Seneca - College of Stoic Philosophers

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34 SENECAhad been accustomed to resort as the only wayof securing the disposition of the rest of theirproperty in accordance with their will and he;restored to the cities from which they had beentaken the statues which Caligula had broughtto Rome. Other measures, such as the prohibitionof Jewish ceremonies and the closingof public-houses, were of a more questionablecharacter.But the emperor's dull, timorous, and selfindulgentnature soon tired of well-doing ; acreature of habit, and dreading change of anykind, he fell ever more completely under theinfluence of his dissolute, cruel, and rapaciouswife Messalina, and of the freedmen to whosefaces he was accustomed, until at last he becamealmost as neglected and despised as he had beenbefore his accession. That no man isdespisedby others until he first despises himself,observation made by Seneca. Claudius despisedhimself and was comically conscious of hisweakness. Once when a female witness wasis angiving her evidence before the Senate, he said :'This was my mother's maid and freedwoman ;but she always regarded me as her master.I saythis because there are still some people living inmy house who do not regard me as their master.'The empress and the freedmen, by workingon his fears, were able to secure the condemnationof anyone whose estates they coveted orwhose designs they suspected ; and, by sellingoffices and justice, to amass huge fortunes forthemselves. The two ruling passions of Claudius
EXILE IN CORSICA 35were for women and for the bloody spectaclesof the arena. The first enslaved him to his successivewives and their favourites ;the secondmade him find more satisfaction in the condemnationswhich provided material for hisamusements than in the acquittal of accusedpersons.Among those who were recalled from exileat the beginning of the new reign were theemperor's nieces, Julia and Agrippina, whomtheir brother Caligula, with his usual inconstancy,had banished after having heaped upon themevery kind of honour. Julia was beautiful andambitious ;and Seneca, attached as he was tothe house of Germanicus, was much in hersociety. The emperor also conversed with heroften alone and seemed likely to fall under herinfluence. Messalina, w^ho received from theproud beauty neither honour nor flattery, becamejealous and alarmed. Julia's husband had beensuggested as a possible successor to Caligulaafter his assassination,^ and the remembranceof this may perhaps have enabled the empressto persuade Claudius again to banish her withina year of her recall from exile. However thatmay be, banished she was on a charge of adultery,and shortly afterwards put to death in her placeof exile. Seneca, in the brief struggle for powerbetween the empress and Julia, had attachedhimself to Julia, and shared her disgrace. Hewas accused of a criminal intrigue with Julia andbanished to Corsica by a decree of the Senate.^1Josephus, Ant. Jud. xix. 4.^Dion Cassius, Ix. 8,
Page 7 and 8: SENECA
Page 10 and 11: SENECA.From the double bust of Sene
Page 12 and 13: ,^e.PRticava;lairis^^T\r\(pQ *
Page 14 and 15: viINTRODUCTORY NOTEin a critical pe
Page 16 and 17: FRONTISPIECESeneca.— From the dou
Page 18 and 19: 2 SENECAnon-existent rule of law be
Page 20 and 21: 4 SENECAinvention of the effective
Page 22 and 23: 6 SENECAsomething of the eloquence
Page 24 and 25: 8 SENECASeneca and Helvia, was adop
Page 26 and 27: 10 SENECAThe Senecas appear to have
Page 28 and 29: 12 SENECAOriginal minds may not for
Page 30 and 31: 14 SENECAone another yet in each ca
Page 32 and 33: i6SENECAThe young enthusiast besieg
Page 34 and 35: i8SENECAbath all the year round, fo
Page 36 and 37: 20 SENECAin his use of words, but u
Page 38 and 39: 22 SENECAmagistracies to senatorial
Page 40 and 41: CHAPTER IIITHE PRINCIPATE OF CALIGU
Page 42 and 43: 26 SENECAin short sentences that fi
Page 44 and 45: 28 SENECAcomplexion bore witness to
Page 46 and 47: 30 SENECAcarefullyto observe whethe
Page 48 and 49: CHAPTER IVEXILE IN CORSICA, A.D. 4I
Page 52 and 53: 36 SENECAA capital sentence was fir
Page 54 and 55: 38 SENECAornaments to be laid at he
Page 56 and 57: 40 SENECAthat it was capable of giv
Page 58 and 59: 42 SENECACassius, it is true, or hi
Page 60 and 61: 44 SENECAcoincidence may, of course
Page 62 and 63: CHAPTER VRETURN FROM EXILE— LAST
Page 64 and 65: 48 SENECAThe crisis over, the next
Page 66 and 67: 50 SENECAa decree of the Senate, th
Page 68 and 69: 52, SENECANero was twelve years old
Page 70 and 71: 54 SENECAand were believed to be de
Page 72 and 73: 56 SENECABritannicus with his siste
Page 74 and 75: 58 SENECAwere the subjects of conte
Page 76 and 77: 6oSENECAlaid aside/ Nero made his e
Page 78 and 79: 62 SENECAyoke. He began by heaping
Page 80 and 81: 64 SENECABut he had to choose betwe
Page 82 and 83: 66 SENECAhe put into the prince's m
Page 84 and 85: 68 SENECAothers, have moved me to p
Page 86 and 87: 70 SENECAHer subsequent submission
Page 88 and 89: 72 SENECACampus Martius— all prep
Page 90 and 91: 74 SENECApromisedall she asked. Sil
Page 92 and 93: 76 SENECAinstitutions had been mode
Page 94 and 95: 78 SENECAmost powerful statesman wa
Page 96 and 97: 8oof heaven lestSENECAthe balance o
Page 98 and 99: 82 SENECAconcealed art into the tex
