it is probable that all men will endeavour, that greater and more lasting buildings may be erected, than what they have: loft. May they be lafting indeed, and built under more happy aufpices! For, fcarce an hundred years have paffed, fince this colony was first founded; (which is not the extremeft age of man himself) under the conduct of Plancus (b), and by reafon of its agreeable fituation, it foon grew very populous, and yet hath suffered the most grievous calamaties within the age of man.

Let the mind therefore be taught to understand, and patiently to bear, whatever may be its lot; and let it know, there is nothing beyond the daring of Fortune. That she hath the fame power over kingdoms themfelves, as over the rulers thereof. We are to repine at none of these things; we have entered upon a world, where we live fubject to these conditions. Are you not pleased with it? Regret not the being taken out of it (i). You might well be angry, was any thing to happen particularly to you. But if the same neceffity binds both high and low, you have nothing to do but to reconcile yourself to Fate, by whom all things are determined (to their proper end.) There is no need to measure man by his tomb, or by thofe monuments that are fpread on each fide the road of an unequal fize. The grave fets all men upon this level. We are born unequal, but we die equal.

The fame I fay of cities, as of the inhabitants thereof. Ardea (k) hath been taken as well as Rome. The fupreme Author of mankind hath not distinguished us in our birth and nobility, but during life. When we come to the end of all mortal things, Be gone, faith he, Ambition; and let there be the fame law to all things that tread the earth. We are alike born to variety of fuffering: no one is more frail than another; no one more fure of feeing to-morrow's fun.

Alexander, king of Macedonia, wretch as he was, begun to learn geometry, that he might know how little the earth was, of which he poffeffed so small a part: I call him wretched, because he ought to have known from hence, that he had no title to the furname of Great;

for

for what can be called Great in fo fmall a space? The things taught him were fubtle, and not to be learned but by clofe attention, and conftant application, not fuch as a madman could well comprehend, whose thoughts were intent upon plunder, and roving beyond the ocean.. Teach me, faith he, eafy things. To which his tutor replied, Thefe things are the fame to all: every one finds in them the like difficulty. Suppofe now, Lucilius, Nature to fay the fame thing to you. The things whereof you complain are the fame to all men: fhe admits, no one on easier terms: but every one that pleases may make them easier. Do you afk how? by æquanimity.

You must neceffarily feel pain, be hungry, and thirft, and grow old; and though a longer time be given you among men, you must one day be sick, and die. Yet there is no neceffity for believing all that is faid by those who are continually buzzing about you with complaints. " None of these things are properly evils; none intolerable, or even hard to be borne. They became dreadful by prejudice and common confent. Ye are as afraid of death, as of a falfe report. But what can be more ridiculous than to be afraid of mere words? Our Demetrius ufed pleafantly to fay, that the reports of the ignorant were to him like breaking wind. What is it to me, he faid, whether the found comes from above or below?(1) How abfurd is it to be afraid of infamy from infamous men? And as you are caufeleffly afraid of what fame fays of you, so are ye of those things which ye would never have, feared, had not fame or report commanded ye sɩ to do. What detriment can a good man receive from being fcandalized by malicious tongues? for even Death is alike fcandalized. No one of thofe who accufe him, fpeaks from experience. In the mean time we should not condemn what we do not know. But this you know, that it, hath proved a great benefit to many in delivering them from tortures, from want, from complaints,. from punishment, from anxiety. We are subject to the power of no one, when it is in the power of death to deliver us (m).

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ANNO

ANNOTATION S, &c.

(a) Ebutius Liberalis, to whom Seneca infcribed his book (de beneficiis) of benefits. (6) Tacit. Ann. 1. 16. To the inhabitants of Lyons, as a relief for their late calamity by fire, the Emperor prefented 100,000 crowns, to repair the damages of the city.

As in David's complaint-Yea, my own familiar friend in whom I trufted, which did eat of my, bread, bath lift up his heel against me. Pf. xli. 9.

(d) Incrementa lente.] Tacitus (in Agricola) Naturâ infirmitatis humanæ, tardiora funt remedia quam mala; et ut corpora lentè augefcunt, cito extinguuntur: fic ingenia facilus opprefferis, quàm recreaveris. Such is the frailty of man, and its effects, that much more flow is the progrefs of the remedies than of the evils and as human bodies attain their growth by degrees, and are fubject to be deftroyed in an infant; fo it is much easier to fuppress than to revive the efforts of genius and fudy. Gordon..

(e)

War, famine, peft, volcano, form, and fire, ). Inteftine broils, oppreffion, with her heart Wrapt up in triple brafs, befiege mankind.

Want and incurable difeafe, (fell pair!).

On hapless multitudes remorfelefs feize,

At once, and make a refuge of the grave. Young.

