 Introduction to the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius. This is a LibriVox recording, all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Shane Greenup. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, translated by George Long. Introduction. Marcus Arneus Verus was born in Rome in AD 121 and assumed the name of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, by which he is known to history on his adoption by the Emperor T. Aurelius Antoninus. He succeeded to the imperial throne in 161 and ruled till his death in 180. His reign, though marked by justice and moderation at home, was troubled by constant warfare on the frontiers of the empire, and Aurelius spent much of his later years in the uncongenial task of commanding armies that no longer proved irresistible against the barbarian hordes. Emma Aurelius was educated by the Aureta fronto, but turned aside from rhetoric to study of the stoic philosophy of which he was the last distinguished representative. The meditations, which he wrote in Greek, are among the most noteworthy expressions of this system and exhibit it favorably on its practical side. His own precepts he carried out with singular consistency, and both in his public and his private life he was in the highest degree conscientious. He and his predecessor are noted as the only Roman emperors who can be said to have ruled with a single eye to the welfare of their subjects. During his reign, Rome was visited by severe pestilence, and this, with reverses suffered by his armies, threw the populace into a panic and led them to demand the sacrifice of the Christians whom they regarded as having brought down the anger of the gods. Aurelius seems to have shared the panic and his record is stained by his sanction of the cruel persecution. This incident in the career of the last and one of the loftiest of the pagan moralists may be regarded as symbolic of the dying effort of hedonism to check the advancing tide of Christianity. The meditations picture with faithfulness the mind and character of this noblest of the emperors. Simple in style and sincere in tone they record for all time the height reached by pagan aspirations in its effort to solve the problem of conduct, and the essential agreement of his practice with his teaching proved that even in a palace life may be led well. End of introduction. Recording by Shane Greenup. ShaneGreenup.blogspot.com and papersaloud.com Chapter 1 of Meditations of Marcus Aurelius This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius Antoninas, translated by George Long. Chapter 1 1. From my grandfather Verus I learned good morals and the government of my temper. 2. From the reputation and remembrance of my father, modesty, and a manly character. 3. From my mother, piety, and beneficence, and abstinence, not only from evil deeds, but even from evil thoughts, and further simplicity in my way of living, far removed from the habits of the rich. 4. From my great grandfather not to have frequented public schools, and to have had good teachers at home, and to know that on such things a man should spend liberally. 5. From my governor to be neither of the Green nor of the Blue Party at the Games in the Circus, nor a partisan either of the Parmularius or the Scutarius at the Gladiators fights. From him too I learned endurance of labour, and to want little, and to work with my own hands, and not to meddle with other people's affairs, and not to be ready to listen to slander. 6. From Dignatus not to busy myself about trifling things, and not to give credit to what was said by miracle workers and jugglers about incantations and the driving away of demons and such things, and not to breed quails for fighting, nor to give myself up passionately to such things, and to endure freedom of speech, and to have become intimate with philosophy, and to have been a hearer, first of Bacchus, then of Tandasus, and Marcianus, and to have written dialogues in my youth, and to have desired a plank, bed, and skin, and whatever else of the kind belongs to the Grecian discipline. 7. From Rusticus I received the impression that my character required improvement and discipline, and from him I learned not to be led astray to Sophistic emulation, nor to writing on speculative matters, nor to delivering little oratory orations, nor to showing myself off as a man who practices much discipline, or does benevolent acts in order to make a display, and to abstain from rhetoric, and poetry, and fine writing, and not to walk about in the house in my outdoor dress, nor to do other things of the kind, and to write my letters with simplicity, like the letter which Rusticus wrote from Sinuissa to my mother, and with respect to those who have offended me by words or done me wrong to be easily disposed to be pacified and reconciled, as soon as they have shown a readiness to be reconciled, and to read carefully, and not to be satisfied with the superficial understanding of a book, nor hastily to give my assent to those who talk over much. And I am indebted to him for being acquainted with the discourses of Epictetus which he communicated to me out of his own collection. 8. From Apollonius I learned freedom of will and undeviating steadiness of purpose, and to look to nothing else, not even for a moment, except to reason, and to be always the same in sharp pains, on the occasion of the loss of a child, and in long illness, and to see clearly in a living example that the same man can be both most resolute and yielding, and not peevish in giving his instruction, and to have had before my eyes a man who clearly considered his experience and his skill in expounding philosophical principles as the smallest of his merits. And from him I learned how to receive from friends what are esteemed favours without being either humbled by them or letting them pass unnoticed. 9. From Sextus a benevolent disposition, and the example of a family governed in a fatherly manner, and the idea of living conformably to nature, and gravity without effectation, and to look carefully after the interests of friends, and to tolerate ignorant persons, and those who form opinions without consideration. He had the power of readily accommodating himself to all, so that intercourse with him was more agreeable than any flattery, and at the same time he was most highly venerated by those who associated with him. And he had the faculty both of discovering and ordering, in an intelligent and methodical way, the principles necessary for life, and he never showed anger or any other passion, but was entirely free from passion, and also most affectionate, and he could express approbation without noisy display, and he possessed much knowledge without ostentation. 10. From Alexander, their grammarian, to refrain from fault-finding, and not in a reproachful way to chide those who uttered any barbarous, or solacistic, or strange-sounding expression, but dexterously to introduce the very expression which ought to have been used, and in the way of answer or giving confirmation, or joining in an inquiry about the thing itself, about the word, or by some other fit suggestion. 11. From Fronto I I learned to observe what envy and duplicity in hypocrisy are in a tyrant, and that generally those among us who are called patricians are rather deficient in paternal affection. 12. From Alexander the Platonic, not frequently, nor without necessity to say to any one, or to write in a letter, that I have no leisure, nor continually to excuse the neglect of duties required by our relation to those with whom we live by alleging urgent occupations. 13. From Catilus, not to be indifferent when a friend finds fault, even if he should find fault without reason, but to try to restore him to his usual disposition, and to be ready to speak well of teachers, as it is reported of Demetius and Athanodotus, and to love my children truly. 14. From my brother Severus, to love my kin, and to love truth, and to love justice, and through him I learned to know Thrasia, Helvedius, Cado, Dion, Brutus, and from him I received the idea of apolity in which there is the same law for all, apolity administered with regard to equal rights and equal freedom of speech, and the idea of a kingly government which respects most of all the freedom of the governed. I learned from him also consistency and undeviating steadiness in my regard for philosophy, and a disposition to do good, and to give to others readily, and to cherish good hopes, and to believe that I am loved by my friends. And in him I observed no concealment of his opinions with respect to those whom he condemned, and that his friends had no need to conjecture what he wished or did not wish, but it was quite plain. 15. From Maximus I learned to self-government, and not to be led aside by anything, and cheerfulness in all circumstances as well as in illness, and a just admixture in the moral character of sweetness and dignity, and to do what was set before me without complaining. I observed that everybody believed that he thought as he spoke, and that in all that he did he never had any bad intention, and he never showed amazement and surprise, and was never in a hurry, and never put off doing a thing nor was perplexed nor dejected, nor did he ever laugh to disguise his vexation, nor, on the other hand, was he ever passionate or suspicious. He was accustomed to do acts of beneficence, and was ready to forgive, and was free from all falsehood. And he presented the appearance of a man who could not be diverted from right rather than of a man who had been improved. I observed, too, that no man could ever think that he was despised by Maximus, or ever ventured to think himself a better man. Also the art of being humorous in an agreeable way. 16. In my father I observed mildness of temper, and unchangeable resolution in the things which he had determined after due deliberation, and no vane glory in those things which men call honours, and a love of labour and perseverance, and a readiness to listen to those who had anything to propose for the common wheel, an undeviating firmness in giving to every man according to his desserts, and a knowledge derived from experience of the occasions for vigorous action and for remission. And I observed that he had overcome all passion for joys, and he considered himself no more than any other citizen, and he released his friends from all obligation to sup with him, or to attend him of a necessity when he went abroad, and those who failed to accompany him by reason of any urgent circumstances always found him the same. I observed, too, his habit of careful inquiry in all matters of deliberation, and his persistency in that he never stopped his investigation through being satisfied with appearances which first present themselves, and that his disposition was to keep his friends and not to be soon tired of them, nor yet to be extravagant in his affection, and to be satisfied on all occasions and cheerful, and to foresee things a long way off and to provide for the smallest without display, and to check immediately popular applause and flattery, and to be ever watchful over the things which were necessary for the administration of the empire, and to be a good manager of the expenditure and patiently to endure the blame which he got for such conduct. And he was neither superstitious with respect to the gods, nor did he court men by gifts or by trying to please them or by flattering the populace. But he showed sobriety in all things and firmness and never any mean thoughts or action, nor love of novelty. And the things which conduce in any way to the commodity of life and of which fortune gives an abundant supply, he used without arrogance and without excusing himself, so that when he had them he enjoyed them without affectation, and when he had them not he did not want them. No one could ever say of him that he was either a sophist or a home-bred flippant slave or pedant, but everyone acknowledged him to be a man ripe, perfect, above flattery, able to manage his own and other men's affairs. Besides this he honored those who were true philosophers and he did not reproach those who pretended to be philosophers, nor yet was he easily led by them. He was also easy in conversation and he made himself agreeable without any offence of affectation. He took a reasonable care of his body's health, not as one who was greatly attached to life, nor out of regard to personal appearance, nor yet in a careless way, but thus so that through his own attention he very seldom stood in need of the physician's art or of medicine or external applications. He was most ready to give way without envy to those who possessed any particular faculty, such as that of eloquence or knowledge of the law or of morals or of anything else, and he gave them his help that each might enjoy reputation according to his desserts. And he always acted conformably to the institutions of his country without showing any affectation of doing so. Further, he was not fond of change nor unsteady, but he loved to stay in the same places and to employ himself about the same things, and after his paroxysms of headache he came immediately fresh and vigorous to his usual occupations. His secrets were not many, but very few and very rare, and these only about public matters, and he showed prudence and economy in the exhibition of the public spectacles and the construction of public buildings, his donations to the people, and in such things, for he was a man who looked to what ought to be done, not to the reputation which is got by a man's act. He did not take the bath at unseasonable hours. He was not fond of building houses nor curious about what he eat, nor about the texture and colour of his clothes, nor about the beauty of his slaves. His dress came from Llorium, his villa on the coast, and from Lluvium generally. We know how he behaved to the toll-collector at Tusculum, who asked his pardon, and such was all his behaviour. There was in him nothing harsh, nor implacable, nor violent, nor as one may say anything carried to the sweating-point. But he examined all things severally as if he had abundance of time and without confusion in an orderly way, vigorously and consistently. And that might be applied to him which is recorded of Socrates that he was able both to abstain from and to enjoy those things which many are too weak to abstain from and cannot enjoy without excess. But to be strong enough both to bear the one and to be sober in the other is the mark of a man who has a perfect and invincible soul, such as he showed in the illness of Maximus. 17. To the gods I am indebted for having good grandfathers, good parents, a good sister, good teachers, good associates, good kinsmen and friends, nearly everything good. To the gods that I was not hurried into any offence against any of them though I had a disposition which, if opportunity had offered, might have led me to do something of this kind. But through their favour there never was such a concurrence of circumstances as put me to the trial. Further, I am thankful to the gods that I was not longer brought up with my grandfather's concubine and that I preserved the flower of my youth and that I did not make proof of my virility before the proper season but even deferred to the time. That I was subjected to a ruler and a father who was able to take away all pride for me and to bring me to the knowledge that it is possible for a man to live in a palace without wanting either guards or embroidered dresses or torches and statues and such like show. But it is in such a man's power to bring himself very near to the fashion of a private person without being for this reason either meaner in thought or more remiss in action than the things which must be done for the public interest in a manner that befits a ruler. I thank the gods for giving me such a brother who was able by his moral character to rouse me to vigilance over myself and who at the same time pleased me by his respect and affection that my children have not been stupid nor deformed in body that I did not make more proficiency in rhetoric, poetry, and the other studies in which I should perhaps have been completely engaged in personal progress in them that I made haste to place those who brought me up in the station of honour which they seemed to desire without putting them off with hope of my doing at some time after because they were then still young that I knew Apollonius, Rusticus, Maximus that I received clear and frequent impressions about living according to nature and what kind of a life that is so that so far as depended on the gods and their gifts and help and inspirations that have hindered me from forthwith living according to nature though I still fall short of it through my own fault and through not observing the admonitions of the gods and I may almost say their direct instructions that my body is held out so long in such a kind of life that I never touched either Benedicta or Theodotus and that after having fallen into amatory passions I was cured and though I was often out of humour with Rusticus I never did anything of which I had occasion that though it was my mother's fate to die young she spent the last years of her life with me that whenever I wished to help any man in his need or in any other occasion I was never told that I had not the means of doing it and that to myself the same necessity never happened to receive anything from another that I have such a wife so obedient and so affectionate and so simple that I had abundance of good masters for my children and that remedies have been shown to me by dreams both others and against blood spitting and giddiness and that when I had an inclination to philosophy I did not fall into the hands of any sophist and that I did not waste my time on writers of histories or in the resolution of syllogisms or occupy myself about the investigation of appearances in the heavens for all these things require the help of the gods and fortune Among the Caidi at the Granua End of Chapter 1 Chapter 2 of Meditations of Marcus Aurelius This is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius Antoninas translated by George Long Chapter 2 1. Begin the morning by saying to thyself I shall meet with the busy body the ungrateful, arrogant deceitful, envious unsocial all these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil but I who have seen the nature of the good that is beautiful and of the bad that it is ugly and the nature of him who does wrong that it is akin to me not only of the same blood or seed but that it participates in the same intelligence and the same portion of the divinity I can neither be injured by any of them for no one can fix on me what is ugly nor can I be angry with my kinsman nor hate him for we are made for cooperation like feet, like hands like eyelids like the rows of the upper and lower teeth to act against one another than is contrary to nature and it is acting against one another to be vexed and to turn away 2. Whatever this is that I am it is a little flesh and breath and the ruling part throw away thy books no longer distract thyself it is not allowed but as if thou wasst now dying despise the flesh it is blood and bones and a network a conjecture of nerves, veins and arteries see the breath also what kind of a thing it is air and not always the same but every moment sent out and again sucked in the third then is the ruling part consider thus art and old man no longer let this be a slave no longer be pulled by the strings like a puppet to unsocial movements no longer be either dissatisfied with thy present lot or shrink from the future 3. All that is from the gods is full of providence that which is from fortune is not separated from nature or without an interweaving an involution with the things which are ordered by providence which is besides necessity and that which is for the advantage of the whole universe of which thou art apart but that is good for every part of nature which the nature of the whole brings and what serves to maintain this nature now the universe is preserved as by the changes of the elements so by the changes of things compounded of the elements let these principles be enough for thee let them always be fixed opinions but cast away the thirst after books that thou mayst not die murmuring but cheerfully truly and from thy heart thankful to the gods 4. Remember how long thou hast been putting off these things and how often thou hast received an opportunity from the gods and yet dost not use it thou must now at last perceive of what universe thou art apart and of what administrator of the universe thy existence is in a flux and that a limit of time is fixed for thee which if thou dost not use the clouds from thy mind it will go and thou wilt go and it will never return 5. Every moment thinks steadily as a Roman and a man to do what thou hast in hand with perfect and simple dignity and feeling of affection and freedom and justice and to give thyself relief from all other thoughts and thou wilt give thyself relief if thou doest every act of thy life as if it were the last laying aside all carelessness and passionate aversion from the commands of reason and all hypocrisy and self-love and discontent with the portion which has been given to thee thou seized how few the things are the which if a man lays hold of he is able to live a life which flows in quiet and is like the existence of the gods for the gods in their part will require nothing more from him who observes these things 6. Do wrong to thyself my soul but thou wilt no longer have the opportunity of honoring thyself every man's life is sufficient but thine is nearly finished though thy soul reverences not itself but places thy felicity in the souls of others 7. Do the things external which fall upon thee distract thee give thyself time to learn something new and good and cease to be world about but then thou must also avoid being carried about the other way for those too are triflers who have weary themselves in life by their activity and yet have no object to which to direct every movement and in a word all their thoughts 8. Through not observing what is in the mind of another man has seldom been seen to be unhappy but those who do not observe the movements of their own minds must of necessity be unhappy 9. This thou must always bear in mind what is the nature what is the nature of the whole and what is my nature and how this is related to that and what kind of a part it is of what kind of a whole and that there is no one who hinders thee from always doing and saying the things which are according to the nature of which thou art apart 10. Theophrastus in his comparison of bad acts such a comparison as one would make in accordance with the common notions of mankind says, like a true philosopher that the offenses which are committed through desire are more blamable than those which are committed through anger for he who is excited by anger seems to turn away from reason with a certain pain and unconscious contraction but he who offends through desire being overpowered by pleasure seems to be in a manner more intemperate and more womanish in his offenses rightly then and in a way worthy of philosophy he said that the offense which is committed with pleasure is more blamable than that which is committed with pain and on the whole the one is more like a person who has been first wronged and through pain is compelled to be angry but the other is moved by his own impulse to do wrong being carried toward doing something by desire. 11. Since it is possible that thou mayest apart from life this very moment regulate every act and thought accordingly but to go away from among men if there are gods is not a thing to be afraid of for the gods will not involve thee in evil but if indeed they do not exist or if they have no concern about human affairs what is it to me to live in a universe devoid of gods or devoid of providence but in truth they do exist and they do not care for human things and they've put all the means in man's power to enable him not to fall into real evils and as to the rest if there was anything evil they would have provided for this also that it should be altogether in a man's power not to fall into it now that which does not make a man worse how can it make a man's life worse but neither through ignorance nor having the knowledge but not the power to guard against or correct these things it is possible that the nature of the universe has overlooked them nor is it possible that is made so great a mistake either through want of power or want of skill that good and evil should happen indiscriminately to the good and the bad but death certainly and life honor and dishonor pain and pleasure all these things equally happen to good men and bad being things which make us neither better nor worse therefore they are neither good nor evil twelve how quickly all these things disappear in the universe the bodies themselves but in time the remembrance of them what is the nature of all sensible things and particularly those who attract with the bait of pleasure or terrify by pain or are noised about by vapoury fame how worthless and contemptible and sordid and perishable and dead they are all this it is the part of the intellectual faculty to observe to observe too who these are whose opinions and voices give reputation what death is and the fact that if a man looks at it himself and by the abstract of power reflection dissolves into their parts all the things which present themselves to the imagination in it he will then consider it to be nothing else than an operation of nature and if anyone is afraid of an operation of nature he is a child this however is not only an operation of nature but it is also a thing which conduces to the purposes of nature to observe too how man comes near to the deity and by what part of him and when this part of man is so disposed 13 nothing is more wretched than a man who traverses everything in a round and prize into things beneath the earth as the poet says and seeks by conjecture what is in the minds of his neighbours without perceiving that it is sufficient to attend to the demon within him and to reverence it sincerely and reverence of the demon consists in keeping it pure from passion and thoughtlessness and dissatisfaction with what comes and to men for the things from God's merit veneration for their excellence and the things from men should be dear to us by reason of kinship and sometimes even in a manner they move our pity by reason of men's ignorance of good and bad this defect being not less than that which deprives us of the power of distinguishing things that are white and black 14 though thou shouldest be going to live this ten thousand years still remember that no man loses any other life than this which he now lives nor lives any other than this which he now loses the longest and shortest are thus brought to the same for the present is the same to all though that which perishes is not the same and so that which is lost appears to be a mere moment for a man cannot lose either the past or the future for what a man has not how can anyone take this from him these two things in thou must bear in mind the one that all things from eternity are of like forms and come round in a circle and that it makes no difference whether a man shall see the same things during a hundred years or two hundred or an infinite time and the second that the longest liver and he who will die soonest lose just the same for the present is the only thing of which a man can be deprived if it is true that this is the only thing which he has and that a man cannot lose a thing if he has it not 15 remember that all is opinion for what was said by the cynic Monimus is manifest and manifest too is the use of what was said if a man receives what may be gut out of it as far as it is true 16 the soul of man does violence to itself first of all when it becomes as abscess and as it were a tumor on the universe so far as it can for to be vexed at anything which happens is a separation of ourselves from nature in some part of which the natures of all other things are contained in the next place the soul does violence to itself when it turns away from any man or even moves towards him with the intention of injuring such as of the souls of those who are angry in the third place the soul does violence to itself when it is overpowered by pleasure or by pain fourthly when it plays a part and does or says anything insincerely and untruly fifthly when it allows any act of its own and any movement to be without an aim and does anything thoughtlessly and without considering what it is being right that even the smallest things be done with reference to an end and the end of rational animals is to follow the reason and the law of the most ancient city and polity 17 of human life the time is a point and the substance is in a flux and the perception dull and the composition of the whole body subject to putrefaction and the soul of a whirl and fortune hard to divine and fame a thing devoid of judgment and to say all in a word everything which belongs to the body is a stream and what belongs to the soul is a dream and vapor and life is a warfare and after fame is oblivion what then is that which is able to conduct a man one thing and only one philosophy but this consists in keeping the demon within a man free from violence and unharmed superior to pains and pleasures doing nothing without a purpose nor yet falsely and with hypocrisy not feeling the need of another man's doing or not doing anything and besides accepting all that happens and all that is allotted as coming from thence wherever it is from whence he himself came and finally waiting for death with a cheerful mind as being nothing else than a dissolution of the elements of which every living being is compounded but if there is no harm to the elements themselves in each continually changing into another why should a man have any apprehension about the change and dissolution of all the elements for it is according to nature and nothing is evil which is according to nature this in Carnuntum end of chapter 2 chapter 3 of the meditations of Marcus Aurelius this is a LibriVox recording or LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org recording by Shane Greenup the meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius Antoninas translated by George Long chapter 3 we ought to consider not only that our life is daily wasting away and a smaller part of it is left but another thing also must be taken into the account the different man should live longer it is quite uncertain whether the understanding will still continue sufficient for the comprehension of things and retain the power of contemplation which strives to acquire the knowledge of the divine and the human for if he shall begin to fall into dotage perspiration and nutrition and imagination and appetite and whatever else there is of the kind will not fail but the power of making use of ourselves and filling up the measure of our duty and clearly separating all appearances and considering whether a man should now depart from life and whatever else of the kind absolutely requires a disciplined reason all this is already extinguished we must make haste then not only because we are daily nearer to death but also because the conception of things and the understanding of them cease first too we ought to observe also that even the things which follow after the things which are reduced according to nature contain something pleasing and attractive for instance when bread is baked some parts are split at the surface and these parts which thus open and have a certain fashion contrary to the purpose of the baker's art are beautiful in a manner and in a peculiar way excite a desire for eating and again figs when they are quite ripe, gape open and in the ripe olives the very circumstance that they are being near to rottenness adds a peculiar beauty to the fruit and the ears of corn bending down and the lion's eyebrows and the foam which flows from the mouth of wild boars and many other things though they are far from being beautiful if a man should examine them severally still because they are consequent upon the things which are formed by nature help to adorn them and they please the mind so that if a man should have a feeling and a deeper insight with respect to the things which are produced in the universe there is hardly one of those which follow by way of consequence which will not seem to him to be in a manner disposed so as to give pleasure and so he will see even the real gaping jaws of wild beasts with no less pleasure than those which painters and sculptors show by imitation and in an old woman and an old man he will be able to see a certain maturity and comeliness and the attractive loveliness of young persons he will be able to look on with chaste eyes and many such things will present themselves not pleasing to every man but to him only who has become truly familiar with nature and her works 3 Hippocrates after curing many diseases himself fell sick and died the child died foretold them deaths of many and then fate caught them too Alexander and Pompeius and Caes Caesar after so often completely destroying whole cities and in battle cutting to pieces many tens of thousands of cavalry and infantry themselves too at last departed from life Heraclitus after so many speculations on the conflagration of the universe was filled with water internally and died smeared all over with mud and last destroyed Democritus and other last killed Socrates What means all this Thou hast embarked, Thou hast made the voyage, Thou art come to shore, get out if indeed to another life there is no want of gods not even there but it to state without sensation Thou sought cease to be held by pains and pleasures and to be a slave to the vessel which is as much inferior as that which serves it is superior for the one is intelligence and deity the other is earth and corruption 4 do not waste the remainder of Thy life in thoughts about others when Thou dost not refer Thy thoughts to some object of common utility for Thou loses the opportunity of doing something else when Thou hast such thoughts as these what is such a person doing and why and what is he saying and what is he thinking of and what is he contriving and whatever else of the kind makes us wonder away from the observation of our own ruling power we ought then to check in the series of our thoughts everything that is without a purpose and useless but most of all the over curious feeling and the malignant and the man should use himself to think of those things only about which if one should suddenly ask what has Thou now in Thy thoughts with perfect openness Thou mightest immediately answer this or that so that from Thy words it should be plain that everything in these simple and benevolent and such as befits a social animal one that cares not for thoughts about pleasure or sensual enjoyment at all nor has any rivalry or envy and suspicion or anything else for which Thou would blush if Thou should say that Thou hadst it in Thy mind for the man who is such and no longer delays being among the number of the best is like a priest and minister of the gods using to the deity which is planted within him which makes the man uncontaminated by pleasure unharmed by any pain untouched by any insult feeling no wrong a fighter in the noblest fight one who cannot be overpowered by any passion died deep with justice accepting with all his soul everything which happens and is assigned to him as his position and not even nor yet without great necessity and for the general interest imagining what another says or does or thinks for it is only what belongs to himself that he makes the matter for his activity and he constantly thinks of that which is allotted to himself out of the sum total of things and he makes his own act fair that he is persuaded that his own portion is good for the lot which is assigned to each man is carried along with him and carries him along with it and he remembers also that every rational animal is his kinsman and that to care for all men is according to man's nature and the man should hold on to the opinion not of all but of those only who confessedly live according to nature but as to those who live not so he always bears in mind what kind of men they are both at home and from home both by night and by day and what they are and with what men they live and in pure life accordingly he does not value at all the praise which comes from such men since they are not even satisfied with themselves 5. Labor not unwillingly nor without regard to common interest nor without due consideration nor with destruction nor let studied ornaments set off their thoughts not either a man of many words or busy about too many things and further let the deity which is in thee be it the guardian of a living being manly and of ripe age and engaged in matter political and a roman and a ruler who has taken his post like a man waiting for the signal which summons him from life and ready to go having neither of oath nor of any man's testimony be cheerful also and seek to help nor the tranquility which others give a man must stand erect not be kept erect by others 6. If thou findest in human life anything better than justice, truth temperance, fortitude and in a word anything better than thy own mind's self-satisfaction in the things which it enables thee to do according to right reason and in the condition that is assigned to thee without thy own choice if, I say, thou hast placed anything better than this turn to it with all thy soul and enjoy that which thou hast found to be the best but if nothing appears to be better than the deity which is planted in thee which is subjected to itself all thy appetites and carefully examines all the impressions and as Socrates said has detached itself from the persuasions of sense and has submitted itself to the gods and cares for mankind if thou findest everything else smaller and less value than this give place to nothing else for if thou dost once diverge and incline to it thou wilt no longer without destruction be able to give the preference to that good thing which is thy proper possession and thy own for it is not right that anything of any other kind such as praise from the many or power or enjoyment of pleasure should come into competition with that which is rationally and politically or practically good all these things even though they may seem to adapt themselves to the better things in a small degree obtain the superiority all at once and carry us away but do thou I say simply and freely choose the better and hold to it but that which is useful is better well then if it is only useful to thee as a rational being keep to it but if it is only useful to thee as an animal so and maintain thy judgment without arrogance only take care that thou make us to the inquiry by a sure method seven never value anything as profitable to thyself which shall compel thee to break thy promise to lose thyself respect to hate any man to suspect, to curse, to act the hypocrite to desire anything which needs walls and curtains for he who has preferred to everything else his own intelligence and demon and the worship of its excellence acts no tragic part does not groan will not need either solitude or much company and what is chief of all he will live without either pursuing or flying from death but whether for a longer or shorter time he shall have the soul enclosed in the body he cares not at all for even if he must depart immediately he will go as readily as if he were going to do anything else which can be done with decency and order taking care of this only all through life that his thoughts turn not away from anything which belongs to an intelligent animal and a member of a civil community eight in the mind of one who is chastened and purified thou wilt find no corrupt matter no impurity nor any sore skinned over nor is his life incomplete when fate overtakes him as one may say of an actor who leaves the stage before ending and finishing the play besides there is in him nothing servile nor effected nor too closely bound to other things nor yet detached from other things nothing worthy of blame nothing which seeks a hiding place nine reverence the faculty which produces opinion on this faculty it entirely depends whether there shall exist in their ruling part any opinion inconsistent with nature and the constitution of the rational animal and this faculty promises freedom from hasty judgment and friendship towards men and obedience to the gods ten throwing away then all things hold to these only which are few and besides bear in mind that every man lives only his present time which is an indivisible point and that all the rest of his life is either past