cum omnibus omnia effe, et idem obfervare in tuam perfonam, quod Lex Romana honori fenatus concefferit, fcilicet in Epiftola ultimum locum eligere, ne cum aporia et dedecore cupiam efficere quod mei arbitrii fuerit. Vale, devotiffime Magifter. Data quinto kal. Julii, Nerone quarto et Meffala confulibus. ter. clared, to become all things to all men, and to have that regard to your quality, which the Roman Law has honoured all fenators with; viz. to put my name last in the (infcription of the) Epiftle, that I may not at length with uneafinefs and fhame be obliged to do that which it was always my inclination to do. Farewell, moft respected maf Dated the fifth of the calends of July, in the fourth Confulfhip of Nero and Meffala. PAULO ANNEUS SENECA Salutem. Epift. VI. AVE, mi Paule chariffime. Si mihi, nominique meo vir tantus, et dilectus omnibus modis, non dico fueris junctus, fed neceffario mixtus: apte actum erit de Seneca tuo. Cum fis igitur vertex et altiffimorum omnium montium cacumen, haud te indignum in prima facie epiftolarum nominandum cenfeas; ne tam tentare me, quam ludere videaris; quippe cum fcias civem effe te Romanum. Nam qui meus, tuus apud te locus; qui tuus, velim ut ANNEUS SENECA to PAUL Greeting. ALL happiness to you, my deareft Paul. If a perfon fo great, and every way agreeable as you are, become not only a common, but most intimate friend to me, how happy will be the cafe of Seneca! You therefore, who are so eminent, and fo far exalted above all, even the greateft, do not think yourfelf unfit to be first named in the infcription of an Epiftle; left I fhould suspect you intend not fo much to try me, as to banter me; for you know yourself to be a Roman be in that circumftance or fta citizen. And I could wish to tion which you are, and that you were in the fame that I am. Farewell, meus. Vale, Paule chariffime. Data x. kal. Aprilis, Apriano et Capitone confu libus. PAULO ANNEUS SENECA AVE, mi Paule chariffime. Putafne me haud contriftari et non luctuofum effe, quod de innocentia veftra fubinde fumatur fupplicium? dehinc, quod tam obnoxios vos reatui omnis populus judicet, putans a vobis effici, quod in urbe contrarium fit? fed feramus æquo animo, et utamur foro, quod fors conceffit, donec invicta felicitas finem malis imponat. Tulit et prifcorum ætas Macedonem Philippi filium, et Dionyfium noftra quoque Caium Cæfarem: quibus quicquid libuit, licuit. Incendium urbs Romana unde fæpe patiatur, manifeste conftat: fed fi effari humilitas humana potuiffet, et impune his tenebris loqui liceret, jam omnes omnia viderent. Chriftiani et Judæi, quafi Farewell, deareft Paul. Dated the xth of the calends of April, in the Confulfhip of Aprianus and Capito. ANNEUS SENECA to PAUL Greeting. Epift. VII. ALL happiness to you, my deareft Paul. Do you not fuppofe I am extremely concerned and grieved, that your innocence should bring you into fufferings? And that all the people should fuppose you (Christians) so criminal, and imagine all the misfortunes that happen to the city, to be caused by you? But let us bear the charge with a patient temper, appealing (for our innocence) to the court (above), which is the only one our hard fortune will allow us to address to, till at length our misfortunes fhall end in unalterable happiness. Former ages have produced (tyrants) Alexander the fon of Philip, and Dionyfius; ours alfo has produced Caius Cæfar; whose inclinations were their only laws. As to the frequent burnings of the city of Rome, the cause is manifeft; and if a person in my mean circumstances might be allowed to speak, and one might declare these dark things without danger, every one should see the whole of the matter. The Christians machinatores incendii, fupplicio affici folent. Graffator ifte, quifquis eft, cui voluptas carnificina eft, et mendacium velamentum, tempori fuo deftinatus eft; et ficut optimi cujufque caput pro uno donatur capite, ita unum pro multis dabitur caput, et hic devotus pro omnibus igni cremabitur. Centum triginta duæ domus, infulæ quatuor sex diebus arfere: feptimus paufam dedit. Bene te valere opto. Data quinto kalend. Aprilis, Frigio et Baffo confulibus. Chriftians and Jews are indeed commonly punifhed for the crime of burning the city; but that impious mifcreant, who delights