Selected quad for the lemma: city_n
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A59168
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The fourscore and eleventh epistle of Lucius Annæus Seneca the philosopher written vpon occasion of the sudden burning of lions in France : translated out of the original into English verse.; Epistulae morales ad Lucilium. Liber XIV, 91. English
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Seneca, Lucius Annaeus, ca. 4 B.C.-65 A.D.
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1666
(1666)
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Wing S2511; ESTC R10480
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4,186
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13
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The Fourscore and Eleventh Epistle OF LUCIUS ANNAEUS SENECA The PHILOSOPHER WRITTEN Vpon Occasion of the sudden BURNING OF Lions in France Translated out of the Original into English Verse LONDON Printed by William Godbid 1666. The Fourscore and Eleventh Epistle of Lucius Annaeus Seneca the Philosopher Written upon occasion of the sudden Burning of LIONS in FRANCE OUR Liberalis is with grief and Pity Fill'd at the burning of his Native City This direful accident might any move Though to that City not concern'd in love And even to his mind might add more strength Who what he fear'd has found to come at length But this un-look'd for chance and which is more Un-heard of 't is no wonder that before 'T was heard or thought on it was fiercely sent Since it was also without President A raging Fire hath very much annoy'd And damag'd Cities but hath none destroy'd For where quick fire is thrown with hostile hand Houses un-touch'd in many places stand And no Earth-quake hath been so fatal known That a whole City hath been overthrown And no consuming flame hath been so dire But it left something for another fire So many famous Piles which singly might Crace several Cities fell down in one night And in a time of Peace as much fell out As scarce a cruel war could bring about Who could believe wars ceasing every where When through the World no dangers did appear That Lions so renown'd should by that chance Be sought and doubted where it stood in France Fortune permits even those who suffer woe To fear the ill they were to undergoe Great things have time before th' are overthrown This famous City in one night was none Lastly I 'm longer telling thee the thing Than all those Buildings were in perishing These things disturbe our Liberalis mind To patience in his own affairs confin'd Nor is he so perplex'd without a cause The un-expectedness of chances draws More trouble and the novelty of things To all calamity Addition brings And there 's no mortal man being struck with wonder But some conceived trouble must lie under Wherefore in nothing we should be surpris'd Our minds in fore-sight should be exercis'd To weigh not only what 's un-usual But to consider too what may befall What is so strong gainst which when Fortune's bent Though glorious cannot receive detriment Or which she do's not shake or more molest By how much it was greater than the rest What 's difficult by Fortune to be done She walks in no way always nor alone Somtimes our own hands ' gainst our selves she bends And then without an Author mischief sends No time is free our very pleasures turn Into great woe and often make us mourn War sometimes rises in the midst of Peace And that which seems our troubles to release Turns into fear a Friend do's love forgo And a Companion is become a foe A Summers calmness many times do's draw A Storm more fierce than any Winters flaw VVithout an Enemy we find a war Such is our fate that many times we are By our too great Felicity to woe Expos'd when we no other causes know Diseases the most temp'rate will assail The Ptissick on the strongest will prevail Upon the guiltless punishment is laid And tumults will mens quietness invade Fortune oft chooses something new whereby On those who have forgot her power she 'l fly Whats'ever many ages have erected By the gods favour and mens pains effected One day dissolves He gives a long delay To hast'ning Evils who allows a day An hour a moment is sufficient space Great Kingdomes to throw down and quite erace It would some solace to our weakness bring And to th' Affairs of men if every thing Did not increase with slowness and with hast Dissolve and fall There 's nothing that stands fast Private or publick Fear in those things which please And flourish most do's soonest on us sease And ills which are by us least thought upon Without tumultuous causes will fall on Kingdomes which have endur'd both Civil wars And Forrain have without publick jars Been ruin'd And few Cities have enjoy'd Felicity and never been annoy'd We therefore should weigh all things and advance Our constant minds gainst ev'ry sad mischance Think therefore still on Wars and Sicknesses On Shipwracks Banishments and the Excess Of Torments Think thy Country may be taken From thee or else by thee may be forsaken Think Fortune may expose thee in a rude Desert and think that where a Multitude Is stifled there a Desert may be made Let the condition of Mankind be laid Before our eyes and let 's not only weigh What happens often but let 's think what may Befall and would we not our errours rue Mistaking things un-usual for new Let us on fortune look in her full power How many Cities did her rage devour In Asia and Achaia by one way How many in Syria and Macedonia Cyprus in many parts could not avoid That fate but hath been many times destroy'd How oft hath Paphus Earthquakes felt and sped As ill in her own ruines buried We who have often heard of Towns thus tost How small a part are we of men so lost Then let us gainst Misfortunes our minds raise And think th' are not so great as rumor says Fire hath consum'd a City great and rich The Ornament of Provinces in which It did both seated and exempted lye Yet built upon one hill not very high Nay