, "Egone, equestri et provinciali loco
ortus, proceribus civitatis adnumeror? ... Talis hortos extruit, et
per haec suburbana incedit, et tantis agrorum spatiis, tam lato
faenore exuberat?"'

Tac. _Ann._ xiii. 42 (speech of Suillius, A.D. 58), 'Qua sapientia,
quibus philosophorum praeceptis, intra quadriennium regiae amicitiae
ter miliens sestertium paravisset?' (Dio, lxi. 10, 2, gives his wealth
as 75,000,000 denarii).

Seneca had many estates both in Italy (_Ep._ 123, 1, etc.) and abroad,
and lent money abroad, even in Britain. His attraction to finance is
seen in the number of metaphors he draws from that subject.

Sen. _vit. beat._ 17, 2, 'Cur trans mare possides? cur plura quam
nosti?'

Dio, lxii. 2, 1 (of the rising of the Britons under Boudicca), +ho
Senekas chilias sphisi myriadas akousin epi chrestais elpisi tokon
daneisas, epeit' athroas te hama autas kai biaios eiseprassen.+

His attack on usury (_de ben._ vii. 10, 3) is a piece of theoretic
philosophy.

In A.D. 57 Seneca was consul suffectus (Ulpian, _Dig._ xxxvi. 1). In
A.D. 58 he brought about the downfall of the former delator, P.
Suillius. Cf. Tac. _Ann._ xiii. 42, 'Variis deinde casibus iactatus et
multorum odia meritus reus, haud tamen sine invidia Senecae damnatur.
Is fuit P. Suillius.' Seneca is thought to have been implicated in
Agrippina's murder in A.D. 59. He wrote to the Senate for Nero an
account of her death.

Tac. _Ann._ xiv. 7 (Nero says after the fruitless attempt of Anicetus
to kill Agrippina), 'Quod contra subsidium sibi nisi quid Burrus et
Seneca expedirent? Quos statim acciverat, incertum an aperiens, et
ante ignaros. Igitur longum utriusque silentium, ne inriti
dissuaderent; an eo descensum credebant, ut, nisi praeveniretur
Agrippina, pereundum Neroni esset? Post Seneca, hactenus promptius, ut
respiceret Burrum, ac sciscitaretur an militi imperanda caedes esset.
(Ch. 11) Ergo non iam Nero, cuius immanitas omnium questus anteibat,
sed Seneca adverso rumore erat, quod oratione tali confessionem
scripsisset.'

The death of Burrus in A.D. 62 weakened the power of Seneca, who
resolved to retire. His request, however, was not granted by Nero
(Tac. _Ann._ xiv. 55-6), but he reduced his establishment, and lived
in semi-privacy.

Tac. _Ann._ xiv. 52, 'Mors Burri infregit Senecae potentiam, quia nec
bonis artibus idem virium erat altero velut duce amoto, et Nero ad
deteriores inclinabat. Hi variis criminationibus Senecam
adoriuntur