Letters From a Stoic

by Seneca

  Clitus, Macedonian noble who once in battle saved the life of Alexander the Great, but was not always an unquestioning supporter of him, 143.

  Cornelii, the plural of Cornelius, a name borne by many celebrated Romans, including the Scipios, 147.

  Coruncanius (Tiberius Coruncanius), Roman statesman (consul 280 B.C.), soldier and jurist, 217.

  Cossus (Cornelius Lentulus Cossus), City Prefect under Tiberius, 142–3.

  Crassus (Lucius Licinius Crassus), Roman politician (consul 95 B.C.) and famous orator, 217.

  Crassus (Marcus Licinius Crassus), wealthy and power-hungry Roman politician of the first century B.C., at different times opponent of Pompey or supporter of both Pompey and Caesar, 193.

  Croesus, proverbially rich king of Lydia, in Asia Minor, in the sixth century B.C., overthrown by the Persians, 93.

  Cumae, Italian coastal town near Naples, 106.

  Curio (Gaius Scribonius Curio), Roman political figure (consul 76 B.C.), 217.

  Cyprus, 180.

  Daedalus, mythological Greek craftsman and inventor, 166.

  Darius, powerful ruler of the Persian Empire (521–486 B.C.), who made unsuccessful attempts to conquer Greece, 93.

  Demetrius, Macedonian military figure and later (in the early third century B.C.) King; campaigned in Greece, Cyprus and the Near East, 52.

  Demetrius, a Cynic philosopher of the time, a friend of Seneca, 183.

  Democritus, much admired Greek philosopher and mathematician (c. 460-c. 370 B.C.); associated with elaborate atomic theory of matter or the universe, 44, 172.

  Didymus, immensely learned Alexandrian Greek scholar of the first century B.C., producing (among other works) detailed commentaries on many classical authors, 159.

  Diogenes, renowned Greek philosopher (c. 400–325 B.C.), founder of the Cynic sect (Greek kunikoi, the canine or ‘doggish’ people, so nicknamed, apparently, because he and many later followers lived by begging and made a virtue of shamelessness), wit, ascetic, declared enemy of convention and worldly goods, his preaching about virtue and the simple life was largely adopted by the Stoics, 93, 166.

  Elea, town founded by Greek colonists in south Italy which produced a number of philosophers (of the ‘Eleatic’ school, all monists), 160.

  Ennius, early Roman poet (239–169 B.C.), 211.

  Epicurus, famous Greek philosopher (342/1–271/0 B.C.), founder of the Epicurean school, the main rival school to the Stoics; in physics followed, with modifications, Democritus’ atomist doctrine, regarded sense-perception as the only basis of knowledge, decried superstitions and all fear of the gods or death, and advocated a retiring life; the highest good, in his and his successors’ eyes, was pleasure (the Greek hedone), by which was meant not sensual indulgence but rather an independent freedom from all care; established in Athens a community living under him the simplest (e.g. diet mainly of bread and water) and most peaceful of existences; his letters, and will, reveal a warm, attractive personality, 34, 40, 44, 46–7, 49, 52–3, 56, 59, 65, 68–9, 72, 75, 77–8, 89.

  Fabianus (Papirius Fabianus), philosopher, a pupil of Sextius, and a lecturer attended by Seneca, 55, 85.

  Fabius Maximus, Roman statesman who did much, by tactics which earned him the title Cunctator (Delayer), to ensure final victory (a year after his death in 203 B.C.) over Hannibal, 147.

  Felicio, unknown, 57.

  Fenestella, learned historian writing around the beginning of our era, 210.

  Flaccus, friend of Lucilius, 113.

  Gallio (Lucius Junius Novatus), Seneca’s elder brother who became a consul and was governor of Achaea in A.D. 50–51 (cf. Introduction p. 7) and to whom a number of Seneca’s works are dedicated, 184.

  Gallus, Asinius, a venturesome politician who fell foul of the emperor Tiberius, whose former wife he had married long before; imprisoned in A.D. 30, he died in prison three years later of starvation, 106.

  Gargonius, character in Horace’s Satires, 148.

  Gaul, our version of the Roman name (Gallia) for the area of approximately modern France, 177.

  Gracchus (Gaius Sempronius Gracchus), 217, Roman reforming politician, killed in 122 B.C.

  Greece, 62, 180.

  Hannibal, great Carthaginian general and enemy of Rome, finally defeated by Scipio, at Zama (in what is now Tunisia) in 202 B.C., 145.

  Haterius, Quintus, forceful Roman advocate, whose volubility led the emperor Augustus to say (according to Seneca’s father) ‘Haterius needs a brake’, 85.

