Seneca - College of Stoic Philosophers

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68 SENECAothers, have moved me to pardon ; where no otherreason for mercy could be found, I have forgiven for thepleasure of forgiving. If this day the immortal godswere to bid me give an account of my stewardship ofthe human race the reckoning would show no loss. 'is true, Caesar,' replies Seneca ;'Itand you may claimwith confidence that of all the citizens entrusted toyour care not one either through open violence or secrettreachery has been lost to the commonwealth. Youronly ambition has been to be praised for the rarest—quality of all a glory vouchsafed to none of your predecessors—the glory of innocence. You have not wastedyour pains. That singular goodness of yours has notbeen valued grudingly or unwilHngly. Your subjectsare grateful indeed. No individual was ever so dearto another as you, their great and lasting treasure, areto the whole Roman people. But you have undertakena heavy task. In this first year you have given us ataste of your rule, and have set up a new standard bywhich you yourself will be judged. No one will anylonger care to remember the times of the divine Augustusor the early years of Tiberius ; you yourself have suppliedthe only model by which men will wish that you yourselfshould be guided.'No man, wrote Seneca, in one of his letters,can paint a picture though his colours are allready unless he knows exactly what it is he wishesto paint. In this picture of the innocent autocratwho, making his choice between the two greatrival forces by which men are governed, findshis strength in their love rather than in their fear,Seneca anticipated, as he often does, the teachingof Christianity. There may be flatteryin hiswords, but it is flattery of a noble sort and directedto a noble end. So far Nero, guided by hisministers, had really governed his subjects with
THE QUINQUENNIUM NERONIS 69justice and humanity ; and would have almostdeserved the praise he received had not thisresult been attributable rather to his aversionfrom business and love of popularity than toany worthier motive.In this second year of his reign Nero, whofrom the first had abhorred his guiltless andunhappy wife Octavia, fell passionately in lovewith a young freedwoman named Acte. The affairwas confided to the prince's boon companions—chief among whom was Otho, afterwards emperor— and to the ministers, but was otherwise a secret.Seneca and Burrhus, hopeless of reconciling Neroto Octavia, regarded without displeasure his infatuationfor a good-natured girl, whose influenceinjured no one while it satisfied the dangerouspassions of her lover in a manner harmless to thecommonwealth. But Seneca carried his complaisancetoo far if it was at his suggestion thathis most intimate friend, Annaeus Serenus, captainof Nero's bodyguard, to disguise the real intrigue,played the part of Acte's lover and openly senther the presents which really came from theemperor. This artifice at first deceived Agrippina ;but she soon came to know the truth. Alwaysin extremes, she stormed, menaced, and insulted ;and then, finding her rage of no effect, passedto the most abject flattery and submission withno better success. Nero, when the discovery wasfirst made, endeavoured to conciliate her by arich present of robes and jewellery; but this shereceived with disdain, exclaiming that she hadgiven him all and he was returning her a part.
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SENECA
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SENECA.From the double bust of Sene
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,^e.PRticava;lairis^^T\r\(pQ *
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viINTRODUCTORY NOTEin a critical pe
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FRONTISPIECESeneca.— From the dou
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2 SENECAnon-existent rule of law be
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4 SENECAinvention of the effective
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6 SENECAsomething of the eloquence
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8 SENECASeneca and Helvia, was adop
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10 SENECAThe Senecas appear to have
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12 SENECAOriginal minds may not for
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14 SENECAone another yet in each ca
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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 50 and 51: 34 SENECAhad been accustomed to res
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 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
Page 100 and 101: 84 SENECAinformer under Claudius, a
Page 102 and 103: CHAPTER VIIIthe tragedy of baiae. i
Page 104 and 105: 88 SENECAto be taken into account.
Page 106 and 107: 90 SENECAwhere Acerronia either att
Page 108 and 109: 92 SENECAhe proceeded to an indictm
Page 110 and 111: 94 SENECAhimself was of no service
Page 112 and 113: 96 SENECAtheir emperor personally c
Page 114 and 115: CHAPTER IXDECLINE OF SENECA's INFLU
Page 116 and 117: 100 SENECAIn Rome the event of the
Page 118 and 119: 102 SENECAof affection and gratitud
Page 120 and 121: 104 SENECAinfluence for good. It is
Page 122 and 123: 10 6 SENFXAshould be content to gai
Page 124 and 125: io8the exulting tyrant.Senate made
Page 126 and 127: noSENECAdelighted at the news and o
Page 128 and 129: 112 SENECAindications of the divine
Page 130 and 131: 114 SENECAby a wall, with towers er
Page 132 and 133: 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
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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
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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
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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
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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
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iiHM
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