is iam nudus inermisque producitur satisque spectaculi ex homine
mors est.'

Tac. _Ann._ xiii. 31, 'Edixit Caesar ne quis magistratus aut
procurator, qui provinciam obtineret, spectaculum gladiatorum aut
ferarum aut quod aliud ludicrum ederet.'

For Seneca's love of wealth see p. 246. For his estimate of riches cf.
_De vita beata_, 22, 5. 'Apud me divitiae aliquem locum habent, apud
te summum ac postremum. Divitiae meae sunt, tu divitiarum es.'

His simplicity of life has been already dealt with.

Dio, lxi. 10, 2, gives a most unjust account of Seneca's character:

+panta ta enantiotata hois ephilosophei poion elenchthe. kai
gar tyrannidos kategoron tyrannodidaskalos egineto, kai ton synonton
tois dynastais katatrechon ouk aphistato tou palatiou ... tois te
plousiois enkalon ousian heptakischilion kai pentakosion myriadon
ektesato.+

Seneca followed no traditional style. Cf. _Ep._ 100, 6, 'De
compositione non constat'; _Ep._ 114, 13, 'Oratio certam regulam non
habet.' Quintilian, x. 1, 125-131, attacks his style, though admitting
his great powers.

CURTIUS RUFUS.

The full name is Q. Curtius Rufus, given in the MSS. of his work,
'Historiarum Alexandri Magni Macedonis Libri x.', the first two Books
of which are lost. Curtius is not referred to by name by any ancient
writer, but is probably identical with the Q. Curtius Rufus mentioned
in the list prefixed to Sueton. _de claris oratoribus_ between M.
Porcius Latro and L. Valerius Primanus. This order favours the view
that he belonged to the reign of Claudius, a view supported by the two
contemporary references in Curtius:

iv. 4, 21 (of Tyre), 'nunc tandem longa pace cuncta refovente sub
tutela Romanae mansuetudinis adquiescit.'

x. 9, 3-6, 'Quod imperium sub uno stare potuisset, dum a pluribus
sustinetur, ruit. Proinde iure meritoque populus Romanus salutem se
principi suo debere profitetur, qui noctis, quam paene supremam
habuimus, novum sidus inluxit. Huius hercule, non solis ortus lucem
caliganti reddidit mundo, cum sine suo capite discordia membra
trepidarent,' etc.

This passage probably refers to the tumultuous scene on the night
between 24th and 25th Jan., A.D. 41, before Claudius' accession, after
the murder of Caligula (cf. the pun in _caliganti_), when rival
claimants to the throne were put forward, and the Senate wished to
restore the republic (cf. _discordia membra trepidarent_). Sen. _ad
Polyb._ 13, 1, uses similar language of Claudius,