The workes of Lucius Annæus Seneca, both morrall and naturall Containing, 1. His bookes of benefites. 2. His epistles. 3. His booke of prouidence. 4. Three bookes of anger. 5. Two bookes of clemencie. 6. His booke of a blessed life. 7. His booke of the tranquilitie of the minde. 8. His booke of the constancie of a wiseman. 9. His booke of the shortnesse of life. 10. Two bookes of consolation to Martia. 11. Three bookes of consolation to Heluia. 12. His booke of consolation to Polibius. 13. His seuen bookes of naturall questions. Translated by Tho. Lodge, D. in Physicke.

EPIST. LXVIII.

He perswadeth repose, but so as it ••e ioyned with Philosophie. That we are not to boast thereof. And in it we are to entreate of our selues, with our selues, that is, to enquire of our vices, and to amend them. To conclude, that this repose is aboue all other af∣faires, because it serueth the great Common-weale.

I Will be of thy minde; go to then, and retire and hide thy selfe in repose, or rather hide thou thy repose. If thou canst not learne this by the Stoicks precepts, at least thou shalt learne it by their example. But by their preceps also thou shalt learne it, which I will approue vnto thee when thou wilt. We send not ouer to e∣uery Common-weale, neither alwayes, neither without any end. Moreouer, when we haue giuen a wise-man a Common-weale worthy of himselfe, that is to say, the world; he is not out of his Common-weale, although he be retired. But it may bee rather that forsaking a little corner, hee goeth into places more great and spacious, and lodging himselfe in heauen, he then vnderstandeth, that when he was mounted in his chaire, and in his throne, he was rather descended into a more base place. I will shut this secret in thy bosome. That a wise-man neuer profiteth so much, then when both humane and diuine things become the obiects of his eyes. I returne now vnto that which I began to perswade thee vnto, that is, that no man may know that thou wilt liue in repose. It be∣houeth thee not to couer this resolution vnder the cloake of retirement, where∣by thou mayest intend Philosophie. It were better thou shouldest obscure thine intent vnder some other title. Thou must call it sicknesse, feeblenes, idle∣nesse. It is a foolish ambition to glorie in doing nothing. There are certaine beasts, which because they will not be tracted, confound their steps euen about that place where they lurke in. The like must thou doe; otherwise thou shalt not want them that will follow the quest of thee. There are many that passe before the gates of those that are opened, without entring into them, and peepe into the cranies of those those that are closed. The coffer that is closed, whet∣teth on the theefe to breake it open, no man maketh reckoning of that which is

vnlocked, and these lock-pickers assault not the doore that is open. These are the manners of the common people, and thus doth the most ignorant. They desire to enter forcibly into others mens secrets. It is therefore most expedient for a man not to boast of his retirement, and it is a kinde of boasting, to ••e hid∣den too much, and to sequester a mans selfe from the sight of the people. This man is locked vp in Tarentum, that man is retired in Naples, and that other man ••or many yeares hath not ouerstrid his threshold. Vndoubtedly he•• summo∣neth the world to come and see him, that will suffer a report to passe of him through the citie, that he is retired. After thou hast retired thy selfe, thou must doe nothing that men may talke of thee; speake thou only with thy selfe. But what shalt thou talke with thy selfe? That which some men do willingly en∣tert••ine of others. Haue alwayes an ill opinion of thy selfe. Accustome thy selfe•• to speake the truth, and to heare it also. Aboue all things, speake thou of∣ten of those imperfections which thou feelest in thy selfe. There is no man but knoweth his owne infirmities. Therefore it is that some man disburdeneth his stomacke by vomit, another stuffes it with continuall eating, another emptieth and weakeneth his bodie by the meanes of fast. Those that are often tortured with the paines of the gout, abstaine either from bathing themselues, or drin∣king of wine. And without obseruance of any other manner of diet, they or∣dinarily ouercome the sickenesse wherewith they are tormented. So likewise there are certaine parts in our soule, which are the causes of our infirmities, which how we ought to recouer, we diligently must bethinke our selues. What doe I in that repose I take? I cure mine vlcer. If I should shew thee my foote swolne, my hand wholly mortified, or the dried sinewes of my contracted leg, thou wouldest giue me leaue to lie in one place, and to take pitie and regard my griefe. But that euill which I cannot see is farre greater. It is an inflamation and aposteme which I haue in my brest. I will not that thou praise me, neither will I that thou say, O great man! Hee hath despised all things, and after hee hath condemned all the furies of humane life, hee is fled. Alas I haue condemned nothing but mine owne proper actions. Thou must not desire to come vnto me, to the end to profit thy selfe. Thou art deceiued, if hence thou expectest any succours. Heere dwels not the Physitian, but the patient. I had rather when thou art gone, thou shouldest say. I thought this man to be a happy and learned man, I gaue eare vnto him, I am deceiued, I heard nothing, I saw no∣thing that I might desire, or that might allure me to returne againe vnto him. If this be thy opinion, if this be thy speech, I know thou hast profited somewhat; I had rather thou shouldest pardon my repose, then enuie it. What then Seneca, commendest thou repose of spirit vnto me? Thou growest an Epicure in thy opinon at length. I recommend vnto thee repose, to the end, that by the means thereof, thou mightest doe things more great and more excellent, th••n those which thou hast left behinde thee. To knocke at great mens gates, to keepe rec∣koning of old men that haue no children: to haue great reputation in Court, is but a momenta••y power, and full of enuie•• and if thou wilt speake truth, an abiect. This man farre surpasseth me in reputation amongst the Lawyers. He in his allowances and paies for seruice, and his dignities gotten thereby, he in the multitude of his clients, I cannot be so well followed as the one, nor reco∣uer so great reputation as the other. But I ought not to make so great account to be ouercome by men, prouide alwaies that I may ouercome Fortune. Would to God that had beene thy minde heretofore, to haue followed this purpose. Would to God wee held not this discourse of happie life, vpon that instant,

wherein death presenteth her selfe to our sight, yet let vs not delay for all this. For now beleeue we many things by experience, which we should haue belee∣ued by the discourse of reason, to be both super••luous and harmefull. Let vs do like those that set forward on their iourney late, and that by diligence would re∣couer the time which they haue lost, let vs pricke forward on the spurre. This age is as yet very proper to this studie: it is alreadie clensed from his skum: it hath alreadie left those vices which she could not conquer in the heate of her youth. There wanteth little, but that she hath wholly extinguished them. And when, saiest thou, shall this pro••it thee which thou learnest euen in the period of thy yeares, or to what intent? To this, that I may die the better: yet oughtest thou not to thinke that there is any age more proper vnto wisedome, then that which by long experience, and by a continuall and frequent sufferance of casual∣ties hath mortified and ouercom her selfe; and which after it hath triumphed ouer her affections, hath attained to the knowledge of that which profiteth and concerneth her selfe. This is the true time of that good which remaineth but a little while•• what man soeuer, and how olde soeuer hee be that hath attained wisedome, it is by his yeares that he hath compassed it.