  Hecato, Stoic philosopher from Rhodes, pupil of Panaetius; who wrote mainly books on ethics, 38, 40, 48.

  Hecuba, wife of Priam, King of Troy, in Homer’s Iliad, 93, 152.

  Helen, in Homer Menelaus’ wife whose carrying off to Troy by Paris brought about the Trojan war, 152.

  Hermarchus, disciple of Epicurus and his successor as head of the Epicurean school, 40, 79.

  Hesiod, early Greek didactic poet, 74, 152.

  Hiero, ruler of Syracuse, in Sicily, in the third century B.C., 218.

  Homer, ancient Greek bard to whom the Iliad and Odyssey are traced, 74, 83. 152. 172.

  Horace, Roman lyric and satirical poet, 148.

  Isio, a clown, 62.

  Italy, 153, 163.

  Jove or Jupiter, the sky-god, the Greek Zeus, chief of the Olympian deities, 51, 199.

  Julius, Montanus, see Montanus, 223–4.

  Laelius (Gaius Laelius Minor), Roman politician of the second century B.C. (consul 140 B.C.), one of a circle of aristocratic and cultivated Romans receptive to Stoic ideas, 43, 56, 190.

  Latin Road, the Via Latina, ancient road running south-east from Rome, 130.

  Liberalis, friend of Seneca, native of Lyons, 177–8, 181.

  Liternum, town on the Italian coast, now Torre di Patria, not far north of Naples, 145.

  Livy, chief Roman historian (59 B.C.-A.D. 17), writing over a period of forty years a history of Rome in 142 books from the earliest times to his own, 89.

  Lucilius (Lucilius Junior), the addressee of these letters and of the Naturales Quaestiones (Problems in Nature) and of an essay De Providentia (On Providence), friend of Seneca, cf. Introduction pp. 12–13, passim.

  Lycurgus, legendary legislator of Sparta in Greece, 163.

  Lyons, the Roman Lugdunum, flourishing capital of one of the provinces of Gaul, founded in 43 B.C., 177, 181.

  Macedonia, also called Macedon, region in north of Greece which rose to world importance under Philip II and his son Alexander the Great; in 146 B.C., it became a province of the Roman empire, 180.

  Maecenas (Gaius Maecenas), friend and often representative of Augustus; celebrated patron of literature, 213–15, 219.

  Marcellinus, Tullius, friend of Lucilius, 126–7.

  Mars, Roman god of war, 61.

  Meander, much winding river, now the Menderes in western Turkey, 188.

  Metrodoms, first among the disciples of Epicurus but died before the master; prolific writer, mainly attacking the arguments of other schools, 40, 68, 79.

  Montanus, (Montanas Julius), Augustan poet, admired by Seneca’s father, 223–4.

  Nausiphanes, Greek philosopher of the fourth century B.C., who followed Democritus’ atomist theory and taught Epicurus, 160–61.

  Neptune, the Roman god of the sea who, in his Greek character (Poseidon) constantly harried Ulysses (Odysseus) on his long voyage home, the story of Homer’s Odyssey, 101.

  Nesis, the modern Nisida, not far from Naples, 100.

  Nestor, old warrior in Homer’s Iliad, 130.

  Nile, 110, 188.

  Niobe, in Greek mythology a mother suddenly robbed by divine vengeance of all her children, 114.

  Nomentum, the modern Mentana, in central Italy, where Seneca had a celebrated vine estate, 184.

  North Africa, 194.

  Numa (Numa Pompilius), early Roman king, traditionally 715–673 B.C., 210.

  Pacuvius, deputy to the governor of Syria during Tiberius’ rule, 58.

  Pallas, epithet of th
e goddess Athene, the Roman Minerva, one of whose temples stood on the promontory facing the island of Capri, 125.

  Panaetius, Stoic philosopher (c. 185–109 B.C.) from Rhodes, who knew many leading Romans; having also been the teacher of Posidonius and an influence upon Cicero, he was largely instrumental in the making known of Stoicism to Romans, 78.

  Panormus, the modern Palermo, in Sicily, 218.

  Paphos, city of Cyprus, 180.

  Papinius, Sextos, unknown Roman, 225.

  Parmenides, fifth century B.C., Greek philosopher living in Italy, monist, often regarded as the founder of logic, whose study of the verb ‘to be’ led him to deny, in opposition to Heraclitus, that anything changes, 160–1.

  Parthenope, the early name, which continued to be used by Roman poets, of Neapolis (the modern Napoli or Naples), 100.

