Seneca - College of Stoic Philosophers

EARLY YEARS AND EDUCATION 19philosopher that he contributed to the educationof the younger Seneca.^Fabianus was a copious author. His works arefrequently cited by Pliny in the Natural History,and Lucius Seneca says of his philosophicalwritings that they were surpassed only by thoseof Cicero, Pollio, and Livy. He wrote in a levelstyleand with a certain carelessness of dictionthat seemed to prove him more occupied withhis matter than his manner. 'Too much attentionto style,' replied Seneca to his correspondentLucilius who had read on his recommendation abook of Fabianus and been much disappointed,'does not become a philosopher who should bethinking of more important matters. How cana man defy fortune if he is nervous about words ?Had you heard him, as I did, your admirationfor the whole would have leftyou no leisure tocriticise the parts. What though the calm progressof his discourse was interspersed by no sudden andstriking reflections {" suhiti ictus sententiarum"),the very evenness of its flow had a charm of its own.There was nothing laboured about his eloquence ;itaccompanied him like a shadow without anyeffort on his part. You could see that he feltwas towhat he said or wrote ;that his objectshow you what he admired and not to excite youradmiration for himself. He was not slovenly1Even after he had formally abandoned rhetoric forphilosophy he continued to study eloquence as a means, thoughno longer as an end— his example in this respect being held upfor imitation by Marcus Seneca to his son Mela whom heendeavoured to convince of the importance of eloquence whateverway of life he might see fit to adopt.