gantly expressed, seems to me very far from being right; for though the Epistle be certainly spurious, yet its style will not prove it to be so, because (as I have observed) it is for the most part taken out of one of St. Paul's genuine Epistles, and consequently must needs be in his style. It is surprising therefore, that Erasmus should make use of this argument, seeing he himself had made the same observation, though he mistook the Epistle to the Colossians for that to the Philippians; as did also Sixtus Senensis in the same matter a. In the next words that writer proposes a conjecture concerning the author of this forgery, viz. that "it was made by the same person who "corrupted the works of Jerome and the other fathers." I wish he had given us the reasons of his opinion, and told us who this person was. If I were to guess concerning the time. of its production, I would suppose that which we have now to be of a very late original, and the composure of some idle monk, not long before the reformation; although I am not ignorant that Timotheus of Constantinople, a writer of the seventh century, according to Dr. Caveb, reckons the Epistle to the Laodiceans among the more ancient forgeries of the Manichees C. CHAP. IX. Six Epistles of St. Paul to Seneca, and eight of Seneca to Paul. THE high opinion that several very learned writers have entertained of these Epistles, their undoubted antiquity, and their not being (as far as I know) yet translated into English, influences me to insert them here. The Jesuit Salmeron cites them to prove, that Seneca was one of Cæsar's household, referred to by Paul, Philipp. iv. 22. as saluting the brethren at Philippi; and would persuade us, that these Epistles of Paul to Seneca are not unlike the Epistles which are now received into the canon, and directed to particular persons, viz. that of St. Paul to Philemon, St. John's Second Epistle, which is to the elect lady, and his Third, which is to Caius. Sixtus Senensis has Cod. Apocr. Nov. Test. t. 1. p. 138, 139. a Bibl. Sanct. 1. 2. p. 88. b Histor. Literar. vol. 1. p. 447. published them in his Bibliotheque, p. 89, 90; from whom I have here transcribed them. No. IV. St. Paul's Epistles to Seneca, with Seneca's to PAULO ANNEUS SENECA Salutem. Epist. I. Paul. CREDO tibi, Paule, nunciatum quod heri cum Lucilio nostro de hypocrisi et aliis rebus habuimus. Erant enim quidam disciplinarum tuarum comites mecum ; nam in hortos Sallustianos secesseramus, quo in loco occasione nostra alio tendentes hi, de quibus dixi, nobis adjuncti sunt. Certè quod tui præsentiam optamus, et hoc scias volo: libello tuo lecto, id est de plurimis literis aliquas Epistolas, quas ad aliquam civitatem seu caput provinciæ direxisti, mira exhortatione vitam moralem continentes, usque refecti sumus. Quos sensus non puto ex te dictos, sed per te, certe aliquando ex te, et per te; tanta enim majestas ANNEUS SENECA to PAUL Greeting.. I SUPPOSE, Paul, that you have been informed of that conversation, which passed yesterday between me and my Lucilius, concerning hypocrisy and other subjects; for there were some of your disciples in company with us; for when we were retired into the Sallustian. Sallustian gardens, through which they were also passing, and would have gone another way, by our persuasion they joined company with us. I desire you to believe, that we much wish for your conversation: we were much delighted with your book of many Epistles, which you have wrote to some cities and chief towns of provinces, and contain wonderful in.structions for moral conduct: such sentiments, as I suppose you were not the author of, but only the instrument of conveying, though sometimes both the author and the instrument; for earum est rerum, tantaque generositate clarent, ut vix suffecturas putem ætates hominum, quibus institui perficique possint. Bene te valere, frater, cupio. Vale. such is the sublimeness of those doctrines, and their grandeur, that I suppose the age of a man is scarce sufficient to be instructed and perfected in the knowledge of them. I wish your welfare, my brother. Farewell. LITERAS tuas hilaris heri accepi: ad quas rescribere statim potui, si præsentiam juvenis, quem ad te missurus eram, habuissem; scis enim quando, et per quem, et quo tempore, et cui quid dari committique debeat. Rogo ergo ne te putes neglectum, dum personæ qualitatem inspicio sed quod literis meis vos refectos scribis ; felicem me arbitror tanti viri judicio. Neque