  Patroclus, friend of Achilles, 152.

  Paulina (Pompeia Paulina), Seneca’s second wife, 184–5.

  Pedo, Albinovanus, poet, friend of Ovid, 225.

  Penelope, in Homer’s Odyssey the faithful wife of Ulysses who awaited his return faithfully for twenty years, 153.

  Pharius, Seneca’s physical trainer, 140.

  Phidias, famous Athenian sculptor of the fifth century B.C., 48.

  Philositus, one of Seneca’s estate managers, 57.

  Pinarius, Natta, unknown, 223.

  Piso, Lucius (Lucius Calpurnius Piso Frugi), Roman soldier and provincial governor (48 B.C.-A.D. 32); ‘praefectus’ (Prefect or Warden) of the City of Rome, enjoying the trust of Tiberius, for twenty years, 142.

  Plancus (Lucius Munatius Plancus), distinguished Roman soldier and provincial governor, consul in 42 B.C., 181.

  Plato, famous Athenian philosopher (c. 429–347 B.C.), greatly influenced by Socrates, of whom he was a pupil, author of the celebrated doctrine of ideas, thinker whose writings have influenced almost every philosopher, ancient or modern, since his day, 40, 93, 119–20, 212.

  Polyaenus, Greek philosopher, pupil of Epicurus, 40, 68.

  Pompey (Gnaeus Pompeus), ambitious and powerful Roman politician and successful general against foreign armies (106–48 B.C.), at first allied to Caesar but later defeated by him in the civil wars and murdered, 55, 193–4.

  Pomponius, probably Pomponius Secundus, little heard of but distinguished Roman, consul in A.D. 44, successful military commander in Germany, poet and serious dramatist, 36.

  Posidonius, important Stoic philosopher (c. 135-c. 51 B.C.), a Greek of Syrian birth, pupil of Panaetius; also a historian and a scientist (studying e.g. the oceans and tides, and primitive cultures, and calculating the circumference of the earth and the distance between the earth and the sun); Cicero attended his lectures and his writings were widely read; he taught, unusually among Stoics, that the soul did not perish with the body, 79, 139, 163–5, 168, 170–72, 190, 212.

  Priam, last king of Troy, 74, 193.

  Protagoras, Greek fifth-century philosopher, the most notable of the itinerant Sophists, an agnostic and sceptic; said, ‘Man is the measure of all things’, 160–1.

  Publilius, Syrian slave in the first century B.C., who earned his freedom at Rome and became a popular dramatist there, 46.

  Puteoli, the modern Pozzuoli, then the main port of Rome and a fashionable resort as well as a large commercial city not far from Naples, 100, 124.

  Pythagoras, influential Greek mathematician of that sixth century B.C., who established in south Italy a religious community believing in the transmigration of souls and practising vegetarianism, 163, 205–6.

  Quadratus, Satellius, unknown contemporary of Seneca, 74–5.

  Regulus (Marcus Atilius Regulus), Roman consul and military commander during the wars against Carthage, 219.

  Rhodes, 186.

  Rome, 57, 145, 182, 211.

  Romulus, mythical founder of Rome, 210.

  Sabinus, Calvisius, wealthy freedman, 73–5.

  Sallust (Gaius Sallustius Crispus), Roman politician and vivid historical writer of the first century B.C., 218–19.

  Sappho, Greek poet (born c. 612 B.C.) of Lesbos, 159.

  Sattia, nonagenarian, otherwise unknown, 130.

  Scipio (Pubilius Cornelius Scipio Africanus), famous Roman soldier (236–184 B.C.) whose brilliant tactics and generalship resulted in victory over the Cathaginian armies led by Hannibal; the achievement earned him the title Africanus (‘of Africa’, the final victory having been won in Carthaginian home territory in what is now Tunisia), 144–8, 211.

  Sejanus (Lucius Aelius Sejanus), ambitious Roman politician, executed in A.D. 31 for conspiring against the emperor Tiberius, of whom he had been a favourite, 106.

  Serapio, minor Stoic, philosopher from Asia Minor, 82.

  Serenus, Annaeus, close friend of Seneca, now dead, 117.

  Servius (Servius Tullius), early Roman king, traditionally 578–535 B.C., 210.

  Sextius (Quintus Sextius), eclectic philosopher of Rome in the Augustan period; Stoic, though he denied it, in his ethics, and Pythagorean in his vegetarianism, 205.

  Sibyl, the, legendary Italian prophetess, 76.

  Sicily, 153, 163.

