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Moral Letters Vol III

Seneca

§ Section 5

On the superficial blessings

115:5

Book Subtitle: Seneca's timeless letters of advice and wisdom.

Book Description: The final volume of Seneca's moral letters. Common Stoic themes emerge again and again: the unreliability of fortune, the ability to form Stoic resolve, and the importance of virtue.

5.

O maiden, words are weak!

Thy face is more Than mortal, and thy voice rings sweeter far Than mortal man’s; . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Blest be thou; and, whoe’er thou art, relieve Our heavy burdens.

And such a vision will indeed be a present help and relief to us, if we are willing to worship it.

But this worship does not consist in slaughtering fattened bulls, or in hanging up offerings of gold or silver, or in pouring coins into a temple treasury; rather does it consist in a will that is reverent and upright.