A Dictionary of Greek and Roman biography and mythology. By various writers. Ed. by William Smith. Illustrated by numerous engravings on wood.

SENECA. SENECA. 779
tation. He who consents to be the tutor of a move him on the ground of his supposed adherence
vicious youth of high station, whom he cannot to the cause of Agrippina (Tacit. Ann. xiii. 20).
control, must be content to take the advantages of But Plinius and Cluvius Rufus said that Nero
his post, with the risk of being blamed for his never doubted the fidelity of Burrus, and that in his
pupil's vices. alarm and his impatience to get rid of his mother,
Claudius was poisoned by his niece and wife he could not be pacified till Burrus promised that
Agrippina A. D. 54, and Nero succeeded to the she should be put to death, if she should be conImperial power. Tacitus (Ann. xiii. 2, &c.) states victed of the designs which were imputed to her.
that both Burrus and Seneca attempted to check Burrus and Seneca paid Agrippina a visit, with
the young emperor's vicious propensities; and some freedmen, to be witnesses of what took place.
both combined to resist his mother's arrogant pre- Burrus charged her with treasonable designs, to
tensions. A woman assuming the direct exercise which Agrippina replied with indignant eloquence.
of political power was a thing that the Romans A reconciliation with Nero followed, her accusers
had not yet seen, and it was inconsistent with were punished, and her friends rewarded; neither
all their notions. The opposition of Burrus and Burrus nor Seneca was under any imputation of
Seneca to the emperor's mother was the duty of having prejudiced Nero against her.
good citizens. The affair of P. Suilius (A. D. 58) brought some
Nero pronounced the funeral oration in memory discredit on Seneca. Suilius had been a formidable
of Claudius. The panegyric on the deceased instrument of tyranny under Claudius, and was
emperor was listened to with decency and patience justly hated. He was charged under a Senatustill Nero came to that part of his discourse in consultum, which had amended the Lex Cincia,
which he spoke of the foresight and wisdom of with receiving money for pleading causes; a feeble
Claudius, when there was a general laugh. The pretext for crushing an odious man. The defence
speech, which Nero delivered, was written by of Suilius was an attack on Seneca: he charged
Seneca in a florid style, suited to the taste of the him with debauching Julia, the daughter of Gerage, with little regard to truth, and none for his manicus, and hinted at his commerce with women of
own character, for he afterwards wrote a satire the imperial family, probably meaning Agrippina;
(Apocolocyntosis) to ridicule the Apotheosis of the and he asked by what wisdom, by what precepts
man whom he had despised and praised'. of philosophy he had, during a four-years' intimacy
In the first year of his reign Nero affected with an emperor, amassed a fortune of three hunmildness and clemency, and such was the tone of dred million sestertii: at Rome he was a hunter
his orationes to the senate; but these professions after testamentary gifts, an ensnarer of those who
were the words of Seneca, uttered by the mouth were childless; Italy and the provinces were
of Nero; the object of Seneca was, as Tacitus drained by his exorbitant usury. His own profits,
says, either to give public evidence of the integrity Suilius said, were moderate, and earned with toil;
of his counsels to the emperor, or to display his and he would endure any thing rather than humble
abilities. There might be something of both in himself before an upstart favourite. We must
his motives; but it is consistent with a fair judg- assume that Suilius supposed that Seneca had
ment and the character of Seneca's writings to moved against him in this matter: his words were
believe that he did attempt to keep Nero within reported to Seneca, and perhaps aggravated. A
the limits of decency and humanity. A somewhat charge was got up against him, it is not said by
ambiguous passage of Tacitus (Ann. xiii. 13), whom, as to his infamous deletions under Claudius,
seems to affirm that he endeavoured to veil Nero's and he was banished to the Balearic Islands. The
amour with Acte under a decent covering; and words of such a man are no proof of Seneca's
Cluvius (Tacit. Ann. xiv. 2) states that the amour guilt; but the enormous wealth of Seneca gave a
wiith Acte was encouraged to prevent a detestable colour of truth to any thing that was said against
crime. "What a part for a Stoic to play," says him. (Tacit. Ann. xiii. 42.)
one of Seneca's biographers, "whose duty it was Nero's passion for Poppaea brought the contest
to recall his disciple to the arms of his wife, the between him and his mother to a crisis (Tacit.
virtuous Octavia." The Stoic probably did the Ann. xiv. 1. A. D. 59). Poppaea burned to become
best that he could under the circumstances. the wife of Nero, but she saw that it was inmThe murder of Britannicus A. D. 55 was followed possible while Agrippina lived. She plied Nero
by large gifts from Nero to his friends; and "there with her blandishments, her tears, and even her
were not wanting persons to affirm, that men who sarcasms; and at last he resolved to kill his mother,
claimed a character for sober seriousness, divided and the only question was as to the way of doing
among themselves houses and villae at that time, it. After an unsuccessful attempt to drown her,'as if it were so much booty." (Tacit. Ann. Nero, terrified at the failure of his plan, sent for
xiii. 18.) The allusion is supposed to be to Burrus and Seneca. Whether they were preSeneca and Burrus; but the passage of Tacitus viously acquainted with the design against Agripcontains no distinct charge against either of them. pina's life is uncertain (Tacit. Azn. xsv. i ). Dion
It was unlucky for Seneca's reputation that he Cassius (lxi. 12), with his usual malignity, accuses
was rich; for a man in power cannot grow rich, Seneca of instigating Nero to the crime. Burrus
even by honest means, without having dishonesty and Seneca were long silent in the presence of
imputed to him. Nero; either they thought that it would be useless
The struggle for dominion between Nero and to dissuade the emperor from his purpose, or, what
his mother could only be decided by the ruin of is more probable, they saw that either the mother
one of them; and if Seneca wished to enjoy credit or the son must perish. Seneca broke the silence
with Nero, it was necessary that he should get by asking Burrus if orders should be given to the
rid of this imperious woman. Fabius Rusticus soldiers to put Agrippiia to death. Burrus replied
says that Seneca maintained Burrus in his post of that the soldiers were devoted to the family of
Praefectus Praetorio, when Nero intended to re- Germanicus, and would not shed the blood of his