or it is uncertain short then is the time which every man lives and small the nook of the earth where he lives and short too the longest posthumous fame and even this only continued by a succession of poor human beings who will very soon die and who know not even themselves much less him who died long ago eleven to the aid which have been mentioned let this one still be added make for thyself a definition or description of the thing which is presented to thee so as to see distinctly what kind of a thing it is in its substance in its nudity in its complete entirety until thyself its proper name and the names of the things of which it has been compounded and into which it will be resolved for nothing is so productive of elevation of mind as to be able to examine methodically and truly every object which is presented to thee in life and always to look at things so as to see at the same time what kind of universe this is and what kind of use everything performs in it and what value everything has with reference to the whole and what with reference to man who is a citizen of the highest city of which all other cities are like families what each thing is and of what it is composed and how long it is the nature of this thing to endure which now makes an impression on me and what virtue I have need of with respect to it such as gentleness manliness, truth, fidelity, simplicity, contentment and the rest wherefore on every occasion a man should say this comes from God and this is according to the appointment and spinning of the threat of destiny and such like coincidence and chance and this is from one of the same stock and a kinsman and partner one who knows not however what is according to his nature but I know for this reason I believe towards him according to the natural law of fellowship with benevolence and justice at the same time however in things indifferent I attempt to ascertain the value of each 12 if thou workest at that which is before thee following right reasons seriously vigorously calmly without allowing anything else to distract thee but keeping thy divine part pure as if thou shouldst be bound to give it back immediately if thou holdest to this expecting nothing fearing nothing but satisfied with thy present activity according to nature and with heroic truth in every word and sound which thou utterest thou would live happy and there is no man who is able to prevent this 13 as physicians have always the instruments and knives ready for cases which suddenly require their skill so do thou have principles ready for the understanding of things divine and human and doing everything even the smallest with a recollection of the bond which unites the divine and human to one another for neither will thou do anything well which pertains to man without at the same time having a reference to things divine nor the contrary 14 no longer wander at hazard for neither will thou read thy own memoirs nor the acts of the ancient Romans and the Helens and the selections which thou wast reserving for thy old age hasten then to the end which thou hast before thee and throwing away idle hopes come to thy own aid if thou carest at all for thyself while it is in thy power 15 they know not how many things are signified by the words stealing, sowing, buying, keeping quiet, seeing what ought to be done for this is not affected by the eyes but by another kind of vision 16 body, soul, intelligence to the body belong sensations to the soul appetites to the intelligence principles to receive the impressions of forms by means of appearances belongs even to animals to be pulled by the strings of desires belongs both to wild beasts and to men who have made themselves into women and to a phalaris and a nero and to have the intelligence that guides to the things which appear suitable belongs also to those who do not believe in the gods and who betray their country and do their impure deeds when they have shut the doors if then everything else is common to all that I have mentioned there remains that which is peculiar to the good man to be pleased and content with what happens and with the thread which is spun for him and not to defile the divinity which is planted in his breast nor disturb it by a crowd of images but to preserve it tranquil following it obediently as a god neither saying anything contrary to the truth nor doing anything contrary to justice and if all men refuse to believe that he lives a simple modest and contented life he is neither angry with any of them nor does he deviate from the way which leads to the end of life to which a man ought to come pure a tranquil ready to depart and without any compulsion perfectly reconciled to his lot End of Chapter 3 Recording by Shane Greenup www.papersallowed.com Chapter 4 of Meditations of Marcus Aurelius This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus translated by George Long Chapter 4 That which rules within when it is according to nature is so affected with respect to the events which happen that it always easily adapts itself to that which is possible and is presented to it for it requires no definite material but it moves towards its purpose under certain conditions however and it makes a material for itself out of that which opposes it as fire lays hold of what falls into it but which a small light would have been extinguished but when the fire is strong it soon appropriates to itself the matter which is heaped on it and consumes it and rises higher by means of this very material Let no act be done without a purpose nor otherwise than according to the perfect principles of art Men the secret treats for themselves houses in the country seashores and the mountains and thou too art want to desire such things very much but this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men for it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself for nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom than from trouble does a man retire than into his own soul particularly when he has within him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in perfect tranquility and I affirm that tranquility is nothing else than the good ordering of the mind constantly then give to thyself this retreat and renew thyself and let thy principles be brief and fundamental which as soon as thou shalt recur to them will be sufficient to cleanse the soul completely and to send thee back free from all discontent with the things to which thou returnest for with what art thou discontented with the badness of men recall to thy mind this conclusion that rational animals exist for one another and that to endure is a part of justice and that men do wrong involuntarily and consider how many already after mutual enmity suspicion, hatred, and fighting have been stretched dead reduced to ashes and be quiet at last but perhaps thou art dissatisfied with that which is assigned to thee out of the universe recall to thy recollection this alternative either there is providence or atoms fortuitous concurrence of things or remember the arguments by which it has been proved that the world is a kind of political community and be quiet at last but perhaps corporeal things will still fasten upon thee consider then further that the mind mingles not with the breath whether moving gently or violently when it has once drawn itself apart and discovered its own power and think also of all that thou hast heard and assented to about pain and pleasure and be quiet at last but perhaps the desire of the thing called fame will torment thee see how soon everything is forgotten and look at the chaos of infinite time on each side of the present and the emptiness of applause and the changefulness and want of judgment in those who pretend to give praise and the narrowness of the space within which it is circumscribed and be quiet at last the whole earth is a point and how small a nook in it is this thy dwelling place and how few are there in it and what kind of people are they who will praise thee this then remains remember to retire into this little territory of thy own and above all do not distract or strain thyself but be free at look and things and as a human being as a citizen as a mortal but among the things readyest to thy hand to which thou shalt return let there be these which are too one is that things do not touch the soul for they are external and remain immovable but our perturbations come only from the opinion which is within the other is that all these things which thou seeest and will no longer be and constantly bear in mind how many of these changes thou hast already witnessed the universe is transformation life is opinion if our intellectual part is common the reason also in respect of which we are rational beings is common if this is so common also is the reason which commands us what to do if this is so there is a common law also if this is so we are fellow citizens if this is so we are members of some political community if this is so the world is in a manner of state for of what other common political community will anyone say that the whole human race are members and from thence from this common political community comes also our very intellectual faculty and reasoning faculty and our capacity for law or whence do they come for as my earthly part is a portion given to me from certain earth and that which is watery from another element and that which is hot and fiery from some peculiar source for nothing comes out of that which is nothing as nothing also returns to non-existence so also the intellectual part comes from some source such as generation is a mystery of nature a composition out of the same elements and a decomposition into the same and altogether not a thing of which any man should be ashamed for it is not contrary to the nature of a reasonable animal and not contrary to the reason of our constitution it is natural that these things should be done by such persons it is a matter of necessity and if a man will not have it so he will not allow the fig tree to have juice but by all means bear this in mind that within a very short time both thou and he will be dead and soon not even your names will be left behind take away thy opinion and then there is taken away the complaint I have been harmed take away the complaint I have been harmed and the harm is taken away that which does not make a man worse than he was also does not make his life worse nor does it harm him either from without or from within the nature of that which is universally useful has been compelled to do this consider that everything which happens happens justly and if thou observest carefully thou wilt find it to be so I do not say only with respect to the continuity of the series of things but with respect to what is just and as if it were done by one who assigns to each thing its value observe then that thou hast begun and whatever thou doest do it in conjunction with this the being good and in the sense in which a man is properly understood to be good keep to this and every action do not have such an opinion of things as he has who does thee wrong wishes thee to have but look at them as they are in truth a man should always have these two rules in readiness the one to do only whatever the reason of the ruling and legislating faculty may suggest for the use of men the other to change thy opinion if there is anyone at hand who sets thee right and moves thee from any opinion but this change of opinion must proceed only from a certain persuasion of what is just or of common advantage and the like not because it appears pleasant or brings reputation hast thou reason I have why then dost not thou use it for if this does its own work what else dost thou wish thou hast existed as a part thou shalt disappear in that which produced thee but rather thou shalt be received back into its seminal principle by transmutation many grains of frankincense on the same altar one falls before another falls after but it makes no difference within ten days thou wilt seem a god to those to whom thou art now a beast and an ape if thou wilt return to thy principles and to worship of reason do not act as if thou weren't going to live ten thousand years death hangs over thee while thou livest while it is in thy power be good how much trouble he avoids who does not look to see what his neighbor says or does or thinks but only to what he does himself that it may be just and pure or as Agathon says look not round at the depraved morals of others but run straight along the line without deviating from it he who has a vehement desire and misfame does not consider that every one of those who remember him will himself also die very soon that again also they who have succeeded them until the whole remembrance shall have been extinguished as it is transmitted through men who foolishly admire and perish suppose that those who will remember are even immortal and that the remembrance will be immortal what then is this to thee and I say not what is it to the dead but what is it to the living what is praise except indeed so far as it has a certain utility for thou now rejectest unseasonably the gift of nature clinging to something else everything which is in it any way beautiful is beautiful in itself and terminates in itself not having praise as a part of itself neither worse than nor better is a thing made by being praised I affirm this also of the things which are called beautiful by the vulgar for example material things and works of art that which is really beautiful has no need of anything not more than law not more than truth not more than benevolence or modesty which of these things is beautiful because it is praised or spoiled by being blamed is such a thing as an emerald made worse than it was or gold ivory purple a lyre a little knife a flower a shrub if souls continue to exist how does the air contain them from eternity but how does the earth contain the bodies of those who have been buried from time so remote for as here the mutation of these bodies after a certain continuance whatever it may be and their dissolution make room for other dead bodies so the souls which are removed into the air after subsisting for some time are transmuted and diffuse and assume a fiery nature by being received into the seminal intelligence of the universe and in this way make room for the fresh souls which come to dwell there and this is the answer which a man might give on the hypothesis of souls continuing to exist but we must not only think of the number of bodies which are thus buried but also of the number of animals which are daily eaten by us and the other animals for what a number is consumed and thus in a manner buried in the bodies of those who feed on them and nevertheless this earth receives them by reason of the changes of these bodies into blood and the transformations into the aerial or the fiery element what is the investigation into the truth of the matter the division into that which is material and that which is the cause of form the formal do not be world about but in every movement have respect to justice and on the occasion of every impression maintain the faculty of comprehension or understanding everything harmonizes with me which is harmonious to thee oh universe nothing for me is too early nor too late which is in due time for thee everything is fruit to me what shall I seasons bring of nature from thee are all things in thee are all things to thee all things return the poet says dear city of sea crops and wilt not thou say dear city of Zeus occupy thyself with few things says the philosopher if thou wouldst be tranquil but consider if it would not be better to say do what is necessary whatever the reason of the animal which is naturally social requires and as it requires for this brings not only the tranquility which comes from doing well but also that which comes from doing few things for the greatest part of what we say and do being unnecessary if a man takes this away he will have more leisure and less uneasiness accordingly on every occasion a man should ask himself is this one of the unnecessary things now a man should take away not only unnecessary acts but also unnecessary thoughts for the superfluous acts will not follow after try how the life of a good man suits thee the life of him who is satisfied with his portion out of the whole and satisfied with his own just acts and benevolent disposition has thou seen those things look also at these do not disturb thyself make thyself all simplicity does anyone do wrong it is to himself that he does wrong has anything happened to thee well out of the universe from the beginning everything which happens has been apportioned and spun out to thee in a word thy life is short thou must turn to profit present by the aid of reason and justice be sober in thy relaxation either it is a well arranged universe or a chaos huddled together but still a universe but can a certain order subsist in thee and disorder in all and this too when all things are so separated and diffused and sympathetic a black character a womanish character a stubborn character bestial childish animal stupid counterfeit scurrilous fraudulent tyrannical if he is a stranger to the universe who does not know what is in it no less is he a stranger who does not know what is going on in it he is a runaway who flies from social reason he is blind who shuts the eyes of the understanding he is poor who has need of another and has not from himself all things for life he is an abscess on the universe who withdraws and separates himself from the reason of our common nature through being displeased with the things which happened for the same nature produces this and has produced thee too he is a peace rent asunder from the state who tears his own soul from that of reasonable animals which is one the one is a philosopher without a tunic and the other without a book here is another half naked bread I have not he says and I abide by reason and I do not get the means of living out of my learning and I abide by my reason love the art poor as it may be which thou hast learned and be content with it and pass through the rest of life like one who has entrusted to the gods with his whole soul all that he has making himself neither the tyrant nor the slave of any man consider for example the times of Vespasian thou wilt see all these things people marrying bringing up children sick dying warring feasting trafficking cultivating the ground flattering obstinately arrogant suspecting plotting wishing for some to die grumbling about the present loving heaping up treasure desiring consulship kingly power well then that life of these people no longer exists at all again removed to the time of Trajan again all is the same their life too is gone in like manner view also the other epics of time and of whole nations and see how many after great efforts soon fell and were resolved into the elements but chiefly thou shouldst think of those whom thou hast thyself known distracting themselves about idle things neglecting to do what was in accordance with their proper constitution and to hold firmly to this and to be content with it and herein it is necessary to remember that the attention given to everything has its proper value and proportion for thus thou wilt not be dissatisfied if thou applies thyself to smaller matters no further than its fit the words which are formerly familiar are now antiquated so also the names of those who were famed of old are now in a manner antiquated Camillus, Caesophilacus Leonatus and a little after also Scipio and Cato then Augustus then also Hadrianus and Antoninus for all things soon pass away and become a mere tale and complete oblivion soon buries them and I say this of those who have shown in a wondrous way for the rest and breathed out their breath they are gone and no man speaks of them and to conclude the matter what is even an eternal remembrance a mere nothing what then is that about which we ought to employ our serious pains this one thing thoughts just and act social and words which never lie and a disposition which gladly accepts all that happens as necessary as usual as flowing from a principle and a source of the same kind willingly give thyself up to Clotho, one of the fates allowing her to spin thy thread into whatever things she pleases everything is only for a day both that which remembers and that which is remembered observe constantly that all things take place by change and accustom thyself to consider that the nature of the universe loves nothing so much as to change our and to make new things like them for everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be but thou art thinking only of seeds which are cast into the earth or into a womb but this is a very vulgar notion thou wilt soon die and thou art not yet simple not free from perturbations not without suspicion of being hurt by external things nor kindly disposed toward all thou yet place wisdom only in acting justly examine men's ruling principles even those of the wise what kind of things they avoid and what kind they pursue what is evil to thee does not subsist in the ruling principle of another nor yet in any turning and mutation of thy corporeal covering where is it then it is in that part of thee which subsists the power of forming opinions about evils let this power then not form such opinions and all as well and if that which is nearest to it the poor body is cut, burnt filled with matter and rottenness nevertheless let the heart which forms opinions about these things be quiet that is let it judge that nothing is either bad or good which can happen equally to the bad man the good for that which happens equally to him who lives contrary to nature and to him who lives according to nature is neither according to nature nor contrary to nature constantly regard the universe as one living being having one substance and one soul and observe how all things have reference to one perception the perception of this one living being and how all things act with one movement and how all things are the cooperative causes of all things which exist observe to the continuous spinning of the thread and the contexture of the web thou art a little soul bearing about a corpse as epic textist used to say it is no evil for things to undergo change and no good for things to subsist in consequence of change time is like a river made up of the events which happen and a violent stream for as soon as a thing has been seen it is carried away and another comes in its place and this will be carried away too everything which happens is as familiar and well known as the rose and spring and the fruit and summer for such is disease and death and calamity and treachery and whatever else delights, fools or vexes then in the series of things those which follow are always aptly fitted to those which have gone before for this series is not like a mere enumeration of disjointed things which only has a necessary sequence but it is a rational connection and as all existing things are arranged together harmoniously so the things which come into existence exhibit no mere succession but a certain wonderful relationship always remember the saying of Heraclitus that the death of earth is to become water and the death of water is to become air and the death of air is to become fire and reversely and think too of him who forgets wither the way leads and that men quarrel with that with which they are most constantly in communion the reason which governs the universe and the things which they daily meet with seems to them strange and consider that we ought not to act and speak as if we were asleep for even in sleep we seem to act and speak and that we ought not like children who learn from their parents simply to act and speak as we have been taught if any god told thee that thou shalt die tomorrow or certainly on the day after tomorrow thou wouldst not care much whether it was on the third day or on the morrow unless thou wasst in the highest degree mean spirited for how small is the difference so think it is no great thing to die after as many years as thou canst name rather than tomorrow think continually how many physicians are dead after often contracting their eyebrows over the sick and how many astrologers after predicting with great pretensions the deaths of others and how many philosophers after endless discourses on death or immortality how many heroes after killing thousands and how many tyrants who have used their power over men's lives with terrible insolence as if they were immortal and how many cities are entirely dead so to speak Helus and Pompeii and Herculaneum and others innumerable add to the reckoning all whom thou hast known one after another one man after burying another has been laid out dead and another buries him and all of this in a short time to conclude let's observe how ephemeral and worthless human things are and what was yesterday a little mucus tomorrow will be a mummy or ashes past then through this little space of time conformably to nature and end thy journey in content just as an olive falls off when it is ripe blessing nature who produced it and thanking the tree on which it grew be like the promontory against which the waves continually break but it stands firm and tames the fury of the water around it unhappy am I because this has happened to me not so but happy am I though this has happened to me because I continue free from pain neither crushed by the present nor fearing the future for such a thing as this might have happened to every man but every man would not have continued free from pain on such an occasion why then is that rather a misfortune than this a good fortune and dost thou in all cases call that a man's misfortune which is not a deviation from man's nature and does a thing seem to thee to be a deviation from man's nature when it is not contrary to the will of man's nature well thou knowest the will of nature will then this which has happened prevent thee from being just, magnanimous, temperate, prudent secure against inconsiderate opinions and falsehoods will prevent thee from having modesty freedom and everything else by the presence of which man's nature obtains all that is its own remember too and every occasion which leads thee to vexation to apply this principle not that this is a misfortune but that to bear it nobly is a good fortune it is a vulgar but still a useful help towards contempt of death to pass and review those who have tenaciously stuck to life what more than have they gained than those who have died early certainly they lie in their tomb somewhere at last cadicianus, phabeas, julianus, lepidus or anyone else like them who have carried out many to be buried and then were carried out themselves altogether the interval is small between birth and death and consider with how much trouble and in company with what sort of people and in what a feeble body this interval is laboriously past do not then consider life a thing of any value for look to the immensity of time behind thee and to the time which is before thee another boundless space in this infinity then what is the difference between him who lives three days and him who lives three generations always run the short way and the short way is the natural accordingly say and do everything in conformity with the soundest reason for such a purpose frees a man from trouble and warfare and all artifice and ostentatious display End of Chapter 4 Chapter 5 of Meditations of Marcus Aurelius This is a LibriVox recording All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Translated by George Long Chapter 5 In the morning when thou risest unwillingly let this thought be present I am rising to the work of a human being why then am I dissatisfied if I am going to do the things for which I exist and for which I was brought into the world or have I been made for this to lie in the bed clothes and keep myself warm but this is more pleasant doth thou exist then to take thy pleasure and not at all for action or exertion doth thou not see the little plants the little birds the ants, the spiders, the bees working together to put in order their several parts of the universe and art thou unwilling to do the work of a human being and doth thou not make haste to do that which is according to thy nature but it is necessary to take rest also it is necessary however nature has fixed bounds to this too she has fixed bounds both to eating and drinking and yet thou goest beyond these bounds beyond what is sufficient yet in thy acts it is not so but thou stopest short of what thou canst do so thou lovest not thyself for if thou didst thou wouldst love thy nature and her will but those who love their several arts exhaust themselves in working at them unwashed and without food but thou valueest thy known nature less than the turner values the turning art or the dancer the dancing art or the lover of money values his money or the vain glorious man his little glory and such men when they have a violent affection to a thing choose neither to eat nor to sleep rather than to perfect the things which they care for but are the acts which concern society more vile in thy eyes and less worthy of thy labor how easy it is to repel and to wipe away every impression which is troublesome or unsuitable and immediately to be in all tranquility judge every word and deed which are according to nature to be fit for thee and be not diverted by the blame which follows from any people nor by their words but if the thing is good to be done or said do not consider it unworthy of thee for those persons have their peculiar leading principle and follow their peculiar movement which things do not thou regard but go straight on following thy own nature and the common nature and the way of both is one I go through the things which happen according to nature and I shall fall and rest breathing out my breath into that element out of which I daily draw it in and falling upon that earth out of which my father collected the seed and my mother the blood and my nurse the milk out of which during so many years I have been supplied with food and drink which bears me when I tread on it and abuse it for so many purposes thou sayest men cannot admire the sharpness of thy wits be it so but there are many other things I am not formed for them by nature show those qualities then which are all together in thy power sincerity gravity endurance of labor aversion to pleasure contentment with thy portion and with few things benevolence frankness no love of superfluity freedom from trifling magnanimity does thou not see how many qualities thou art immediately able to exhibit in which there is no excuse of natural incapacity and unfitness and yet thou still remainest voluntarily below the mark or art thou compelled through being defectively furnished by nature to murmur and to be stingy and to flatter and to find fault with thy poor body and to try to please men and to make great display and to be restless in thy mind no by the gods but thou mightest have been delivered from these things long ago only if in truth thou canst be charged with being rather slow and dull of comprehension thou must exert thyself about this also not neglecting it taking pleasure in thy dullness one man when he has done a service to another is ready to set it down to his account as a favour conferred another is not ready to do this but still in his own mind he thinks of the man as his debtor and he knows what he has done a third in a manner does not even know what he has done but he is like a vine that grapes and seeks for nothing more after it has once produced its proper fruit as a horse when he has run a dog when he has tracked the game a bee when it has made the honey so a man when he has done a good act does not call out for others to come and see but he goes on to another act as a vine goes on to produce again the grapes of the season must a man then be one of these who in a manner act thus without observing it yes but this very thing is necessary the observation of what a man is doing for it may be said it is characteristic of the social animal to perceive that he is working in a social manner and indeed to wish that his social partner also should perceive it it is true what thou sayest but thou dost not rightly understand what is now said and for this reason thou wilt become one of those of whom I spoke before for even they are misled by a certain show of reason but if thou wilt choose to understand the meaning of what is said do not fear that for this reason thou wilt omit any social act a prayer of the Athenians rain rain oh dear Zeus down on the plowed fields of the Athenians and on the plains in truth we ought not to pray at all or we ought to pray in this simple and noble fashion just as we must understand when it is said that Escalapius prescribed to this man this exercise or bathing in cold water or going without shoes so we must understand it when it is said that the nature of the universe prescribed to this man disease or mutilation or loss or anything else of the kind for in the first case prescribed means something like this he prescribed this for this man as a thing adapted to procure health and in the second case it means that which happens to or suits every man is fixed in a manner for him suitably to his destiny for this is what we mean when we say that things are suitable to us as the workmen say of squared stones in walls or the pyramids that they are suitable when they fit them to one another in some kind of connection for there is altogether one fitness harmony and as the universe is made up out of all bodies to be such a body as it is so out of all existing causes necessity destiny is made up to be such a cause as it is and even those who are completely ignorant understand what I mean for they say it necessity destiny brought this to such a person this then was brought and this was prescribed to him let us then receive these things as well as those which Esculopius prescribes many as a matter of course even among his prescriptions are disagreeable but we accept them in the hope of health let the perfecting and accomplishment of the things which the common nature judges to be good be judged by thee to be of the same kind as thy health and so accept everything which happens even if it seem disagreeable because it leads to this to the health of the universe and to the prosperity and felicity of Zeus the universe for he would not have brought on any man what he has brought if it were not useful for the whole neither does the nature of anything whatever it may be cause anything which is not suitable to that which is directed by it for two reasons then it is right to be content with that which happens to thee the one because it was done for thee and described for thee and in a manner had reference to thee originally from the most ancient causes spun with thy destiny and the other because even that which comes severly to every man is to the power which administers the universe a cause of felicity and perfection nay even of its very continuance for the integrity of the whole is mutilated thou cutest off anything whatever from the conjunction and the continuity either of the parts or of the causes and thou dost cut off as far as it is in thy power when thou art dissatisfied and in a manner tries to put anything out of the way be not disgusted nor discouraged nor dissatisfied if thou dost not succeed in doing everything according to the right principles but when thou hast failed return back again and be content if the greater part of what thou doest is consistent with man's nature and love this to which thou returnest and do not return to philosophy as if she were a master but act like those who have sore eyes and apply a bit of sponge and egg or as another applies a plaster or drenching with water for thus thou wilt not fail to obey reason and thou wilt repose in it and remember that philosophy requires only the things which thy nature requires but thou wouldst have something else which is not according to nature it may be objected why what is more agreeable than this which I am doing but is not this very reason why pleasure deceives us and consider if magnanimity freedom, simplicity equanimity, piety are not more agreeable for what is more agreeable than wisdom itself when thou thinkest of the security and the happy course of all things which depend on the faculty of understanding and knowledge things are in such a kind of envelopment that they have seemed to philosophers not a few nor those common philosophers altogether unintelligible nay even to the stoics themselves they seem difficult to understand and all our assent is changeable for where is the man who never changes carry thy thoughts then to the objects themselves and consider how short lived they are and worthless they may be in the possession of a filthy wretch or whore or a robber then turn to the morals of those who live with thee and it is hardly possible to endure even the most agreeable of them to say nothing of the man being hardly able to endure himself in such darkness then and dirt and in so constant a flux both of substance and of time and of motion and of things moved what there is worth being highly prized or even an object of serious pursuit I cannot imagine but on the contrary it is a man's duty to comfort himself and to wait for the natural dissolution and not to be vexed at the delay but to rest in these principles only the one that nothing will happen to me is not conformable to the nature of the universe and the other that it is in my power never to act contrary to my God and demon for there is no man who will compel me to do this about what am I now employing my own soul on every occasion I must ask myself this question and inquire what have I now in this part of me which they call the ruling principle and whose soul have I now that of a child or of a young man or of a feeble woman or of a tyrant or of a domestic animal or of a wild beast what kind of things those are which appear good to the many we may learn even from this for if any man should conceive certain things as being really good such as prudence temperance justice fortitude he would not after having first conceived these endure to listen to anything which should not be in harmony with what is really good but if a man has first conceived as good the things which appear to the many to be good he will listen and readily receive as very applicable that which was said by the comic writer thus even the many perceive the difference for were it not so this saying would not offend and would not be rejected in the first case while we receive it when it is said of wealth and of the means which further luxury and fame as said fitly and wittily go on then and ask if we should value and think those things to be good after their first conception in the mind the words of the comic writer might be aptly applied that he who has them through pure abundance has not a place to ease himself in I am composed of the formal and the material and neither of them will perish into non-existence as neither of them came into existence out of non-existence every part of me then reduced by change into some part of the universe and that again will change into another part of the universe and so on forever and by consequence of such a change I too exist and those who begot me and so on forever in the other direction for nothing hinders us from saying so even if the universe is administered according to definite periods of revolution reason and the reasoning art philosophy are powers which are sufficient for themselves and for their own works they move then from a first principle which is their own and they make their way to the end which is proposed to them and this is the reason why such acts are named kator thoseis or right acts and this word signifies that they proceed by the right road none of these things ought to be called a man's which do not belong to a man as man they are not required of a man nor does man's nature promise them nor are they the means of man's nature attaining its end neither then does the end of man lie in these things nor yet that which aids the accomplishment of this end and that which aids toward this end is that which is good besides if any of these things did belong to man it would not be right for a man to despise them and to set himself against them nor would a man be worthy of praise who showed that he did not want these things nor would he who stinted himself in any of them be good if indeed these things were good but now the more of these things a man deprives himself of or of other things like them or even when he is deprived of any of them the more patiently he endures the loss just in the same degree he is a better man such as are thy habitual thoughts such also will be the character of thy mind for the soul is died by the thoughts