?I. L. ANN^US SENECA TO LUCILIUS. 323 



*' Your letter delighted me, and ralfed me from lan- 

 gour. It excited the powers of my dechning imagina- 

 tion. You arc convinced then, my Lucilius, that the 

 foundation and preferver of a happy life is the perfua- 

 fion that to be good is to be happy, and that they only 

 are truly happy who circurafcribe their ambition by the 

 attainment ^f virtue. . Indeed, how can it be other- 

 wife ? fince they who feek for happinefs on the flipper y 

 and ever-revolving wheel of Fortune, muft become the 

 miferable flaves of Fortune and her favourites. Here, 

 you fee one inconfolable for the lofs of children, there, 

 another becaufe he has none to inherit his eftate : here, 

 one tormenting himfelf with the4eye of another man's 

 wife, there, a lucklefs hufband harrafled by the ,caprices 

 of his own. He parts with her, and repents. A third, 

 elevated to the heighth of his ambition, finks in the 

 mud of luxury, and is overwhelmed by the languor of 

 fatiated defire, or looks forward to death with horror, 

 as the approaching termination of his pleafures. 



♦' The fear of death is the fcourge of fcnfuality : it fits 

 on the lap of pleafure with us, and chafes us into the 

 inmoft receffes of our gratification, nor does it come as 

 a friend in our uttermoft diitrefs. We ftartat the very 

 name of the terrible deftroyer of our cxiftence, as per- 

 fecuted birds do at the flighteft noife, even the ruftling 

 of leaves. No one, therefore can be faid to be happy 

 who fears this enemy, or who builds his hope upon the 

 fmiles of Fortune. Terror is on the one hand, and 

 perturbation on the other. Do you, my Lucilius, con- 

 template Fortune as the holder of a gaming-table, en- 

 couraging the fuccefsful to fquander what they have 

 gained, and if Ihe gives you a fuccefsful throw, retire, 

 and learn to be fatisfied, by feeing the reverfes of For- 

 tune in your aflbciates. — To be good is to be happy. 



*< Behold the numberlefs examples of the julted and 



mod excellent of men, whofe lives have been fpent in 



one continued tiflue of dillrefs, from the exercife of 



flXeir fympathy, benevolence, and fortitude. Do you 



S s 2 



