en just as he intended.
"I made the traitor die twice," said he, "by taking two blows to
dispatch him."

But perhaps the most melancholy of all the results of this most
unfortunate conspiracy, was the fate of Seneca. Seneca, it will be
remembered, had been Nero's instructor and guardian in former years,
and subsequently one of his chief ministers of state. He was now
almost seventy years of age, and besides the veneration in which he
was held on this account, and the respect that was paid to the
exalted position which he had occupied for so long a period, he was
very highly esteemed for his intellectual endowments and for his
private character. His numerous writings, in fact, had acquired for
him an extensive literary fame.

But Nero hated him. He had long wished him out of the way. It was
currently reported, and generally believed, that he had attempted to
poison him. However this may be, he certainly desired to find some
occasion of proceeding against him, and such an occasion was
furnished by the developments connected with this conspiracy.

Natalis, in the course of his testimony, said that he supposed that
Seneca was concerned in the plot, for he recollected that he was
once sent to him, while he was confined to his house by illness,
with a message from Piso. The message was, that Piso had repeatedly
called at his, that is, Seneca's house, but had been unable to
obtain admittance. The answer which Seneca had returned was, that
the reason why he had not received visitors was, that the state of
his health was very infirm, but that he entertained none but
friendly feelings toward Piso, and wished him prosperity and
success.

Nero determined to consider this as proof that Seneca was privy to
the conspiracy, and that he secretly abetted it. At least he
determined, for a first step, to send an officer with a band of
armed men to arrest him, and to lay the crime to his charge. Seneca
was not in the city at this time. He had been absent in Campania,
which was a beautiful rural region, south of Rome, back from
Misenum. He was, however, that very day on his return to Rome, and
Silvanus, the officer whom Nero sent to him, met him on the way, at
a villa which he possessed a few miles from Rome. The name of this
villa was Nomentanum.[C] Seneca had stopped at the villa to spend
the night, and was seated at the table with Paulina his wife, when
Silvanus and his troop arrived.

[Footnote C: See map. Frontispiece.]

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