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84 SENECAinformer under Claudius, a
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CHAPTER VIIIthe tragedy of baiae. i
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88 SENECAto be taken into account.
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90 SENECAwhere Acerronia either att
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92 SENECAhe proceeded to an indictm
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94 SENECAhimself was of no service
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96 SENECAtheir emperor personally c
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CHAPTER IXDECLINE OF SENECA's INFLU
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100 SENECAIn Rome the event of the
Page 118 and 119:
102 SENECAof affection and gratitud
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104 SENECAinfluence for good. It is
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10 6 SENFXAshould be content to gai
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io8the exulting tyrant.Senate made
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noSENECAdelighted at the news and o
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112 SENECAindications of the divine
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114 SENECAby a wall, with towers er
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ii6SENECAplant an old plantation. T
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Ii8SENECAis adopted but by a few we
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120 SENECAFriendship [he writes to
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122 SENECAachieved by constantly ke
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' *124 SENECAhe must disdain all th
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126 SENECAwith others of his friend
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128 SENECAextraordinary distinctnes
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130 SENECAtreats his subject in a s
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132 SENECAproceed to the solution o
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134 SENECAtude whatever fate might
Page 152 and 153:
CHAPTER XILETTER TO LUCILIUS ON AET
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138 SENECAfor they are public prope
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140 SENECAwere less audible than th
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142 SENECAThe following extracts wi
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144 SENECAgave me to all men ;but s
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146 SENECAthe duty he owed to human
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148 SENECAthough they have not aske
Page 166 and 167:
CHAPTER XIITHE CONSPIRACY OF PISO A
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152 SENECAseemed to regard, in Taci
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154 SENECAdisregarded, made a last
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156 SENECAthis important recruit, a
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158 SENECAScevinus, being separatel
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i6oSENECAbeforehand, and even if th
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i62SENECAhad conspired to avenge. B
Page 180 and 181:
CHAPTER XIIITHE PHILOSOPHY OF SENEC
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,poweri66SENECAmay— have power ov
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i68SENECAable to our eyes or ears.
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170 SENECAwill you feel no venerati
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172 SENECAat the back of them, beca
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174 SENECAhad the contempt of a man
Page 192 and 193:
176 SENECA'says, a pipe for Fortune
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178 SENECAcan, as a general, if not
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i8oSENECAon conventional lines, was
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i82SENECAthe tragedian were actuall
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i84SENECAMedes, Indians, and tribes
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i86SENECAprobability by way of Flor
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CAIUS MAECENASThe battle of Actium
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CAIUS MAECENAS191restoration of the
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CAIUS MAECENAS 193pessimism. He exp
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CAIUS MAECENAS195Heindolence and so
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CAIUS MAECENAS197his fame, and here
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CAIUS MAECENAS199He was not offende
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CAIUS MAECENAS 201which he parodies
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CAIUS MAECENAS 203smaller or larger
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and endeavoured toCAIUS MAECENAS 20
Page 223:
iiHM
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