  Socrates, remarkable Athenian figure (469–399 B.C.) whose method of inquiry into moral values and own personal character inspired Plato and other philosophers; not known to have put any philosophical thoughts or arguments into writing; condemned to death, unjustly, for ‘corrupting the youth’ of Athens, he refused an opportunity of escape and took the executioner’s poison, 40, 42, 75, 77, 186, 192–3.

  Solon, early Athenian statesman and legislator (639–559 B.C.); one of the ‘Seven Wise Men’ of antiquity, 163.

  Sotion, minor philosopher in Seneca’s time who may have been a pupil of Sextius, 205.

  Stilbo, Greek philosopher, head of the Megarian school in the fourth century B.C.; in ethics agreed with the Cynics on the importance of apatheia, immunity to feeling, 47, 52–3.

  Sulla (Lucius Cornelius Sulla), Roman general and dictator (138–78 B.C.), a reforming but cruel ruler, 55.

  Syracuse, city of Sicily, 218.

  Syria, 58, 180.

  Theophrastus, Greek scholar and philosopher of the fourth century B.C., pupil of Aristotle and almost as productive, writing systematic treatise on botany and other scientific subjects, and some amusing sketches called the Characters, 35.

  Thrace, the area, roughly speaking, of the eastern Balkans, 142.

  Tiber, Italy’s second largest river, on which Rome stands, 141.

  Tiberius, Augustus’ successor as emperor (A.D. 14–37), a suspicious though competent ruler, 142–3, 207, 223.

  Tigris, river in what is now Iraq, 188.

  Timagenes, an Alexandrian, apparently a wit, at one time a friend of the emperor Augustus, 181.

  Timon, the misanthrope of Athens, 67.

  Tubero (Quintas Aelius Tubero), distinguished Roman Stoic in the first century B.C., 190.

  Tyrants, the Thirty, an unconstitutional band of oligarchs who inaugurated a reign of terror in Athens in 404 B.C., 192.

  Ulysses, the Latin name of the hero of Homer’s Odyssey, 101, 113, 152–3, 229.

  Varius, Geminus, Augustan orator, 85.

  Varus (Publius Quinctilius Varus), Roman general and provincial governor, consul in 13 B.C.; in Germany with three legions in A.D. 9, his entire army was wiped out in a sudden German attack near the modern Osnabruck and he took his own life, 93.

  Varus, Roman knight, 224.

  Vatia, Servilius, cautious Roman politician of the civil wars period, 106–8.

  Vinicius, Marcus, Roman general, consul in 19 B.C., 224.

  Vinicius, Publius, Augustan orator, quoted several times by Seneca’s father, consul in A.D. 2, 85.

  Virgil (Publius Vergilious Maro), the greatest Roman poet (70–19 B.C.), author of the Roman epic, the Aeneid, of the Georgia and shorter, pastoral poems, who soon became a model to later writers and a school text-book; Seneca quotes from him some 65 times in the Letters to Lucilius, 75–6, 101, 112, 149, 191, 208–9, 2
11, 220.

  Zaleucus, early Greek legislator, laying down laws for many cities founded by Greeks in Italy and Sicily, 163.

  Zeno, founder, having previously been a Cynic, of the Stoic philosophy in the early part of the third century B.C., (cf. Introduction, p. 14.); author of most of its basic beliefs, regarding ethics as the most important part of philosophy,.40, 79–80, 141, 190, 212.

  Zeno of Elea, Greek monist philosopher and logician, born about 490 B.C., pupil of Parmenides, 160–61.

  * Philosophers of the Cynic school.

  * The authorship is not known.

  * Presents which were customary during the Saturnalia holidays.

  * A short, obscure digression (§§6 to 7) concerning divisions of time is omitted.

  * Virgil, Aenteid, IV:653.

  * The next sentence (dealing further with the correct manner of declamation) is omitted, the text being hopelessly corrupt.

  † Baba, and one may presume also Isio, was a celebrated fool or down.

  * A festival lasting several days, commencing on the 17th December.

  * Epicureans. As the next sentence indicates, rich men sometimes had a room fitted out for the purpose.

  * Virgil, Aeneid, VIII: 364–5.

  * Alcaeus, Sappho, Stesichorus, Ibycus, Bacchylides, Simonides, Alcman, Anacreon, Pindar.

  * Aeneid, III:72.

  * Aeneid, VI:78–9.

  * Ovid, Metamorphoses, XIII:824.

  * Apophthegms.

  * Iliad, III:222 and I:249.

  * Virgil, Aeneid, VIII:352.

  * Many ex-slaves had risen to high positions under Claudius and Nero.

  * The text for three or four words is corrupt to the point of being untranslatable.