Letters from a Stoic

256 Pages·2014·8.81 MB·English

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PENGUIN CLASSICS
LETTERS FROM A STOIC
ADVISOREYD ITORBoE TTYR ADICE
LUCIUSA NNAEUS SENECA,s tatesmpahni,l osopahdevro,c aatned
mano fl ettewrass,b orn atC ordobian S paianr oun4d D .CD.e spite
hisr elativuenldyi stinguibsahcekdg rouanndd e ver-recurirleln t
healthhe,r osrea pidtloyp rominenactRe o me,p ursuitnhged ouble
careienrt hec ouratnsd p olitliicffaeol wrh ichhe h adb eetnr ainHeed .
begaanl sqou icktloya cquicreel ebraisat nya uthoorft ragedainedos f
polisheesds aymso,r all,i teraanrdys cientSiefinct.e ncteodd eath by
successeimvpee ro(rCsa ligiunlA a.D .3 7a ndC laudiiunsA .D4. 1),h e
speneti ghyte arisn e xiloen thei slaonfdC orsicaal,l egefdolray n
affawiirt Cha ligulsai'sstR eerc.a llienAd . D4.9 ,h ew asm adep raetor,
andw asa ppointteudt otrot heb oyw ho wast ob ecomei,nA .D5.4 ,
thee mperoNre roO.n Nero'ssu ccessSieonne caac tefdo rs omee ight
yearass a nu nofficicahli emfi nistTehre.e arlpya rotf t hirse igwna s
rememberaesda perioodfs ounidm perigaolv ernmefnotr,w hich,
accorditnoog u rs ourcetsh,em ainc redmiuts tb eg ivetno S eneca.
Hisc ontroovle ra ni ncreasicnrguleeylm perodre clinaesed n emies
turneNde roa gainhsitm w ithr epresentatthiaohtni ssp opularity
madeh ima dangeorr,w itha ccusatoifoi nmsm oraloirte yx cessive
wealtihl als sortwiintgh t hen oblSet oipcri nciplhees p rofessed.
Retirifnrgo mp ublliicf heed evotheidsl a stth reyee artsop hilosophy
andw ritingp,a rticutlhaerL ley tftreoar Smst oIniA .cD.6.5 ,f ollowing
thed iscoveorfya plota gaintshte e mperorw,h ichm ighth ave
resulitneS de necae'lse vattioot nh et hronhee,a ndm anyo thewresr e
compellbeydN erot oc ommistu iciHdies.f amea sa ne ssayainsdt
dramatliasstt uendt itlw oo rt hrecee nturiaegso w hen,u naccoun­
tablhye,p asseidn tloi teroabrlyi vion.
ROBINC AMPBELLl iviensI slingtLoonn,d onA.n exilSecdo tn,o wa
barrishteed re,c idtehda Ste necwaa so verdufeo rd iscovwehriyl aet
WadhamC ollege, Oxwfhoerrdeh, e w asa nO penC lassiSccahlo lar
andg ainead F irisntH onouMro ds.H e serveidnK enyaa ndU ganda
withA frictarno opassa s ubaltienra n H ighlaRnedg imenatn,da fter
a yeaatrC ambridglee arninagn othAefrr iclaann gua(gCeh inyanja),
her eturnetdo A frifcoar t hreyee arass a DistrOifficcte r.T hisw as
followaefdt eZra mbiai'nsd ependebnyc ae y eara sa Magistrate,
tryinwgi tch-dochteoarrsi,an pgp eaflrso mt ribaclo urtosv era vast
areanad revistihnigts r anslaattii notne rvaolflse isuirnte h eb ushH.i s
practaitct eh eb ari nG rayI'nsn t endtsob ec oncernewdi tha ctiobny
local authoHriet hioelsd.ss t ronvgi ewson thei mportanacned
difficultoifge oso dt ranslation.

SENECA
LETTERS FROM
STOIC
A
EpistMuolraaeal dLe usc ilium
SELECTEADN D
TRANSL AT ED WITHA N
INTRODUCTION
BY ROBINC AMPBELL
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CONTENTS
Introduction 7
SENECA'LsI FE
7
SENECAAN DP HILOSOPHY I.j.
