In the book that Seneca wrote against superstitions, treating of images, says St. Austin*, he writes thus.-"They represent the holy, the immortal, and the inviolable gods, in the basest manner, and without life, or motion in the forms of men, beasts, fishes, some of mixed bodies, and those figures they call deities; which, if they were but animated, would affright a man, and pass for monsters." And then a little farther, treating of natural theology, after citing the opinions of philosophers, he supposes an objection against himself "Somebody will, perhaps, ask me, would you have me then to believe the heavens, and the earth, to be gods; and some of them above the moon, and some below it? Shall I ever be brought to the opinion of Plato, or of Strabo, the Peripatetic: the one of which would have God to be without a body, and the other without a mind? To which he replies"And do you give more credit then to the dreams of T. Tatius, Romulus, and Hostilius, who caused, among other deities, even fear and paleness to be worshipped? The vilest of human affections; the one being the motion of an affrighted mind; and the other, not so much the disease, as the colour of a disordered body. Are these the deities that you will rather put your faith in, and place in the heavens?" And, speaking afterwards of their abominable customs, with what liberty does he write? "One," says he, "out of zeal, makes himself an eunuch; another lances his arms: if this be the way to please their gods, what should a man do if he had a mind to anger them? or, if this be the way to please them, they do certainly deserve not to be worshipped at all. What a frenzy is this, to imagine, that the gods can be delighted with such cruelties, as even the worst of men would make a conscience to inflict! The most barbarous and notorious of tyrants, some of them have, perhaps, done it themselves, or ordered the tearing of men to pieces by others, but they never went so far as to command any man to torment himself. We have heard of those that have suffered castration, to gratify the lust of their imperious masters, but never any man that was forced to act it upon himself. They murder themselves in their very temples, and their prayers are offered up in blood. Whosoever shall but observe what they do, and what they suffer, will find it so misbecoming an honest man, so unworthy of a freeman, and so inconsistent with the action of a man in his wits, that he must conclude them all to be mad, if it were not that there are so many of them; for only their number is their justification, and their protection. "When he comes to reflect," says St. Augustine, "upon those pas sages which he himself had seen in the capitol, he censures them with

De Civ. Dei. lib. 6. cap. 10.

liberty and resolution: and no man would believe that such things would be done, unless in mockery, or frenzy. What lamentation is there in the Egyptian sacrifices for the loss of Osiris ? and then, what joy for the finding of him again? which he himself makes sport with; for, in truth, it is all a fiction; and yet those people, that neither lost any thing, nor found any thing, must express their sorrows, and their rejoicings, to the highest degree. But there is only a certain time," says he," for this freak, and once in a year people may be allowed to be mad. I came into the capitol," says Seneca, "where the several deities had their several servants and attendants, their lictors, their dressers, and all in posture and action, as if they were executing their offices, some to hold the glass, others to comb out Juno's and Minerva's hair, one to tell Jupiter what o'clock it is; some lasses there are, that sit gazing upon the image, and fancy Jupiter has a kindness for them. All these things," says Seneca awhile after, "a wise man will observe for the law's sake, more than for the gods; and all this rabble of deities, which the superstition of many ages has gathered together, we are in such manner to adore, as to consider the worship to be rather matter of custom, than of conscience." Whereupon St. Augustine observes-that this illustrious senator worshipped what he reproved, acted what he disliked, and adored what he condemned.

SENECA'S

LIFE AND DEATH.

It has been an ancient custom, to record the actions and the writings of eminent men, with all their circumstances; and it is but a right that we owe to the memory of our famous author. Seneca was, by birth, a Spaniard, of Cordova (a Roman colony, of great fame and antiquity). He was of the family of Annæus, of the order of knights; and the father, Lucius Annæus Seneca, was distinguished from the son, by the name of the orator. His mother's name was Helvia, a woman of excellent qualities. His father came to Rome in the time of Augustus, and his wife and children soon followed him, our Seneca yet being in his infancy. There were three brothers of them, and never a sister. Marcus Annæus Novatus, Lucius Annæus Seneca, and Lucius Annæus Mela. The first of these changed his name for Junius Gallio, who adopted him to him it was that he dedicated his Treatise of Anger, whom he calls Novatus too; and he also dedicated his discourse of a Happy Life, to his brother Gallio. The youngest brother (Annæus Mela) was Lucan's father. Seneca was about twenty years of age in the fifth year of Tiberius, when the Jews were expelled Rome. His father trained him up to rhetoric, but his genius led him rather to philosophy, and he applied his wit to morality and virtue. He was a great hearer of the celebrated men of those times, as Attalus, Sotion, Papirius, Fabianus (of whom he makes often mention), and he was much an admirer also of Demetrius, the cynic, whose conversation he had afterwards in the court, and both at home also, and abroad, for they often travelled together. His father was not at all pleased with his humour of philosophy, but forced him upon the law, and for a while he practised pleading. After which he would need put him upon public employment, and he came first to be quæstor, then prætor, and some will have it that he was chosen consul; but this is doubtful.

Seneca, finding that he had ill offices done him at court, and that Nero's favour began to cool, he went directly and resolutely to Nero, with an offer to refund all that he had gotten. Which Nero would not receive; but, however, from that time he changed his course of life, received few visits, shunned company, went little abroad; still pretending to be kept at home either by indisposition, or by his study. Being Nero's tutor and governor, all things went well, so long as Nero followed his counsel. His two chief favourites were Burrhus and Seneca, who were both of them excellent in their ways: Burrhus in his care of military affairs, and severity of discipline; Seneca for his precepts and good advice in the matter of eloquence, and the gentleness of an honest mind; assisting one another in that slippery age of the prince (says Tacitus), to invite him, by the allowance of lawful pleasures, to the love of virtue. Seneca had two wives, the name of the first is not mentioned, his second was Paulina, whom he often speaks of with great passion. By the former he had his son Marcus.

In the first year of Claudius he was banished into Corsica, when Julia, the daughter of Germanicus, was accused by Messalina of adultery, and banished too; Seneca being charged as one of the adulterers. After a matter of eight years, or upwards, in exile, he was called back, and as much in favour again as ever. His estate was partly patrimonial, but the greatest part of it was the bounty of his prince. His gardens, villas, lands, possessions, and incredible sums of money, are agreed upon at all hands, which drew an envy upon him. Dido reports him to have had 250,000l. sterling at interest, in Britany alone, which he called in all at a sum. The court itself could not bring him to flattery; and, for his piety, submission, and virtue, the practice of his whole life witnesses for him. "So soon," says he*, " as the candle is taken away, my wife, that knows my custom, lies still, without a word speaking, and then do I recollect all that I have said or done that day, and take myself to shrift. And why should I conceal, or reserve any thing, or make any scruple of inquiring into my errors, when I can say to myself-do so no more, and for this once I will forgive thee? And again, what can be more pious and self-denying, than this passage in one of his epistles ?t-Believe me now, when I tell you the very bottom of my soul: in all the difficulties and crosses of my life, this is my consideration-since it is God's will, I do not only obey, but assent to it; nor do I comply out of necessity, but inclination." Here follows now, says Tacitus, the death of Seneca, to Nero's great satisfaction; not so much for any pregnant proof against him, that he