all those Cities famous through the world VVill at the length be into ruine hurl'd And there will not in future time appear A Mark or any Footstep where they were See'st thou not that Achaia's stately Towns Are so destroy'd that there remains no Bounds Nor yet Foundations to make it good To the Beholders where those Cities stood Not only what is fram'd by hand and art Time do's consume the tops of Mountains start And tumble down whole Regions have been found To sink and many Countryes have been drown'd Far distant from the sea High hills which were Famous by fire fire did in sunder tear And Promontories which have been a Mark For Marriners to guide and steer their Bark At fight whereof they usually have joy'd Have been laid flat and utterly destroy'd The very works of Nature troubled are And therefore we with equal minds should bear All Cities fate Things made were made to fall And Dissolution waits upon them all VVhether the violence of inward wind Striving a passage through the Earth to find Shakes the great weight of Earth Or whether Those hidden torrents joyn their force together Or that the heat of inward flames do's wast The Ligaments of Earth which ty'd it fast Or whether Age ' gainst vvhich there 's no defence Does by degrees effect this violence Or that a poysonous Air the Land bereft Of People and infected vvhat vvas left To repeat all the vvays of destiny VVere long but by experience I Am sure of this that mortal things are all Condemn'd into
Mortality to fall VVe live not where vve can find any thing That is secure but daily perishing These comforts and the like I re-commend To Liberalis our un-doubted friend Exceedingly inflamed with the love Of his own Country whose sad fate may prove No small advantage for perhaps that chance Ordained was its glory more t' advance Many great things have faln to rise more high And often are improv'd by injury Timagines a foe to th' happiness Of Rome would often when 't was burnt profess The burning he did not so much deplore As that it would rise greater than before And in this City we may well suppose No labour will be wanting till it grows From a vast heap of ashes and of dust Greater and firmer than it was at first I whish 't may last and being built again With better Omen longer may remain For since that Town was built it is not past An hundred years an age wich some men last Plancus by fitness of the place first made The Town a great and noted Mart for Trade VVhich notwithstanding hath endur'd much rage VVithin the space but of a humane age And therefore let us be prepared still To suffer patiently all sorts of ill And know there 's nothing Fortune cannot do Both to advancement and to ruine too And that her power on Empires do's prevail As upon Emperours and do's assail Cities as well as Men at which things we Should not repine or discontentd be We are brought into a World where we must live Under those Laws Do they thee please Then give Obedience Do they displease Thou art At Liberty at all times to depart Thou might'st complain if any of these were put And thrown on thee alone unjustly but Since this necessity as well do's wait On high as low be reconcil'd to Fate Which all things will dissolve Reason presents No cause at all that we by Monuments And Tombs should measured be One fate attends On mortal men and brings them to their ends W' are born un-equal but we equal dye The same of Cities as of Dwellers I Do here declare Ardea was as well Taken as Rome though this did that excell The great Ordainer of all humane right Makes no distinction of us by the bright Splendour of birth and titles longer than We are alive and conversant with men And when we end this Mortal life begon From hence says he depart ambition All Mortals walk one way and all things ly Equally under common destiny None then an other can be more secure Or know what he to morrow shall endure Young Alexander King of Macedon Geometry unhappily begun To learn the smallness of the Earth to know Whereof the least part did him homage owe. Unhappy I say in that he should have known How false a Sir-name he did vainly own For what can in a little place be great The points whereof the Master did entreat Were subtile and not easily discern'd But with a diligent attention learn'd Not apprehended by a Frantick man Whose thoughts did rove beyond the Ocean Teach me said he those things which will be made More easie to me T' whom the Master said These things are still the same alter'd to none And are as difficult to all as One. Think Nature thus to all men does declare Those things at which you grumble the same To all nor can they be more easie made To any but whosoever shall perswade Bâ—t himself without compulsion to forsake All fear of chances will them easie make But how By equalness of mind Th' art born To endure sorrow hunger thirst and scorn And if thou longer shalt with men remain Thou fickness loss and ruine may'st sustain But yet there is no reason thou should'st give Belief to those things which about thee strive For none of them are ill or hard to bear It is report of men that brings this fear And what can be more vain than to be vex'd At rumour and to be for words perplex'd Demetrius that he might drive away Such foolishness oft wittily would say I care no more what foolish people speak Than whether wind upward or downward break It is a madness we are brought to when We fear to be defam'd b' infamous men As thou without good reason did'st fear fame So what thou didst not fear when once the same Shall bid thee thou wilt fear can it be thought A good man suffers by false rumours fraught With scandals Nor is Death hurt by what Is said of it though some be scar'd there-at None who accuse Death have experience got 'T is rashness to condemn what we know not But this we know that 't is a benefit To many and that many are by it Discharg'd from torments poverty and grief And find in weariness and wrongs relief If Death be under our own power then where Is any other power that we should fear FINIS