Justus Lipsius’s De Constantia: A Stoic Spiritual Exercise

Abstract This essay offers an introduction to Justus Lipsius’s dialogue De Constantia, first published in 1584. Although the dialogue bears a superficial similarity to philo-sophical works of consolation, I suggest that it should be approached as a spiritual exercise written by Lipsius primarily for his own benefit. Interest in the work of the Belgian humanist Justus Lipsius (1547–1606) has increased in recent years. For a time he was remembered primarily as a Latin textual scholar, having published important editions of the works of Tacitus and Seneca in 1574 and 1605, respectively. Now his work is receiving renewed attention on a number of fronts. He has benefited from a wider growth in neo-Latin studies as well as from the increased attention paid by classicists to the classical tradition. A number of new editions and reprints of his works either have recently appeared or are under way. Per-haps most significantly, J. B. Schneewind (1998: 170–75), in his The Inven-Thanks to Jonathan Lavery for his insightful and constructive comments on an earlie