It is a perilous and doubtful task to unveil the depths of the human heart; to reconcile the comiilex and often tniconscious duplicities of human nature; to decide where delusion ends and deception begins; to estimate the force of temptations and the degrees of resistance to them ; to discern the subtle harmony which binds all the parts of life together, and may unite general purity and noble appetencies to grievous frailties and ignoble crimes. None but the All-seeing One, "to whom all hearts are open, and from whom no secrets are hid," can pierce the obscure mazes of human motives. The harsh, censorious, confident, sweeping, unrestricted judgment will blunder, whether it praise or blame^" Ut absolva- ris, ignosce" (Senec. De Benef. VII, xxviii, 3). Was it a cry from his own lacerated conscience when Seneca exclaimed so truly and so sadly,
"Maguos humauum pectus recessns habet !"
(Fragm. iii, Ve Amicit.)
FY. Literature. — The historians of ancient philosophy and the Works of Seneca, of course. See also Lodge, The Life of L. A nnceus Seneca, desn-ihed by Justus Lip- sius, in The Workes of L. Annans Seneca, both M or all and Natnrall (Lond. 1614); La Grange, Vie de Seneque (Paris, 1819) ; Aubertin, De Sap. I)octoribus qui a Cic. Murte ad Neron. Princip. Roma Viguerunt (ibid. 1857); Bernhardt, Die Anschauung des Seneca vam Universvm (Wittenb. 1861); Seidler, Die religivs-sittliche Welt- anschauung des Philosnphen L. Anncevs Seneca (Frau- stadt, 1863) ; Dourif, iJu Sioicisme et du Chi'istianisme, etc. (Paris, 1863) ; IMontee. Le Sto'icisme a Rome (ibid. 1865) ; Martha, Les Moralistes sous VEmpire Romain (ibid. 1866) ; Stahr, Agi-ippina, die Mutter Ae7-o's (Berl. 1867) ; Lightfoot, Essay on St. Paul and Seneca, up, Comm. on the Epistle to the Philippians ; Westminster Rev. Julv, 1867, No. clxxiii, art. ii ; Merivale, Romans under the Empire (Lond. 1850-62). (G. F. H.)
Senectus, in Roman mythology, a personification of olil age. He dwells at the entrance to Hades.
Seneh. See Bush.
Se'neh (Heb. Seneh', l^.2p, thorn; Sept. Hivva [Vat, 'FA'raap, Alex, omits]; Yulg. Sene'), the name of one of the two isolated rocks which stood in the "passage of Michmash" at the time of the adventure of Jona- than and his armor-bearer (1 Sam. xiv, 4). It was the southern one of the two (ver. 5), and the nearest to (ieba (A. Y. "(iibeah'"). The name in Hebrew means a " thorn," or thorn-bush, and is applied elsewhere only to the memorable thorn of Horeb; but whether it re- fers in tills instance to the shape of the rock or to the growth of seneh upon it, we caimot ascertain. The lat- ter is more consistent with analogy. It is remarkable
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that Josephus {War, v, 2, 1), in ilescribiiiir the route of Titus trom the north to Jerusalem, mentions that the last encampment of his army was at a spot "which in the Jews' tongue is called the valley" (or perhaps the plain) "of thorns (I'lKav^iof auXwi'), near a cerlain vil- lage called Gabathsaoule," i. e. Gibeath of Saul. The ravine of Michmash is about four miles from the hill which is, with tolerable certainty, identitied with (iib- eah. This distance is perhaps too great to suit Jose- ]5hus's expression; still the point is worth notice. — Smith. Between Jeba, or Geba, and Mukhmus, or Mich- mash, there are two narrow and deep valleys, or gorges, nnniing nearly parallel towards the east, with a high, rocky, and precipitous ridge between them. These two valleys unite a little lower down, i. e. a little to the east of the direct line from .Jeba to Mukhmas. The ordinary route descends obli([uely to the right from Jeba, and passes through the united valley at the junc- tion, rounding the point of the promontory, and then ascends obliquely to the left towards Mukhmas. This is the passage of Michmash alluded to in 1 Sam. xiii, 23 ; Isa. x, 28, 29. The ridge between the two valleys has two steep or preci|>itoiis sides, one facing the south towards Geba, and the other facing the north towards Michmash. These were the two " sharp rocks" or prec- ipices called " Seneh" and " Bozez." The two valleys are still called Suweliwh and Buweizeh. Jeba stands on the south side of Suweineh,on the very edge of the valley, and Mukhmas on the north edge of Buweizeh. — Fairbairn. Lieut. Conder regards the valley of Su- weineh itself as a trace of the name Seneh, and thiidts its opposite walls were scaled by Jonathan {Quar. State- me/it of the " Pal. Explor. Fund," April, 187-i, p. G2) ; and he graphically describes the descent of his own sur- veying party down the rocks {Teid Woi'k in Palestine, ii, U3). See Bozez,
Senes {old men), a name given to the primates of the Christian Church in Africa. Here the primacy was not confined, as in other places, to the civil me- tropolis, but always went along with the oldest bishop of the province, who succeeded to this dignity by vir- tue of his seniority, whatever place he lived in.
Seneschal, a monkish name for a steivai'd. His duties were to seat the guests in the guest-hall, send presents to strangers of tlegree, and in some cases to have charge of the bishop's palace. The same name was given to stewards of the year or months, minor canons or vicars, who catered for the common table.