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.

CHAP. XV.

OF these thou mayest obtaine whatsoeuer thou wilt; nor will they be in the fault if thou take not of them as much as thou art able: Oh how happy is that olde man that hath spent all his dayes in the seruice of them! hee is sure of secret friends with whom he may consult in great things or small, whose counsaile he may aske euery houre at his pleasure, from whom truth he shall heare with∣out vpbrayding, praise without flatterie, and whom well he may imitate with∣out note of apishnesse. We say commonly we could not chuse of whom wee would be borne; but of such we came as our fortune was we should come: but in this case yet we may chuse of whom we will be borne. These worthy wits and write••s haue their stocke and families; chuse of which thou wilt be, and thou shalt be not onely of his name, but his successor also for his wealth and liuelyhood, which is also commonly the more ample, among the more it is di∣uided: these will leade thee to eternity, and will lift thee vp so high, as whence no man liuing shall bee able to remoue thee. And this is onely the way to stretch out thy mortalitie, yea, to change it into immortalitie if any there be. Honours and other monuments, what euer either ambition hath by Law esta∣blished, or cost hath built, do quickly perish. Time weares out all things, yea, and soonest weareth those things which it hath made hallowed; only wisdom can∣not be hurt nor impaired any way. No time present can consume it, nor time to com diminish it, the longer it lasteth the more it is still regarded; for enuy touch∣eth onely things neere in memory•• and more absolutely do we reuerence things farther off. And so we see the wise-mans life is large enough, he is not inclosed as others are, but is onely freed from the lawes, that otherwise mankinde is streightned withal: yea, all time doth yeeld vnto him, as it yeeldeth we conf••sse to the gods themselues. Time is past: this consideration doth him good. Time is come: this he vseth. Time will come: he preuenteth it; and thus compa∣ring time with time, makes his life very long, whereas their life is very short, who forget the time past•• neglect that is p••esent, and ••eare the time to come: which when it once is come, too late poor•• ••••en they finde, they were all very busie in doing nothing.