ives no direct information about it.
According to this theory his host was Vitrasius Pollio, prefect of
Egypt. While in Egypt, Seneca was attacked by illness, and escaped
death by his aunt's care. Cf. _ad Helv._ 19, 2, 'Illius pio maternoque
nutricio per longum tempus aeger convalui.' Seneca accompanied
Vitrasius when he resigned his office and returned with his wife to
Italy A.D. 32 (Dio, lviii. 19, 6). They suffered shipwreck, and
Vitrasius perished.

_Ad Helv._ 19, 4, 'Sed si prudentiam perfectissimae feminae novi, non
patietur te nihil profuturo maerore consumi et exemplum tibi suum,
cuius ego etiam spectator fui, narrabit. Carissimum virum amiserat,
avunculum nostrum, cui virgo nupserat, in ipsa quidem navigatione:
tulit tamen eodem tempore et luctum et metum evictisque tempestatibus
corpus eius naufraga evexit.'

This theory is supported by the fact that Seneca wrote a work 'de ritu
(al., situ) et sacris Aegyptiorum' (Serv. _ad Aen._ vi. 154).

Through his aunt's influence Seneca obtained the quaestorship.

_Ad Helv._ 19, 2, 'Illa pro quaestura mea gratiam suam extendit, et
quae ne sermonis quidem aut clarae salutationis sustinuit audaciam,
pro me vicit indulgentia verecundiam.'

Seneca's quaestorship must have been after the death of his aunt's
husband, in A.D. 32, as the above passage shows, and before the death of
Tiberius in A.D. 37, as it was with Tiberius that his aunt's influence
lay, on account of her husband's services. After his quaestorship Seneca
appears to have married (cf. _de ira_, iii. 36, 3, etc.). His wife must
have died before A.D. 57, as in that year Seneca married Pompeia
Paulina; cf. Dio, lxi. 10, 3, +gamon epiphanestaton egeme+. By his first
wife he had three sons (_ad Helv._ 2, 5).

While senator, Seneca incurred the jealousy of Caligula, and in A.D.
39 narrowly escaped death.

Dio, lix. 19, 7, +ho de de Senekas ... diephthare par'
oligon, met' adikesas ti, mete doxas, hoti diken tina en to
synedrio parontos autou kalos eipe+. For Seneca's attacks on Caligula
cf. _ad Helv._ 10, 4; _Apocol._ 15, etc.

Sueton. _Cal._ 53, 'Peroraturus "stricturum se lucubrationis suae
telum" minabatur; lenius comtiusque scribendi genus adeo contemnens,
ut Senecam, tum maxime placentem, "commissiones meras" componere, et
"harenam esse sine calce" diceret.'

In A.D. 41 Seneca was banished to Corsica, through the agency of
Messalina, on the charge of adultery with Iulia Livilla, sister of
Caligula, bu