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Seneca

Lucius Annæus Seneca

c4 BCE-65

The best vindication of the character of Seneca is found in his writings. It is simply impossible to suppose that the expression of so exceptionally humane, of so lofty, thoughts could have proceeded from other than an essentially good man in the best sense of the word. For, it can not be too emphatically stated, his was no common place and conventional morality. (Howard Williams, Ethics of Diet, "Seneca")

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1st c. BCE | Seneca, vol. 1 of The Epistles of Lucius Annæus Seneca, translated by Thomas Morell, in two volumes (London, 1786; Digitized by Google, 2006).

1st c. BCE | Seneca, vol. 2 of The Epistles of Lucius Annæus Seneca, translated by Thomas Morell, in two volumes (London, 1786; Digitized by Google, 2006).

Epistles

Epistle LX. On Vulgar Wishes and Luxury

Let the gods at length hear our disinterested prayer: how long must we importune them for something extraordinary, for our support? How long shall we fill all the fields around our great cities with tillage? How long must a whole province mow for us? How long shall a fleet of ships, from more than one sea, be scarce sufficeth to supply the table of one man? The ox is satisfied with the pasture of a few acres: one forest sufficeth for the maintenance of many elephants: but men must be pamper'd with the produce both of sea and land,—Hath nature then given us such an insatiable paunch, with so small a body, that we should surpass the greediness of the largest and most voracious animals? No: for how little falls to the share of nature! and indeed that she requires but little. It is not the hunger of the belly, that puts us to this expense, but ambition, pride and luxury.

Epistle LXXVI. On Wisdom, the Chief Good.

Know, that all things have their proper good;… the excellency in the stag is swiftness; in beasts of burthen, a strong back: and exquisite quickness of scent distinguished the hound; speed the greyhound; fierceness and courage to the bull-dog…: and what is the excellency in man? reason. It is this wherein man excells the brute creation, and draws near to the gods. Perfect reason therefore is the proper good of men. Other qualities he hath in common with plants and animals: is he strong? so are lions. Is he beautiful? so are peacocks. Is he swift? so are horses. I do not say how far he may excell, or be excelled in any of these points; for I am not enquiring after what is greatest in him, but what is his own. He has a body? so has a tree. Has he internal power of self motion! so have beasts, and even worms. Hath he a voice? some dogs have a louder; more shrill is that of the eagle, more deep that of the bull; and more sweet and voluble is the voice of the nightingale.

Epistle LXXXVII. On Frugality. The Sufficiency of Virtue. Casual Things Not To Be Reckoned Good

I have been shipwreck'd…Let me inform you of what I have learned from this journey: What abundance of superfluous things we make use of, and which we might most judiciously throw aside, since they are such, that if necessity should at any time deprive us of them, we should not be sensible to the loss.…I am satisfied with a few dried figs and tea. When I have any bread, the figs serve me for a dainty dish, when I have no bread, they supply its place.…I have made but a small progress in philosophy, since I dare not openly profess frugality and am under a concern at the opinion of every one that passeth by. Whereas we ought to exclaim against the opinions of the whole world, saying, "ye play the fool; ye are mistaken; ye doat on vanities; ye esteem no man for what he can call his own."

Epistle XC. On Philosophy, and the Invention of Arts

Nature requires nothing of us that is hard and difficult; that we can very well live without masons, and be clothed without trafficking with the Indians for silk; and have every thing that is necessary for the uses of life, were we content with such things as the earth produceth on its surface? which things, if mankind would give their attention to, we should find there would be no more need of cooks than of a standing army.

Eistle XCIII. Of Examples, or Characters

But now, alas! to what a degree are disorders multiplied! Such is the interest we pay for irrational and inordinate pleasures that we indulge ourselves in! But do you wonder why diseases multiply? Count the cooks.

Epistle CVIII. The Right Use of Reading or Hearing the Philosophers

But since I have begun to tell you with how much more earnestness I applied myself to philosophy, when a young man, than now when I am old, I shall not be ashamed to confess to you, what affection for Pythagoras Sotion inspired me with. He taught me, why Pythagoras abstained from animal food, and why after him Sextius: their reasons were different, but, both, very great. Sextius thought, that there was food enough for man in the world without shedding blood; and that the taking pleasure in butchering helpless animals, only inspired men with cruelty: he added hereunto, that luxury was not to be encouraged, and supposed of meats, and particularly such as are foreign to our constitutions are by no means a preservative of health, but the contrary. Whereas Pythagoras held that there was a sort of relationship among all animals, and a certain intercourse, whereby they passed out of one form into another. No soul either of man or beast (if you believe him) perisheth; nor indeed ceaseth any longer than while it is transmigrating into another body. And that after many revolutions and changes from one sort of body to another, it returns again to man. In the mean while this opinion had no small effect, in making men dread wickedness, and especially parricide: since it is possible they might unknowingly light upon the soul of a parent, and with knife and teeth violate the body wherein was lodged some kindred spirit.

When Sotion had explained to me these things, and confirmed them by his arguments… I began to abstain from eating flesh, and at the year's end, such abstinence became no only easy to me, but pleasant: I fancied my spirit more alert and free than it was before; nor to this day can I pretend either to affirm or deny it.

But you will ask, perhaps, how I came to discontinue this way of life? My youth fell out in the reign of Tiberius Cæsar, at what time the sacreds of some foreign nations were banished Rome; and among other superstitions, this was alledged as one, the abstaining from the flesh of certain animals. At the request of therefore of my father, who was no great admirer of philosophy, but hated reproach, I returned to the eating flesh as usual.…

…These thing I have related to you, Lucilius, to shew you, how readily and earnestly youth attend to the knowledge and practice of what is good; if there is any one to instruct them, and one to push them on: but on the one hand, there is generally a great defect or fault in the instructor, who teaches them rather how to dispute, than how to live; and, on the other, in the scholars, who bring with them to their master the design of having their tongue or wit polished, and not the mind. For whence, what before was philosophy, is now become philology.

1883 | Howard Williams, "Seneca," in The Ethics of Diet [First Edition: London & Manchester, 1883] 2nd ed. (London & Manchester, 1896; Online at Animal Rights History, 2006).