, as the old epitaphexpresses it,and controlled the household labours oftheirhandmaids, but they could not share their husband'shigher thoughts, or enliven his leisure withrefinement.In Cicero's time they were often more accomplished,and took a more brilliant part in public life, but withthe freer culture there was also spreading a laxer toneof thought, and graver scandals to the moral sense.But the leaven of Stoicism soon began to work amongthe social circles of the capital its ; principles of selfrestraintand order were congenial to the better typeof Roman character, and gradually passed from thestreets and lecture-rooms to the quiet retirement ofhome life, where without respect of persons they struckupon the chords of deeper thoughts,and furnished