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. V.

GReat Augustus whome the Gods did more for then euer else for any man, ceased not to pray for rest and exemption out of com∣mon causes; all his speech still came to this end, if he once might come to quietnesse, yea all his labours hee did sawce with this false but pleasant comfort, hee would one day surely liue to him∣selfe, and in one Epistle which hee wrote vnto the Senate, (wherein hee prote∣sted that his rest and quiet priuate life should doe him more good and credite also, then his life already led in renowne and glory) I finde these words inser∣ted. But I know it were more credit for mee so to do, then to say so; howbeit such desire I ha••e thereto, as because I cannot in deede performe it, some pleasure yet I thought to reape, by talking onely of so pleasant a matter. So great a thing was rest in his con∣ceit, as the same because hee could not indeed attaine vnto; yet in worde hee thought to ioy in it, and he that saw euen all things depend of him, being able indeed to make happy or in••ortunate whomsoeuer, or whensoeuer he pleased, tooke great pleasure to remember the day and time, when hee should doe of his owne greatnesse, and become his owne man: hee had tried what sweate and swincke his estate (which all men deemed to be so good and glittering, did cost him to maintaine it: and how much priuy hartburning, and heart aking to it, dayly harboured, being forced to make warre first with the Citizens of Rome, then with his fellow officers, lastly with his kindred, shedding bloud by sea and land in Macedonia, Sicilia, AEgypt, Siria and Asia, coursed almost throughout all Countries, yea and when hee had thus glutted himselfe in a manner with Romane slaughter, hee was forced to turne himselfe against forraine nations: And being likely to quiet some troubles in the Alpes, hauing vanquished other enemies that disturbed this his peaceable and setled Empire, while hee set for∣ward to enlarge the same beyond Rhenus, Euphrates and Danubius, at home euen in the City, Murena, Cepio, Lepidus, and the Egn••tij•• prepared armes against him: yea, and hauing sca••sly fully escaped these their attempts, his daughter Iulia, and many noble young gentlemen (knit in league by reason of their too much familiarity with that loose lewd Lady) beganne to bee terrible vnto the Father, who in their opinion liued somewhat too long: after whom also ••uluia caused her husband Anthonie to take weapon against him, no history sheweth why. All which sores when hee had cut away, with the parties also in which they were, yet s••ill there rose new, not vnlike a body too full of humours, whereof alwayes some one part or other breaketh out continually into a sicknesse: wherefore hee wished to liue in rest, the onely hope and thought whereof, was the onely ease of all his labours, and this one thing was the dayly prayer and desire of him, who was able otherwise to make euery man master of his desires beside himselfe. Marcus Cicero long time tos∣sed vppe and downe betweene Catiline and Clodius, betwixt Pompey and Crassus, who were his open enemies, the rest his doubtfull and vncertaine friends, whilest hee wrestled with the common wealth, and laboured to hold it vp, that now was running more and more to ruine, was at length ouerborne and forced to yeeld to the burthen of it, being neither quiet in prosperity, nor patient in the contrary: this M. Cicero, how often not without cause also doth hee detest that his office borne as Consul, which till then at first, hee neuer cea∣sed to commend without end, which in truth hee did not without cause ex∣toll,

when he spake most of it. What dolefull speeches f••l••e•• hee into in one E∣pistle to Atticus, vpon the newes that Pompey the father was vanq••ished, when his sonne the yonger Pompey ren••ed his fathers quailed quarrell in the parts of Spaine? Aske you, quoth he, what I make here, I keepe my selfe to my Tuscul••ne, now at length halfe become mine owne man: adding also other things in the foresaid let∣ter, wherein both hee bewaileth his time forespent, he complaineth of the pre∣sent, and despaireth of any good in the time to c••me: hee calleth himselfe now halfe his owne, where in truth no Wise man euer could vse so base and slauish a terme, who will neuer bee so little as halfe his owne, but alwayes will be whole his owne, his owne entire, fr••e from others becke and boorde, his owne to vse with little reckoning, what others account therof; for what needeth he regard what others say, who treadeth fortune vnder foot, as euery wise man eyther doth or should do.