die why it then with a continuous series of such thoughts as these for instance that where a man can live there he can also live well but he must live in a palace well then he can also live well in a palace and again consider that for whatever purpose each thing has been constituted for this it has been constituted and toward this it is carried its end is in that toward which it is carried and where the end is there also is the advantage and the good of each thing now the good for the reasonable animal is society for that we are made for society has been shown above is it not plain that the inferior exist for the sake of the superior but the things which have life are superior to those which have life and of those which have life the superior are those which have reason to seek what is impossible is madness and it is impossible that the bad should not do something of this kind nothing happens to any man which he is not formed by nature to bear the same things happen to another and either because he does not see that they have happened or because he would show a great spirit he is firm and remains unharmed it is a shame then that ignorance and conceit should be stronger than wisdom things themselves touch not the soul not in the least degree nor have they admission to the soul nor can they turn or move the soul but the soul turns and moves itself alone as it may think proper to make such it makes for itself the things which present themselves to it in one respect man is the nearest thing to me so far as I must do good to men and endure them but so far as some men make themselves obstacles to my proper acts man becomes to me one of the things which are indifferent no less than the sun or wind or the wild beast now it is true that these may impede my action but they are no impediments to my effects and disposition which have the power of acting conditionally and changing for the mind converts and changes every hindrance to it's activity into an aid and so that which is a hindrance is made a furtherance to enact and that which is an obstacle that helps us on this road reverence that which is best in the universe and this is that which makes use of all things and directs all things and in like manner also reverence that which is best in thyself and this is of the same kind as that for in thyself also that which makes use of everything else is this and thy life is directed this that which does no harm to the state does no harm to the citizen in the case of every appearance of harm apply this rule if the state is not harmed by this neither am I harmed but if the state is harmed thou must not be angry with him who does harm to the state show him where his error is often think of the rapidity with which things pass by and disappear both the things which are and the things which are produced for substance is like a river in a continual flow and the activities of things are in constant change and the causes work in infinite varieties and there is hardly anything which stands still and consider this which is near to thee this boundless abyss of the past and of the future in which all things disappear how then is he not a fool who is puffed up with such things or plagued about them or makes himself miserable for they vex him only for a time and a short time think of the universal substance of which thou has the very small portion and of universal time of which a short and indivisible interval has been assigned to thee and of that which is fixed by destiny and how small a part of it thou art does another do me wrong let him look to it he has his own disposition his own activity I now have what the universal nature wills me to have and I do what my nature now wills me to do let the part of my soul which leads and governs be undisturbed by the movements in the flesh whether of pleasure or of pain and let it not unite with them but let it circumscribe itself and limit those effects to their parts but when these effects rise up to the mind by virtue of that other sympathy that naturally exists in a body which is all one then thou must not strive to the sensation for it is natural but let not the ruling part of itself add to the sensation the opinion that it is either good or bad live with the gods and he does live with the gods who constantly shows to them that his own soul is satisfied with that which is assigned to him and that it does all that the demon wishes which Zeus have given to every man for his guardian and guide a portion of himself and this is every man's understanding and reason art thou angry with him whose armpits stink art thou angry with him whose mouth smells foul what good will this anger do thee he has such a mouth he has such armpits it is necessary that such an emanation must come from such pains but the man has reason it will be said and he is able if he takes pains to discover wherein he offends I wish thee well of thy discovery well then and thou hast reason by thy rational faculty stir up his rational faculty show him his error admonish him for if he listens thou will cure him as thou intendest to live when thou are gone out so it is in thy power to live here but if men do not permit thee then get away out of life yet so as if thou werest suffering no harm the house is smoky and I quit it why does thou think that this is any trouble but so long as nothing of the kind drives me out I remain, am free and no man shall hinder me from doing what I choose and I choose to do what is according to the nature of the rational and social animal the intelligence of the universe is social accordingly it has made the inferior things for the sake of the superior and it has fitted the superior to one another thou seeest how it has subordinated coordinated and assigned to everything its proper portion and has brought together into concord with one another the things which are the best how has thou behaved hitherto to the gods thy parents brethren, children, teachers to those who looked after thy infancy to thy friends kinsfolk to thy slaves consider if thou hast hitherto behaved to all in such a way that this may be said of thee never has wronged a man indeed or word and call to recollection both how many things thou hast passed through and how many things thou hast been able to endure and that the history of thy life is now complete and thy service is ended and how many beautiful things thou hast seen and how many pleasures and pains have been devised and how many things called honourable thou hast spurned and to how many ill-minded folks thou hast shown a kind disposition why do unskilled and ignorant souls disturb him who has skill and knowledge what soul then has skill and knowledge that which knows beginning and end and knows the reason which pervades all substance and all time by fixed periods administers the universe soon very soon thou wilt be ashes or a skeleton and either a name or not even a name but name is sound and echo and the things which are much valued in life are empty and rotten and trifling and like little dogs biting one another and little children quarreling laughing and then straight way weeping but fidelity and modesty and justice and truth are fled up to Olympus from the widespread earth what then is there which still detains thee here if the objects of sense are easily changed and never stand still and the organs of perception are dull and easily receive false impressions and the poor soul itself is an exhalation from blood to have good repute amid such a world as this is an empty thing why then does thou not wait in tranquility for thy end whether it is extinction or removal to another state and until that time comes what is sufficient why what else then to venerate the gods and bless them and to do good to men and to practice tolerance and self restraint but as to everything which is beyond the limits of the poor flesh and breath to remember that this is neither thine nor in thy power thou canst pass thy life in an equable flow of happiness if thou canst go by the right way and think and act in the right way these two things are common both to the soul of God and to the soul of man and to the soul of every rational being not to be hindered by another and to hold good to consist in the disposition to justice and the practice of it and in this to let thy desire find its termination if this is neither my own badness nor an effect of my own badness and the commonwealth is not injured why am I troubled about it and what is the harm to the commonwealth do not be carried along inconsiderately by the appearance of things but give help to all according to thy ability and their fitness and if they should have sustained loss in matters which are indifferent do not imagine this to be a damage or it is a bad habit but as the old man when he went away asked back his foster child's top remembering that it was a top so do thou in this case also when thou art calling out on the rostra has thou forgotten man what these things are yes but they are objects of great concern to these people will thou to then be made a fool for these things I was once a fortunate man but I lost it I know not how but fortunate means that a man has assigned to himself a good fortune and a good fortune is good disposition of the soul good emotions good actions end of chapter 5 chapter 6 of the meditations of Marcus Aurelius this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org the meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus translated by George Long chapter 6 the substance of the universe is obedient and compliant and the reason which governs it has in itself no cause for doing evil for it has no malice nor does it do evil to anything or is anything harmed by it but all things are made imperfected according to this reason let it make no difference to thee whether thou are cold or warm if thou are doing thy duty and whether thou are drowsy or satisfied with sleep and whether ill-spoken or praised and whether dying or doing something else for it is one of the acts of this life this act by which we die it is sufficient then in this act also to do well by having hand look within let neither the peculiar quality of anything nor its value escape thee all existing things soon change and they will either be reduced to vapor if indeed all substances won or they will be dispersed the reason which governs knows what its own disposition is and what it does and on what material it works the best way of avenging thyself is not to become like the wrongdoer take pleasure in one thing and rest in it and passing from one social act to another social act thinking of God the ruling principle is that which rouses and turns itself and while it makes itself such as it is and such as it wills to be it also makes everything which happens to appear itself to be such as it wills in conformity to the nature of the universe every single thing is accomplished for certainly it is not in conformity to any other nature that each thing is accomplished either a nature which externally comprehends this or a nature which is comprehended within this nature or a nature external and independent of this the universe is either a confusion and a mutual involution of things and a dispersion or it is unity and order and providence if then it is the former why do I desire to tarry in a fortuitous combination of things in such a disorder and why do I care about anything else than how I shall at last become earth and why am I disturbed for the dispersion of my elements will happen whatever I do but if the other supposition is true I venerate and I am firm and I trust in him who governs when thou has been compelled by circumstances to be disturbed in a manner quickly return to thyself and do not continue out of tune longer than the compulsion lasts for thou wilt have more mastery and harmony by continually recurring to it if thou had us to stepmother and a mother at the same time thou wouldst be dutiful to thy stepmother but thou wouldst constantly return to thy mother let the court and philosophy now be to thee stepmother and mother return to philosophy frequently and repose in her through whom what thou meetest with in the court appears to thee tolerable and thou appears tolerable in the court when we have meet before us in such eatables we receive the impression that this is the dead body of a fish and this is the dead body of a bird or of a pig and again that this phalernian is only a little grape juice and this purple robe some sheeps wool died with the blood of a shellfish such then are these impressions and they reach the things themselves and penetrate them and so we see what kind of things they are just in the same way all through life and where there are things which appear most worthy of our approbation we ought to lay them bare and look at their worthlessness and strip them of all the words by which they are exalted for outward show is a wonderful perverter of the reason and when thou art most sure that thou art employed about things worth thy pains it is then that it cheats thee most consider then what Krates the things which the multitude admire are referred to objects of the most general kind those which are held together by cohesion or natural organization such as stones, wood fig trees, vines, olives but those which are admired by men who are a little more reasonable are referred to the things which are held together by a living principle as flocks, herds those which are mired by men who are still more instructed are the things which are held together by a rational soul not however a universal soul a rational so far as it is a soul skilled in some art or expert in some other way or simply rational so far as it possesses a number of slaves but he who values a rational soul a soul universal and fitted for political life regards nothing else except this and above all things he keeps his soul in a condition and in an actively conformable to reason and social life and he cooperates to this end with those who are of the same kind as himself some things are hurrying into existence others are hurrying out of it and of that which is coming into existence part is already extinguished motions and changes are continually renewing the world such as the uninterrupted course of time is always renewing the infinite duration of ages in the coming stream then on which there is no abiding what is there of the things which hurry by on which a man would set a high price it would be just as if a man should fall in love with one of the sparrows which fly by but it is already passed out of sight something of this kind is the very life of every man like the exhalation of the blood and the respiration of the air such as it is to once have drawn in the air and to have given it back which we do every moment just the same is it with the whole respiratory power which thou didst receive at thy birth yesterday and the day before to give it back to the elemental from which thou didst first draw it neither is transpiration as in plants a thing to be valued nor respiration as in domesticated animals and wild beasts nor the receiving of impressions by the appearances of things nor being moved by desires as puppets by strings nor assembling in herds nor being nourished by food but this is just like the act of separating and parting with the useless part of the food what then is worth being valued to be received with clapping of hands no neither must we value the clapping of tongues for the praise which comes from the many is the clapping of tongues suppose then that thou hast given up this worthless thing called fame what remains that is worth valuing this in my opinion to move thyself and to restrain thyself in conformity to thy proper constitution to which end both all employments and arts lead for every art aims at this that the thing which has been made should be adapted to the work for which it has been made and both the vine planner who looks after the vine and the horse breaker and he who trains the dog seeks this end but the education and the teaching of youth aim at something and this then is the value of the education and the teaching and if this is well that will not seek anything else well thou not cease to value many other things too then that will neither be free nor sufficient for their own happiness nor without passion for necessity thou must be envious jealous and suspicious of those who can take away those things and plot against those who have that which is valued by thee of necessity a man must be altogether in a state of perturbation who wants any of these things and besides he must often find fault with the gods but to reverence and honor thy own mind will make thee content with thyself and in harmony with society in agreement with the gods that is praising all that they give and have ordered above, below all around are the movements of the elements but the motion of virtue is in none of these it is something more divine and advancing by a way hardly observed that goes happily on its road how strangely men act they will not praise those who are living at the same time and living with themselves but to be themselves praised by posterity by those whom they have never seen or will ever see this they set much value on as if thou shouldst be grieved because those who have lived before thee did not praise thee but the thing is difficult to be accomplished by thyself do not think that it is impossible for man but if anything is possible for man and conformable to his nature think that this can be attained by thyself too in the gymnastic exercises suppose that a man is torn thee with his nails and by dashing against thy head has inflicted a wound well, we neither show any signs of vexation nor are we offended nor do we suspect him afterward as a treacherous fellow and yet we are on our guard against him not however as an enemy nor with suspicion but we quietly get out of his way something like this let they behavior be in all other parts of life let us overlook many things in those who are like antagonists in the gymnasium for it is in our power as I said to get out of the way and to have no suspicion or hatred if a man is able to convince me and show me that you do not think or act right I will gladly change for I seek the truth by which no man was ever injured but he is injured who abides in his error and ignorance I do my duty other things trouble me not for they are either things without life or things without reason or things that have rambled or things without reason and generally all things and objects do thou since thou hast reason and they have none make use of them with a generous and liberal spirit but towards human beings as they have reason behave in a social spirit and on all occasions call on the gods and do not perplexed thyself about the length of time in which thou shalt do this for even three hours so spent are sufficient Alexander the Macedonian and his groom by death are brought to the same state for either they were received among the same seminal principles of the universe or they were alike dispersed among the atoms consider how many things in the same indivisible time take place in each of us things which concern the body and things which concern the soul and so that will not wonder if many more things or rather all things which come into existence than that which is the one and all which we call cosmosed exist in it at the same time if any man should propose to thee the question how the name Antoninus is written would a style with a straining of the voice utter each letter what then if they grow angry will thou grow angry too will thou not go on with composure and number every letter just so then is this life also remember that every duty is made up of certain parts these it is thy duty to observe and without being disturbed by the anger towards those who are angry with thee to go on thy way and finish that which is set before thee how cruel it is not to allow men to strive after the things which appear to them to be suitable to thy nature and profitable yet in a manner thou does not allow them to do this when thou art vexed because they do wrong for they are certainly moved towards the things which they suppose them to be suitable to their nature and profitable to them but it is not so then and show them without being angry death is the cessation of the impression through the senses and of the pulling of the strings which move the appetites and of the discursive movements of the thoughts and of the service to the flesh it is a shame for the soul to be the first to give way in this life when thy body does not give way take care that thou art not made into a Caesar that thou art not died with this die things happen keep thyself then simple good, pure, serious free from affectation a friend of justice a worshiper of the gods kind, affectionate, strenuous and all proper acts strive to continue to be such as philosophy wish to make thee reverence the gods and help men short is life there is only one fruit in this terene life a pious disposition do everything as a disciple of Antoninus remember his constancy in every act which was conformable to reason and his evenness in all things and his piety and the serenity of his continents and his sweetness and his disregard of empty fame and his efforts to understand things and how he would never let anything pass without having first most carefully examined it and clearly understood it and how he bore with those who blamed him unjustly without blaming them in return and how we did nothing in a hurry and how we listened not to calamities and how exact an examiner of manners and actions he was and not given to reproach people nor timid nor suspicious nor assothist and with how little he was satisfied such as lodging bed, dress, food, servants and how laborious and patient and how he was able in account of his sparing diet to hold out to the evening without even requiring to relieve himself by any evacuations except at the usual hour and with his firmness and uniformity and his friendships and how he tolerated freedom of speech and those who opposed his opinions and the pleasure that he had when any man showed him anything better and how religious he was without superstition imitate all this that thou mayest have when thy last hour comes as he had return to thy sober senses and call thyself back when thou hast roused thyself from sleep and hast perceived that they were only dreams which troubled thee now in they waking hours look at these the things about thee as thou didst look at those the dreams I consist of a little body and soul now to this little body all things are indifferent but to the understanding those things only are indifferent which are not the works of its own activity but whatever things are the works of its own activity all these things are in its power and of these however only those which are done with reference to the present for as to the future and the past activities of the mind even these are for the present indifferent neither the labor which the hand does nor that of the foot is contrary to nature so long as the foot does the foot's work and the hand the hands so then neither to a man as a man is his labor contrary to nature as long as he does the things of a man but if the labor is not contrary to his nature neither is it an evil to him how many pleasures have been enjoyed by robbers patricides tyrants this thou not see how the handicraftsmen accommodate themselves up to a certain point to those which are not skilled in their craft nevertheless they claim to the reason the principles of their art and do not endure to depart from it is it not strange if the architect and the physician shall have more respect to the reason the principles of their own arts than man to his own reason which is common to him in the gods Asia, Europe are corners of the universe all the sea a drop in the universe Athos a little cloud in the universe all the present time is a point in eternity all things are little changeable perishable all things come from thence from that universal ruling power either directly proceeding or by way of sequence and accordingly the lions gaping jaws and that which is poisonous and every harmful thing as a thorn as mud are afterproducts of the grand and beautiful do not imagine then that they are of another kind from that which thou dost venerate but form a just opinion of the source of all he who has seen present things has seen all both everything which has taken place from all eternity and everything which will be for time without end for all things are of one kin and of one form frequently consider the connection of all things in the universe in their relation to one another for in a manner all things are implicated with one another and all in this way are friendly to one another for one thing comes in order after another and this is by virtue of the active movement and mutual composition and the unity of the substance adapt thyself to the things with which that lot has been cast and the men among whom thou has to receive thy portion love them but do it truly every instrument to vessel if it does that for which it has been made as well and yet he who made it is not there but in all things which are held together by nature there is within and there abides in them the power which made them where for the more it is fit to reverence this power and to think that if thou dost live and act according to its will everything in thee is in conformity to intelligence and thus also in the universe the things which belong to it are in conformity to intelligence whatever of the things which are not within thy power thou shalt suppose to be good or evil it must of necessity be that if such a bad thing befall thee or the loss of such a good thing thou will blame the gods and hate men too those who are the cause of the misfortune or the loss or those who are suspected of being likely to be the cause and indeed we do much injustice because we make a difference between those things because we do not regard these things as indifferent but if we judge only those things which are in our power to be good or bad there remains no reason either for finding fault with God or standing in a hostile attitude to man we are all working together to one end some with knowledge and design and others without knowing what they do as men also when they are asleep of whom it is Heraclius I think who says that there are laborers and cooperators in the things which take place in the universe but men cooperate after different professions and even those cooperate abundantly who find fault with what happens and those who try to oppose it and to hinder it for the universe has need even of such men as these there remains then for thee to understand among what kind of workmen thou places thyself for he who rules all things will certainly make a right use of thee and he will receive thee among some part of the cooperators and of those whose laborers will be different for be not thou such a part as the mean and ridiculous verse in the play which precipice speaks of does the sun undertake to do the work of the rain or ice Galapius the work of the fruit bearer and how is it with respect to each of the stars are they not different and yet they work together to the same end if the gods have determined about me and about the things which must happen to me they have determined well it is not easy even to imagine a deity without forethought and as to doing me harm why should they have any desire towards that for what advantage would result to them from this or to the whole which is the special object of their providence but if they have not determined about me individually they have certainly determined about the whole at least and the things which happen by way of sequence in this general arrangement I ought to accept with pleasure and to be content with them and to be determined about nothing which it is wicked to believe or if we do believe it let us neither sacrifice nor pray nor swear by them nor do anything else which we do as if the gods were present and lived with us but if however the gods determined about none of the things which concern us I am able to determine about myself and I can acquire about that which is useful and that is useful to every man which is conformable to his own constitution but my nature is rational and social and my city and country as far as I am Antoninus is Rome but so far as I am a man it is the world the things then which are useful to these cities are alone useful to me whatever happens to every man this is for the interest of the universal this might be sufficient but further that will observe this also is a general truth that whatever is profitable to any man is profitable also to other men but let the word profitable be taken here in the common sense a set of things of the middle kind either good nor bad as it happens to thee in the amphitheater in such places that the continual sight of the same things and the uniformity make the spectacle wearisome so it is in the whole of life for all things above, below are the same and from the same how long then? think continually that all kinds of men and all kinds of pursuits and of all nations are dead so that thy thoughts come down even to Philistian and Phoebus on Oregonian now turn thy thoughts to the other kinds of men to that place then we must remove where there are so many great orators so many noble philosophers Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Socrates so many heroes of former days and so many generals after them in tyrants besides these Eudoxus, Hipparchus, Archimedes and other men of acute natural talents great minds, lovers of labor versatile, confident mockers even of the perishable and ephemeral life of man as Manipus and such as are like him as to all these consider that they have long been in the dust what harm then is this to them and what to those whose names are altogether unknown one thing here is worth a great deal to pass thy life in truth and justice with a benevolent disposition even to liars and unjust men thou art not dissatisfied I suppose because thou weist only so many leader and not 300 be not dissatisfied then that thou must live only so many years and not more for as thou art satisfied with the amount of substance which has been assigned to thee so be content with the time let us try to persuade them but act even against their will when the principles of justice lead that way if however any man using force stands in thy way may take thyself to contentment and tranquility and at the same time employ the hindrance toward the exercise of some other virtue and remember that thy attempt was with a reservation that thou didst not desire to do impossibilities what then didst thou desire some such effort is this that thou attainest thy object if the things to which thou weist move are accomplished he who loves fame considers another man's activity to be his own good and he who loves pleasure his own sensations but he who has understanding considers his own acts to be his own good it is in our power to have no opinion about a thing and not to be disturbed in our soul for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgments accustom thyself to attend carefully to what is said by another and as much as it is possible be in the speaker's mind that which is not good for the swarm neither is it good for the be if sailors abuse the helmsmen or the sick the doctor would they listen to anybody else and how could the helmsmen secure the safety of those in the ship or the doctor health of those whom he attends how many together with whom I came into the world are already gone out of it to the jaundiced honey tastes bitter and to those bitten by mad dogs water causes fear and to little children the ball is a fine thing why then am I angry does thou think that a false opinion has less power than the bile in the jaundiced or the poison in him who is bitten by a mad dog no man will hinder thee from living according to the reason of that nature nothing will happen to the country to the reason of the universal nature what kind of people are those whom men wish to please and for what objects and by what kinds of acts how soon time will cover all things and how many it is covered already end with chapter 6 chapter 7 of meditations of Marcus Aurelius this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org the meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius Antoninus translated by George Long chapter 7 what is badness it is that which thou hast often seen and on the occasion of everything which happens keep this in mind that it is that which thou hast often seen everywhere up and down thou wilt find the same things with which the old histories are filled those of the middle ages and those of our own day with which cities and houses are filled now there is nothing new all things are both familiar and short lived 2 how can our principles become dead unless the impressions thought which correspond to them are extinguished but it is in my power continuously to fan these thoughts into a flame I can have that opinion about anything which I ought to have if I can why am I disturbed the things which are external to my mind have no relation at all to my mind let this be the state of thy effects and thou standest erect to recover thy life is in thy power look at things again as thou didst used to look at them for in this consists the recovery of thy life 3 the idle business of show plays on the stage flocks of sheep herds exercises with spears a bone to cast to little dogs a bit of bread into fish ponds labourings of ants and burden carrying running's about of frightened little mice puppets pulled by strings all alike it is thy duty then in the midst of such things to show good humor and not a proud air to understand however that every man is worth just so much as the things are worth about which he busies himself 4 in discourse thou must attend to what is said and in every movement thou must observe what is doing and in the one thou should see immediately to what end it refers but in the other watch carefully what is the thing signified 5 is my understanding sufficient for this or not if it is sufficient I use it for the work as an instrument given by the universal nature but if it is not sufficient then either I retire from the work and give way to him who is able to do it better unless there be some reason why I ought not to do so or I do it as well as I can taking to help me the man who with the aid of my ruling principle can do what is now fit and useful for the general good for whatsoever either by myself or with another I can do I can be directed to this only to that which is useful and well suited to society 6 how many after being celebrated by fame have been given up to oblivion and how many who have celebrated the fame of others have long been dead 7 be not ashamed to be helped for it is thy business to do thy duty like a soldier in the assault how then if being lame thou can't not mount up on the battle in its alone but with the help of another it is possible 8 let not future things disturb thee for thou wilt come to them if it shall be necessary having with thee the same reason which now thou useest for present things 9 all things are implicated with one another and the bond is holy and there is hardly anything unconnected with any other thing for things have been coordinated and they combine to form the same universe order for there is one universe made up of all things and one god who pervades all things and one substance and one law one common reason in all intelligent animals and one truth if indeed there is also one perfection for all animals which are of the same stock and participate in the same reason 10 everything material soon disappears in the substance of the whole and everything formal causal is very soon taken back into the universal reason and the memory of everything is very soon overwhelmed in time 11 to the rational animal the same act is according to nature end according to reason 12 be thou erect or be may direct 13 just as it is with the members in those bodies which are united in one so it is with rational beings which exist separate for they have been constituted for one cooperation and the perception of this will be more if thou often say us to thyself that I am a member of the system of rational beings but if thou say us that thou art a part thou dost not yet love men from thy heart beneficence does not yet delight thee for its own sake thou still doest it barely as a thing of propriety and not yet as doing good to thyself 14 but there fall externally what will on the parts which can feel the effects of this fall for those parts which have felt will complain if they choose but I unless I think that what has happened is an evil am not injured and it is in my power not to think so 15 whatever anyone does or says I must be good just as if the gold or the emerald or the purple were always saying this whatever anyone does or says I must be emerald and keep my color 16 the ruling faculty does not disturb itself I mean does not frighten itself or cause itself pain but if anyone else can frighten or pain it let him do so for the faculty itself will not by its own opinion turn into such ways let the body itself take care if it can that it suffer nothing and let it speak if it suffers but the soul itself that which is subject to fear to pain which has completely the power of forming an opinion about these things will suffer nothing for it will never deviate into such a judgment the leading principle in itself wants nothing unless it makes a want for itself and therefore it is both free from perturbation and unimpeded if it does not disturb and impede itself 17 eudaimonia happiness is a good demon or a good thing what then art thou doing here oh imagination go away I entreat thee by the gods as thou didst come for I want thee not but thou art come according to thy old fashion I am not angry with thee only go away 18 is any man afraid of change why what can take place without change what then is more pleasing or more suitable to the universal nature and hence thou take a bath unless the wood undergoes a change and hence thou be nourished unless the food undergoes a change and can anything else that is useful be accomplished without change thus thou not see then that for thyself also to change is just the same and equally necessary for the universal nature 19 through the universal substance as through a furious torrent all bodies are carried being by their nature united with and cooperating with the whole the parts of our body with one another how many a chrysopis how many a socrates how many an epictectus as time already swallowed up and let the same thought occur to thee with reference to every man and thing 20 one thing only troubles me lest I should do something which the constitution of man does not allow or in the way which it does not allow or what it does not allow now 21 near is thy forgetfulness of all things and near the forgetfulness of thee by all 22 it is peculiar to man to love even those who do wrong and this happens if when they do wrong it occurs to thee that they are kinsmen and that they do wrong through ignorance and unintentionally and that soon both of you will die and above all that the wrong doer has done thee no harm for he has not made thy ruling faculty worse than it was before 23 the universal nature out of the universal substance as if it were wax now molds a horse and when it has broken this up it uses the material for a tree then for a man then for something else and each of these things subsists for a very short time but it is no hardship for the vessel to be broken up just as there was none in its being fastened together 24 a scowling look is altogether unnatural when it is often assumed the result is that all comeliness dies away and at last is so completely extinguished that it cannot be again lighted up at all try to conclude from this very fact that it is contrary to reason for if even the perception of doing wrong shall depart what reason is there for living any longer 25 nature which governs the whole will soon change all things which thou seeest and out of their substance will make other things and again other things from the substance of them in order that the world may ever be new 26 when a man has done thee any wrong immediately consider with what opinion about good or evil he has done wrong for when thou hast seen this thou wilt pity him and wilt neither wonder nor be angry for either thou thyself thinkest the same thing to be good that he does unkind it is thy duty then to pardon him but if thou dost not think such things to be good or evil thou wilt more readily be well disposed to him who is in error 27 think not so much of what thou hast not as of what thou hast but of the things which thou hast select the best and then reflect how eagerly they would have