SENECAAN DL ITERATURE 20
Hilse tatneodrt shew rr igst in 20
Hissty le 22.
Hiisn fluaenandppc eea l 2.4
Notoen t ranslaantdit oenxt 26
Postscript 28
LETTERS 31
233
Notes
241
Bibliography
APPENDTaIcXi:tuas c'c ouonftS enedcae'asth 243
Indexo fp ersoannsd places 254

INTRODUCTION
'
SENEsC LAIPB
LuciUSA NNAEUSS ENECwA as borna tC ordotbhae,tn h e
leadintgo wn inR omanS paina,ta boutth es amtei mase
ChrisHti.fs1a thMearr,c Anuns aeuSse newcaas,an imperial
procuratwohrob2 e caanme a uthoornir thye totrhiaecr ,ot f
publsipce akanindg d eba3t Hee.w ast hfea thneorto nloyf
ourS enecwah,o s peaokfsh is' old-fasshtiroiesncset'dn, 4
buta lsoofN ovatlusa,t kenro wans G alltihoge,o vernoofr
Achaea wdheoc litnoee dx ercjiusrei sdiocvteiSrot Pn a ul
11)-,1 7
(ActXVlsll , ando fM elal,es sa mbitithano uhiss
brothbeuratsn a blfinanec ier (andf athoeftr h beril liant young
poeLtu can).
Senescuaff ered sfervoilermleh leya lptahr,t icausltahrmlay,
throughhiolsui tfh eet; e lusl tsh aatto net imteh oen ltyhi ng
whichhe lhimd bacfkr omc ommittisnuigc idweas the
thougohfhist fathienra'bsi tlobi etaytr h leo s5Hs e.s pean t
perioofdhis earlliyf ei nE gyp(tw hetrhee h usbaonfda
devotaeudnn tam edM arcwiaas t hviec erooyft heem peror
TiberfiruosAm . D1. 6to 3 1t)h,e arceq uireixnpge riine nce
matte�fra sd ministraantdi fionna ncHee.a lssot uditehde
geograanpdh eyth noloogfEy g ypantd Indianad6d eveloa ped
lastingin tereisnnt a turals cienscpee,c ulartaithvethanre
empiric(aall thoPulgihns yp eaks ofh imas ana uthoroint y
geologmya,r inlief ea ndm eteorolanodg yo,t heharvse
admirheidrs e marokns,f ore xample, eovrot lhueetx i­on
planaotfir oinn rgosu ntdh seun )H.i si ntewrase sdtr awna t
anear lya get oP ythagomryesant icanids vma riocuulsot fs
eastern origthienn gaining adherenitsnR ome,b efohisr e
£in.a1 acceptaninc lea,r pgaret o,ft hSet opihicl osophy.
7
INTROUDCTION
Mter training fotrh bear hteoo sku ccesstfopu ullbyl ic
lifebec,o mingq uaestionsr p iotfte h hea ndiocfahis p s
healthhi,s f orebiagcnk granodu cnodm paraltaicvokef
famoirol tyh ceorn nexiWhoennCs a.l igula succeeded Tiberius
in A.D.37 , Senehcaa db ecoam lee ading insth pee aker
Senaatnesd,oa routshejede al7oo ufts hnyee we mpetrhoart
accortdoDi inoCg a sshieou rsd ehrieesdx ecuatniwdoas n
onliyn dutcole edhit m obffya w omanc lotsote h iem perial
thrownheos aitdh aSetn ecaw as's uffefrrioanmdg v anced
tubercualnoidwst oi usl ndob te l onbge fhoerd ei e8dT 'his.
inciadpepnatr reenstullitynhe itdse mporreartyi rfreomme nt
poliatffiacailr s.
