Epistulae morales ad Lucilium

Epistulae morales ad Lucilium
Epistulae morales ad Lucilium. Seneca. Paris, 1887
Author(s)	Seneca
Country	Ancient Rome
Language	Latin
Subject(s)	Ethics
Genre(s)	Philosophy
Publication date	c. 65 AD

The Epistulae morales ad Lucilium is a bundle of 124 letters which were written by Seneca the Younger at the end of his life. These letters all start with the phrase "Seneca Lucilio suo salutem" (Seneca greets his Lucilius) and end with the word "Vale" (Farewell). In these letters, Seneca gives Lucilius tips on how to become a more devoted Stoic. Lucilius was, at that time, the Governor of Sicily, although he is known only through Seneca's writings. Some of the letters include "On Noise" and "Asthma". Others include letters on "the influence of the masses" and "how to deal with one's slaves". Although they deal with Seneca's eclectic form of Stoic philosophy, they also give us valuable insights in the daily life in ancient Rome.

Quotations

The tag Vita sine litteris mors ('Life without learning [is] death') is adapted from Epistle 82 (originally Otium sine litteris mors, 'Leisure without learning [is] death') and is the motto of Derby School and Derby Grammar School in England, Adelphi University, New York, and Manning's High School, Jamaica.

External links

• Ad Lucilium epistulae morales, translated by Richard M. Gummere. Volume 1, Volume 2, Volume 3, at the Internet Archive
• Introduction to the Epistles., by Richard M. Gummere
• Why Seneca's Moral Epistles?