in murders and butcheries, and disguises his villainies with lies, is appointed to, or reserved till, his proper time; and as the life of every excellent perfon is now facrificed instead of that one perfon (who is the author of the mischief), fo this one shall be facrificed for many, and he fhall be devoted to be burnt with fire instead of all. One hundred and thirty two houses, and four whole fquares (or islands) were burnt down in fix days: the feventh put an end to the burning. I wish you all happiness. Dated the fifth of the calends of April, in the confulfhip of Frigius and Baffus. PAULO ANNEUS SENECA Salutem. Epift. VIII. AVE, mi Paule chariffime. Allegorice et ænigmatice multa a te ufquequaque opera conduntur, et ideo rerum tanta vis et muneris tibi tributa, non ornamento verborum, fed cultu quodam decoranda eft. Sæpius te dixiffe retineo, multos, qui talia affectent, fenfus corrumpere, et rerum virtutes evitare. Ca ANNEUS SENECA to PAUL ALL happiness to you, my deareft Paul. You have wrote many volumes in an allegorical and myftical style, and therefore fuch mighty matters and business being committed to you, require not to be set off with any rhetorical flourishes of speech, but only with fome proper elegance. I remember you often say, that many by affecting fuch a Style do injury to their fubjects, and lofe the force of the matters they $ terum hoc mihi concedas velim: Latinitati morem gere, honeftis vocibus fpeciem adhibe, ut generofi muneris conceffio digne a te poffit expędiri: bene vale. Data v. nonas Julii, Leone et Savino confulibus. PAULUS SENECA Salutem. Epift. VI. PERPENDENTI tibi ea funt revelata, quæ paucis Divinitas conceffit. Certus igitur ego in agro jam fertili femen fortiffimum fero, non quidem materiam, quæ corrumpi videtur, fed verbum ftabile Dei derivamentum crefcentis, et manentis in æternum. Quod prudentia tua affecuta eft, indeficiens fore debebit: Ethnicorum Ifraelitarumque obfervationes cenfeto vitandas. Quæ propemodum adeptus es, regi temporali, ejufque domefticis atque fidis amicis infinuabis. Quibus etfi afpera et incaptibilis erit perfuafio tua, cum plerique eorum minime flectantur infinuationibus tuis; fermo tamen Dei illis inftil they treat of. But in this I PAUL to SENECA Greeting. YOUR ferious confideration is requited with those difcoveries, which the Divine Being has granted but to few. I am thereby affured that I fow the most strong feed in a fertile soil, not any thing material, which is fubject to corruption, but the durable word of God, which shall increase and bring forth fruit to eternity. That which by your wisdom you have attained to, fhall abide without decay for ever. Believe that you ought to avoid the fuperftitions of Jews and Gentiles. The things which you have in fome measure arrived to, prudently infinuate (make known) to the Emperor, his family, and to faithful friends; and though your fentiments will feem difagreeable, and not be comprehended by them, feeing most of them will not regard your difcourfes, yet the Word latus, novum in his hominem pariet ad Deum hinc properantem. Vale, Seneca, chariffime nobis. Data kalend. Augufti, Leone et Savino confulibus. Word of God once infufed into them, will at length make them become new men, afpiring towards God. Farewell, Seneca, who art most dear to us. Dated on the calends of Auguft, in the confulfhip of Leo and Savinus. CHAP. X. The Letters of Paul and Seneca known in the fourth Century. No Chriftian Writers, except Jerome and Auftin, faw them. The Acts of Linus Spurious. The prefent Epiftles are the fame with the antient ones. Jerome and Austin did not efteem them genuine. HERE were extant in the fourth century, or fooner, 1. TH certain letters under the name of Paul to Seneca, and Seneca to Paul. This is evident by the teftimonies of Jerome, who places Seneca, by reafon of those letters, among the Ecclefiaftical and holy writers of the Chriftian Church 2. Lucius Annæus Seneca, born at Corduba (in Spain) a difciple of Sotio a Stoick", and uncle of Lucan the poet, was a person of very extraordinary temperance; whom I fhould not have ranked in (my) Catalogue of Saints, but that I was determined to not Photinus, as Senenfis read in his copy of Jerome, Bibl. Sanct. 1. 2. p. 88. in voc. Paulus. it |