been sought if thou hast them not at the same time however take care that thou dost not through being so pleased with them accustom thyself to overvalue them so as to be disturbed if ever thou shouldst not have them 28 retire into thyself the rational principle which rules has this nature that it is content with itself when it does what is just and so secures tranquility 29 wipe out the imagination stop the pulling of the strings confine thyself to the present understand well what happens either to thee or to another divide and distribute every object into the causal formal and the material think of thy last hour let the wrong which is done by a man stay there where the wrong was done 30 direct thy attention to what is said let thy understanding enter into the things that are doing and the things which do them 31 adorn thyself with simplicity and modesty and with indifference toward the things which lie between virtue and vice love mankind follow god the poet says that law rules all and it is enough to remember that law rules all 32 about death whether it is a dispersion or a resolution into atoms or annihilation it is either extinction or change 33 pain the pain which is intolerable carries us off but that which lasts a long time is tolerable and the mind maintains its own tranquility by retiring into itself and the ruling faculty is not made worse but the parts which are harmed by pain let them if they can give their opinion about it 34 about fame look at the minds of those who seek fame observe what they are and what kind of things they avoid and what kind of things they pursue and consider that as the heaps of sand piled on one another hide the former sands so in life the events which go before are soon covered by those which come after 35 from Plato the man who has an elevated mind a view of all time and of all substance thus thou suppose it possible for him to think that human life is anything great it is not possible, he said such a man then will think that death also is no evil certainly not 36 from Antisthenes it is royal to do good and to be abused 37 it is a base thing for the countenance to be obedient and to regulate and compose itself as the mind commands and for the mind not to be regulated and composed by itself 38 it is not right to vex ourselves at things for they care not about it 39 to the immortal gods and us give joy life must be reaped like the ripe ears of corn one man is born another dies 41 if gods care not for me and for my children there is a reason for it 42 for the good is with me and the just 43 no joining others in their wailing no violent emotion 44 from Plato but I would make this man a sufficient answer which is this thou sayest not well if thou thinkest that a man who is good for anything at all ought to compute the hazard of life or death and should not rather look to this only in all that he does whether he is doing what is just or unjust a good or a bad man 45 for thus it is men of Athens in truth wherever a man has placed himself thinking it the best place for him or has been placed by a commander there in my opinion he ought to stay and to abide the hazard taking nothing into the reckoning either death or anything else before the baseness of the post 46 but my good friend reflect whether that which is noble and good is not something different from saving and being saved for as to a man living such or such a time at least one who is really a man consider if this is not a thing to be dismissed from the thoughts and there must be no love of life but as to these matters and trust them to the deity and believe what the women say that no man can escape his destiny the next inquiry being how he may best live the time that he has to live 47 look round at the courses of the stars as if thou werest going along with them and constantly consider the changes of the elements into one another for such thoughts purge away the terrain life 48 this is a fine saying of Plato that he who is discoursing about men should look also at earthly things as if he viewed them from some higher place should look at them in their assemblies armies agricultural labors marriages treaties births deaths noise of the courts of justice desert places various nations of barbarians feasts lamentations markets a mixture of all things and an orderly combination of contraries 49 consider the past such great changes of political supremacies thou mayest foresee also the things which will be for they will certainly be of like form and it is not possible that they should deviate from the order of the things which take place now accordingly to have contemplated human life 40 years is the same as to have contemplated it for 10,000 years for what more will thou see 50 that which has grown from the earth to the earth but that which has sprung from heavenly seed back to the heavenly realms returns this is either a dissolution of the mutual and involution of the atoms or a similar dispersion of the in-sanctioned elements 51 with food and drinks and cunning magic arts turning the channel's course to escape from death the breeze which heaven has sent we must endure and toil without complaining 52 another may be more expert in casting his opponent but he is not more social nor more modest nor better disciplined to meet all that happens nor more considerate with respect to the faults of his neighbors 53 where any work can be done conformably to the reason which is common to gods and men there we have nothing to fear for where we are able to get profits by means of the activity which is successful and proceeds according to our constitution there no harm is to be suspected 54 everywhere and at all times it is in thy power piously to acquiesce in thy present condition and to behave justly to those who are about thee and to exert thy skill upon thy present thoughts and to deal into them without being well examined 55 do not look around thee to discover other men's ruling principles but look straight to this to what nature leads thee both the universal nature through the things which happen to thee and thy own nature through the acts which must be done by thee but every being ought to do that which is according to its constitution and all other things have been constituted for the sake of rational beings just as among irrational things the inferior for the sake of the superior but the rational for the sake of one another the prime principle then in man's constitution is the social and the second is not to yield to the persuasions of the body for it is the peculiar office of the rational and intelligent motion to circumscribe itself and never to be overpowered either by the motion of the senses or of the appetites for both are animal but the intelligent motion claims superiority and does not permit itself to be overpowered by the others and with good reason for it is formed by nature to use all of them the third thing in the rational constitution is freedom from error and from deception let then the ruling principle holding fast to these things go straight on and it has what is its own 56 consider thyself to be dead and to have completed thy life up to the present time and live according to nature the remainder which is allowed to thee 57 love that only which happens to thee and is spun with the thread of thy destiny for what is more suitable 58 in everything which happens keep before thy eyes those to whom the same things happened and how they were vexed and treated them as strange things and found fault with them and now where are they nowhere why then dost thou to choose to act in the same way and why dost thou not leave these agitations which are foreign to nature and those who cause them and those who are moved by them and why art thou not altogether intent upon the right way of making use of the things which happen to thee for then thou wilt use them well and they will be a material for thee to work on only attend to thyself and resolve to be a good man in every act which thou doest and remember 59 59 look within within is the fountain of good and it will ever bubble up if thou wilt ever dig 60 the body ought to be compact and to show no irregularity either in motion or attitude for what the mind shows in the face by maintaining in it the expression of intelligence and propriety that ought to be required also in the whole body but all these things should be observed without affectation 61 the art of life is more like the wrestler's art than the dancer's in respect of this that it should stand ready and firm to meet on sets which are sudden and unexpected 62 constantly observe who those are thou wishes to have and what ruling principles they possess for then thou wilt neither blame those who offend involuntarily nor wilt thou want their approbation if thou lookest to the sources of their opinions and appetites 63 every soul the philosopher says is involuntarily deprived of truth consequently in the same way it is deprived of justice and temperance and benevolence and everything of the kind it is most necessary to bear this constantly in mind for thus thou wilt be more gentle towards all 64 in every pain let this thought be present that there is no dishonor in it nor does it make the governing intelligence worse for it does not damage the intelligence either so far as the intelligence rational or so far as it is social indeed in the case of most pains let this remark of Epicurus aid thee that pain is neither intolerable nor everlasting if thou bearest in mind that it has limits and if thou addest nothing to it in imagination and remember this too that we do not perceive that many things which are disagreeable to us are the same as pain such as excessive drowsiness and the being scorched by heat and the having no appetite when then thou art discontented about any of these things say to thyself that thou art yielding to pain 65 take care not to feel towards the inhuman as they feel towards men 66 how do we know if Epicurus was not superior in character to Socrates for it is not enough that Socrates dies a more noble death and disputed more skillfully with the Sophists and passed the night in the cold with more endurance and that when he was bid to arrest Leon of Salamis he considered it more noble to refuse and that he walked in a swaggering way in the streets though as to this in fact one may have great doubts if it was true but we ought to inquire what kind of a soul it was that Socrates possessed and if he was able to be content with being just towards men and pious towards the gods neither idly vexed on account of men's villainy nor yet making himself a slave to any man's ignorance nor receiving as strange anything that fell to his share nor enduring it as intolerable nor allowing his understanding to sympathize with the effects of the miserable flesh 67 Nature has not so mingled the intelligence with the composition of the body as not to have allowed the power of circumscribing thyself and of bringing under subjection to thyself all that is thine for it is very possible to be a divine man and to be recognized as such by no one always bear this in mind and another thing too that very little indeed is necessary for living a happy life and because thou hast disparate of becoming a dialectician and skilled in the knowledge of nature do not for this reason renounce the hope of being both free and modest and social to God. 68 it is in thy power to live free from all compulsion in the greatest tranquility of mind even if all the world cry out against thee as much as they choose and even if wild beasts tear in pieces the members of this needed matter which has grown around thee for what hinders the mind in the midst of all this from maintaining itself in tranquility and in a just judgment of all surrounding objects and in a ready use of the objects which are presented to it so that the judgment may say to the thing which falls under its observation this thou art in substance though in men's opinion thou mayest appear to be of a different kind and the use shall say to that which falls under the hand thou art the thing that I was seeking for to me that which presents itself in material for virtue both rational and political and in a word for the exercise of art which belongs to man or God for everything which happens has a relationship either to God or man and is neither new nor difficult to handle but usual and apt matter to work on 69 the perfection of moral character consists in this in passing every day as the last and in being neither violently excited nor torpid nor playing the hypocrite 70 the gods who are immortal are not vexed because during so long a time they must tolerate continually men as such as they are and so many of them bad and besides this they also take care of them in all ways but thou who are destined to end so soon art thou weary of enduring the bad and this too when thou art one of them 71 it is a ridiculous thing for a man not to fly from his own badness which is indeed possible but to fly from other men's badness which is impossible 72 whatever the rational and political faculty finds to be neither intelligent nor social it probably judges to be inferior to itself 73 when thou hast done a good act and another has received it why dost thou still look for a third thing besides these as fools do either to have the reputation of having done a good act or to obtain a return 74 no man is tired of receiving what is useful but it is useful to act according to nature do not then be tired of receiving what is useful by doing it to others 75 the nature of the all moved to make the universe but now either everything that takes place comes by way of consequence or continuity or even the chief things towards which the ruling power of the universe directs its own movement are governed by no rational principle if this is remembered it will make thee more tranquil in many things note 1 the end of this section is unintelligible end of chapter 7 chapter 8 chapter 8 this reflection also tends to the removal of the desire of empty fame it is no longer in thy power to have lived the whole of thy life or at least thy life from thy youth upwards like a philosopher but both to many others and to thyself it is plain that thou art far from philosophy thou hast fallen into disorder then so that it is no longer easy for thee to get the reputation of a philosopher and thy plan of life also opposes it thou hast truly seen where the matter lies throw away the thought how thou shalt seem to others and be content if thou shalt live the rest of thy life in such wise as thy nature wills observe then what it wills and let nothing else distract thee but thou hast had experience of many wanderings without having found happiness anywhere not in syllogisms not in wealth nor in reputation nor in enjoyment nor anywhere where is it then in doing what man's nature requires how then shall a man do this if he has principles from which come his effects and his acts what principles those which relate to good and bad the belief that there is nothing good does not make him just temperate, manly, free and that there is nothing bad which does not do the contrary to what has been mentioned on the occasion of every act ask thyself how is this with respect to me shall I repent of it a little time and I am dead and all is gone what more do I seek if what I am doing now is of an intelligent living being and a social being and one who is under the same law with God Alexander and Caius and Pompeius what are they in comparison with Diogenes and Heraclitus and Socrates for they were acquainted with things and their causes, forms and their matter and the ruling principles of these men were the same and they were not comparable to their pursuits but as to the others how many things had they to care for and to how many things were they slaves consider that men will do the same things nevertheless even though thou shouldst burst this is the chief thing be not perturbed for all things are according to the nature of the universal and in a little time there will be nobody and nowhere like Hadrianus and Augustus in the next place having fixed thy eyes steadily on my business look at it and at the same time remembering that it is thy duty to be a good man and what man's nature demands do that without and speak as it seems to thee most just only let it be with a good disposition and with modesty and without hypocrisy nature of the universal has this work to do to remove to that place the things which are in this to change them to take them away hence and to carry them there all things are changed yet we need not fear anything new all things are from distribution of them still remains the same nature is contented with itself when it goes on its way well and irrational nature goes on its way well when in its thoughts it ascends to nothing false or uncertain and when it directs its movements to social acts only and when it confines its desires and aversions to the things which are in its power and when it is satisfied with everything that is assigned to it by the common nature for of this common nature every particular nature is a part as the nature of the leaf is a part of the nature of the plant except that in the plant the nature of the leaf is part of a nature which has not perception or reason and is subject to be impeded but the nature of man is part of a nature which is not subject to impediments and is intelligent and just since it gives to everything in equal portions and according to its worth times substance cause form activity and incident but examine not to discover that any one thing compared with any other single thing is equal in all respects but by taking all the parts together of one thing leisure or ability to read or ability to check arrogance thou hast leisure to be superior to pleasure and pain thou hast leisure to be superior to love of fame and not to be vexed at stupid and ungrateful people nay even to care for them fear the finding fault with the court life repentance is a kind of self reproof for having neglected something useful but that is good must be something useful and the perfect good man should look after it but no such man would ever repent of having refused any sensual pleasure pleasure then is neither good nor useful this thing what is it in itself in its own constitution what is its substance and material and what its causal nature perform and what is it doing in the world long does it subsist arises from sleep with reluctance remember that it is according to thy constitution and according to human nature to perform social acts but sleeping is common also to irrational animals but that which is according to each individual's nature is also more peculiarly its own to its nature and indeed also more agreeable constantly and if it be possible on the occasion of every impression on the soul apply to it the principles of physics of ethics immediately say to thyself what opinions has this man about good and bad for it with respect to pleasure and pain and the causes of each and with respect to famine and ignominy death and life he has such and such opinions it will seem nothing wonderful or strange to me if he does such and such things and I shall bear in mind that he is compelled to do so as it is a shame to be surprised if the fig tree produces figs so it is to be surprised if the world produces such and such things and it is productive and for the physician and the helmsman it is a shame to be surprised if a man has a fever or if the wind if unfavorable for that to change thy opinion and to follow him who corrects thy error is as consistent with freedom as it is to persist in thy error for it is thy own the activity which is exerted according to thy own movement is in thy own by dost thou do it but if it is in the power of another whom dost thou blame the atoms chance or the gods both are foolish thou must blame nobody for if thou canst correct what is the cause but if thou canst not do this correct at least the thing itself but if thou canst not do even this it to thee to find fault should be done which has died falls not out of the universe if it stays here it also changes here and is dissolved into its proper parts which are elements of the universe and of thyself and these two change and they murmuring exists for some and why dost thou wonder even the sun will say I am for some purpose and the rest of the gods will say the same for what purpose then art thou to enjoy pleasure see if common sense allows this nature has had regard in everything no less to the end than to the beginning and the continuance just like the man who throws up the ball what good is it then for the ball to be thrown up or harm for it to come down or even to have fallen and what good is it to the bubble while it holds together its burst the same may be said of a light also inside out and see what kind of thing it is comes and when it is diseased short lived are both the praiser and the praised and the rememberer of this in a nook of not even here do all agree which is before thee whether it is an opinion thou suffers this justly for thou chooses rather to become good tomorrow than to be good today does anything happen to me I receive it and refer it to the gods and the source of all things happens is derived such as bathing appears to thee oil, sweat all things disgusting so as every part of life and everything I saw Varus die and then Lucilla died Secunda saw Maximus die and then Secunda died saw Deotimus die Canos died Antoninas saw Faustina die and then Antoninas died such is everything Kaila saw Hadrianus die no sharp-witted men either seers or men inflated with pride where are they for instance the sharp-witted men Charax and Demetrius the Platonist and Eudaimon and anyone else like them all ephemeral some indeed have not been remembered even for a short time and others have become the heroes of fables and again others have disappeared even from fables remember this then that this little com either be dissolved must be extinguished or be removed and placed elsewhere it is satisfaction to a man to do the proper works of a man now it is a proper work of a man to be benevolent to his own kind to despise the movements of the senses to form a just judgment of plausible appearances and to take a survey of the nature of the universe which happened in it there are three relations between the and other things the one to the body which surrounds the the other to the divine cause from which all things come to all either an evil to the body then let the body say what it thinks of it or to the soul but it is in the power of the soul to maintain its own serenity and tranquility to think that pain is an evil for every judgment and movement and desire and aversion is within and no evil ascends so high in nations by often saying to thyself now it is in my power to let no badness be in this soul nor desire nor any perturbation at all but looking at all things I see what is their nature and I use each according to its value or which thou hast from nature speak both in the senate and to every man whoever he may be appropriately effectation use plain discourse gustas court descendants ancestors sister agrippa kinsman intimate friends and priests the whole court is dead then turn to the rest not considering the death of a single man but of a whole race as of the Pompeii and that which is inscribed on the tombs the last of his race then consider what trouble those before them have had that they might leave a successor of necessity someone must be the last here consider the death it is thy duty to order thy life well in every single act and if every act does its duty as far as is possible be content and no one is able to hinder thee so that each act shall not do its duty but something external will stand in the way nothing will stand in the way of thy acting justly and soberly and considerably perhaps some other active power will be hindered wasting in the hindrance and by being content to transfer thy efforts to that which is immediately put before thee in place of that which was hindered itself to this ordering of which we are speaking receive wealth or prosperity without arrogance and be ready how didst ever see a hand cut apart from the rest of the body which does a man make himself as far as he can who is not content with what happens and separates himself from others or does anything unsocial suppose that thou has detached thyself from the natural unity for thou wasst made by and cut thyself off yet here there is this beautiful provision that it is in thy power again to unite thyself and to allow this to know other part has been separated and cut asunder to come together again but consider the kindness by which he has distinguished man for he has put it in his power not to be separated at all from the universal and when he has been separated he has allowed him to return and to be united and to resume his place as a part as the nature of the universal given to every rational being all the other powers that it has so we have received from it this power also for as the universal nature converts and fixes in its predestined place everything which stands in the way and opposes it and makes such things a part of itself so also the rational animal is able to make every hindrance its own material and to use it for such purposes as it may have designed to curb thyself by thinking of the whole of thy life thoughts at once embrace all the various troubles which thou mayest expect to befall thee but on every occasion ask thyself what is there in this which is intolerable and to confess in the next place remember that neither the future nor the past pains thee but only the present but this is reduced to a very little if thou only circumscribest it and chidest thy mind if it is unable to hold out against even this does panthea, does chaurious or deometous sit by the be ridiculous well suppose they did sit there would the dead be conscious of it and if the dead were conscious would they be pleased and if they were pleased would that make them immortal was it not in the order of destiny that these persons should first become old women and those do after these were dead all this is foul smell and thou can see sharp look and judge wisely says the philosopher in the constitution of the rational animal I see no virtue which is opposed to justice but I see a virtue which is opposed to love of pleasure and that is temperance not take as to weigh thy opinion about that which appears to give the pain thou thyself standest in perfect security who is this self the reason but I am not reason be it so let then the reason itself not trouble itself part of these suffers let it have its own opinion about itself hindrance to the perceptions of sense is an evil to the animal nature hindrance to the movements desires is equally an evil to the animal nature and something else also is equally an impediment and evil to the constitution of plans so then that which is a hindrance to the intelligence is an evil to the intelligent nature all these things to thyself does pain or sensuous pleasure affecting the senses will look to that as any obstacle oppose thee in the efforts toward an object if indeed thou was making this effort absolutely unconditionally or without any reservation certainly this obstacle is an evil to thee considered as a rational animal take as to into consideration the usual course of things thou has not yet been injured or even impeded the things however man is used to impede for neither fire touches it in any way a sphere it continues a sphere it is not fit that I should give myself pain or I have never intentionally given pain even to another things delight different people but it is my delight to keep the ruling faculty sound without turning either from any man or from any of the things which happen to men but looking at and receiving all with welcome eyes and using everything according to its nature see that thou secure this present time to thyself for those who rather pursue posthumous fame do not consider that the men of after time will be exactly such as these whom they cannot bear if these men of after time utter this or that sound thou think shall keep my divine part tranquil that is content if it can feel and act comfortably to its proper constitution is this change of place sufficient reason why man my soul should be unhappy and worse than it was depressed expanded shrinking affrighted by which is sufficient reason for this nothing can happen to any man which is not human accident which is not according to the nature of an ox nor to vine which is not according to the nature of a vine nor to a stone which is not proper to a stone if then there happens to each thing both what is usual and natural why should thou complain for the common nature brings nothing which may not be borne by if thou art pained by any external thing it is not this that disturbs thee but by thy own judgment about it and it is in thy power to wipe out this judgment now this position gives a pain who hinders thee from correcting thy opinion and even if thou art pained because thou art not doing some particular thing which seems to thee to be right why dost thou not rather but some insuperable obstacle is in the way do not be grieved then for the cause of its not being done depends not on thee but it is not worthwhile to live if this cannot be done take thy departure then from life contentedly just as he dies who is in full activity and well pleased to with the things which are obstacles that the ruling faculty is invincible when self collected it is satisfied with itself if it does nothing which it does not choose to do even if it resists from mere obstinacy what then will it be when it forms a judgment about anything aided by reason and deliberate therefore the mind which is freedom from passions is a citadel for man has nothing more secure to which he can fly for refuge and for the future to be inexpungable he then who has not seen this is an ignorant man but he who has seen it and does not fly to this refuge is unhappy say nothing more to thyself than what the first appearances report suppose that it has been reported to thee that a certain person speaks ill of thee this has been reported but that now has been injured this has not been reported I see that my child is sick I do see but that he is in danger I do not see thus then always abide by the permanent appearances all from within and when nothing happens to thee or rather adds something like a man who knows everything that happens in the world a cucumber is bitter throw it away there are briars in the road turn aside from them this is enough I wore such things made in the world be ridiculed by a man who is acquainted with nature as thou wouldst be ridiculed by a carpenter and a shoemaker if thou didst find fault in their workshops savings and cuttings from which they make and yet they have places into which they can throw these shavings and cuttings and the universal nature has no external space but the wondrous part of her art is that though she has circumscribed herself everything within her which appears to decay and to grow old and to be useless she changes into herself and again makes new things from these very same so that she requires neither substance from without nor wants a place into which she may cast that which delays she is content then with her own space and her own matter and actions besluggish nor in the conversation without method thoughts nor let there be a nice soul inward contention or external infusion nor in life be so busy as to leave no pleasure suppose that men kill thee cut thee in pieces curse thee what then can these things do to prevent thy mind from remaining pure wise sober just for instance if a man should stand by a limpid pure spring and curse it a spring never ceases setting a potable water and if he should cast clay into it or filth it will speedily disperse them and wash them out while not mere then shall thou possess a perpetual fountain bring thyself hourly to freedom conjoin with contentment simplicity and modesty he who does not know what the world is does not know where he is and he who does not know for what purpose the world exists does not know who he is nor what the world is but he who has failed in any of these things could even say for what purpose he exists himself what then does thou think of him who avoids or seeks the praise of those who applaud of men who know not either where does thou wish to be praised by a man who curses himself Christ every hour what's thou wish to please a man who does not please himself does a man please himself who repents of nearly everything that he does consert with the air which surrounds thee but let thy intelligence also now be in harmony with the intelligence which embraces all things for the intelligent power is no less diffused in all parts and pervades all things from him who is willing to draw it to him than the aerial power for him who is able to respire it generally wickedness does no harm at all to the universe and particularly the wickedness of one man does no harm only harmful to him who has it in his power to be released from it as soon as he shall choose my own free will the free will of my neighbor is just as indifferent as his poor health and flesh for though we are made especially for the sake of one another still the ruling power of each of us has its own office for otherwise my neighbor's wickedness would be my harm which God has not willed and unhappiness might not depend theirs to be poured down and in all directions indeed it is diffused yet it is not diffused for this diffusion is extension accordingly its rays are called extensions in Greek because they are extended in Greek but one may judge what kind of a thing a ray is if he looks at the night's light passing through a narrow opening into a darkened room for it is extended in a right line and as it were is divided when it meets with any solid body which stands in the way and intercepts the air beyond remains fixed and does not glide or fall such then ought to be the outpouring and affection of the understanding and it should in no way be an infusion but an extension and it should make no violent or impetuous collision or in its way nor yet fall down but be fixed and enlightened that which receives it for a body will deprive itself of the illumination if it does not admit it who fears death either fears the loss of sensation or a different kind of sensation but if thou shall have no sensation neither will thou feel any harm and if thou shall have no sensation thou will be a kind of living being and who will not cease men exist for the sake of one another teach them then or bear with them in one way an arrow moves in another way the mind the mind indeed both when it exercises caution and when it is employed about iniquity move straight onward not the less iniquity and also let every other man enter into nine of chapter eight recording by Father Ziley of Detroit, Michigan 2007 chapter nine of meditations of Marcus Aurelius this is a LibriVox recording all LibriVox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer LibriVox.org recording by Father Ziley of Detroit, Michigan June 2007 the meditations of Marcus Aurelius by Marcus Aurelius Antoninas translated by George Long chapter nine he who acts unjustly acts impiously for since the universal nature has made rational animals take of one another to help one another according to their desserts but in no way to injure one another he who transgresses her will is clearly guilty of impiety towards the highest divinity and he too who lies is guilty of impiety to the same divinity for the universal nature is the nature of things that are and things that are have a relation to all things that come into existence and further this universal nature is named truth and is the prime cause of all things that are true he then who lies intentionally is guilty of impiety in as much as he acts unjustly by deceiving and he who also lies unintentionally in as much as he is at variance with the universal nature and in as much as he disturbs the order by fighting against the nature of the world for he fights against it who is moved of himself to that which is contrary to truth for he had received powers from nature through the neglect of which he is not able now to distinguish falsehood from truth and indeed he who pursues pleasure as good and avoids pain as evil for of necessity such a man must often find fault with the universal nature alleging that it assigns things to the bad and the good contrary to their desserts because frequently the bad are in the enjoyment of pleasure and possess the things which procure pleasure but the good have pain for their share and the things which cause pain and further he who is afraid of pain will sometimes also be afraid of some things that happen in the world and even this is impiety and he who pursues pleasure will not abstain from injustice and this is plainly impiety now with respect to the things toward which the universal nature is equally affected for it would not have made both unless it was equally affected towards both towards these they who wish to follow nature should be of the same mind with it and equally affected with respect to pain then and pleasure or death and life or honor and dishonor which the universal nature employs equally whoever is not equally affected is manifestly acting impiously and I say that the universal nature employs them equally instead of saying that they are they happen alike to those who are produced in continuous series and to those who come after them by virtue of a certain original movement of providence according to which it moved from a certain being to this ordering of things having conceived certain principles of the things which were to be and having determined powers productive of beings and of changes and of such like successions it would be a man's happiest lot to depart from without having had any taste of lying and hypocrisy and luxury and pride however to breathe out one's life when a man has had enough of these things is the next best voyage as the saying is has thou determined to abide with vice and has not experience yet induce thee to fly from this pestilence for the destruction of the understanding is a pestilence much more indeed than any such corruption and change of this atmosphere which surrounds us for this corruption is a pestilence of animals so far as they are animals but the other is a pestilence of men so far as they are men do not despise death but be well content with it since this too is one of those things which nature wills for such as it is to be young and to grow old and to have peace and to reach maturity and to have teeth and beard and gray hairs and to be get and be pregnant and to bring forth and all the other natural operations which the seasons of thy life bring such also is dissolution this then is consistent with the character of a reflecting man to be neither careless nor impatient nor contemptuous with respect to death wait for it as one of the operations of nature as thou now waitest for the time when the child shall come out of thy wife's womb so be ready for the time when thy soul shall fall out of this envelope but if thou requirest also a vulgar kind of comfort which shall reach thy heart thou wilt be made best reconciled to death by observing the objects from which thou art going to be removed and the morals of those with whom thy soul will no longer be mingled for it is no way right to be offended with men but it is thy duty to care for them and to bear with them gently and yet to remember that thy departure will be not from men who have the same principles as thyself for this is the only thing if there be any which could draw us the contrary way to catch us to life to be permitted to live with those who have the same principles as ourselves but now thou seeest how great is the trouble arising from the discordance of those who live together so that thou mayest say come quick o death lest perchance I too should forget myself he who does wrong does wrong against himself acts unjustly acts unjustly to himself because he makes himself bad he often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing not only he who does a certain thing thy present opinion founded on understanding and thy present conduct directed to social good and thy present disposition of contentment with everything which happens that is enough wipe out imagination check desire extinguish appetite keep the ruling faculty in its own power among the animals which have not reason one life is distributed but among reasonable animals one intelligent soul is distributed just as there is one earth of all things which are of an earthly nature and we see by one light we breathe one air all of us that have the faculty of vision and all that have life all things which participate in anything which is common to