Stoicism - College of Stoic Philosophers

122 STOICISM.Strength and solace in the darkest hours of absoluterule.The "Annals" of Tacitus are often sombre and depressing,but there is many a bright and stirring pagein which we read of a long line of noble women whosememory does honour to the early Empire. Such werethe two heroines of the name of Arria, each wife to adistinguished Paetus, with Fannia the daughter of theyounger such was the domestic circle in which;Persius grew up to manhood such was the 3 youngwife of Seneca, and many another taughtin familiarintercourse to understand the theory and the practiceof the Stoic morals, who vied with their husbands inthe hardihood of patient resolution, and temperedtheir vigorous principles with softer graces.We have seen already that the relation betweenthe domestic moralists and those who retained theirservices could not be maintained always at itsproperlevel. The professional teacher had his dangers alsoand temptations, as had the hearers who resorted tohis lectures. The former was tempted to forget thelofty aims of the philosopher, and to sink into theSophist or the Rhetorician. He might think more,that is,of the form than the matter of his lectures ;lay too much stress on the graces of styleand themodulations of the voice and elegancies of gesture ;try to win the admiration of his audience, not keepingsteadily in view the one thing needful^ which shouldbe— to instruct and to reform.The hearers, on their side, often came as to a lectureof parade to criticise the speaker's skill, or wile away