Justus Lipsius: On Constancy

John Sellars is a Research Associate at King's College London, working on the 'Ancient Commentators on Aristotle' project and on ancient philosophy more generally. He is author of The Art of Living: The Stoics on the Nature and Function of Philosophy (Ashgate, 2004). Justus Lipsius [1547 - 1606] was a Belgian classical philologist and Humanist who wrote a series of works designed to revive ancient Stoicism in a form that would be compatible with Christianity. The most famous of these is De Constantia. In it he advocated a Stoic-inspired ideal of constancy in the face of unpleasant external events, whilst carefully identifying those parts of Stoic philosophy that the orthodox Christian should reject or modify. John Stradling [died 9 Sept. 1637] received his education at Oxford (B.A. 1584), and traveIled on the Continent. He was sheriff of Glamorgan 1607, 1609, 1620, and was knighted 1608, and created baronet, 1611. He was Member of Parliament for S. Germans, Cornwall 1623- 4, Old Sarum 1625, and Glamorgan 1625-6. He founded the grammar school at Cowbridge and was author or translator of a number of books.