them all move towards that which is of the same kind with themselves everything which is earthly turns toward the earth everything which is liquid flows together and everything which is of an aerial kind does the same which requires something to keep them asunder and the application of force fire indeed moves upwards on account of the elemental fire but it is so ready to be kindled together with all the fire which is here that even every substance which is somewhat dry is easily ignited because there is less mingled with it of that which is a hindrance to ignition accordingly then everything also which participates in the common intelligent nature moves in like manner towards that which is of the same kind with itself or moves even more for so much as it is superior in comparison with all other things in the same degree also it is more ready to mingle with and to be fused with that which is akin to it accordingly among animals devoid of reason we find swarms birds of cattle and the nurture of young birds and in a manner loves for even in animals there are souls and that power which brings them together is seen to exert itself in the superior degree and in such a way as never has been observed in plants or in stones nor in trees but in rational animals there are political communities and friendships and families and meetings of people and in wars, treaties and armistices but in the things which are still superior even though they are separated from one another unity in a manner exists as in the stars thus the ascent to the higher degree is able to produce a sympathy even in things which are separated see then what now takes place for only intelligent animals have now forgotten this mutual desire and inclination and in them alone the property of flowing together is not seen but still though men strive to avoid this union they are caught and held by it for their nature is too strong for them and thou will see what I say if thou only observed sooner then will one find anything earthy which comes in contact with no earthy thing than a man altogether separated from other men both man and God and the universe produce fruit at the proper seasons each produces it but if usage has especially fixed these terms to the vine and like things this is nothing reason produces fruit both for all and for itself and there are produced from it other things of the same kind as reason itself if thou art able correct by teaching those who do wrong but if thou can't not remember that indulgence is given to thee for this purpose and the gods too are indulgent to such persons and for some purposes they even help them to get health wealth reputation so kind they are and it is in thy power also or say who hinders thee labor not as one who is hatchet nor yet as one who would be pitied or admired but direct thy will to one thing only to put thyself in motion and to check thyself as the social reason requires today I have got out of all trouble or rather I have cast out all trouble for it was not outside but within and in my opinions all things are the same familiar inexperience and ephemeral in time and worthless in the matter everything now is just as it was in the time of those whom we have buried things stand outside of us themselves by themselves neither knowing ought of themselves nor expressing any judgment what is it then which does judge about them the ruling faculty not in passivity lie the evil and the good of the rational social animal just as his virtue and his vice lie not in passivity but in activity for the stone which has been thrown up it is no evil to come down nor indeed any good to have been carried up penetrate inwards into men's leading principles and thou will see what judges thou art afraid of and what kind of judges of themselves all things are changing and thou thyself art in continuous mutation and in a manner in continuous destruction and the whole universe too it is thy duty to leave another man's wrongful act there where it is termination of activity cessation from movement and opinion and in a sense their death turn thy thoughts now to the consideration of thy life thy life as a child as a youth thy manhood, thy old age for in these also every change was a death is anything to fear turn thy thoughts now to thy life under thy grandfather then to thy life under thy mother then to thy life under thy father as thou findest many other differences and changes and terminations ask thyself is this anything to fear in like manner then neither are the termination and cessation and change of thy whole life a thing to be afraid of hasten to examine thy own ruling faculty and that of the universe and that of thy neighbor thy own that thou mayest make it just remember of what thou art apart and that of thy neighbor that thou mayest know whether he has acted ignorantly or with knowledge and that thou mayest also consider that his ruling faculty is akin to thy as thou art thyself a component part of a social system so let every act of thine be a component part of social life whatever act of thine then has a reference either immediately or remotely to a social end this tears asunder thy life and does not allow it to be one and is of the nature of a mutiny just as when in a popular assembly a man acting by himself stands apart from the general agreement whorls of little children and their sports and poor spirits caring about dead bodies and so what is exhibited in the representation of the mansions of the dead strikes our eyes more clearly examine into the quality of the form of an object and detach it altogether from its material part and then contemplate it then determine the time the longest which a thing of this peculiar form is naturally made to endure thou hast endured infinite troubles through not being contented with thy ruling faculty when it does the things which it is constituted by nature to do but enough of this when another blames thee or hates thee or when men say about thee anything injurious approach their poor souls penetrate within and see what kind of men they are thou will discover that there is no reason to take any trouble that these men may have this or that opinion about thee however thou must be well disposed towards them for by nature they are friends and the gods too aid them in all ways by dreams by signs toward the attainment of those things on which they set a value the periodic movements of the universe are the same up and down from age to age and either the universal intelligence puts itself in motion for every separate effect and if this is so be thou content with that which is the result of its activity or it puts itself in motion once and everything else comes by way of sequence in a manner or indivisible elements are the origin of all things in a word if there is a god all is well and if chance rules do not thou also be governed by it soon will the earth cover us all then the earth too will change and the things also which result from change will continue to change forever and these again forever for if a man reflects on the changes and transformations which follow one another like wave after wave and their rapidity he will despise everything which is perishable the universal cause is like torrent it carries everything along with it but how worthless are all these poor people who are engaged in matters political and as they suppose are playing the philosopher all are drivelers well then man do what nature now requires set thyself in motion if it is in thy power and do not look about thee to see if anyone will observe it and expect Plato's Republic but be content if the smallest thing goes on well and consider such an event to be no small matter for who can change men's opinions and without a change of opinions what else is there than the slavery of men who groan while they pretend to obey come now and tell me of Alexander and Philippus and Demetrius and Philarum they themselves shall judge and they discovered what the common nature required and train themselves accordingly but if they acted like tragedy heroes no one has condemned me to imitate them simple and modest is the work of philosophy draw me not aside to insolence and pride look down from above on the countless herds of men and their countless solemnities and the infinity varied into storms and comms and the differences among those who are born who live together and die and consider too the life lived by others in olden time and the life of those who will live after thee and the life now lived among barbarous nations and how many know not even thy name and how many will soon forget it and how they who perhaps now are praising thee will very soon blame thee and that neither a posthumous name is of any value nor reputation nor anything else let there be freedom from perturbations with respect to the things which come from the external cause and let there be justice in the things done by virtue of the internal cause that is let there be movement and action terminating in this in social acts for this is according to my nature thou canst remove out of the way many useless things among those which disturb thee for they lie entirely in thy opinion and thou will then gain for thyself ample space by comprehending the whole universe in thy mind and by contemplating the eternity of time and observing the rapid change of every several thing how short is the time from birth to dissolution limitable time before birth as well as the equally boundless time after dissolution all that thou seest will quickly perish and those who have been spectators of its dissolution will very soon perish too and he who dies at the extremist old age will be brought into the same condition with him who died prematurely what are these men's leading principles and about what kind of things are they busy and for what kind of reasons do they love and honor imagine that thou seest their poor souls laid bare when they think that they do harm by their blame or good by their praise what an idea loss is nothing else than change but the universal nature delights and change and in obedience to her all things are now and from eternity have been done in life form and will be done to such time without end what then does thou say that all things have been and all things always will be bad and that no power has ever been found in so many gods to rectify these things but the world has been condemned to be bound in never ceasing evil the rottenness of the matter which is the foundation of everything water, dust, bones, filth or again marble rocks the callosities of the earth and gold and silver and sediments and garments only bits of hair and purple dye blood and everything else is of the same kind and that which is of the nature of breath is also another thing of the same kind changing from this to that enough of this wretched life and murmurings and apish tricks why art thou disturbed what is there new in this what unsettles thee is it the form of the thing look at it or is it the matter look at it but besides these there is nothing toward the gods then now become at last more simple and better it is the same whether we examine these things for a hundred years or three if any man has done wrong the harm is his own but perhaps he has not done wrong either all things proceed from one intelligent source and come together as in one body and the part ought not to find fault with what is done for the benefit of the whole or there are only atoms and nothing else then mixture and dispersion why then art thou disturbed say to the ruling faculty art thou dead art thou corrupted art thou playing the hypocrite art thou become a beast thus thou herd and feed with the rest either the gods have no power or they have power if then they have no power why does thou pray to them but if they have power why does thou not pray for them to give thee the faculty to not fearing any of the things which thou fearst or of not desiring any of the things which thou desirest or not being pained at anything rather than pray that any of these things should not happen or happen for certainly if they can cooperate with men they can cooperate for these purposes but perhaps thou will say the gods have placed them in thy power well then is it not better to use what is in thy power like a free man than to desire in a slavish and abject way what is not in thy power and who has told thee that the gods do not aid us even in the things which are in our power begin then to pray for such things and thou will see one man prays thus how shall I be able to lie with that woman do thou praise thus how shall I not desire to lie another prays thus how shall I be released from this another prays how shall I not desire to be released another thus how shall I not lose my little son thou thus how shall I not be afraid to lose him in turn turn thy prayers this way and see what comes Epicurus says in my sickness about my bodily sufferings Nor says he did I talk on such subjects to those who visited me but I continued to discourse on the nature of things as before keeping to this main point how the mind while participating in such movements as go on in the poor flesh shall be free from perturbations and maintain its proper good Nor did I he says give the physicians an opportunity of putting on solemn looks as if they were doing something great but my life went on well and happily do then the same that he did both in sickness if thou art sick and in any other circumstances for never to desert philosophy in any events that may befall us nor to hold trifling talk either with an ignorant man or with one unacquainted with nature is a principle of all schools of philosophy but to be intent only on that which thou art now doing and on the instrument by which thou dost it when thou art offended with any man shameless conduct immediately ask thyself is it possible then that shameless men should not be in the world it is not possible do then require what is impossible for this man also is one of those shameless men who must of necessity be in the world let the same considerations be present thy mind in the case of the name and the faithless man and of every man who does wrong in any way for at the same time that thou dost remind thyself that it is impossible that such kind of men should not exist thou wilt become more kindly disposed toward every one individually eventually it is useful to perceive this too immediately when the occasion arises that virtue nature has given to man to oppose to every wrongful act for she has given to man as an antidote against the stupid man mildness and against another kind of man some other power and in all cases it is possible for thee to correct thy teaching the man who is gone astray for every man who errs misses his object and is gone astray besides wherein has thou been injured for thou wilt find that no one among those against whom thou art irritated has done anything by which thy mind could be made worse but that which is evil to thee and harmful has its foundation only in the mind and what harm is done or what is there strange if the man who has not been instructed does the acts of an uninstructed man consider whether thou shouldest not rather blame thyself because thou didst not expect such a man to err in such a way for thou hast means given thee by thy reason to suppose that it was likely that he would commit this error and yet thou hast forgotten and are amazed that he has erred but most of all when thou blames him as a father or ungrateful turn thyself for the fault is manifestly thy own whether thou didst trust that a man who had such a disposition would keep his promise or when conferring thy kindness thou didst not confer it absolutely nor yet in such a way as to have received from thy very act all a profit for what more does thou want when thou hast done a man a service art thou not content that thou hast done something comfortable to thy nature and thus thou seek to be paid for it just as if the eye demanded a recompense for seeing or the feet for walking for as these members are formed for a particular purpose and by working according to their several constitutions obtain what is their own so also as man is formed by nature to acts of benevolence when he has done anything benevolent or in any other way conducive to the common interest he has acted conformably to his constitution and he gets what is his own end of chapter 9 recorded by father xyle detroit june 2007 the meditations of marcus aurelius by marcus aurelius Antoninus translated by george long this is a liberbox recording all liberbox recordings are in the public domain for more information or to volunteer please visit liberbox.org section 10 wilt thou then my soul never be good and simple and one and naked more manifest than the body which surrounds thee wilt thou never enjoy an affection and contented disposition wilt thou never be full and without a want of any kind longing for nothing nor nor desiring anything either animate or inanimate for the enjoyment of pleasures nor yet desiring time wherein thou shall have longer enjoyment or place or pleasant climate or society of men with whom thou mayest live in harmony but wilt thou be satisfied with thy present condition and pleased with all that is about thee and wilt thou convince thyself that thou hast everything and that it comes from the gods that everything is well for thee and whatever they shall give for the conservation of perfect living being the good and just and beautiful which generates and holds together all things and contains and embraces all things which are dissolved for the production of other like things wilt thou never be such that thou shalt so dwell in community with gods and men as neither to find fault with them at all nor to be condemned by them too observe what thy nature requires so far as thou art governed by nature only then do it and accept it if thy nature so far as thou art a living being shall not be made worse by it and next thou must observe what thy nature requires so far as thou art a living being and all this thou mayest allow thyself if thy nature so far as thou art a rational animal shall not be made worse by it but the rational animal is consequently also a political animal use these rules then and trouble thyself about nothing else 3 everything which happens either happens in such wise as thou art formed by nature to bear it or as thou art not formed by nature to bear it if then it happens to thee in such a way as thou art formed by nature to bear it do not complain but bear it as thou art formed by nature to bear it but if it happens in such wise as thou art not formed by nature to bear it, do not complain, or it will perish after it has consumed thee. Remember, however, that thou art formed by nature to bear everything, with respect to which it depends on thy own opinion to make it indurable and tolerable, by thinking that it is either thy interest or thy duty to do this. 4. If a man is mistaken, instruct him kindly and show him his error. But if thou art not able, blame thyself, or blame not even thyself. 5. Whatever may happen to thee, it was prepared for thee from all eternity, and the implication of causes was from eternity spinning the thread of thy being, and of that which is incident to it. 6. Whether the universe is a concourse of atoms or nature as a system, let this first be established, that I am part of the whole which is governed by nature. Next, I am in a manner intimately related to the parts which are of the same kind with myself. For remembering this, inasmuch as I am a part, I shall be discontented with none of the things which are assigned to me out of the whole. For nothing is injurious to the part, if it is for the advantage of the whole. For the whole contains nothing which is not for its advantage. And all natures indeed have this common principle, but the nature of the universe has this principle besides, that it cannot be compelled even by any external cause to generate anything harmful to itself. By remembering, then, that I am part of such a whole, I shall be content with everything that happens. And inasmuch as I am, in a manner intimately related to the parts which are of the same kind with myself, I shall do nothing unsocial, but I shall rather direct myself to the things which are of the same kind with myself, and I shall turn all my efforts to the common interest and divert them from the contrary. Now, if these things are done so, life must flow on happily, just as thou mayst observe that the life of a citizen is happy, who continues a course of action which is advantageous to his fellow citizens, and is content with whatever the state may assign to him. Seven. The parts of the whole, everything I mean, which is naturally comprehended in the universe, must of necessity perish. But let this be understood in this sense, that they must undergo change. But if this is naturally both an evil and a necessity for the parts, the whole would not continue to exist in a good condition, the parts being subject to change and constituted so as to perish in various ways. For whether did nature herself design to do evil to the things which are parts of herself, and to make them subject to evil and a necessity fall into evil, or have such results happened without her knowing it? Both these suppositions indeed are incredible. But if a man should ever drop the term nature as an efficient power, and should speak of these things as natural, even then it would be ridiculous to affirm at the same time that the parts of the whole are in their nature subject to change, and at the same time to be surprised or vexed as if something were happening contrary to nature, particularly as the dissolution of things into those things of which each thing is composed. For there is either a dispersion of the elements out of which everything has been compounded, or a change from the solid to the earthy and from the airy to the aerial, so that these parts are taken back into the universal reason, whether this at certain periods is consumed by fire or renewed by eternal changes. And do not imagine that the solid and the airy part belong to thee from time of generation. For all this received its accretion only yesterday, and the day before, as one may say from the food and the air which is inspired. This then, which have received the accretion, changes not that which thy mother brought forth, but suppose that this which thy mother brought forth implicates thee very much with the other part, which has the peculiar quality of change, this is nothing in fact in the way of objection to what is said. 8. When thou hast assumed thys names, good, modest, true, rational, a man of equanimity and magnanimous, take care thou dost not change these names, and if thou shalt lose them, quickly return to them. And remember that the term rational was intended to signify a discriminating attention to every several thing, and freedom from negligence. And that equanimity is the voluntary acceptance of the things which are assigned to thee by the common nature. And that magnanimity is the elevation of the intelligent part above the pleasurable or painful sensations of the flesh, and above that poor thing called fame and death and all such things. If then, thou maintainest thyself into possession of these names, without desiring to be called by these names by others, thou wilt be another person and wilt enter on to another life. For to continue to be such as thou hast hitherto been, and to be torn in pieces and defiled in such a life is the character of a very stupid man, and one over fond of his life. And like those half devoured fighters with wild beasts, who though covered with wounds and gores, still intrigued to be kept to the following day, though they will be exposed in the same state to the same claws and bites. Therefore, fix thyself in the possession of these few names, and if thou art able to abide in them, abide as if thou wast removed to certain islands of the happy. But if thou shalt perceive that thou fallest out of them, and thus not maintain thy hold, go courageously into some nook where thou shalt maintain them, or even depart at once from life, not in passion, but with simplicity and freedom and modesty, after doing this one laudable thing at least in thy life, to have gone out of it thus. In order, however, to the remembrance of these names, it will greatly help thee, if thou rememberest the gods, and that they wish not to be flattered, but wish all reasonable beings to be made like themselves. And if thou rememberest that which does the work of a fig tree is a fig tree, and that which does the work of a dog is a dog, and that which does the work of a bee is a bee, and that which does the work of man is a man. 9. Mimmy, war, astonishment, torpor, slavery will daily wipe out those holy principles of thine. How many things without studying nature dost thou imagine, and how many dost thou neglect? But it is thy duty so to look on and so to do everything, that at the same time the power of dealing with circumstances is perfect, and the contemplative faculty is exercised, and the confidence which comes from the knowledge of each several thing is maintained without showing it, by yet not concealed. For when wilt thou enjoy simplicity, when gravity, and when the knowledge of every several thing, both what is in substance, and what place it has in the universe, and how long it is formed to exist, and of what things it is compounded, and to whom it can belong, and who are able both to give it and take it away? 10. A spider is proud when it has caught a fly, and another when he has caught a poor hare, and another when he has taken the little fish in the net, and another when he has taken wild boars, and another when he has taken bears, and another when he has taken psalmations. 11. Acquire the contemplative way of seeing how all things change into one another, and constantly attend to it, and exercise thyself about this part of philosophy, for nothing is so much adapted produce magnanimity. Such a man is put off the body, and he sees that he must, no one knows how soon, go away from among men and leave everything here. He gives himself up entirely to just doing in all his actions, and in everything else that happens, he resigns himself to the universal nature. But as to what any man shall say or think about him or do against him, he never even thinks of it, being himself contented with these two things, with acting justly in what he now does, and being satisfied with what is now assigned to him. And he lays aside all distracting and busy pursuits, and desires nothing else than to accomplish the straight course through the law, and by accomplishing the straight course to follow God. 12. What need is there of suspicious fear, since it is thy power to inquire what ought to be done? And if thou seeest clear, go by this way content without turning back, but if thou dost not see clear, stop and take the best advisors. But if any other things oppose thee, go on according to thy powers with due consideration, keeping to that which appears to be just. For it is best to reach this object, and if thou dost fail, let thy failure be in attempting this. He who follows reason in all things is both tranquil and active at the same time, and also cheerful and collected. 13. Inquire of thyself as soon as thou wakeest from sleep, whether it will make any difference to thee if another does what is just and right. It will make no difference. Thou hast not forgotten, I suppose, that those who assume arrogant errors in bestowing their praise or blame on others are such as they are at bed and at board, and thou hast not forgotten what they do, and what they avoid, and what they pursue, and how they steal and how they rob, not with hands and feet, but with their most valuable part, by means of which there is produced when a man chooses fidelity, modesty, truth, law, a good demon, and happiness. 14. To her who gives and takes back all to nature, the man who is instructed in modesty says, Give what thou wilt, take back what thou wilt. And he says this not proudly, but obediently, and well pleased with her. 15. Short is the little which remains to thee of life, live as on a mountain, for it makes no difference whether a man lives there or here if he lives everywhere in the world as an estate. Let men see, let them know a real man who lives according to nature. If they cannot endure him, let them kill him, for that is better than to live like this. 16. No longer talk at all about the kind of man that a good man ought to be, but be such. 17. Constantly contemplate the whole of time and the whole of substance, and consider that all individual things as the substance are as a grain of a fig, and as to time, the turning of a gimlet. 18. Look at everything that exists and observe that it is already in dissolution and in change, and as it were, putrefaction or dispersion, or that everything is so constituted by nature as to die. 19. Consider what men are when they are eating, sleeping, generating, easing themselves, and so forth. Then what kind of men they are when they are imperious and arrogant, or angry and scolding from their elevated place? But a short time ago, to how many they were slaves and for what things? And after a little time, consider in what a condition they will be. 20. That is for the good of each thing, which the universal nature brings to each, and it is for its good at the time when nature brings it. 21. The earth loves a shower, and the solemn aether loves. And the universe loves to make whatever it is about to be. I say then to the universe that I love is thou lovest, and is not this too said that this or that loves is want to be produced? 22. Either thou livest here, and hast already accustomed thyself to it, or thou art going away, and this was on thy own will, or thou art dying, and hast discharged thy duty. But besides these things there is nothing. Be of good cheer, then. 23. Let this always be plain to thee, that this piece of land is like any other, and that all things here are the same with things on top of a mountain, or on the seashore, or wherever thou chooses to be. For thou wilt find just what Plato says, dwelling within the walls of a city, as in a shepherd's fold on a mountain. 24. 24. What is my ruling faculty now to me? And of what nature am I now making it, and for what purpose am I now using it? Is it void of understanding? Is it loosed and rent asunder from social life? Is it melted into and mixed with the poor flesh always to move together with it? 25. He who flies from his master is a runaway, but the law is master, and he who breaks the law is a runaway, and he also who is grieved or angry or afraid is dissatisfied because something has been or is or shall be of the things which are appointed by him who rules all things, and he is law and assigns to every man what is fit. He then who fears or is grieved or is angry is a runaway. 26. A man deposits seed in a womb and goes away, and then another cause takes it and labors on it and makes a child. What a thing from such a material. Again the child passes food down the throat and then another cause takes it and makes it perception and motion, and in fine life and strength then other things how many and how strange. Observe then the things which are produced in such a hidden way, and see the power just as we see the power which carries things downwards and upwards, not with the eyes, but still no less plainly. 27. Constantly consider how all things such as they now are and time past also were, and consider that they will be the same again, and place before their eyes entire dramas and stages of the same form, whatever thou hast learned from thy experience or from older history. For example, the whole court of Hadrianus and the whole court of Antoninus, and the whole court of Philippus, Alexander, Croisius, for all those were dramas such as we see now only with different actors. 28. Imagine every man who was grieved at anything or discontented to be like a pig which is sacrificed in kicks and screams. Like this pig also is he who on his bed in silence laments the bonds in which we are held, and consider that only to the rational animal is it given to follow voluntarily what happens, but simply to follow is a necessity imposed on all. 29. Severally on the occasion of everything that thou dost, pause and ask thyself if death is a dreadful thing because it deprives thee of this. 30. When thou art offended at any man's fault, forwith turn to thyself and reflect in what like manner thou dost err thyself, for example in thinking that money is a good thing, or pleasure, or a bit of reputation and the like, for by attending to this thou wilt quickly forget thy anger, if this consideration also is added that the man is compelled for what else could he do, or if thou art able, take away from him the compulsion. 31. When thou hast seen Sattron the Socratic, think of Eutyches or Hymen, and when thou hast seen Euphrates, think of Eutycheon or Silvanus, and when thou hast seen Alsophron, think of Troipophorus, and when thou hast seen Xenophon, think of Credo of Severus, and when thou hast looked on thyself, think of any other Caesar, and in the case of every one do in like manner. 32. Then let this thought be in thy mind. Where then are those men? Nowhere, or nobody knows where. 33. For thus continuously thou wilt look at human things as smoke and nothing at all, especially if thou reflect this at the same time that what is once changed will never exist again in the infinite duration of time. But thou, in what a brief space of time is thy existence, and why art thou not content to pass through this short time in an orderly way? What matter and opportunity for thy activity are thou avoiding? For what else are all these things except exercises for the reason, when it has viewed carefully and by examination into their nature the things which happen in life? Persevere then until thou shalt have made these things thy own, as the stomach which is strengthened makes all things its own, as the blazing fire makes flame and brightness out of everything that is thrown into it. 32. Let it not be in any man's power to say truly of thee that thou art not simple or that thou art not good, but let him be a liar whoever shall think anything of this kind about thee, and this is altogether in thy power. For who is he that shall hinder thee from being good and simple? Do thou only determined to live no longer, and lest thou shalt be such? For neither does reason allow thee to live if thou art not such. 33. What is that which as to this material our life can be done or said in a way most conformable to reason? For whatever this may be it is in thy power to do it or say it, and do not make excuses that thou art hindered. 34. Thou wilt not cease to lament till thy mind is in such a condition that what luxury is to those who enjoy pleasure such shall be to thee in the matter which is subjected and presented to thee, the doing of things which are conformable to man's constitution. For a man ought to consider as an enjoyment everything which is in his power to do according to his own nature, and it is in his power everywhere. Now it is not given to a cylinder to move everywhere by its own motion, nor yet water, nor to fire, nor to anything else which is governed by nature of an irrational soul, for the things which check them and stand in the way are many. But intelligence and reason are able to go through everything that opposes them, and in such manner as they are formed by nature and as they choose. Place before thy eyes this facility with which the reason will be carried through all things, as fire upwards, as a stone downwards, as a cylinder down an inclined surface, and seek nothing further. For all other obstacles either affect the body only which is a dead thing, or accept through opinion and the yielding of the reason itself, they do not crush nor do any harm of any kind, for if they did, he who felt it would immediately become bad. Now in the case of all things which have a certain constitution, whatever harm may happy to any of them, that which is so affected becomes consequently worse. But in the like case a man becomes both better if one may say so, and more worthy of praise by making a right use of these accidents. And finally remember that nothing harms him who is really a citizen which does not harm the state, nor yet does anything harm the state which does not harm law, and of these things which are called misfortunes, not one harms law. What then does not harm law does not harm either state or citizen? 34. To him who is penetrated by true principles even the briefest precept is sufficient, and any common precept to remind him that he should be free from grief and fear. For example, leaves, some the wind scatters on the ground. So is the race of men. Leaves also are thy children, and leaves too are they who cry out as if they were worthy of credit and bestow their praise, or on the contrary curse or secretly blame and sneer, and leaves in like manner are those who shall receive and transmit a man's fame to aftertimes. For all such things as these, quote, are produced in the season of spring, end quote, as the poet says. But the wind cast them down, then the forest produces other leaves in their places. But a brief existence is common to all things, and yet thou avoidest and pursuest all things as if they would be eternal. A little time and thou shalt close thy eyes, and him who has attended thee to thy grave, another soon will lament. 35. The healthy eye ought to see all visible things, and not to say, I wish for green things. For this is the condition of a diseased eye. And a healthy hearing and smelling ought to be ready to perceive all that can be heard and smelled. And a healthy stomach ought to be with respect to all food just as the meal with respect to all things which it is formed to grind. And accordingly, the healthy understanding ought to be prepared for everything which happens. But that which says, let my dear children live, and let all men praise whatever I may do, is an eye which seeks for green things, or teeth which seek for soft things. 36. There is no man so fortunate that there shall not be by him when he is dying, some who are pleased with what is going to happen. Suppose that he was a good and wise man. Will there not be at last someone to say to himself, let us at last breathe freely, being relieved from this schoolmaster? It is true that he was harsh to none of us, but I perceive that he tacitly condemns us. This is what is said of a good man. But in our own case, how many other things are there for which there are many who wish to get rid of us? Thou wilt consider this then when thou art dying, and thou wilt depart more contentedly by reflecting thus. I am going away from such a life, in which even my associates, in behalf of whom I have striven so much, prayed and cared, themselves wish me to depart, hoping for a chance to get some little advantage by it. Why, then, should a man cling to a longer stay here? Do not, however, for this reason go away less kindly disposed to them, but preserving thy own character and friendly and benevolent and mild, and on the other hand not as if thou was torn away, but as a man who dies a quiet death. The poor soul is easily separated from the body, such also off thy departure from men to be, for nature united thee to them and associated thee. But does she now dissolve the union? Well, I am separated as from kinsmen, not, however, dragged resisting, but without compulsion. For this, too, is one of the things according to nature. 37. Acustom thyself as much as possible on the occasion of anything being done by any person to inquire with thyself. For what object is this man doing this? But begin with thyself and examine thyself first. 