mency," "On the Brevity of Human Life," "On a Happy Life," etc.,
together with "Epistles of Lucilius," one hundred and twenty-four in
number. Besides these, there are extant ten tragedies attributed to
him, entitled, _Hercules Furens_, _Thyestes_, _Thebais_ or
_Phoenissae_, _Hippolytus_ or _Phaedra_, _Oedipus_, _Troades_ or
_Hecuba_, _Medea_, _Agamemnon_, _Hercules Oetaeus_ and _Octavia_. These
were never intended for the stage, but were designed for reading or
recitation, after the Roman fashion. They contain many striking
passages, and have some merits as poems.

HAPPINESS FOUNDED ON WISDOM.

(_By Seneca._)

Taking it for granted that _human happiness_ is founded upon _wisdom_
and _virtue_, we shall treat of these two points in order as they lie,
and _first_ of _wisdom_; not in the latitude of its various
operations, but only as it has a regard to good life and the happiness
of mankind.

Wisdom is a right understanding; a faculty of discerning good from
evil; what is to be chosen, and what rejected; a judgment grounded
upon the value of things, and not the common opinion of them; an
equality of force and strength of resolution. It sets a watch over our
words and deeds, it takes us up with the contemplation of the works of
nature, and makes us invincible by either good or evil fortune. It is
large and spacious, and requires a great deal of room to work in; it
ransacks heaven and earth; it has for its object things past and to
come, transitory and eternal. It examines all the circumstances of
time; "what it is, when it began, and how long it will continue;" and
so for the mind; "whence it came; what it is; when it begins; how long
it lasts; whether or no it passes from one form to another, or serves
only one, and wanders when it leaves us; where it abides in the state
of separation, and what the action of it; what use it makes of its
liberty; whether or no it retains the memory of things past, and comes
to the knowledge of itself." It is the habit of a perfect mind and the
perfection of humanity, raised as high as nature can carry it. It
differs from _philosophy_, as avarice and money; the one desires, and
the other is desired; the one is the effect and the reward of the
other. To be wise is the use of wisdom, as seeing is the use of eyes
and well-speaking the use of eloquence. He that is perfectly wise is
perfectly happy; nay, the very beginning of wisdom makes life easy to
us. Neither is it enough to know this,