Following the Teubner edition, edited by Harry Hine in 1996, there was a proliferation of studies on Seneca's Natural Questions (NQ), Williams' book, which draws on some previously published articles, integrating them with much new material, is part of this renewed interest, offering a systematic analysis of the text from a new perspective. W.'s basic contention is that NQ represents an invitation to its readers to transcend vices, daily activities and political troubles, but also vain scientific efforts, and instead dedicate themselves to the true otium of the contemplative life. This invitation is not expressed in a simple step-by-step guide, but rather follows a complex path, reflecting the contradictions and difficulties faced by any proficiens hoping to reach his goal. Interpretations along these lines — for example, Gauly (2004) — generally stress Platonic influences in Seneca's Stoicism, and, on the other hand, often underestimate ‘Lucretian’ attitudes, such as the struggle to allay men's fears about natural phenomena. W. does not link his reading of NQ to Plato; but rather to the importance of moral struggle in Stoic philosophy. Lucretius' influence is recognized by W. but limited to Books 6 and 2.
W.'s Introduction (1–16) and first chapter (17–53) offer a rich statio quaestionis on philosophical background, sources, relationships between scientific interests and moral issues, addressee, book order and sociopolitical implications. W.'s observations on sources are particularly interesting: he considers not only the commonly cited authors, such as Aristotle, Asclepiodotus and Lucretius, but extends his analysis to embrace Cicero's world view, and also compares Seneca's treatise with later works founded on a different approach, such as Pliny's Natural History. As regards the book order, W. supports the suggestion of Hine and Codoñer (so, Books 3, 4a, 4b, 5, 6, 7, 1, 2). This order is followed in W.'s arrangement of chapters and in the Index of passages. In particular, W. maintains that the descent to meteorological subjects (sublimia) in Books 1–2, after the crescendo towards the perfect region of the sky in Book 7 (caelestia), reproduces the tension between different world perspectives that permeates the treatise. The second chapter deals with ‘moralizing interludes’ in Books 1, 3, 5 and 7: but the central text is without doubt the passage about Hostius Quadra (1.16), the corrupt man who satisfied his libido with the attitude of an anti-sapiens, resorting to an ingenious use of mirrors. This fascinating character shares many features, such as irony and an insistence on fine distinctions, with the interlocutor of Book 1 (69–74). W.'s thoughts on this similarity are particularly interesting.
The following chapters each deal with a specific section of Seneca's scientific treatise. Ch. 3 unifies the end of Book 3 and Book 4a (‘The Cataclysm and the Nile’, 93–134), in that they are explicitly connected by Seneca who links the flood of 3.27–30 with the Nile flood of 4a.1–2: the first is a representation of the end of the world, the second an example of palingenesis. W. cleverly links these passages with the preface to Book 4a, underlining the connection between the angustiae from which Seneca wants to relieve Lucilius in the preface, and the greatest forces of nature on display in those books. Ch. 4 (136–70) examines Book 4b, on hail, and its forms of argumentation; ch. 5 (171–212) deals with Book 5 and the different kinds and origins of wind classifications; ch. 6 (213–57) analyses Book 6 and the theory of earthquakes with particular attention to the book structure and Lucretian references; ch. 7 (258–94) deals with comets, and the originality of Seneca's planetary theory, with a comparison between the vices of Hostius Quadra and those of the effeminati in Book 7 (263–73). Ch. 8 (295–334) deals with Book 2, which is about lightning and thunder, and is divided into two parts: first, the argument against the fear of these natural phenomena and its Lucretian echoes; secondly, consideration of divination, in which the Etruscan practice is discussed in relation to the Stoic concept of fate. Books 3 and 1 do not receive a detailed analysis, in that W. mainly focuses on the flood (3.27–30) and Hostius Quadra (1.16).
The different approaches of the chapters allow W. both to explore every main subject related to the NQ (forms of argumentation, sources, Stoic background etc.) and to offer a reading of the text as a whole. The volume concludes with an Epilogue (335–9), a wide and very up-to-date bibliography (341–70) and some indexes: passages (371–9), a general index (380–90), and Latin and Greek words (391–2; 393). A book that is so rich in particular observations and quotations would perhaps have benefited from a more detailed index of Latin words, but the brevity of this index is amply compensated for by the numerous and clearly articulated sections into which each chapter is divided.
In sum: W.'s book admirably succeeds in synthesizing the most interesting recent scholarship on Seneca's NQ and using it as a means to offer a fresh and innovative perspective. It is an important guide for both scholars and students approaching this complex and fascinating text and trying to understand its multiple levels of meaning.