38. Remember that this which pulls the strings is the thing which is hidden within. This is the power of persuasion. This is life. This, if one may say so, is man. In contemplating thyself never include the vessel which surrounds thee, and these instruments were attached about it, for they are like to enact differing only in this that they grow to the body. For indeed there is no more use in these parts without the cause which moves and checks them than in the weaver's shuttle, and the writer's pen, and the driver's whip. End of section 10. Chapter 11 of Meditations of Marcus Aurelius This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Leon Meyer These are the properties of the rational soul. It sees itself, analyzes itself, and makes itself such as it chooses. The fruit which it bears itself enjoys. For the fruit of plants and that in animals which corresponds to fruits others enjoy. It obtains its own end, wherever the limit of life may be fixed. Not as in a dance, and in a play, and in such like things, where the whole action is incomplete, if anything cuts it short. But in every part and wherever it may be stopped, it makes what has been said before it full and complete, so that it can say, I have what is my own. And further it traverses the whole universe, in the surrounding vacuum, and surveys its form. And it extends itself into the infinity of time, and embraces and comprehends the periodical renovation of all things. And it comprehends that those who come after us will see nothing new, nor have those before us seen anything more. But in a manner, he who is forty years old, if he has any understanding at all, has seen by virtue of the uniformity that prevails all things which have been, and all that will be. This too is a property of the rational soul, love of one's neighbor, and truth, and modesty, and to value nothing more than itself, which is also the property of law. Thus then, right reason differs not at all from the reason of justice. Thou wilt set little value on pleasing song and dancing in the pancreatium, if thou wilt distribute the melody of the voice into its several sounds, and ask thyself as to each, if thou art mastered by this, for thou wilt be prevented by shame from confessing it. And in the matter of dancing, if at each movement and attitude, thou wilt do the same, and the like also in the matter of the pancreatium. In all things then, except virtue and the acts of virtue, remember to apply thyself to their several parts, and by this division to come to value them little, and apply this rule also to thy whole life. What a soul that is which is ready, if at any moment it must be separated from the body, and ready to be extinguished, or dispersed, or continue to exist. But so that this readiness comes from a man's own judgment, not from mere obstinacy, as with the Christians, but considerably, and with dignity, and in a way to persuade another, without tragic show. Have I done something for the general interest? Well then, I have had my reward. Let this always be present to thy mind, and never stop doing such good. What is thy art, to be good? And how has this accomplished well except by general principles, some about the nature of the universe, and others about the proper constitution of man? At first tragedies were brought on the stage as means of reminding men of the things which happened to them, and that it is according to nature for things to happen so, and that if you are delighted with what is shown on the stage, you should not be troubled with that which takes place on the larger stage. For you see that these things must be accomplished thus, and that even they bear them who cry out, O Sathiron. And indeed some things are said well by the dramatic writers, of which kind is the following especially. Me and my children, if the gods neglect, this has its reason too. And again, we must not chafe and fret at that which happens. And life's harvest reap like the wheat's fruitful ear, and other things of the same kind. After tragedy the old comedy was introduced, which had a magisterial freedom of speech, and by its very plainness of speaking was useful in reminding men to beware of insolence, and for this purpose too diogenes used to take from these writers. But as to the middle comedy which came next, observe what it was, and again, for what object the new comedy was introduced, which gradually sunk down into a mere mimic artifice. That some good things are said even by these writers everybody knows, but the whole plan of such poetry and dramaturgy, to what end does it look? How plain does it appear that there is not another condition of life, so well suited for philosophizing, as this in which thou now happen is to be. A branch cut off from the adjacent branch must of necessity be cut off from the whole tree also. So too a man, when he is separated from another man, has fallen off from the whole social community. Now as to a branch another cuts it off, but a man by his own act separates himself from his neighbor when he hates him and turns away from him, and he does not know that he is at the same time cut himself off from the whole social system. Yet he has this privilege certainly from Zeus who frames society, for it is in our power to grow again to that which is near to us, and again to become a part which helps us to make up the whole. However if it often happens, this kind of separation, it makes it difficult for that which detaches itself to be brought to unity, and to be restored to its former condition. Finally the branch, which from the first grew together with the tree, and has continued to have one life with it, is not like that which after being cut off is then ingrafted, for this is something like what the gardeners mean when they say that it grows with the rest of the tree, but that it has not the same mind with it. As those who try to stand in thy way, when thou art proceeding according to right reason, will not be able to turn thee aside from thy proper action, so neither let them drive thee from thy benevolent feelings towards them, but be on thy guard equally in both matters, not only in the matter of steady judgment and action, but also in the matter of gentleness towards those who try to hinder or otherwise trouble thee. For this is also a weakness to be vexed at them, as well as to be diverted from thy course of action, and to give way through fear, for both are equally deserters from their post, the man who does it through fear, and the man who is alienated from him who is by nature a kinsman and a friend. There is no nature which is inferior to art, for the arts imitate the natures of things, but if this is so, that nature which is the most perfect and the most comprehensive of all natures cannot fall short of the skill of art. Now all arts do the inferior things for the sake of the superior, therefore the universal nature does so too, and indeed hence is the origin of justice, and in justice the other virtues have their foundation, for justice will not be observed if we either care for middle things, things indifferent, or are easily deceived and careless and changeable. If the things do not come to thee, the pursuits and avoidances of which disturb thee, still in a manner thou goest to them. Let then thy judgment about them be at rest, and they will remain quiet, and thou will not be seen either pursuing or avoiding. The spherical form of the soul maintains its figure, when it is neither extended toward any object, nor contracted inwards, nor dispersed, nor sinks down, but is illuminated by light, by which it sees the truth, the truth of all things, and the truth that is in itself. Suppose any man shall despise me. Let him look to that himself. But I will look to this, that I be not discovered doing or saying anything deserving of contempt. Shall any man hate me? Let him look to it. But I will be mild and benevolent towards every man, and ready to show even him his mistake, not reproachfully, nor yet as making display of my endurance, but nobly and honestly like the great focian, unless indeed he only assumed it. For the interior parts ought to be such, and a man ought to be seen by the gods neither dissatisfied with anything nor complaining. For what evil is it to thee, if thou art now doing what is agreeable to thy own nature, and art satisfied with that which at this moment is suitable to the nature of the universe? Since thou art a human being placed at thy post, in order that what is for the common advantage may be done in some way. Men despise one another and flatter one another, and men wish to raise themselves above one another, and crouch before one another. How unsound and insincere is he who says, I have determined to deal with thee in a fair way. What art thou doing, man? There is no occasion to give this notice. It will soon show itself by acts. The voice ought to be plainly written on the forehead. Such as a man's character is, he immediately shows it in his eyes, just as he who is beloved forthwith reads everything in the eyes of lovers. The man who is honest and good ought to be exactly like a man who smells strong, so that the bystander as soon as he comes near him must smell whether he choose or not. But the affectation of simplicity is like a crooked stick. Nothing is more disgraceful than a wolfish friendship. Avoid this, most of all. The good and simple and benevolent show all these things in the eyes, and there is no mistaking. As to living in the best way, this power is in the soul. If it be indifferent to things which are indifferent. And it will be indifferent if it looks on each of these things separately and altogether, and if it remembers that not one of them produces in us an opinion about itself nor comes to us. But these things remain immovable, and it is we ourselves who produce the judgments about them. And as we may say, write them in ourselves. It being in our power not to write them, and it being in our power if perchance these judgments have imperceptibly got a mission to our minds, to wipe them out. And if we remember also that such attention will only be for a short time. And then life will be at an end. Besides, what trouble is there at all in doing this? For if these things are according to nature, rejoice in them, and they will be easy to thee. But if contrary to nature, seek what is conformable to thy own nature, and strive towards this, even if it bring no reputation, for every man is allowed to seek his own good. Consider whence each thing is come, and of what it consists, and into what it changes, and what kind of a thing it will be when it is changed, and that it will sustain no harm. If any have offended against thee, consider first. What is my relation to men, and that we are made for one another, and in another respect I was made to be said over them, as a ram over the flock, or a bull over the herd. But examine the matter from first principles, from this. If all things are not mere atoms, it is nature which orders all things. If this is so, the inferior things exist for the sake of the superior, and these for the sake of one another. Second, consider what kind of men they are at table, in bed, and so forth, and particularly, under what compulsions in respect of opinions they are, and as to their acts, consider with what pride they do what they do. Third, that if men do rightly what they do, we ought not to be displeased, but if they do not right, it is plain that they do so involuntarily, and in ignorance. Or as every soul is unwillingly deprived of the truth, so also it is unwillingly deprived of the power of behaving to each man according to his desserts. Accordingly, men are pained when they are called unjust, ungrateful, and greedy, and in a word wrongdoers to their neighbors. Fourth, consider that thou also doest many things wrong, and that thou art a man like others, and even if thou dost abstain from certain faults, still thou hast the disposition to commit them, though either through cowardice or concern about reputation or some such mean motive thou dost abstain from such faults. Fifth, consider that thou dost not even understand whether men are doing wrong or not, for many things are done with a certain reference to circumstances, and in short, a man must learn a great deal to enable him to pass a correct judgment on another man's acts. Sixth, consider when thou art much vexed or grieved that man's life is only a moment, and after a short time we are all laid out dead. Seventh, that it is not men's acts which disturb us, for those acts have their foundation in men's ruling principles, but it is our own opinions which disturb us. Take away these opinions then, and resolve to dismiss thy judgment about an act as if it were something grievous, and thy anger is gone. How then shall I take away these opinions, by reflecting that no wrongful act of another brings shame on thee? For unless that which is shameful is alone bad, thou also must of necessity do many things wrong, and become a robber and everything else. Eighth, consider how much more pain is brought on us by the anger and vexation caused by such acts than by the acts themselves at which we are angry and vexed. Ninth, consider that a good disposition is invincible if it be genuine, and not in effect its smile and acting apart. For what will the most violent man do to thee if thou continuous to be of a kind disposition towards him, and if, as opportunity offers, thou gently admonished him, and calmly correctest his errors at the very time when he was trying to do the harm, saying, not so, my child, we are constituted by nature for something else. I shall certainly not be injured, but thou art injuring thyself, my child. And show him with gentle tact and by general principles that this is so, and that even bees do not do as he does, nor any animals which are formed by nature to be gregarious. And thou must not do this neither with any double meaning, nor in the way of reproach, but affectionately, and without any rancor in thy soul, and not as if thou art lecturing him, nor yet that any bystander may admire, but either when he is alone, and if others are present. Remember these nine rules, as if thou hast received them as a gift from the muses, and begin at last to be a man while thou livest. But thou must equally avoid flattering men and being vexed at them, for both are unsocial and lead to harm. And let this truth be present to thee in the excitement of anger, that to be moved by passion is not manly, but that mildness and gentleness, as they are more agreeable to human nature, so also are they more manly. And he who possesses these qualities possesses strength, nerves, and courage, and not the man who is subject to fits of passion and discontent. For in the same degree in which a man's mind is nearer to freedom from all passion, in the same degree also is it nearer to strength. And as the sense of pain is a characteristic of weakness, so also is anger. For he who yields to pain, and he who yields to anger, both are wounded and both submit. But if thou wilt receive also a tenth present from the leader of the muses, Apollo, and it is this, that to expect bad men not to do wrong as madness, for he who expects this desires an impossibility. But to allow men to behave so to others, and to expect them not to do the any wrong, is irrational and tyrannical. There are four principal aberrations of the superior faculty, against which thou shouldst be constantly on thy guard. And when thou hast detected them, thou shouldst wipe them out, and say on each occasion thus, this thought is not necessary, this tends to destroy social union. This which thou art going to say comes not from the real thoughts, for thou shouldst consider it among the most absurd of things, for a man not to speak from his real thoughts. But the fourth is when thou shalt reproach thyself for anything, for this is an evidence of the diviner part within thee, being overpowered, and yielding to the less honorable, and to the perishable part, the body, and to its gross pleasures. Thy aerial part and all the fiery parts which are mingled in thee, though by nature they have an upward tendency, still in obedience to the disposition of the universe they are overpowered here, in the compound mass, the body, and also the whole of the earthy part in thee, and the watery, though their tendency is downwards, still are raised up and occupy a position which is not their natural one. In this manner then the elemental parts obey the universal, for when they have been fixed in any place per force they remain there, until again the universal shall sound the signal for dissolution. Is it not then strange that thy intelligent part only should be disobedient and discontented with its own place? And yet no force is imposed on it, but only those things which are conformable to its nature. Still it does not submit, but is carried in the opposite direction, for the movement toward injustice and intimperance, and to anger and grief and fear, is nothing else than the act of one who deviates from nature. And also when the ruling faculty is discontented with anything that happens, then too it deserts its post, for it is constituted for piety and reverence toward the gods, no less than for justice. For these qualities also are comprehended under the generic term of contentment with the constitution of things, and indeed they are prior to acts of justice. You who has not one and always the same object in life cannot be one in the same all through his life. But what I have said is not enough, unless this also is added, what this object ought to be. For as there is not the same opinion about all the things which in some way or other are considered by the majority to be good, but only about some certain things, that is things which concern the common interest. So also we ought to propose to ourselves an object which will be of a common kind, social and political. For he who directs all his own efforts to this object will make all his acts alike, and thus will always be the same. Think of the country mouse, and of the town mouse, and of the alarm and trepidation of the town mouse. Socrates used to call the opinions of the many by the name of Lamy-e, bug-bearers to frighten children. The Lacedaemonians at their public spectacles used to set seats in the shade for strangers, but themselves sat down anywhere. Socrates excused himself to Perthicus for not going to him, saying it is because I would not perish by the worst of all ends, that is, I would not receive a favor and then be unable to return it. In the writings of the Ephesians there was this precept, constantly to think of someone of the men of former times who practice virtue. The Pythagoreans bid us in the morning look to the heavens, that we may be reminded of those bodies which continually do the same things and in the same manner perform their work, and also be reminded of their purity and nudity, for there is no veil over a star. Consider what a man Socrates was when he dressed himself in a skin after Xanthippe had taken his cloak and gone out, and what Socrates said to his friends who were ashamed of him, and drew back from him when they saw him dressed thus. Neither in writing nor in reading will thou be able to lay down rules for others, before thou shalt have learned to obey rules thyself. Much more is this so in life. Aslave thou art, free speech is not for thee, and my heart laughed within. In virtue they will curse speaking harsh words. He see it works in days 184. To look for the fig in winter is a madman's act, such as he who looks for his child when is no longer allowed. Epictetus 3, 24, 87. When a man kisses his child, said Epictetus, he should whisper to himself, tomorrow perchance thou wilt die. But those are words of bad omen. No word is a word of bad omen, said Epictetus, which expresses any work of nature. Or, if it is so, it is also a word of bad omen to speak of the ears of corn being reaped. Epictetus 3, 24, 88. The unripe grape, the ripe bunch, the dried grape, all are changes, not into nothing, but into something which exists not yet. Epictetus 3, 24. No man can rob us of our free will. Epictetus 3, 22, 105. Epictetus also said, a man must discover an art, or rules, with respect to giving his assent, and in respect to his movements he must be careful that they be made with regard to circumstances, that they be consistent with social interests, that they have regard to the value of the object. And as to sensual desire, he should altogether keep away from it. And as to avoidance, he should not show it with respect to any of the things which are not in our power. The dispute then, he said, is not about any common matter, but about being mad or not. Socrates used to say, what do you want, souls of rational men or irrational? Souls of rational men. Of what rational men? Sound or unsound? Sound. Why then do you not seek for them? Because we have them. Why then do you fight and quarrel? End of Chapter 11. Chapter 12 of Meditations of Marcus Aurelius This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Leon Meyer. The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius By Marcus Aurelius Antoninus Translated by George Long Chapter 12. All those things at which thou wishes to arrive by a circuitous road, thou canst have now, if thou dost not refuse them to thyself. And this means, if thou wilt, take no notice of all the past, and trust the future to providence, and direct the present only conformably to piety and justice. Conformably to piety, that thou mayst be content with the lot which is assigned to thee, for nature designed it for thee, and thee for it. Conformably to justice, that thou mayst always speak the truth freely and without disguise, and do the things which are agreeable to law and according to the worth of each. And let neither another man's wickedness hinder thee, nor opinion, nor voice, nor yet the sensations of the poor flesh which has grown about thee, for the passive part will look to this. If then, whatever the time may be when thou shalt be near to thy departure, neglecting everything else, thou shalt respect only thy ruling faculty and the divinity within thee. And if thou shalt be afraid, not because thou must sometimes cease to live, but if thou shalt fear never to have begun to live according to nature, then thou wilt be a man worthy of the universe which has produced thee. And thou wilt cease to be a stranger in thy native land, and to wonder at things which happen daily as if they were something unexpected, and to be dependent on this or that. God sees the minds of all men, bared of the material vesture and rind and impurities. For with his intellectual part alone, he touches the intelligence only which has flowed and been derived from himself into these bodies. And if thou also uses thyself to do this, thou wilt rid thyself of thy much trouble. For he who regards not the poor flesh which envelops him, surely will not trouble himself by looking after raiment and dwelling and fame, and such like externals and show. The things are three of which thou art composed, a little body, a little breath, intelligence. Of these the first two are thine so far as it is thy duty to take care of them. But the third alone is properly thine. Therefore if thou shalt separate from thyself, that is from thy understanding, whatever others do or say, and whatever thou hast done or said thyself, and whatever future things trouble thee because they may happen, and whatever in the body which envelops thee, or in the breath, which is by nature associated with the body, is attached to the independent of thy will, and whatever the externals or confluent vortex rules round, so that the intellectual power exempt from the things of fate can live pure and free by itself, doing what is just and accepting what happens and saying the truth. If thou wilt separate, I say, from this ruling faculty the things which are attached to it by the impressions of sense, and the things of time to come, and of time that is past, and wilt make thyself like in pedicles a sphere, all round, and in its joys rest reposing. And if thou shalt strive to live only what is really thy life, that is the present, then thou wilt be able to pass that portion of life which remains for thee up to the time of thy death, free from perturbations, nobly and obedient to the God that is within thee. I have often wondered how it is that every man loves himself more than all the rest of men, but yet sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on the opinion of others. If then a God or a wise teacher should present himself to a man, and bid him to think of nothing, and to design nothing which he would not express as soon as he conceived it, he could not endure it even for a single day. So much more respect have we to what our neighbors shall think of us than to what we shall think of ourselves. How can it be that the Gods, after having arranged all things well and benevolently for mankind, have overlooked this alone, that some men and very good men, and men who, as we may say, have had most communion with the Divinity, and through pious acts and religious observances, have been most intimate with the Divinity, when they have once died, should never exist again, but should be completely extinguished? But if this is so, be assured that if it ought to have been otherwise, the Gods would have done it, or if it were just, it would also be possible, and if it were according to nature, nature would have had it so. But because it is not so, if in fact it is not so, be thou convinced that it ought not to have been so, for thou seest even of thyself that in this inquiry thou art disputing with the Deity, and we should not thus dispute with the Gods, unless they were most excellent and most just. But if this is so, they would not have allowed anything in the ordering of the universe to be neglected unjustly and irrationally. Practice thyself even in the things which thou despairest of accomplishing, for even the left hand, which is ineffectual for all other things for want of practice, holds the bridle more vigorously than the right hand, for it has been practiced in this. Consider in what condition, both in body and soul, a man should be when he is overtaken by death, and consider the shortness of life, the boundless abyss of time, past and future, the feebleness of all matter. Contemplate the formative principles of things bare of their coverings, the purposes of actions. Consider what pain is, what pleasure is, and death and fame, who is to himself the cause of his uneasiness, how no man is hindered by another, that everything is opinion. In the application of thy principles thou must be like the pen-craciest, not like the gladiator, for the gladiator lets fall the sword which he uses and is killed, but the other always has his hand, and needs to do nothing else than use it. See what things are in themselves, dividing them into matter, form, and purpose. What a power man has to do, nothing except what God will approve, and to accept all that God may give him. With respect to that which happens conformably to nature, we ought to blame neither gods, for they do nothing wrong either voluntarily or involuntarily, nor men, for they do nothing wrong except involuntarily. Consequently we should blame nobody. How ridiculous and what a stranger he is, who is surprised at anything which happens in life. Either there is a fatal necessity and invincible order, or a kind providence, or a confusion without a purpose and without a director. If then there is an invincible necessity, why does thou resist? But if there is a providence which allows itself to be propitiated, make thyself worthy of the help of the divinity. But if there is a confusion without a governor, be content that in such a tempest thou hast in thyself a certain ruling intelligence. And even if the tempest carry thee away, let it carry away the poor flesh, the poor breath, everything else, for the intelligence at least it will not carry away. Does the light of the lamp shine without losing its splendor until it is extinguished? And shall the truth which is in thee, and justice, and temperance, be extinguished before thy death? When a man has presented the appearance of having done wrong, say, How then do I know if this is a wrongful act? And even if he has done wrong, how do I know that he has not condemned himself? And so this is like tearing his own face. Consider that he who would not have the bad man do wrong is like the man who would not have the fig tree to bear juice in the figs, and infants to cry, and the horse to neigh, and whatever else must of necessity be. For what must a man do who has such a character? If then thou art irritable, cure this man's disposition. If it is not right, do not do it. If it is not true, do not say it. In everything always observe what the thing is which produces for thee an appearance, and resolve it by dividing it into the formal, the material, the purpose, and the time within which it must end. Perceive at last that thou hast in thee something better and more divine than the things which cause the various effects, and as it were pull thee by the strings. What is there now in my mind? Is it fear, or suspicion, or desire, or anything of the kind? First do nothing inconsiderately, nor without a purpose. Second make thy acts refer to nothing else than to a social end. Consider that before long thou wilt be nobody and nowhere, nor will any of the things exist which thou now seeest, nor any of those who are now living. For all things are formed by nature to change and be turned and to perish in order that other things in continuous succession may exist. Consider that everything is opinion, and opinion is in thy power. Take away, then, when thou choosest, thy opinion, and, like a mariner who is double depraventory, thou wilt find calm, everything stable, and a waveless bay. Any one activity, wherever it may be, when it is ceased at its proper time, suffers no evil because it is ceased. Nor he who has done this act, does he suffer any evil for this reason that the act has ceased. In like manner, then, the whole which consists of all the acts which is our life, if it ceased at its proper time, suffers no evil for this reason that it is ceased. Nor he who has terminated this series at the proper time, as he been ill dealt with. But the proper time and the limit nature fixes, sometimes as in old age, the peculiar nature of man, but always the universal nature, by the change of whose parts the whole universe continues ever young and perfect. And everything which is useful to the universal is always good and in season. Therefore the termination of life for every man is no evil, because neither is it shameful, since it is both independent of the will and not opposed to the general interest. But it is good, since it is seasonable and profitable to and congruent with the universal. For thus too he is moved by the deity, who is moved in the same manner with the deity, and moved towards the same things in his mind. These three principles, thou must have in readiness. In the things which thou doest, do nothing either inconsiderately or otherwise as justice herself would act. But with respect to what may happen to thee from without, consider that it happens either by chance or according to providence, and thou must neither blame chance nor accuse providence. Second, consider what every being is, from the seed to the time of its receiving a soul, and from the reception of a soul to the giving back of the same, and of what things every being is compounded, and into what things it is resolved. Third, if thou shouldest suddenly be raised up above the earth, and shouldest look down on human beings, and observe the variety of them how great it is, and at the same time also shouldest see at a glance how great is the number of beings who dwell all around in the air and the ether, consider that as often as thou shouldest be raised up, thou wouldest see the same things, sameness of form, and shortness of duration. Are these things to be proud of? Cast away opinion, thou art saved, who then hinders thee from casting it away. When thou art troubled about anything, thou hast forgotten this, that all things happen according to the universal nature, and forgotten this, that a man's wrongful act is nothing to thee, and further, thou hast forgotten this, that everything which happens always happens so and will happen so, and now happens so everywhere. Forgotten this too, how close is the kinship between a man and the whole human race, for it is a community, not of a little blood or seed, but of intelligence. And thou hast forgotten this too, that every man's intelligence is a god, and is an efflux of the deity. And forgotten this, that nothing is a man's own, but that his child and his body and his very soul came from the deity. Forgotten this, that everything is opinion. And lastly, thou hast forgotten that every man lives the present time only, and loses only this. Constantly bring to thy recollection those who have complained greatly about anything, those who have been most conspicuous by the greatest fame or misfortunes or enmities or fortunes of any kind. Then think, where are they all now? Smoke and ash and a tail, or not even a tail? And let there be present to thy mind also everything of this sort, how Fabius Catalinus lived in the country, and Lucius Lupus in his gardens, and Styrton Eus at Baiii, and Tiberius at Capriii, and Rufus at Velia. And, in fine, think of the eager pursuit of anything conjoined with pride, and how worthless everything is, after which men violently strain. And how much more philosophical it is for a man in the opportunities presented to him to show himself just, temperate, obedient to the gods, and to do this with all simplicity. For the pride which is proud of its want of pride is the most intolerable of all. To those who ask, where has thou seen the gods, or how does thou comprehend that they exist, and so worship as them? I answer, in the first place, they may be seen even with the eyes. In the second place, neither have I seen even my own soul, and yet I honor it. Thus then, with respect to the gods, from what I constantly experience of their power, from this I comprehend that they exist, and I venerate them. The safety of life is this, to examine everything all through. What it is itself, what is its material, what the formal part, with all thy soul to do justice, and to say the truth. What remains except to enjoy life by joining one good thing to another so as not to leave even the smallest intervals between? There is one light of the sun, though it is interrupted by walls, mountains, and other things infinite. There is one common substance, though it is distributed among countless bodies which have their several qualities. There is one soul, though it is distributed among infinite natures and individual circumscriptions. There is one intelligent soul, though it seems to be divided. Now, in the things which have been mentioned, all the other parts, such as those which are air and matter, are without sensation, and have no fellowship, and yet even these parts the intelligent principle holds together, and the gravitation towards the same. But intellect in a peculiar manner tends to that which is of the same kin, and combines with it, and the feeling for communion is not interrupted. What does thou wish to continue to exist? Well, does thou wish to have sensation, movement, growth, and then again to cease to grow, to use thy speech, to think? What is there of all these things which seems to thee worth desiring? But if it is easy to set little value on all these things, turn to that which remains, which is to follow reason and God. But it is inconsistent with honoring reason and God to be troubled, because by death a man will be deprived of the other things. How small a part of the boundless and unfathomable time is assigned to every man, for it is very soon swallowed up in the eternal. And how small a part of the whole substance, and how small a part of the universal soul, and on what a small claw to the whole earth thou creepest. Reflecting on all this, consider nothing to be great, except to act as thy nature leads thee, and to endure that which the common nature brings. How does the ruling faculty make use of itself? For all lies in this. But everything else, whether it is in the power of thy will or not, is only lifeless ashes and smoke. This reflection is most adapted to move us to contempt of death, that even those who think pleasure to be a good and pain and evil still have despised it. The man to whom that only is good which comes and do season, and to whom it is the same thing whether he has done more or fewer acts conformable to right reason, and to whom it makes no difference whether he contemplates the world for a longer or a shorter time. For this man neither is death a terrible thing. Man, thou hast been a citizen in this great state, the world. What difference does it make to thee whether for five years or three? For that which is conformable to the laws is just for all. Where is the hardship then, if no tyrant nor yet an unjust judge sends thee away from the state, but nature who brought thee into it? The same as if a preacher who is employed an actor dismisses him from the stage. But I have not finished the five acts, but only three of them. Thou sayest well, but in life the three acts are the whole drama. For what shall be a complete drama is determined by him who was once the cause of its composition, and now of its dissolution. But thou art the cause of neither. Depart, then, satisfied, for he also who releases thee is satisfied. Chapter 13 of Meditations of Marcus Aurelius This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by Leon Meyer Chapter 13 Marcus Aurelius Antoninus by George Long MA Marcus Antoninus was born at Rome A.D. 121 on the 26th of April. His father Anius Varus died while he was preacher. His mother was Domitia Colvilla, also named Lucilla. The emperor Titus Antoninus Pius married Ania Galeria Faustina, the sister of Anius Varus, and was consequently the uncle of Marcus Antoninus. When Hadrian adopted Antoninus Pius and declared him his successor in the empire, Antoninus Pius adopted both Lucius Seonius Commodus, the son of Aurelius Caesar, and Marcus Antoninus, whose original name was Marcus Anius Varus. Antoninus then took the name of Marcus Aurelius Varus, to which was added the title of Caesar in A.D. 139. The name Aurelius belonged to Hadrian's family, and Aurelius was the name of Antoninus Pius. When Marcus Antoninus became Augustus, he dropped the name of Varus and took the name of Antoninus. Accordingly, he is generally named Marcus Aurelius Antoninus or simply Marcus Antoninus. The youth was most carefully brought up. He thinks the gods that he had good grandfathers, good parents, a good sister, good teachers, good associates, good kinsmen and friends, nearly everything good. He had the happy fortune to witness the example of his uncle and adoptive father Antoninus Pius, and he has recorded in his work the virtues of this excellent man and prudent ruler. Like many young Romans, he tried his hand at poetry and studied rhetoric. Herodes Atticus and Marcus Cornelius Fronto were his teachers in elegance. There are extant letters between Fronto and Marcus, which show the great affection of the pupil for the master and the master's great hopes of his industrious pupil. Footnote Marcus Cornelius E. Fontonis Reliquii, Berlin, 1816. There are a few letters between Fronto and Antoninus Pius in footnote. Marcus Antoninus mentions Fronto among those to whom he was indebted for his education. When he was 11 years old, he assumed the dress of philosophers, something plain in course, became a hard student, and lived the most laborious, abstemious life, even so far as to injure his health. Finally, he abandoned poetry and rhetoric for philosophy, and he attached himself to the sect of the Stoics. But he did not neglect the study of law, which was a useful preparation for the high place which he was designed to fill. His teacher was Lucius Volusianus Mycianus, a distinguished jurist. We must suppose that he learned the Roman discipline of arms, which was a necessary part of the education of a man who afterwards led his troops to battle against a warlike race. Antoninus has recorded in his first book the names of his teachers and the obligations which he owed to each of them. The way in which he speaks of what he learned from them might seem to savor a vanity or self-praise if we look carelessly at the way in which he has expressed himself. But if anyone draws this conclusion, he will be mistaken. Antoninus means to commemorate the merits of his several teachers, what they taught, and what a people might learn from them. Besides, this book, like the 11 other books, was for his own use, and if we may trust the note at the end of the first book, it was written during one of Marcus Antoninus' campaigns against the Quadi, at a time when the commemoration of the virtues of his illustrious teachers might remind him of their lessons and the practical uses which he might derive from them. Among his teachers of philosophy was Sextus of Carania, a grandson of Plutarch. What he learned from this excellent man is told by himself. His favorite teacher was Quintus Junius Rusticus, a philosopher and also a man of practical good sense in public affairs. Rusticus was the advisor of Antoninus after he became emperor. Young men who are destined for high places are not often fortunate in those who are about them, their companions and teachers. And I do not know any example of a young prince having had an education which can be compared with that of Marcus Antoninus. Such a body of teachers distinguished by their requirements and their character will hardly be collected again, and as to the pupil, we have not had one like him since. Hadrian died in July, AD 