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. I.

EXcept I knew Marcia that thou wert so farre e∣stranged from womannish infirmity of minde,* 1.1 as from other vices, and that euery man obserueth thy manners, as it were some ancient patterne of vertue. I durst not vndertake to encounter with thy sorrow, whereunto men are too willingly inclined & subiect: neither had I conceiued any hope in a time so vnreasonable, before a Iudge so partiall, in a crime so hatefull, that I could ef∣fect this, that thou shouldest complaine of thy fortune: but the approued constancy of thy mind and thy vertue confirmed by many trials, haue animated me, and made mee confident. It is not vnknowne in what sort thou diddest behaue thy selfe in the person of thy Father, whom thou louedst no lesse then thou diddest thy children, except in this that thou diddest not desire that hee should not ouer∣liue thee, yet know I not whether thou diddest wish it mee or no. For a great piety permitteth it selfe some thing, which are not answerable to good and laudable manners of life. Thou hinderest as many as lay in thy power the death of Aulus Crenutius Cordus thy father. But when hee had discouered vnto thee, that hee had but one meanes to escape from seruitude, wherein hee was detained by the vassals of Seianus, thou fauouredst not his counsels, but suffe∣redst thy selfe to bee ouercome, and secretly powredst forth teares, thou de∣uouredst thy sorrow, yet couldest not conceale it with a merry countenance: and this in the age wherein it was great piety to doe nothing impiously. But as soone as the reuolution of time presented thee any occasion, thou brough∣test him to light for the generall good of all men) the testimonies of thy fa∣thers wisdome, who was put to death, and exemptedst him from the graue by publishing and communicating those his bookes vnto the world, which that worthy man had written with his owne bloud. Worthily hast thou deserued of the Romane studies, for the greater part of them was consumed by fire; worthily of posterity, to whom the incorrupted truth of former occurrents shal bee testified to the glory of that great man thy father, who wrote them; wor∣thily at his hands, whose memory shall flourish and liue as long as men are de∣sirous to know the Roman affaires, as long as there shall bee any who will re∣flect & read th•• acts of antiquity, as long as there is any that would know what a braue Romane, who seeing the yoake of Seianus vpon his necke, and his feete treading on the heades of euery man, hath brauely discharged himselfe of that seruitude, and shewed that both in vnderstanding, soule, and hand hee was a free man. Truely the common weale had suffered a great losse, if thou haddest not brought this worthy person to light, who was buried in obliuion, to let vs see two worthy parts in him, to witte, his ••loquence and liberty: hee is read, hee flourisheth, hee is entertained in mens hands and hearts, he feareth no in∣iury of time. But the hainous crimes of those bloudy butchers, who deserue

memorie for nothing but their murthers,* 1.2 shall bee obscured. This greatnesse of thy minde, for bad me to looke backe vnto thy Sexe, for bad me to behold thy countenance, which the continuall sorrowes of so many yeares as it once clou∣ded, it so now couereth it: But consider that I intend not to surprise thee, nei∣ther thinke thou that I will s••eale away thy passions. I haue refreshed the me∣morie of thine ancient euils: And wilt thou know that this wound also is curea∣ble? I haue shewed thee the cicatrice of as great a wound. Let other men ther∣fore dally and flatter with thy sorrowes, I am resolued to combat with thy griefe, and if thou wilt heare a truth, I will drie vp the current of those teares that haue wearied and wasted thine eyes, which rather now flow by custome then any desire or cause, which may bee done if thou fauour those remedies which I present thee: if not, I will doe it against thy will, although thou retai∣nest and entertainest thy griefe, which thou hast reserued to continue in thy Sonnes place. But what end shall there be? All things are attempted in vaine. Thy friends are wearied with talking with thee, thy Allies and other great personages know no more what to speake vnto thee, thy deaff-eares entertain no solace, although a man relate vnto thee that which thou hast learned, and the goodly meanes and demeasnesse that thy father left thee. These are words that stand thee in no vse, but for the time they are a speaking. The naturall re∣medie of time likewise, which appeaseth the greatest sorrowes, hath lost his power in thee alone. Three yeares are already past, and yet the vehemence of this thy passion is no wayes moderated, thy sorrow reneweth and fortifieth it selfe daily by course of time it hath gotten possession; yea, and is growne to that height, that thou reputest it a shamefull thing to dismisse it and giue it ouer. Euen as all vices get possession and preheminence in the heart, except they be oppressed, euen then when they appeare. So likewise these perplexi∣ties and miseries, enraged against them selues, doe feede them selues at last by their owne acerbitie•• and sorrow becommeth a depraued pleasure of the vn∣happie minde. I could haue wished therefore that I could haue ministred a medicine to this sorrow in the beginning, a sleight remedie had beene sufficient to extinguish the furie of this passion vpon the first approach. Where now since the griefes are inueterate, the remedies ought to be more vehement. For those wounds are easily cured which are but newly inflicted; then are they ••ea∣red, s••arched, and indure the touching; yea, they are hardly healed when they are putrified, and that time hath brought them to an inue••erate vlcer. I can not now to please thee, handle thy rebellious wound gently, I must presse out the poison, and clense it with sharpe medicines.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Seneca in this place intending to comfort Mar∣cia in the death of her sonne, pro∣poseth two things in this Preface. The one the greatnesse of her courage in the death of her father. The other the good sh••e did vnto the Romans by producing his ••••stories, which testifie that shee patiently endu∣red such a losse.
• * 1.2

  He excuseth the vehemencie, hee is resolued to vse considering the vigor of Mar••••∣as minde, the time past since her afflictions, and the con∣tempt of those cons••lations that haue beene mi∣nistred vnto her.