enim diceris censor, sophista, ac magister tanti principis, et etiam omnium, nisi quia vera dicis. Opto te diu bene valere. PAUL to SENECA Greeting. Epist. I. I RECEIVED your letter yesterday with pleasure; to which I could have immediately wrote an answer, had the young man been at home, whom I intended to have sent to you: for you know when, and by whom, at what seasons, and to whom I must deliver every thing which I send. I desire therefore you would not charge me with negligence, if I wait for a proper person. reckon myself very happy in having the judgment of so valuable a person, that you are delighted with my Epistles: for you would not be esteemed a censor, a phi losopher, or be the tutor of so great a prince, and a master of every thing, if you were not sincere. I wish you a lasting prosperity. before I published it to Cæsar, that you might be convinced of my affection to you. Farewell, dearest Paul. PAULUS SENECA Salutem. Epist. II. QUOTIESCUNQUE literas tuas audio, præsentiam tui cogito; nec aliud existimo, quam omni tempore te nobiscum esse: cum primum itaque venire coeperis, invicem nos et de proximo videbimus. Bene te valere opto. PAULO ANNEUS SENECA NIMIO tuo angimur secessu : quid est vel quæ res te remoratum faciunt? Si indignatio domini, quod a ritu et secta veteri recesseris, et alios rursus converteris; erit postulandi locus, ut ratione factum, non levitate hoc existimet. Vale. PAULUS SENECA et LUCILIO Salutem. Epist. III. DE his quibus, vel quæ mihi scripsistis, non licet harundine et atramento eloqui: quarum altera res notat et designat aliquid, altera evidenter ostendit; præcipue cum sciam inter vos esse, sicut apud nos, et in nobis, qui me intelligunt. Honor habendus est omnibus, et tanto magis his, qui indignandi occasionem captant: quibus si patientiam ostendemus, omnimodo eos ex quacunque PAUL to SENECA and LUCILIUS CONCERNING those things, about which ye wrote to me, it is not proper for me to mention any thing in writing with pen and ink the one of which leaves marks, and the other evidently declares things. Especially since I know that there are near you, as well as me, those who will understand my meaning. Deference is to be paid to all men, and so much the more, as they are parte vincemus: si modo hi sunt, more likely to take occasions of quarrelling. And if we shew a submissive temper, we shall over qui pœnitentiam sui gerant. Bene valete. come effectually in all points, if so be they are such, who are capable of seeing and acknowledging themselves to have been in the wrong. Farewell. PAULO ANNEUS SENECA Salutem. PROFITEOR bene me acceptum in lectione literarum tuarum, quas Galatis, Corinthiis, et Achæis misisti. Spiritus enim Sanctus in te et supra te excelsos, sublimiores, valdeque venerabiles sensus exprimit. Vellem itaque, cum res eximias proferas, ut majestati earum cultus sermonis non desit; et ne quid tibi sic, frater, surripiam, aut conscientiæ meæ debeam, confiteor Augustum sensibus tuis permotum; cui, lecto literarum tuarum exordio, hæc vox fuit; "Mirari eum posse, ut "qui non legitime imbutus sit, "taliter sentiat." Cui ego respondi; "Solere deos ore inno"centium effari, addens ei ex ANNEUS SENECA to PAUL Epist. IV. I PROFESS myself extremely pleased with the reading your letters to the Galatians, Corinthians, and people of Achaia. For the Holy Ghost has in them by you delivered those sentiments which are very lofty, sublime, deserving of all respect, and beyond your own invention. I could wish therefore, that when you are writing things so extraordinary, there might not be wanting an elegancy of speech agreeable to their majesty. And I must own, my brother, that I may not at once dishonestly conceal any thing from you, and be unfaithful to my own conscience, that the emperor is extremely pleased with emplum Vatieni hominis rus- the sentiments of your Epistles; "ticuli: cui cum duo viri appafor when he heard the beginning "ruissent in agro Reatino, qui of them read, he declared, That "Castor et Pollux sunt nomi- he was surprised to find such no"nati, divinitus instructus fuit." tions in a person, who had not Vale. had a regular education. To which I replied, That the gods sometimes made use of mean (inno- cent) persons to speak by, and gave him an instance of this in a mean countryman, named Vatienus, who, when he was in the country of Reate, had two men appeared to him, called Castor and Pollux, and received a revelation from the gods. Farewell. 66 |