138, and was succeeded by Antoninus Pius. Marcus Antoninus married Faustina, his cousin, the daughter of Pius, probably about AD 146, for he had a daughter born in 147. He received from his adoptive father the title of Caesar, and was associated with him in the administration of the state. The father and the adopted son lived together in perfect friendship and confidence. Antoninus was a dutiful son, and the emperor Pius loved and esteemed him. Antoninus Pius died in March AD 161. The senate, it is said, urged Marcus Antoninus to take the sole administration of the empire, but he associated with himself the other adopted son of Pius, Lucius Seonius Commodus, who is generally called Lucius Verus. Thus Rome for the first time had two emperors. Verus was an indolent man of pleasure and unworthy of his station. Antoninus, however, bore with him, and it is said that Verus had enough sense to pay his colleague the respect due to his character. A virtuous emperor and a loose partner lived together in peace, and their alliance was strengthened by Antoninus giving to Verus for wife his daughter Lucilla. The reign of Antoninus was first troubled by a Parthian war, in which Verus was sent to command, but he did nothing, and the success that was obtained by the Romans in Armenia and on the Euphrates and Tigris was due to his generals. This Parthian war ended in AD 165. Aurelius and Verus had a triumph, AD 166, for the victories in the east. A pestilence followed which carried off great numbers in Rome and Italy, and spread to the west of Europe. The north of Italy was also threatened by the rude people beyond the Alps from the borders of Gallia to the eastern side of the Hadriatic. These barbarians attempted a break into Italy, as the Germanic nations had attempted near 300 years before, and the rest of the life of Antoninus, with some intervals, was employed in driving back the invaders. In 169, Verus suddenly died, and Antoninus administered the state alone. During the German wars, Antoninus resided for three years on the Danube at Carnantum. The Marco Manai were driven out of Pannonia and almost destroyed in their retreat across the Danube, and in AD 174 the emperor gained a great victory over the Quadi. In AD 175, Avidius Cassius, a brave and skillful Roman commander who was at the head of the troops in Asia, revolted and declared himself Augustus. But Cassius was assassinated by some of his officers, and so the rebellion came to an end. Antoninus showed his humanity by his treatment of the family and the partisans of Cassius, and his letter to the senate in which he recommends mercy is extant. Antoninus set out for the east on hearing of Cassius's revolt. Though he appears to have returned to Rome in AD 174, he went back to prosecute the war against the Germans, and it is probable that he marched direct to the east from the German war. His wife, Faustina, who accompanied him into Asia, died suddenly at the foot of the Taurus, to the great grief of her husband. Cuppatalinus, who was written the life of Antoninus, and also Dion Cassius, accused the empress of scandalous infidelity to her husband and of abominable lewdness. But Cuppatalinus says that Antoninus either knew it not or pretended not to know it. Nothing is so common as such malicious reports in all ages, and the history of imperial Rome is full of them. Antoninus loved his wife, and he says that she was obedient, affectionate, and simple. The same scandal had been spread about Faustina's mother, the wife of Antoninus Pius, and yet he too was perfectly satisfied with his wife. Antoninus Pius says after her death in a letter to Fronto that he would rather have lived in exile with his wife than in his palace at Rome without her. There are not many men who would give their wives a better character than these two emperors. Cuppatalinus wrote in the time of Diocletian. He may have intended to tell the truth, but he is a poor, feeble biographer. Dion Cassius, the most malignant of historians, always reports and perhaps he believed any scandal against anybody. Antoninus continued his journey to Syria and Egypt, and on his return to Italy through Athens, he was initiated into the Eleusinian mysteries. It was the practice of the emperor to conform to the established rights of the age, and to perform religious ceremonies with due solemnity. We cannot conclude from this that he was a superstitious man, though we might perhaps do so if his book did not show that he was not. But this is only one among many instances that a ruler's public acts do not always prove his real opinions. A prudent governor will not roughly oppose even the superstitions of his people, and though he may wish that they were wiser, he will know that he cannot make them so by offending their prejudices. Antoninus and his son Commodus entered Rome in triumph, perhaps for some German victories, on the 23rd of December AD 176. In the following year, Commodus was associated with his father in the empire and took the name of Augustus. This year AD 177 is memorable in ecclesiastical history. Adolis and others were put to death at Lyon for their adherence to the Christian religion. The evidence of this persecution is a letter preserved by Eusebius. The letter is from the Christians of Vienna and Lakhdunam in Gallia, Vienna and Lyon, to their Christian brethren in Asia and Frigia, and it is preserved, perhaps nearly entire. It contains a very particular description of the tortures inflicted on the Christians in Gallia, and it states that while the persecution was going on, Adolis, a Christian and a Roman citizen, was loudly demanded by the populace and brought into the amphitheater, but the governor ordered him to be reserved with the rest who were in prison, until he had received instructions from the emperor. Many had been tortured before the governor thought of applying to Antoninus. The imperial re-script says the letter was that the Christians should be punished, but if they would deny their faith they must be released. On this the work began again. The Christians who were Roman citizens were beheaded, the rest exposed to the wild beasts in the amphitheater. Some modern writers in ecclesiastical history, when they used this letter, say nothing of the wonderful stories of the martyr's sufferings. Sanctus, as the letter says, was burnt with plates of hot iron, till his body was one sore and he had lost all human form, but on being put to the rack he recovered his former appearance under the torture, which was thus a cure instead of a punishment. He was afterwards torn by beasts, and placed on an iron chair and roasted. He died at last. The letter is one piece of evidence. The writer, whoever he was that wrote in the name of the Gallic Christians, is our evidence both for the ordinary and the extraordinary circumstances of the story, and we cannot accept his evidence for one part and reject the other. We often receive small evidence as a proof of a thing, which we believe to be within the limits of probability or possibility, and we reject exactly the same evidence when the thing to which it refers appears very improbable or impossible. But this is a false method of inquiry, though it is followed by some modern writers who select what they like from a story and reject the rest of the evidence, or if they do not reject it they dishonestly suppress it. A man can only act consistently by accepting all this letter or rejecting it all, and we cannot blame him for either. But he who rejects it may still admit that such a letter may be founded on real facts, and he would make this admission as the most probable way of accounting for the existence of the letter. But if, as he would suppose, the writer has stated some things falsely, he cannot tell what part of his story is worthy of credit. The war on the northern frontier appears to have been uninterrupted during the visit of Antoninus to the east, and on his return the emperor again left Rome to oppose the barbarians. The Germanic people were defeated in a great battle AD 179. During this campaign the emperor was seized with some contagious malady, of which he died in the camp at Sermia, meet Revents, on the Sava in lower Pannonia, but at Vendalbana, Vienna, according to other authorities, on the 17th March AD 180 in the 59th year of his age. His son, Commodus, was with him. The body or the ashes probably of the emperor were carried to Rome, and he received the honor of deification. Those who could afford it had his statue or bust, and when Covatalinus wrote, many people still had statues of Antoninus among the Deimpanatis, or household deities. He was in a manner made a saint, Commodus erected to the memory of his father the Antonine column, which is now in the Piazza Colonna, at Rome. The bar reliefs, which are placed in a spiral line around the shaft, commemorate the victories of Antoninus over the Marcomannae and the Quati, and the miraculous shower of rain which refreshed the Roman soldiers and discomfited their enemies. The statue of Antoninus was placed on the capital of the column, but it was removed at some time unknown, and a bronze statue of St. Paul was put in the place by Pope Sixtus V. The historical evidence for the times of Antoninus is very de facto, and some of that which remains is not credible. The most curious is the story about the miracle which happened in AD 174 during the war with the Quati. The Roman army was in danger of perishing by thirst, but a sudden storm drenched them with rain while it discharged fire and hail on their enemies, and the Romans gained a great victory. All the authorities which speak of the battle speak also of the miracle. The Gentile writers assigned it to their gods and the Christians to the intercession of the Christian legion in the emperor's army. To confirm the Christian statement, it is added that the emperor gave the title of thundering to this legion, but dossier and others who maintain the Christian report of the miracle admit that this title of thundering or lightning was not given to this legion because the Quati were struck with lightning, but because there was a figure of lightning on their shields, and that this title of the legion existed in the time of Augustus. Scaliger also had observed that the legion was called thundering before the reign of Antoninus. We can learn this from Dion Cassius who enumerates all the legions of Augustus' time. The name thundering or lightning also occurs on an inscription of the reign of Trajan, which was found in Trieste. Eusebius, when he relates the miracle, quotes Apollonarius, Bishop of Hierapolis, as authority for this name being given to the legion Melotini by the emperor in consequence of the success which he had obtained through their prayers, from which we may estimate the value of Apollonarius' testimony. Eusebius does not say in what book of Apollonarius the statement occurs. Dion says that the thundering legion was stationed in Cappadocia in the time of Augustus. Velaceus also observes that in the Noticia of the Imperium Romanum there is mentioned under the commander of Armenia the prefectura of the 12th legion named Thundering Melotini, and this position in Armenia will agree with what Dion says of its position in Cappadocia. Accordingly, Velaceus concludes that Melotini was not the name of the legion, but of the town in which it was stationed. Melotini was also the name of the district in which this town was situated. The legions did not, he says, take their name from the place where they were on duty, but from the country in which they were raised, and therefore what Eusebius says about the Melotini does not seem probable to him. Yet Velaceus, on the authority of Apollonarius and Tertullian, believed that the miracle was worked through the prayers of the Christian soldiers in the Emperor's army. Refinis does not give the name of Melotini to this legion, says Velaceus, and probably he purposely omitted it because he knew that Melotini was the name of a town in Armenia Minor, where the legion was stationed in his time. The emperor, it is said, made a report of his victory to the Senate, which we may believe for such was the practice, but we do not know what he said in his letter for it is not extant. Dossier assumes that the Emperor's letter was purposely destroyed by the Senate, or the enemies of Christianity, that so honorable in testimony to the Christians in their religion might not be perpetuated. The critic has, however, not seen that he contradicts when he tells us purport of the letter, for he says that it was destroyed, and even Eusebius could not find it. But there does exist a letter in Greek addressed by Antoninus to the Roman people and the Sacred Senate after this memorable victory. It is sometimes printed after Justin's first apology, but is totally unconnected with the Apologies. This letter is one of the most stupid forgeries of the many which exist, and it cannot be possibly found even on the genuine report of Antoninus to the Senate. If it were genuine, it would free the Emperor from the charge of persecuting men because they are Christians, for he says in this false letter that if a man accused another only of being a Christian, and the accused confess and there is nothing else against him, he must be set free, with this monstrous addition made by a man inconceivably ignorant that the informer must be burnt alive. During the time of Antoninus Pius in Marcus Antoninus, there appeared the first apology of Justinus, and under Marcus Antoninus the oration of Tatian against the Greeks, which was a fierce attack on the established religions. The address of Athenagoras to Marcus Antoninus on behalf of the Christians and the Apology of Melito, Bishop of Sardis, also addressed to the Emperor and that of Apollonarius. The first apology of Justinus is addressed to Titus Antoninus Pius, and his two adopted sons, Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Varus, but we do not know whether they read it. Footnote, Arotius says that Justinus the philosopher presented to Antoninus Pius his work in defense of the Christian religion, and made him merciful to the Christians. In footnote. The second apology of Justinus is entitled to the Roman Senate, but this superscription is from some copyist. In the first chapter Justinus addresses the Romans. In the second chapter, he speaks of an affair that had recently happened in the time of Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Varus, as it seems, and he also directly addresses the Emperor, saying of a certain woman, quote, she addressed a petition to thee, the Emperor, and thou didst grant the petition, unquote. In other passages the writer addresses the two emperors, from which we must conclude that the apology was directed to them. Eusebius states that the second apology was addressed to the successor of Antoninus Pius, and he names him Antoninus Varus, meaning Marcus Antoninus. In one passage of the second apology, Justinus or the writer, whoever he may be, says that even men who followed the Stoic doctrines, when they ordered their lives according to ethical reason, were hated and murdered, such as Heraclitus, Masonius in his own times, and others. For all those who in any way labor to live according to reason and avoided wickedness were always hated, and this was the effect of the work of demons. Justinus himself is said to have been put to death at Rome, because he refused to sacrifice to the gods. It cannot have been in the reign of Hadrian as one authority states, nor in the time of Antoninus Pius, if the second apology was written in the time of Marcus Antoninus, and there was evidence that this event took place under Marcus Antoninus and Lucius Varus, when Rusticas was prefect of the city. The persecution in which Polycarp suffered at Smyrna belongs to the time of Marcus Antoninus. The evidence for it is the letter of the Church of Smyrna to the Churches of Philomelium and the other Christian Churches, and it is preserved by Eusebius. But the critics do not agree about the time of Polycarp's death, differing in the two extremes to the amount of 12 years. The circumstance of Polycarp's martyrdom were accompanied by miracles, one of which Eusebius has omitted, but it appears in the oldest Latin version of the letter, which Usher published, and it is supposed that this version was made not long after the time of Eusebius. The notice at the end of the letter states that it was transcribed by Chias from the copy of Irenaeus, the disciple of Polycarp, then transcribed by Socrates and Corinth, quote, after which I at Pioneus again wrote it out from the copy above mentioned, having searched it out by the revelation of Polycarp who directed it to me, etc., unquote. The story of Polycarp's martyrdom is embellished with miraculous circumstances which some modern writers on ecclesiastical history take the liberty of omitting. Footnote, Conyers Middleton, an inquiry into the miraculous powers, etc., page 126. Middleton says that Eusebius omitted to mention the dove, which flew out of Polycarp's body, and Dodwell and Archbishop Wake have done the same. Wake says, I am so little a friend to such miracles that I thought it better with Eusebius to omit that circumstance than to mention it from Bishop Asher's manuscript, unquote. Which manuscript, however, says Middleton, he afterwards declares to be so well attested that we need not any further assurance of the truth of it. In footnote. In order to form a proper notion of the condition of the Christians under Marcus Antoninus, we must go back to Trajan's time. When the younger Pliny was governor of Bathinia, the Christians were numerous in those parts, and the worshipers of the old religion were falling off. The temples were deserted, the festivals neglected, and there were no purchasers or victims for sacrifice. Those who were interested in the maintenance of the old religion thus found that their prophets were in danger. Christians of both sexes and of all ages were brought before the governor, who did not know what to do with them. He could come to know their conclusion in this, that those who confessed to be Christians and persevered in their religion ought to be punished, if for nothing else for their invincible obstinacy. He found no crimes proved against the Christians, and he could only characterize their religion as a depraved and extravagant superstition, which might be stopped if the people were allowed the opportunity of recanting. Pliny wrote this in the letter to Trajan. Footnote. The martyrium Ignatius I, first published in Latin by Archbishop Usher, is the chief evidence for the circumstances of Ignatius's death, in Footnote. In the time of Hadrian, it was no longer possible for the Roman government to overlook the great increase of the Christians in the hostility of the commonsore to them. If the governors in the provinces were willing to let them alone, they could not resist the fanaticism of the heathen community, who looked on the Christians as atheists. The Jews, too, who were settled all over the Roman Empire, were as hostile to the Christians as the Gentiles were. Footnote. We have the evidence of Justinus to this effect. The Christians are attacked by the Jews as if they were men of a different race, and are persecuted by the Greeks, and those who hate them cannot give the reason of their enmity. End Footnote. With the time of Hadrian began the Christian apologies, which show plainly what the popular feeling towards the Christians then was. A re-script of Hadrian to Manusius Fundanus, the proconsul of Asia, which stands at the end of Justin's first apology, instructs the governor that innocent people must not be troubled, and false accusers must not be allowed to extort money from them. The charges against the Christians must be made in due form, and no attention must be paid to popular clamors. When Christians were regularly prosecuted and convicted of illegal acts, they must be punished according to their desserts, and false accusers also must be punished. Footnote. And in Eusebius, Eerogeus says that Hadrian sent this re-script to Manusius Fundanus, proconsul of Asia, after being instructed in books written on the Christian religion by Quadratus, a disciple of the apostles, and Aristides, an Athenian, an honest and wise man, and Serenus Grinius. In the Greek text of Hadrian's re-script, there is mentioned Serenius Grinius, the predecessor of Manusius Fundanus, in the government of Asia. This re-script of Hadrian has clearly been added to the apology by some editor. In footnote. Antonius Pius is said to have published re-scripts to the same effect. The terms of Hadrian's re-script seem very favorable to the Christians, but if we understand it in this sense, that they were only to be punished like other people for illegal acts, it would have no meaning, for that could have been done without asking the emperor's advice. The real purpose of the re-script is that Christians must be punished if they persisted in their belief, and would not prove their renunciation of it by acknowledging the heathen religion. This was Trajan's rule, and we have no reason for supposing that Hadrian granted more to the Christians than Trajan did. There is also printed at the end of Justin's first apology, a re-script of Antoninus Pius to the Commune of Asia, and it is also in Eusebius. The date of the re-script is the third consulship of Antoninus Pius. The re-script declares that the Christians, for they are meant, though the name Christians does not occur in the re-script, were not to be disturbed unless they were attempting something against the Roman rule, and no man was to be punished simply for being a Christian. But this re-script is spurious. Any man moderately acquainted with Roman history will see by the style and tenor that it is a clumsy forgery. In the time of Marcus Antoninus, the opposition between the old and the new belief was still stronger, and the adherents of the heathen religion urged those in authority to a more regular resistance to the invasions of the Christian faith. Melito, in his apology to Marcus Antoninus, represents the Christians of Asia as persecuted under new imperial orders. Shameless informers, he says, men who were greedy after the property of others, used these orders as a means of robbing those who were doing no harm. He doubts if a just emperor could have ordered anything so unjust, and if the last order was really not from the emperor, the Christians entreat him not to give them up to their enemies. We conclude from this that there were at least imperial re-scripts or constitutions of Marcus Antoninus, which were made the foundations of these persecutions. The fact of being a Christian was now a crime and punished unless the accused denied their religion. Then come the persecutions at Smyrna, which some modern critics place in AD 167, ten years before the persecution of Leon. The governors of the provinces under Marcus Antoninus might have found enough even in Trajan's re-script to warrant them in punishing Christians, and the fanaticism of the people would drive them to persecution, even if they were unwilling. But besides the fact that the Christians rejecting all the heathen ceremonies, we must not forget that they plainly maintained that all the heathen religions were false. The Christians thus declared war against the heathen rights, and it is hardly necessary to observe that this was a declaration of hostility against their own government, which tolerated all the various forms of superstition that existed in the empire, and could not consistently tolerate another religion, which declared that all the rest are false, and all the splendid ceremonies of the empire only a worship of devils. If we had a true ecclesiastical history, we should know how the Roman empires attempted to check the new religion, how they enforced their principle of finally punishing Christians, simply as Christians, which Justin in his apology affirms that they did, and I have no doubt that he tells the truth, how far popular clamor and riots went in this matter, and how far many fanatical and ignorant Christians, for there were many such, contributed to excite the fanaticism on the other side, and to embed the quarrel between the Roman government and the new religion. Our extant ecclesiastical histories are manifestly falsified, and what truth they contain is grossly exaggerated. But the fact is certain that in the time of Marcus Antoninus the heathen populations were in open hostility to the Christians, and that under Antoninus's rule men were put to death because they were Christians. Eusebius in the preface to his fifth book remarks that in the 17th year of Antoninus's reign, in some parts of the world the persecution of the Christians became more violent and that it proceeded from the populace in the cities, and he adds in his usual style of exaggeration that we may infer from what took place in a single nation that myriads of martyrs are made in the habitable earth. The nation which he alludes to is Gallia, and he then proceeds to get the letter to the churches of Vienna and Lagduna. It is probable that he has assigned the true cause of the persecutions, the fanaticism of the populace, and that both governors and emperor had a great deal of trouble with these disturbances. How far Marcus was cognizant of these cruel proceedings we do not know, for the historical records of his reign are very defective. He did not make the rule against the Christians, for Trajan did that, and if we admit that he would have been willing to let the Christians alone, we cannot affirm that he was in his power, for it would be a great mistake to suppose that Antoninus had the unlimited authority which some modern sovereigns have had. His power was limited by certain constitutional forms, by the Senate, and by the precedents of his predecessors. We cannot admit that such a man was an active persecutor, for there is no evidence that he was, though it is certain that he had no good opinion of the Christians, as appears from his own words. Footnote, except that of Erosius, who says that during the Parthian War there were grievous persecutions of the Christians in Asia and Gallia under the orders of Marcus, Prokepto Eius, and, quote, many were crowned with a martyrdom of saints, unquote, in footnote. But he knew nothing of them except their hostility to the Roman religion, and he probably thought that they were dangerous to the state, notwithstanding the profession's false or true of some of the apologists. So much I have said, because it would be unfair not to state all that can be urged against a man whom his contemporaries and subsequent ages venerated as a model of virtue and benevolence. If I admitted the genuineness of some documents, he would be altogether clear from the charge of even allowing any persecutions, but as I seek the truth and ensure that they are false, I leave him to bear whatever blame is his due. Footnote, Dr. F. C. Bauer, in his work and title, etc., has examined this question with great good-sense and fairness, and I believe he has stated the truth as near as our authority is enable us to reach it. In footnote, I add that it is quite certain that Antoninus did not derive any of his ethical principles from a religion of which he knew nothing. Footnote, in the digest there is the following excerpt from Modestinus, quote, There is no doubt that the emperor's reflections or his meditations, as they are generally named, is a genuine work. In the first book he speaks of himself, his family, and his teachers, and in other books he mentions himself. Suides notices the work of Antoninus in 12 books, which he names the conduct of his own life, and he cites the book under several words in his dictionary, giving the emperor's name but not the title of the work. There are also passages cited by Suides from Antoninus without mention of the emperor's name. The true title of the work is unknown. Cylander, who published the first edition of this book with a Latin version, used a manuscript, which contained the 12 books, but it is not known where the manuscript is now. The only other complete manuscript which is known to exist is in the Vatican Library, but it has no titles and no inscriptions of the several books. The 11th only has the inscription marked with an asterisk. The other Vatican manuscripts in the Three Florentine contain only excerpts from the emperor's book. All of the titles of the excerpts nearly agree with that which Cylander prefixed to his edition. This title has been used by all subsequent editors. We cannot tell whether Antoninus divided his work into books or somebody else did it. If the inscriptions at the end of the first and second books are genuine, he may have made the division himself. It is plain that the emperor wrote down his thoughts through reflections as the occasions arose, and since they were intended for his own use, it is no improbable conjecture that he left a complete copy behind him, written with his own hand, for it is not likely that so diligent a man would use the labor of a transcriber for such a purpose, and expose his most secret thoughts to any other eye. He may have also intended the book for his son Eusebius Commodus, who however had no taste for his father's philosophy. Some careful hand preserved the precious volume, and a work by Antoninus as mentioned by other late writers besides Suidos. Many critics have labored on the text of Antoninus. The most complete edition is that by Thomas Gattaker, 1652 Cortot. The second edition of Gattaker was superintended by George Stanot, 1697 Cortot. There is also an edition of 1704. Gattaker made and suggested many good corrections, and he also made a new Latin version, which is not a very good specimen of Latin, but it generally expresses the sense of the original and often better than some of the more recent translations. He added in the margin opposite to each paragraph references to the other parallel passages, and he wrote a commentary, one of the most complete that has been written on any ancient author. This commentary contains the editor's exposition of the more difficult passages, and quotations from all the Greek and Roman writers for the illustration of the text. It is a wonderful monument of learning and labor, and certainly no Englishman has yet done anything like it. At the end of his preface, the editor says that he wrote it at Rotherhiss, near London in a severe winter, when he was in the 78th year of his age, 1651, a time when Milton, Selden, and other great men of the Commonwealth time were living, and the great French scholar Sommas, Sommatius, with whom Gattaker corresponded and received help from him for his edition of Antoninus. The Greek text has also been edited by J.M. Schultz, Leipzig, 1802, 8 volumes, and by the learned Greek Athamontinus Corre, Paris, 1816, 8 volumes. The text of Schultz was republished by Tapnitz, 1821. There are English, German, French, Italian, and Spanish translations of Marcus Antoninus, and there may be others. I have not seen all the English translations. There is one by Jeremy Collier, 1702, 8 volumes, a most coarse and vulgar copy of the original. The latest French translation by Alexis Pierron in the collection of Charpentier is better than Dacier's, which has been honored with an Italian version, Udiné, 1772. There is an Italian version, 1675, which I have not seen. It is by Cardinal. A man illustrious in the church, the Cardinal Francis Barbarini the Elder, nephew of Pope Urban VII, occupied the last years of his life in translating into his native language the thoughts of the Roman emperor in order to diffuse among the faithful the fertilizing and vivifying seeds. He dedicated this translation to his soul to make it, as he says in his energetic style, redder than his purple at the side of the virtues of this Gentile." I have made this translation at intervals after having used the book for many years. It is made from the Greek, but I have not always followed one text, and I have occasionally compared other versions with my own. I made this translation for my own use, because I found that it was worth the labor, but it may be useful to others also, and therefore I determined to print it. As the original is sometimes very difficult to understand, and still more difficult to translate, it is not possible that I have always avoided error. But I believe that I have not often missed the meaning, and those who will take the trouble to compare the translation with the original should not hastily conclude that I am wrong, if they do not agree with me. Some passages do give the meaning, though at first sight they may not appear to do so, and when I differ from the translators, I think in some places they are wrong, and in other places I am sure that they are. I have placed in some passages a plus sign, which indicates corruption in the text or great uncertainty in the meaning. I could have made the language more easy and flowing, but I have preferred a ruder style as being better suited to express the character of the original, and sometimes the obscurity which may appear in the version is a fair copy of the obscurity of the Greek. If I have not given the best words for the Greek, I have done the best that I could, and in the next text I have always given the same translation of the same word. The last reflection of the Stoic philosophy that I have observed is in Simplicius's Commentary of the Incaridian of Epictetus. Simplicius was not a Christian, and such a man was not likely to be converted at a time when Christianity was grossly corrupted. But he was a really religious man, and he includes his commentary with a prayer to the deity which no Christian could improve. From the time of Zeno to Simplicius, a period of about 900 years, the Stoic philosophy formed the characters of some of the best and greatest men. Finally, it became extinct, and we hear no more of it till the revival of letters in Italy. Angelo Poliziano met with two very inaccurate and incomplete manuscripts of Epictetus' Incaridian, which he translated into Latin and dedicated to his great patron Lorenzo de' Medici, in whose collection he had found the book. Poliziano's version was printed in the first ball edition of the Incaridian, A.D. 1531, Abba d'Andreum Cretandrum. Poliziano recommends the Incaridian to Lorenzo as a work well suited to his temper, and useful in the difficulties by which he was surrounded. Epictetus and Antoninus have had readers ever since they were printed. The little book of Antoninus has been the companion of some great men. Machiavelli's Art of War and Marcus Antoninus were the two books which were used when he was a young man by Captain John Smith, and he could not have found two writers better fitted to form the character of a soldier and a man. Smith is almost unknown and forgotten in England, his native country, but not in America where he saved the young colony of Virginia. He was great in his heroic mind and his deeds and arms, but greater still in the nobleness of his character. For a man's greatness lies not in wealth and station, as the vulgar believe, nor yet in his intellectual capacity, which is often associated with the meanest moral character, the most abject servility to those in high places, and arrogance to the poor lowly. But a man's true greatness lies in the consciousness of an honest purpose in life, founded on a just estimate of himself and everything else, on frequent self-examination and a steady obedience to the rule which he knows to be right, without troubling himself, as the Emperor says he should not, about what others may think or say, or whether they do or do not do, that which he thinks and says and does. End of Chapter 13. Read by M. L. Cohen, Cleveland, Ohio, June 2007 The Philosophy of Antoninas by George Long, MA It has been said that Stoic philosophy first showed its real value when it passed from Greece to Rome. The doctrines of Zeno and his successors were well suited to the gravity and practical good sense of the Romans, and even in the republican period we have an example of a man, M. Cato Utensis, who lived the life of Stoic and died consistently with the opinions which he professed. He was a man, says Cicero, who embraced Stoic philosophy from conviction, not for the purpose of vain discussion as most did, but in order to make his life conformable to the Stoic precepts. In the wretched time from the death of Augustus to the murder of Domitian, there was nothing but Stoic philosophy which could console and support the followers of the old religion under imperial tyranny and in its universal corruption. There were even then noble minds who could dare and endure, sustained by good conscious and elevated idea of the purposes of man's existence. Such were Paitis Thacea, Helvidius Pritius, Cornutus, C. Mussonius Riphus, and the poets Perseus and Juvenile, whose energetic language and manly thoughts may be as instructive to us now as they might have been to their contemporaries. Perseus died under Nero's bloody reign, but Juvenile had the good fortune to survive the Tyrant Domitian and to see the better times of Nerva, Trajan, and Hatrian. His best precepts are derived from the Stoic school, and they are enforced in his finest verses by the unrivaled vigor of the Latin language. The two best expounders of the later Stoic philosophy were a Greek slave and a Roman emperor. Epictetus of Phrygian Greek was brought to Rome, we know not how, but he was there the slave and afterwards the freedman of an unworthy master, Epaphroditus by name, himself a free man, and a favorite of Nero. Epictetus may have been a hero of C. Mussonius Rufus while he was still a slave, but he could hardly have been a teacher before he was made free. He was one of the philosophers whom Domitian's order banished from Rome. He retired to Nicopolis and Nippurus, and he may have died there. Like other great teachers he wrote nothing, and we are indebted to his grateful pupil Arian for what we have of Epictetus' discourses. Arian wrote eight books of the discourses of Epictetus, of which only four remain and some fragments. We also have from Arian's hand the small Enturidian, or manual, or the chief precepts of Epictetus. There is a valuable commentary on the Enturidian by Simplicis, who lived at the time of the Emperor Justinian. Antoninas, in his first book, in which he gratefully commentaries his obligations to his teachers, says that he was made acquainted by Junius Rusticus with the discourses of Epictetus, whom he mentions also in other passages. Indeed, the doctrines of Epictetus and Antoninus are the same. And Epictetus is the best authority for the explanation of the philosophical language of Antoninus and the exposition of his opinions. But the method of the two philosophers is entirely different. Epictetus addressed himself to his hearers in a continuous discourse and in a familial and simple manner. Antoninus wrote down his reflections for his own use only, in short, unconnected paragraphs, which are often obscure. The Stoics made three divisions of philosophy, physic, ethic, and logic. This division, we are told by Diogenes, was made by Zeno of Sidium, the founder of the Stoic sect, and by Chrysippus. But these philosophers placed the three divisions in the following order, logic, physic, ethic. It appears, however, that this division was made before Zeno's time and acknowledged by Plato as Cicero remarks. Logic is not synonymous with our term logic in the narrow sense of that word. Cleanthes, a Stoic, subdivided the three divisions and made six, dialectic and rhetoric, comprised in logic, ethic and politic, physic and theology. This division was merely for practical use, for all philosophy is one. Even among the earliest Stoics, logic or dialectic does not occupy the same place as in Plato. It is considered only as an instrument which is to be used for the other divisions of philosophy. An exposition of the earlier Stoic doctrines and of their modifications would require a volume. My object is to explain only the opinions of Antoninas, so far as they can be collected from his book. According to the subdivision of Cleanthes, physic and theology go together, or the study of the nature of things and the study of the nature of the deity, so far as man can understand the deity and of his government of the universe. This division or subdivision is not formally adopted by Antoninas for, as already observed, there is no method in his book, but it is virtually contained in it. Cleanthes also connects ethic and politic, or the study of principles and morals, and the study of the constitution of civil society. And undoubtedly, he did well in subdividing ethic into two parts, ethic in a narrower sense and politic, for though the two are intimately connected, they are also very distinct, and many questions can only be properly