The Union. [volume] (Georgetown, Del.) 1863-1866, 1863-10-09
Sae gaag's Department.
wenaan's Devotion.

WSnaan'g Devotion.
History is full of sublime instances of the
devotion Of the sex. We will note one or two
IN passing, and choose those Of ancient times.
partly to do good to the ancients, and partly
because those of our own times are so familiar
to our readers, that it is scarcely necessary 10
mention them. We learn from the pages OF
Tacitus, that Pompeia Panlina, the wife Of
Seneca, the philosopher, furnishes one of the
most noble examples of the ancient world
while she was young and beautiful, and her
husband dropping with age, she refused to
survive him, when Nero, his former pupil.
condemned him to DEATH After he had bid
her an aftectionate farewell she said "No.
seneca l am not woman to suffer you to go
alone on such journey: will not have Won
70 think that the virtuous examples of YOUR
life have not taught me how to die and when
can ever better, or more becomingly do it.
or more to my desire, than with YOU? and
therefore, assure yourself, will be with you I"
Nor was this any idle promise, She sub
Jected herself to the same means of producing
death that her husband had. This is. she
mad her veins opened and she finally sur
vived, only because the tyrant, afraid Of the
ehect OF her youth, beauty, and great family
influence, caused her wounds to bound nm
wniie she was insensible from loss of blood.
VI a character equally noble was the wife of
rliny the younger. We have the testimony
OF ner husband, who knew her best, in proof
Oh TINS Her Affection" he says, :" for me
mas given me a turn for books, and my com.
POSITIONS which she takes pleasure in read.
ing and even getting by heart, are continu
ally IN her hands. How full of tender solic;
tude is she when am entering on INV oause
How kindly does she rejoice with mo when II
is ovorl While 1 am pleading, she places
persons to inform her from time to time how
am heard, what applauses | receive. and
what SUCCESS attends the cause. When at anv
time recite my works, she conceals herself
penind s'me curtain, and with secret rapture
enjoys my praises. ShO sings my verses to
her Tyre, with no other master but loye-the
pest msructor-for her guide" 1t is tru,
Inat all the great Romans do not speak witt
equal enthusiasm in favor Of the seq: lint n,
the contrary, none have passed a harsbe
Judgement than the countrymen of Senec,
and Pllny. Thus for example: "Mutellu
Numidius, the censor, declared to the Roma,
people in public Grafton, that, had kind Ma
ture allowed us to exist without woman W.
should be delivered from very troublesom
companion; and he could recommend matr;
mony only as the sacrifice of private pleasure
topublic duty" But Metellus Numinius ba,
probably met with the worst specimens
We have no authentic account of his bav;n,
been married; but it is clearly proved tina
he was severely Tilted by more than one of tn
Roman beauties. Be this as itmay, his stool
OF gallantry must have been very slight an
his conduct was very different from that q
his brother censor, honest old Cato. or Mar
Anthony, each of whom allowed more libert
to his wife than the most liberal "model hus
band" even of the present day would be Wi
ling to grant But whether he was right o
not-no matter what cause he may have ha
to dislike the sex-suffcient testimony re
mains in the history of even pagan Rome t
show that selfsacrifcing devotion and fidelit,
are no new attributes of woman. That he
best qualities have been improved, however
by the human and gentle spirit of Christian
NY, far be 1t from Us to deny. On the con
trary, none are more willing to render homag,
70 ITS ennobling influence, although we believ,
that as long as the world lasts, there will b,
Aantippes. Without departing from our pre-
scriped plan Of passing over instances thai
are sufficiently familiar, we may note the cas-,
OF Christian lady of the beginning of tn,
seventeenth century-one as much distin
guished for her piety as for her devoted affec
ton for her husband. Thus, we are told tbs
when the famous Grotius was condemned !
prison for life, he owed his liberation to tn
tenderness and solicitude of his wife, after
captivity of little more than two years. O
pretence Of removing books which she sal
proved injurious to her husbands health
She was permitted to send away a srna
chestof drawers three feet and half in length
in which the author of " De Jure Belli ct p,
els" was concealed. Thus he was carried b
two soldiers from the fortress. The che,
was then removed toa distance ON horseback
and the illustrious captive was set at Ibert,
pursuing his fight afterwatd in the guise ,
o mason with rule and trowel.