Seneca wishing to console a woman whose son had died, as we read in the
Book of Consolation [131], he said these words: if you were a woman
like other women, I should not speak to you as I am going to speak. But
for the fact that you, though woman, have the intellect of a man, I
will speak to you so. There were two women in Rome, and the son of each
of them died. One was one of the dearest lads in the world, and the
other was most lovable, too. One woman let herself receive consolation,
and was content to be consoled; the other woman hid herself in a corner
of the house and refused every consolation, and gave herself to tears.
Which of these two acted the more wisely? If you say she who was
willing to be consoled, you say rightly. Therefore, why weep? If you
tell me: I weep for my son, because his goodness did me honour, I tell
you you are not mourning him, but rather your own loss, whence it is
for yourself you are weeping, and it is a very ugly thing to weep over
oneself. And if you will say to me: my heart is weeping because I loved
him so much, it is not true, for you love him less now that he is dead,
than when he was alive. And if your grief be for love, why did you not
weep when he was alive, knowing that he had to die? Hence, do not
excuse yourself: cease your tears. If your son is dead, it cannot be
otherwise. Death is second nature, and therefore a thing meet and
necessary for all.
And so he consoled her.
We read further of Seneca that being Nero’s master, he beat him when he
was young and his scholar, and when Nero was made emperor, he
remembered the beatings received from Seneca, and he had him taken and
condemned to death.
But he did him the favour of letting him choose what kind of death he
would have.
And Seneca chose to have his veins opened in a hot bath.
And his wife wept and cried out: alas! my lord, what grief that you
should die for no fault of yours.
And Seneca replied: it is better that I should die without fault than
through some fault of mine. For then he who kills me wrongfully would
be excused.