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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 speaks of death itself; which, however falfe 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.

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() 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 Philofophy.

THAT part of philofophy, Lucilius, which adapts proper precepts to particular perfons, and forms not the man in general, but directs the hufband 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.

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 part (the dogmatical) to be the more profitable; and that the axioms or decrees of philofophy are what conftitute 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; fo he that inftructeth 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 likewise allows the Paranetic 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 phílofophy 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 requisition 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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it was scarce fo long in perishing, as I have been in relating the dreadful accident.

Now these things greatly afflict the generous mind of Liberalis, firm and fleady as it is against any accident that may befall himself. And indeed there is reafon for it. Unexpected accidents are apt to ftrike deepest. Novelty adds weight to calamity; nor is there any mortal but who is more afflicted at what falls upon him. by furprize. Nothing therefore should come upon us unexpectedly. The mind ought. to be prepared not only against what ufually happens, but against whatever may happen. What is there that Fortune cannot throw down when the pleases, from its most flourishing state? and which she will not more readily attack and more violently fhake, the more fpecious and fplendid it is in appearance? What is arduous or difficult to her? fhe does not affault us always in the fame manner; nor exert all her ftrength at once. Sometimes fhe fets us to oppose ourselves: at another time depending upon her own ftrength, fhe finds out dangers for us which we cannot account for: all times are alike to her. We are never fafe. Even in the midst of our pleasures she giveth cause to War is stirred up in the calm of peace; and the means of fecurity converted into fear. Our friend becomes a foe; and our companion a cruel adversary *. The ferenity of summer is often changed into fudden tempefts, and more violent than wintry ftorms. Without an enemy we suffer hoftilities; and too great profperity hath proved its own ruin, when other causes have been wanting. Diseases fall upon the most temperate; a confumption feizeth upon the most robust conftitution. The innocent fuffer punishment; and uproar disturbs the most retired. Chance is continually making choice of fome new evil to remind us of her power, as if we had forgot it. Whatever by a long continuance of much labour, and the kind favour of Providence, hath been scraped together and raised on high, is scattered and demolished in one day: nay, he that faith a day (c) and not rather an hour, a moment, fufficeth for the overthrow of empires, affigneth too long a time to the more speedy progrefs of human calamities..

mourn.

It would be fome comfort to us, in our infirm and uncertain ftate of things, if they could be repaired as eafily, and foon, as they are destroyed. But now, alas! improvements are flowly made (d), while deftruction comes on amain. Not any thing, either public or private, is firm and stable. Men and cities are alike the fport of fate. Amidst the most pleafing scenes terror breaks in; and when there is no cause of trouble and confufion from without, evils rufh in upon us from whence we leaft expected them.. Kingdoms that have stood the brunt both of foreign and civil wars, have without any oppofition fell to ruin. What commonwealth could ever fupport its own happiness?

All things therefore are to be reflected on, and the mind ftrengthened against whatever accident may poffibly happen. Think upon exile, war, torture, diseases, shipwrecks (e). Chance may snatch you from your country, or your country from you. She may throw you into folitude, or make defolate this very place where the multitude is stifled with thronging. The whole ftate of human affairs must be placed before our eyes; and we must conceive in our minds not only what frequently happens, but what may happen extraordinarily, if we would not be surprised, and ftupefied with any unusual accident, as being new and strange. Fortune must be confidered in all her mischiefs. How often have the citics of Achaia and Afia been thrown down by earthquakes? how many towns in Syria? how many have been fwallowed up in Macedonia! How often hath deftruction been fpread through the island Cyprus? how often hath Paphos been buried in its ruins? how often do we hear of the deftruction of whole cities; and how small a part of the world are we among whom thefe rumours are spread ?

Let us rife up therefore, and ftand firm against all cafualties: and whatever happens, let us think that rumour hath exaggerated the evil. A city is burned, that was very rich and the ornament of all the neighbouring provinces, though built upon one hill (f), and that none of the highest and time fhall erafe the very marks of all thofe cities that are now called magnificent and noble. See you not that the very foundations

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dations of the most famous cities in Greece are quite destroyed, and that nothing is left whereby to conjecture there ever were fuch cities? Time not only overthrows the works of mens hands, and the wonders of human art and industry; even the tops of mountains have mouldered and whole regions became a defert. Places that were far diftant away, from the fea have been overwhelmed with a fudden inundation; and fire hath quite confumed the hills, from whence it before gave only a fplendid flame; and in times past hath eaten away the loftiest promontories, once a joyful fight to the fatigued mariners; and reduced the highest landmarks to a bank of fand.

Seeing then that the works of Nature herself are often thus destroyed, we ought to bear with æquanimity the ruin of a city. All things are frail and perishable, and must one day come to decay: whether it be that the winds, pent up beneath the earth, have by a sudden blast, or their own internal strength, thrown off the weight that before preffed them down; or the force of the waters in fecret places hath made its way through all oppofition; or the violence of flames have rent the closures of the earth; or age, against which nothing is safe, hath gradually wore it away; or whether the unwholesomeness of the air hath driven away the people, and infection even poifoned a defert, it would be endless to recount the many ways whereby Fate haftens on deftruction. But this one thing I know, that all the works of mortals are fubject to, and condemned by, mortality; and that we live in a state wherein all things around us must one day inevitably perish.

These then and the like reflections I often advance, in order to comfort our friend Liberalis, whose breast, I say, is inflamed with inexpreffible love of his country, and of this city in particular; which perhaps is now destroyed, that it may be rebuilt in a nobler taste. Injuries have often made way for better fortune; and many things have fallen only to rife higher and greater. Timagenes (g) no well-wisher to the prosperity of the city, was wont to say, that he should be forry if Rome was destroyed by fire, for be well knew that it would rife again in greater fplendour than before. And with regard to the city now lost,

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