Between Heathenism and Christianity - College of Stoic Philosophers

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Seneca: His Character and Environment
mained not the less a sage who gives instruction to
his age; while he was governing the Romans he
preached virtue to And them." he might have added,
to himself," for it is evident from many passages in
his works that he had himself in view no less than
others. He strove to fortify his own soul against
temptations by giving expression
to the tenets of
his philosophy, just as men find relief in sorrow by
recording the thoughts that pass through their minds.
We may be certain, too, that to his contemporaries
his speech often sounded bolder and freer than to us
with our inadequate knowledge of the inner life of
the Roman court-circle, and accustomed as we are
the freedom of criticism to which all our public char
acters, not excepting sovereigns, are subject. They
doubtless saw in many of his pithy sayings, allusions,
whether always intentional or not, does not matter, to
occurrences to which we no longer have the key.
Arid we may be sure that he was not without an abun
dance of enemies and detractors. A few of these
have left themselves on record for us. There were,
doubtless, also many persons who were wont to sneer
at the man who professed to find the highest good in
a contemplative life; in devotion to an ideal that difered
so widely from the reality in which he lived; and
who could yet maintain his influence at a court of
which little that was good could be said. Every so
ciety contains a certain number of members who re
gard all who endeavor to lead a better life than they
themselves do, or whose ideals are higher than their
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