In A.D.41 ,i nt hfires ty eaorft hree iogfnC aligula's
succeCslsaourd,Si eunsea,cag acaimne u ndseern toefn ce
dea-tcho mmuttoeb da nish-fmoerrne ta swohinchsw ed o
noktn owT.h ep retweaxsat d ulwtietrJhyu lLiiavi ltlhae,
laetmep ersoirs'ttshem ero ;rl ei keexlpyl aniatsth itaohtne 9
newr uler'st hcneoo ntsoorMrietos,us sa lina,h icmo nsidered
dangeHrioesux si.oln te·h ies loafnC do rsdiocenaso s te em
toh avbeee ne nduasr setdo iasc iamitlg lhyt have been. The
encourasgpiionrfgani ests aoyfc onsolastetinooth n id sea rly
lovmedo thHeerl viisea n tiarbeslieynna tn otahdedrr essed
toP olybaineu xs-,s wlhaohv aebd e coamt er ussteerdvo afn t
theem perwohri,cc ho ntsaoimnes abjeancdtw asfl attery
probnaebvlmeyeanr t t ob ep ubliHsehh aebddy n. o ws uffered
thleo nsosot n loyfh ifsa tbhueotrfa s oan,nh di firss wifte
diedw hileh ew aasw a1yh.e o nlys olfaochimre int hese
eiglhotn ygear so fl onelanidn neesarsd espwaasi trh e
recepgtiivtoeonthn e p oemtsr,a geadneidse ssta ofriy esn ds
whichhe c ontincuoemdp odsuriinnhggi b san ishment.
His forttuurnneedds r amatini Ac.oa .4 ll9·yM essalina had
been executaneddthe empernoerww' isf Aeg,r iphpaidna ,
Senercae catlloeR do mea,p pointtoet dhh ei gohffi coef
praeantdoma rd etu totroh etwre lve-year-osolndL ucius
8
INTRODUCTION
DomitAihuse nobar(bthubeso yw how as shorttolby e come
the emperoNre ro)A.g rippina's motives, according to
Tacitusa,p afrrotm t he instroufhc etri onsw oenr,ae c onfi­
dencteh abte cauosfe h'itlise raframye 't hem ovew ould
gaitnh emp opularaintday b,e liethaft hew oulpdr ovae
relialalbyle anuds eafula dviserh etrosan edlf N eroi nt heir
plafnorsfu turpeo wer.10
There is not heaSvteni edcaew nacsce o nnectwiethd the
poisnogno ifC laudiinusA .D .5 4B·u th ew rotthee s peeches
whicht hes eveneten-year-oNledr od elivearfetderh is
accessainodw nas, p robatbhlaeyu thoofr wai ttify t,ou sa
litttlaes tealtetssa,oc nk t hed eadr ul'esr mem(otrhye
Apoccyonltooosr'i uPsm pkinifi.cati'on,an imagintaarloyef
ther eufbfsr eceibvye dt rheec endtelcye aseemdp erwohre n
hep resehnitsm seatlt fh peo rtoaflH sea venan d hisa pplica­
tiofnor admission diesb atbeythd e G ods)N.e rod imda kea
formaslp eeicnhh o nourh iopsfr edeocrew,sh sicwhas said
tod isp'laga yr edaetao lfp oli'as nhdt ob ea g ooedx ampolfe
Senec'ata'tsr acsttyilvee, well tueanresod f htitosi mteh'e. U
Then ewr egiompee newde lanld 'Nerofi'rss t yfiearvse'
were latero fass papo ekreinoo fud n equalgloeodgd o vern­
mentth,e e mperTorra jeanv encal ling thetmh fien epsetr iod
in thhiset oorfyi mperRioamle .FUo rt hiRso mewas in­
debtteodS eneancda ana rmy officenra meBdur rusT.h ese
two',ht em ost influenast wiealasll t hme ost enlighotfe ned
the men who surNreroo'un de(dD io),13 'whose wide
experiweasn cceo mmonk nowleed'(g Tacitusp)r,e1v4e nted
thheo t-heyaoduendmang fromcar rying ouatl ootfm urders
onhis accesasnidao inm eadtc hannienlsglo moef h iesn ergies
int'oep rmisspilbelraseues' .1O5nl yb rieafllya rmbeydt he
poisonoifBn rgi tanniacnudsa cting throiuncg ohmopulte te
harmonyt hey sucicnek eedeepdip nugb libcu sinoesusto f
Agrpipinhaa'nsd ansd inth eiorw n.T acitus ascribtesh e
secret ofth einfl uencoef S eneca to 'ihst uitioofnN ero in
9