(F) Alluding to the feven hills, on which Rome was built.

(g) A Rhetorician and Hiftorian of Alexandria. He was brought captive to Rome by Gabinius, under Pompey the Great, and redeemed by Fauftus, the fon of Sylla; but was expelled the city on account of his malevolent tongue; though Ammian speaks well of him. He died in his exile.

Rupet Hiarbitam Timagenis æmula lingua.

But Pincian fuppofes that Seneca meant this of the Emperor Caligula, who, as Suetonius reports, was most inveterate against the profperity of Rome..

(b) A Planco deducta] So Lipfius; which from among the various readings feems to be right. For, according to Eufebius, Munacius Plancus Ciceronis difcipulus, orator habetur infignis; qui cum Galliam comatam regeret, Lugdunum condidit; Munarius Plancus, a difciple of Cicero, was efteemed an excellent orator, who when be commanded in Gaul (beyond the Alps) founded the city Lyons. An. U. C. 811.

*)(1). Non placet ? quacunque vis exi.] This alfo is an expreffion which I thought myself obliged pot to translate literally; it being a doctrine totally repugnant to the Chriftian; and indeed to what Seneca

Seneca hath advanced elsewhere, and particularly in the foregoing fentence; where he says, the mind ought to be made fenfible of the infirmities of human nature, and the unsteady course of things, that fo it might patiently endure whatever may be its lot.

(k) Once a city in Italy, where Turnus, king of the Rutilians, kept his court.

(1) And our facetious Tom Brown, in the fame ftrain fpeaks of death itself; which, however false the logic, or impolite the terms, is fo much to our purpose, that the reader, I hope, will excufe my tranfcribing it, as it is not every one that has read, or will read, Tom Brown,

(m) That is (not I own what Seneca means by, cùm mors in noftrá poteftate fit, but) as I would understand it; No power on earth can hurt us, but for a short time; feeing that Death must come, which, when Providence thinks proper, will deliver us out of all our trouble.

EPISTLE XCII.

The Difference between exhortatory and dogmatical Philofopby.

THAT part of philofophy, Lucilius, which adapts proper precepts to particular perfons, and forms not the man in general, but directs the husband how he ought to behave himself towards his wife; the father how he ought to educate his children; the mother how to govern his fervants, and the like; fome are so very fond of, as to reject all other parts as useless and extravagant, as if any one could teach particulars, who was not master of the whole Duty of Man in the conduct of life.

part

But Arifto, the Stoic, on the contrary, thinks this but a trivial part of philofophy, as not reaching the heart of man: and affirms that (the dogmatical) to be the more profitable; and that the axioms or decrees of philofophy are what constitute the chief good; which part of philofophy when a man hath fufficiently learned and understood, he needs nothing more, by way of inftruction, throughout the whole bufinefs of life. As he that learns to throw a dart, takes a fit ftand for

aim, and forms his hand to a proper direction of whatever he throws from it; and when by instruction and practice he hath made himself a master in this art, he useth it as he pleases; for he hath learned not to hit this or that thing in particular, but whatever he thinks proper to hit; so he that instructeth himself in the whole duty of life, needs no particular admonition; being taught in general, not how to live, with regard to his wife or his children, but to live well, which includes every relative obligation. Cleanthes likewife allows the Parænetic Philofophy, or knowledge of particulars to be in fome measure profitable; but weak and defective; unless as it flows from the univerfal understanding of the principles, and decrees of philofophy.

Here then is started a question or two; whether this preceptive philofophy be useful, or not useful; whether alone it can make a good man; i. e. whether it be fuperfluous itself, or fo important as to render all other parts of philofophy fuperfluous? They who maintain it to be fuperfluous, argue thus; If any thing placed before the eyes obstructs the fight, the impediment must be removed, or else it is to no purpose to bid a man walk to fuch a place, or to reach fuch a thing with his hand. In like manner, when any thing fo darkens the mind as to prevent an infight into the whole order of duty, it is in vain to direct a man, saying, thus you fall live with your father, or thus with your wife; for precepts avail nothing, fo long as ignorance and error cloud the understanding; these must be removed, and every requifition of duty will be manifeft. Otherwife, you teach him what a fenfible man ought to do, but do not make him fo; you fhew one that is poor how to act the rich man, which it is impoffible for him to do fo long as he continues poor; you bid the hungry man behave himself as with a full ftomach; whereas you ought first to fatisfy the painful cravings within (a).

Now I will maintain the fame concerning all manner of vice: thefe must be removed, or, fo long as thefe remain, precepts will have no effect: unless all fuch falfe opinions, as we generally labour under, are expelled, the covetous man will not hear how he may put his money

VOL. II.

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