discussed by carefully observing the distinction. Antoninas does not treat of politic. His subject is ethic, an ethic in its practical application to his own conduct in life as a man and as a governor. His ethic is founded on the doctrines about man's nature, the universal nature, and the relations of every man to everything else. It is therefore intimately and inseparably connected with physics or the nature of things, and with theology or the nature of the deity. He advises us to examine well all the impressions on our minds and to form a right judgment of them to make just conclusions and to inquire into the meanings of words and so far to apply dialectic, but he has no attempt at any exposition of dialectic and his philosophy is in substance purely moral and practical. He says, quote, constantly, and if it be possible on the occasion of every impression on the soul, apply it to the principles of physics, of ethic, and of dialectic, end quote, which is only another way of telling us to examine the impression in every possible way. In another passage, he says, quote, to the age which have been mentioned, let this one still be added, make for thyself a definition or description of the object, which is presented to these so as to see distinctly what kind of a thing it is in its substance, in its nudity, in its complete entirety, and tell thyself its proper name and the names of the things which it has been compounded and into which it will be resolved, end quote. Such an examination implies the use of dialectic, which Antoninus accordingly employed as a mean towards establishing his physical, theological, and ethical principles. There are several expositions of the physical, theological, and ethical principles which are contained in the work of Antoninus, and more expositions than I have read. Ritter, after explaining the doctrines of Epictetus, treats very briefly and insufficiently those of Antoninus, but he refers to a short essay in which the work is done better. There is also an essay on the philosophical principles of M. Aurelius Antoninus by J. M. Schultz, placed at the end of his German translation of Antoninus. With the assistance of these two useful essays in his own diligent study, a man may form a sufficient notion of the principles of Antoninus, but he will find it more difficult to expound them to others. Besides the want of arrangement in the original and of connection among the numerous paragraphs, the corruption of the text, the obscurity of the language and the style, and sometimes, perhaps the confusion in the writer's own ideas, besides all this there is occasionally an apparent contradiction in the emperor's thoughts, as if his principles were sometimes unsettled, as if doubt sometimes clouded his mind. A man who leads a life of tranquility and reflection, who is not disturbed at home and meddles not with the affairs of the world, may keep his mind at ease and his thoughts in one even course. But such a man has not been tried. All his ethical philosophy and his passive virtue might turn out to be idle words if he were once exposed to the rude realities of human existence. Fine thoughts and moral dissertations from men who have not worked and suffered may be read, but they will be forgotten. No religion, no ethical philosophy is worth anything if the teacher has not lived the, quote, life of an apostle, end quote, and has been ready to die, quote, the death of a martyr, end quote. Quote, not in passivity, the passive effects, but inactivity lie the evil and the good of the rational social animal, just as his virtue and his vice lie not in passivity, but inactivity, end quote. Section 9, paragraph 16. The emperor Antoninus was a practical moralist. From his youth he followed the laborious discipline, and though his high station placed him above all want or the fear of it, he lived as frugally and as temperately as the poorest philosopher. Epictetus wanted little, and it seemed that he always had the little that he wanted, and he was content with it as he had been with his servile station. But Antoninus, after his accession to the empire, sat on an uneasy seat. He had the administration of an empire which extended from the Euphrates to the Atlantic, from the cold mountains of Scotland to the hot sands of Africa, and we may imagine, though we cannot know it by experience, what must be the trials, the troubles, the anxiety, and the sorrows of him who has the world's business on his hands with the wish to do the best he can, and the certain knowledge that he can do very little of the good which he wishes. In the midst of war, pestilence, conspiracy, general corruption, and with the weight of so unwieldy an empire upon him, we may easily comprehend that Antoninus often had need of all his fortitude to support him. The best and bravest men have moments of doubt and of weakness, but if they are the best and the bravest, they rise again from their depression by recurring to first principles as Antoninus does. The emperor says that life is smoke, a vapor, and St. James and his epistle is of the same mind that the world is full of envious, jealous, malignant people, and a man might well be content to get out of it. He has doubts, perhaps, sometimes even about that to which he holds most firmly. There are only a few passages of this kind, but they are the evidence of struggles which even the noblest of the sons of men had to maintain against the hard realities of his daily life. A poor remark it is, which I have seen somewhere, and made in a disparaging way, that the emperor's reflection showed that he had need of consolation and comfort in life, and even to prepare him to meet his death. True, that he did need comfort and support, and we see how he found it. He constantly recursed to his fundamental principle that the universe is wisely ordered, that every man is a part of it and must conform to that order which he cannot change, that whatever the deed he has done is good, that all mankind are a man's brethren, that he must love and cherish them and try to make them better, even those who would do him harm. This is his conclusion. Quote, What then is that which is able to conduct a man? One thing and only one, philosophy. But this consists in keeping the divinity within a man free from violence and unharmed, superior to pains and pleasures, doing nothing without a purpose nor yet falsely and with hypocrisy, not feeling the need of another man's doing or not doing anything, and besides accepting all that happens and all that is allotted as coming from thence wherever it is, from whence he himself came, and finally, waiting for death with a cheerful mind as being nothing else than a dissolution of the elements of which every living being is compounded. But if there is no harm to the elements themselves and each continually changing into another, why should the man have any apprehension about the change and dissolution of all the elements himself, for it is according to nature, and nothing is evil that is according to nature, end quote. The physics of Antoninus is the knowledge of the nature of the universe of its government and of the relation of man's nature to both. He names the universe, quote, the universal substance, end quote, and he adds that quote reason, end quote, covers the universe. He also uses the term quote universal nature, end quote, or quote nature of the universe, end quote. He calls the universe, quote, the one and all, which we name cosmos or order, end quote. If he ever seems to use these general terms as significant of the all of all that man can in any way conceive to exist, he's still on other occasion, plainly distinguishes between matter, material things, and cause origin reason. This is conformable to Zeno's doctrine that there are two original principles of all things, that which acts and that which is acted upon. That which is acted on is the formless matter, that which acts is the reason, God who is eternal and operates through all matter and produces all things. So Antoninus speaks of the reason which pervades all substance and through all time by fixed periods, parentheses, revolutions, and parentheses. Hey, ministers, the universe. God is eternal and matter is eternal. It is God who gives form to matter, but he has not said to have created matter. According to this view, which is as old as an exagerus, God and matter exist independently, but God governs matter. This doctrine is simply the expression of the fact of the existence both of matter and of God. The Stoics did not perplex themselves with the insoluble question of the origin and nature of matter. Antoninus also assumes a beginning of things, as we now know them, but his language is sometimes very obscure. I have endeavored to explain the meaning of one difficult passage. Matter consists of elemental parts, of which all material objects are made, but nothing is permanent in form. The nature of the universe, according to Antoninus' expression, loves nothing so much as to change the things which are, and to make new things like them. For everything that exists is in a manner the seed of that which will be, but thou art thinking only of seeds which are cast into the earth or into a womb, but this is a very vulgar notion. All things, then, are in a constant flux and change. Some things are dissolved into the elements, others come in their places, and so, the whole universe continues every young and perfect. Antoninus has some obscure expressions about what he calls, quote, seminal principles, end quote. He opposes these to the Epicurean abhans, and consequently, quote, his seminal principles, end quote, are not material atoms which wander about at hazard and combine nobody knows how. In one passage he speaks of living principles, souls after the dissolution of their bodies being received into the, quote, seminal principle of the universe, end quote. Schultz thinks that by, quote, seminal principles Antoninus means the relation of the various elemental principles, which relations are determined by the deity, and by which alone the production of organized beings is possible, end quote. This may be the meaning, but if it is, nothing of any value can be derived from it. Antoninus often uses the word, quote, nature, end quote, and we must attempt to fix its meaning. Simple etymological sense is, quote, production, end quote. The birth of what we call things. Romans used natura, which also means birth originally, but neither the Greeks nor Romans stuck to the simple meaning nor do we. Antoninus says, quote, whether the universe is a concourse of atoms or nature is a system, let this first be established, that I am part of the whole which is governed by nature, end quote. Here it might seem as if nature were personified and viewed as an active, efficient power, as something which, if not independent of the deity, acts by a power which is given to it by the deity. Such, if I understand the expression right, is the way in which the word nature is often used now, though it is plain that many writers use the word without fixing any exact meaning to it. It is the same with the expression laws of nature, which some writers may use in an intelligible sense, but others as clearly use in no definite sense at all. There is no meaning in this word nature except that which Bishop Butler assigns to it when he says, quote, the only distinct meaning of that word natural is stated fixture-settled, since what is natural as much require and presupposes an intelligent agent to render it so, i.e., to affect it continually or at stated times as what is supernatural or miraculous does to affect it at once, end quote. This is Plato's meaning when he says that God holds the beginning and end in the middle of all that exists and proceeds straight on his course, making a circuit according to nature, prens, that is by fixed order and prens, and he is continually accompanied by justice who punishes those who deviate from the divine law, that is, from the order or course which God observes. When we look at the motion of the planets, the action of what we call gravitation, the elemental combination of unorganized bodies in the resolution, the production of plants and of living bodies, their generation growth, and their dissolution, which we call their death, we observe a regular sequence of phenomena which within the limits of experience, presence, and past, so far as we know the past, is fixed and invariable. But if this is not so, if the order and sequence of phenomena, as known to us as subject to change in the course of an infinite progression, and such change is conceivable, we have nor discovered, not shall we ever discover, the whole of the order and sequence of phenomena in which sequence there may be involved according to its very nature, that is, according to its fixed order, some variation of which we now call order or the nature of things. It is also conceivable that such changes have taken place, changes in the order of things, as we are compelled by the imperfection of language to call them, which are no changes. And further, it is certain that our knowledge of the true sequence of all actual phenomena, as, for instance, the phenomena of generation, growth, and dissolution, is and ever must be imperfect. We do not fare much better when we speak of causes and effects than when we speak of nature. For the practical purposes of life, we may use the terms cause and effect conveniently, and we may fix a distinct meaning to them, distinct enough at least, to prevent all misunderstanding. But the case is different when we speak of causes and effects as of things. All that we know is that phenomena, as the Greeks call them, or appearances which follow one another in a regular order as we conceive it, so that if someone phenomena should fail in the series, we conceive that there must either be an interruption of the series, or that something else will appear after the phenomena which has failed to appear, and will occupy the vacant place, and so the series and its progression may be modified or totally changed. Cause and effect then mean nothing in a sequence of natural phenomena beyond what I have said, and the real cause, or the transcendent cause as some would call it, of each successive phenomena, is in that which is the cause of all things which are, which have been and which will be forever. Thus the word creation may have a real sense if we consider it as the first, if we can conceive a first in the present order of natural phenomena, but in the vulgar sense a creation of all things at a certain time, followed by a quiescence of the first cause and an abandonment of all sequences and phenomena to the laws of nature, or to the other words that people may use, is absolutely absurd. Now, though there is great difficulty in understanding all the passages of Antoninas in which he speaks of nature, of the changes of things and of the economy of the universe, I am convinced that his sense of nature and natural is the same as that which I have stated. And as he was a man who knew how to use words in a clear way and with a strict consistency, we ought to assume, even if his meaning in some passages is doubtful, that his view of nature was in harmony with his fixed belief in the all-pervading, ever-present and ever-active energy of God. There is much in Antoninas that is hard to understand, and it might be said that he did not fully comprehend all that he wrote, which would, however, be in no way remarkable, for it happens now that a man may write what neither he nor anybody can understand. Antoninas tells us to look at things and see what they are, resolving them into the material, the causal, and the relation, or the purpose by which he seems to mean something in nature of what we call effect or end. The word cause is the difficulty. There is the same word in the Sanskrit, and the subtle philosophers of India and of Greece and the less subtle philosophers of modern times have all used this word or an equivalent word in a vague way. Yet the confusion sometimes may be the inevitable ambiguity of language rather than in the mind of the writer, for I cannot think that some of the wisest of men did not know what they intended to say. When Antoninas says that, quote, everything that exists is in a manner of the seed of that which will be, end quote. He might be supposed to say what some of the Indian philosophers have said, and thus a profound truth might be converted into a gross absurdity. But he says, quote, in a manner, end quote, and in a manner he said true, and in another manner, if you mistake his meaning, he said false. When Plato said, quote, nothing ever is, but is always becoming, end quote, he delivered a text out of which we may derive something, for he destroys by it not all practical, but all speculative notions of cause and effect. The whole series of things, as they appear to us, must be contemplated in time, that is in succession, and we conceive or suppose intervals between one state of things and another state of things, so that there is priority in sequence, and interval, and being, and a ceasing to be, and beginning and ending. But there is nothing of this kind in the nature of things. It is an everlasting continuity. When Antoninus speaks of generation, he speaks of one cause acting, and then another cause taking up the work, which the former left in a certain state, and so on. And we might conceive that he had some notion, like what has been called, quote, the self-evolving power of nature, end quote, a fine phrase indeed, the full import of which I believe that the writer of it did not see, and thus he laid himself open to the imputation of being a follower of one of the Hindu sects, which makes all things come by evolution out of nature a matter, or out of something which takes the place of the deity, but is not deity. I would have all men think as they please, or as they can, and I only claim the same freedom which I give. When a man writes anything, we may fairly try to find out all that his words must mean, even if the result is that they mean what he did not mean, and if we find this contradiction it is not our fault but his misfortune. Now, Antoninus is perhaps somewhat in the condition in what he says, though he speaks to the end of the paragraph of the power which acts unseen by the eyes, but still no less clearly. But whether in this passage he means the power is conceived to be in different successive causes, or in something else nobody can tell. From other passages, however, I do collect that his notion of the phenomena of the universe is what I have stated. The deity works unseen, if we may use such language, and perhaps I may, as Job did, or he wrote the book of Job, quote, In him we live and move and are, end quote, said St. Paul to the Athenians, and to show his bearers that this was no new doctrine, he quoted the Greek poets. One of these poets was the Stoic Clanthes, whose noble hymn to Zeus or God is an elevated expression of devotion and philosophy. It deprives nature of her power and puts her under the immediate government of the deity, quote, The all this heaven which whirls around the earth, obeys and willing follows where thou leadest. Without thee, God, nothing is done on earth, nor in the ethereal realms, nor in the sea, save what the wicked through their folly do, end quote. Antoni's conviction of the existence of a divine power in government was founded on his perception of the order of the universe. Like Socrates, he says that though we cannot see the form of divine powers, we know that they exist because we see their works, quote, To those who asked, Where has thou seen the gods, or how does thou comprehend that they exist, and so worship with them? I answer in the first place, that they may be seen even with the eyes in the second place, neither have I seen my own soul, and yet I honor it. Thus then, with respect to the gods from what I constantly experience of their power, from this I comprehend that they exist, and I venerate them, end quote. This is a very old argument which has always had great weight with most people, and has appeared sufficient. It does not acquire the least additional strength by being developed in the learned treatise. It is as intelligible and its simple enunciation as it can be made. If it is rejected, there is no arguing with him who rejects it. And if it is worked out into innumerable particulars, the value of the evidence runs the risk of being buried under a mass of words. Man being conscious that he has a spiritual power or intellectual power, or that he has such a power, in whatever way he conceives that he has it, for I wish simply to state a fact. From this power which he has in himself, he has led, as Antoninus says, to believe that there is a greater power, which, as the old Stoics tell us, pervades the whole universe as the intellect, pervades man. God exists then, but what do we know of his nature? Antoninus says that the soul of man is an efflux from the divinity. We have bodies like animals, but we have reason, intelligence as the gods. Animals have life, and what we call instincts are natural principles of action, but the rational animal man alone has rational, intelligent soul. Antoninus insists on this continually, God is in man, and so we must constantly attend to divinity within us, for it is only in this way that we can have any knowledge of the nature of God. The human soul is in a sense a portion of the divinity, and the soul alone has any communication with the deity for, as he says, quote, with his intellectual part alone, God touches the intelligence only which has flowed and has been derived from himself into these bodies, end quote. In fact, he says that which is hidden within a man's life, that is the man himself. All the rest is vesture, covering organs, instrument, which the living man, the real man, uses for purposes of his present existence. The air is universally diffused for him who is able to respire, and so for him who is willing to partake of it, the intelligent power, which holds within it all things, is diffused as wide and as free as the air. It is by living a divine life that man approaches to a knowledge of the divinity. It is by following the divinity within. As Antoninus calls it, that man comes nearest to the deity, the supreme good, for a man can never attain the perfect agreement with his internal guide, quote, live with the gods. And he does live with the gods who constantly shows them that his own soul is satisfied with that which is assigned to him, and that it does all the demon wishes, which Seuss hath given to every man for his guardian and guide a portion of himself. And this demon is every man's understanding and reason, end quote. There is in man, that is in the reason, the intelligence, a superior faculty, which have exercised rules all the rest. This is the ruling faculty which Cicero renders by the Latin word principatus, quote, to which nothing can or ought to be superior, end quote. Antoninus often uses this term in others which are equivalent. He names it, quote, the governing intelligence, end quote. The governing faculty is the master of the soul. A man must reverence only his ruling faculty and the divinity within him. As we must reverence that which is supreme in the universe, so we must reverence that which is supreme in ourselves, and this is that which of the like kind with that which is the supreme in the universe. So, as Plotinus says, the soul of man can only know the divine so far as it knows itself. In one passage, Antoninus speaks of a man's condemnation of himself, when the diviner part within him has been overpowered and yields to the less honorable and to the perishable part, the body and its gross pleasures. In a word, the views of Antoninus on this matter, however, his expressions may vary, are exactly what Bishop Butler expresses when he speaks of, quote, the natural supremacy of the reflection or conscious, end quote, of the faculty, quote, which surveys, approves or disapproves the several affectations of our mind and actions of our lives, end quote. Much matter might be collected from Antoninus on the notion of the universe being one animated being, but all that he says amounts to no more as shelter marks than this. The soul of man is most intimately united to his body, and together they make one animal which we call man. So the deity is most intimately united to the world or the material universe, and together they form one whole. But Antoninus did not view God in the material universe as the same any more than he viewed the body and soul of man as one. Antoninus has no speculations on the absolute nature of the deity. It was not his fashion to waste his time on what a man cannot understand. He was satisfied that God exists, that he covers all things, that man can only have an imperfect knowledge of his nature, and he must attain this imperfect knowledge by reminiscing the divinity which is within him and keeping it pure. From all that has been said it follows that the universe is administered by the providence of God, and that all things are wisely ordered. There are passages in which Antoninus expresses doubts or states different possible theories of the constitution and government of the universe, but he always recurs to his fundamental principle, that if we admit the existence of a deity, we must also admit that he orders all things wisely and well. Epictetus says that we can discern the providence which rules the world if we possess two things, the power of seeing all that happens with respect to each thing, and a grateful disposition. But if all things are wisely ordered, how is the world so full of what we call evil, physical, and moral? If instead of saying that there is evil in the world, we use the expression which I have used to quote what we call evil, end quote. We have partly anticipated the emperor's answer. We see and feel and know imperfectly very few things in the few years that we live, and all the knowledge and all the experience of all the human race is positive ignorance of the whole which is infinite. Now as our reason teaches us that everything is in some way related to and connected with every other thing, all notion of evil as being in the universe of things is a contradiction, for if the whole comes from and is governed by an intelligent being, it is impossible to conceive anything in it which tends to the evil or destruction of the whole. Everything is in continuation and yet the whole subsists. We might imagine the solar system resolved into its elemental parts and yet the whole would still subsist quote every young and perfect end quote. All things, all forms are dissolved and new forms appear, all living things undergo the changes we call death. If we call death an evil, then all change is an evil. Living beings also suffer pain and man suffers most of all, for he suffers both in and by his body and by his intelligent part. Men suffer also from one another and perhaps the largest part of human suffering comes to man from those whom he calls his brothers. Antoninus says quote generally wickedness does no harm at all to the universe and particularly the wickedness of one man does no harm to another. It is only harmful to him who has it in his power to be released from it as soon as he shall choose end quote. The first part of this is perfectly consistent with the doctrine that the whole can sustain no evil or harm. The second part must be explained by the stoic principle that there is no evil in anything which is not in our power. What wrong we suffer from another is his evil not ours, but this is an admission that there is evil in a sort for he who does wrong does evil and if others can endure the wrong still there's evil in the wrong doer. Antoninus gives many excellent precepts to respect the wrongs and injuries and his precepts are practical. He teaches us to bear what we cannot avoid and his lessons may be just as useful to him who denies the being and the government as God as to him who believes in both. There is no direct answer in Antoninus to the objections which may be made to the existence and providence of God because of the moral disorder and suffering which are in the world except this answer which he makes in reply to the supposition that even the best men may be extinguished by death. He says if it is so we may be sure that if it ought to have been otherwise the gods would have ordered it otherwise. His conviction of the wisdom which we may observe in the government of the world is too strong to be disturbed by any apparent irregularities in the order of things. That these disorders exist is a fact and those would conclude from them against the being and government of God conclude too hastily. We all admit that there is an order in the material world, a nature, in the sense in which the world has been explained, a constitution, what we call a system, a relation of parts to one another and a fitness for the whole for something. So in the constitution of plants and animals there is an order, a fitness for some end. Sometimes the order as we conceive it is interrupted and the end as we conceive it is not attained. The seed, the plant or the animal sometimes perishes before it has passed through all its changes and done all its uses. It is according to nature that is a fixed order for some to perish early and for others to do all their uses and leave successors to take their place. So man has a corporeal and intellectual and moral constitution fit for certain uses and on the whole man performs these uses, dies and leaves other men in his place. So society exists and a social state is manifestly the natural state of man, the state for which his nature fits him, and society amidst innumerable irregularities and disorders still subsists and perhaps we may say that the history of the past and our present knowledge give us a reasonable hope that its disorders will diminish and that order, its governing principle may be more firmly established. As order then, a fixed order we may say, subject to deviations real or apparent must be admitted to exist in the whole of nature of things that which we call disorder or evil as it seems to us does not in any way alter the fact of the general constitution of things having a nature or fixed order. Nobody will conclude from the existence of disorder that order is not the rule. For the existence of order, both physical and moral is proved by daily experience and all past experience. We cannot conceive how the order of the universe is maintained. We cannot even conceive how our own life from day to day is continued nor how we perform the simplest movements of the body nor how we grow and think and act that we know many of the conditions which are necessary for all these functions. Knowing nothing then, the unseen power which acts in ourselves except by what is done, we know nothing of the power which acts through what we call all time in all space. But seeing that there is a nature or fixed order in all things known to us, it is conformable to the nature of our minds to believe that this universal nature has a cause which operates continually and that we are totally unable to speculate on the reason of any of those disorders or evils which we perceive. This, I believe, is the answer which may be collected from all that Antoninus has said. The origin of evil is an old question. Achilles tells Priam that Zeus has two casks, one filled with good things and the other with bad, and that he gives to men out of each according to his pleasure, and so he must be content, for we cannot alter the will of Zeus. One of the Greek commentators asked how we must reconcile this doctrine with what we find in the first book of the Odyssey, where the king of the gods says, men say evil comes to them from us, but they bring it on themselves through their own folly. The answer is plain enough, even to the Greek commentator, the poets make both Achilles and Zeus speak appropriately to their several characters. Indeed, Zeus says plainly that men do attribute their sufferings to the gods, but they do it falsely, for they are the cause of their own sorrows. Epictetus and his Enchiridion make short work of the question of evil. He says, quote, As a mark is not set up for the purpose of missing it, so neither does the nature of evil exist in the universe, end quote. This will appear obscure enough to those who are not acquainted with Epictetus, but he always knows what he is talking about. We do not set up a mark in order to miss it, though we may miss it. God, whose existence Epictetus assumes, has not ordered all things so that his purpose shall fail. Whatever there may be of what we call evil, the nature of evil as he expresses it, does not exist. That is, evil is not part of the constitution or nature of things. If there were a principle of evil in the constitution of things, evil would no longer be evil, as Simplicius argues, but evil would be good. Simplicius has a long and curious discourse on this text of Epictetus, and it is amusing and instructive. One passage more will conclude this matter. It contains all that the Emperor could say, quote, To go from among men, if there are gods, is not a thing to be afraid of, for the gods will not involve thee in evil, but if indeed they do not exist, or if they have no concern about human affairs, what is it to me to live in a universe devoid of gods or devoid of providence? But in truth they do exist, and they do care for human things, and they have put all the mean in man's power to enable him not to fall into real evils. And as to the rest, if there was anything evil, they would have provided for this also, that it should be altogether in a man's power not to fall into it. But that which does not make a man worse, how can it make a man's life worse, but neither through ignorance nor having the knowledge, but not the power to guard against or correct these things, is it possible that the nature of the universe has overlooked them, nor is it possible that it has made so great a mistake, either through want of power or want of skill, that good and even shall happen indiscriminately to the good and the bad. But death certainly, and life, honor and dishonor, pain and pleasure, all these things equally happen to good and bad men, being things which make us neither better nor worse, therefore they are neither good nor evil." The ethical part of Antoninus' philosophy follows from his general principles. The end of all his philosophy is to live conformably to nature, both a man's own nature and the nature of the universe. Bishop Butler has explained what the Greek philosophers meant when they spoke of living according to nature, and he says that when it is explained, as he has explained it, and as they understood it, it is, quote, a manner of speaking not loose and undetermined, but clear and distinct, strictly just and true, end quote. To live according to nature is to live according to a man's whole nature, not according to a part of it, and to reverence the divinity within him as the governor of all his actions, quote, to the rational animal the same act as according to nature and according to reason, end quote. That which is done contrary to reason is also an act contrary to nature, to the whole nature, though it is certainly conformable to some part of man's nature, or it could not be done. Man is made for action, not for idleness or pleasure, as plants and animals do the uses of their nature, so man must do his. Man must also live conformably to the universal nature, conformable to the nature of all things of which he has won, and as a citizen of a political community, he must direct his life in actions with reference to those among whom and for whom, among other purposes, he lives. A man must not retire into solitude and cut himself off from his fellow men. He must be ever active to do his part in a great whole. All men are his kin, not only in blood, but still more by participating in the same intelligence and by being a portion of the same divinity. A man cannot really be injured by his brethren, for no act of theirs can make him bad, and he must not be angry with them nor hate them. For we are made for cooperation, like feet, like hands, like eyelids, like the rows of the upper and lower teeth. To act against one another then is contrary to nature, and it is acting against one another to be vexed and to turn away. Further, he says, quote, take pleasure in one thing and rest in it, in passing from one social act to another social act, thinking of God. Again, quote, love mankind, follow God, end quote. It is the characteristic of the rational soul for man to love his neighbor. Antoninus teaches in various passages the forgiveness of injuries, and we know that he also practiced what he taught. Bishop Butler remarks that, quote, this divine precept to forgive injuries and to love our enemies, though to be met with gentile moralist, yet is in a particular sense a precept of Christianity, as our Savior has insisted more upon it than on any other single virtue, end quote. The practice of this precept is the most difficult of all virtues. Antoninus often enforces it and gives us aid towards following it. When we are injured, we feel anger and resentment, and the feeling is natural, just and useful for the conservation of society. It is useful that wrongdoers should feel the natural consequences of their actions, among which is the disapprobation of society and the resentment of him who is wronged. But revenge, in the proper sense of that word, must not be practiced. Quote, the best way of avenging thyself, end quote, says the emperor, quote, is not to become like the wrongdoer, end quote. It is plain by this that he does not mean that we should in any case practice revenge, but he says to those who talk of avenging wrongs, be not like him who has done the wrong. Socrates in the credo says the same in other words in St. Paul, quote, when a man has done the any wrong, immediately consider with what opinion about good or evil he has done wrong. For when that has seen this, that will pity him, and while neither wonder nor be angry, end quote. Antoninas would not deny that wrong naturally produces the feeling of anger and resentment, for this is implied in the recommendation to reflect on the nature of the man's mind who has done the wrong, and then you will have pity instead of resentment. And so it comes to the same as St. Paul's advice to be angry and sin not, which, as Butler well explains it, is not a recommendation to be angry, which nobody needs, for anger is a natural passion, but it is a warning against allowing anger to lead us into sin. In short, the Emperor's doctrine about wrongful acts is this, wrongdoers do not know what good and bad are, they offend out of ignorance, and in the sense of the Stoics this is true. Though this kind of ignorance will never be admitted as a legal excuse and ought not to be admitted as a full excuse in any way by society, there may be grievous injuries, such as it is in a man's power to forgive without harm to society, and if he forgives because he sees that his enemies know not what they do, he is acting in the spirit of the sublime prayer, quote, Father forgive them for they know not what they do, end quote. The Emperor's moral philosophy was not a feeble, narrow system which teaches man to look directly to his own happiness, though a man's happiness or tranquility is indirectly promoted by living as he ought to do. A man must live conformably to the universal nature, which means, as the Emperor explains it in many passages, that a man's action must be conformable to his true relations to all other human beings, both as a citizen of a political community and as a member of the whole human family. This implies, and he often expresses it in the most forcible language, that a man's words and actions so far as they affect others must be measured by a fixed rule, which is their consistency with the conservation and the interest of the particular society of which he is a member and of the whole human race. To live conformably to such a rule, a man must use his rational faculties in order to discern clearly the consequences in full effect of all his actions and of the actions of others. He must not live a life of contemplation and reflection only, though he must often retire within himself to calm and purify his soul by thought, but he must mingle in the work of man and be a fellow laborer for the general good. A man should have an object or purpose in life, that he may direct all his energies to it, of course a good object. He who is not one object or purpose of life cannot be one in the same all through his life. Aiken has a remark to the same effect on the best means of, quote, reducing of the mind unto virtue and good estate, which is the electing and propounding unto a man's self-good and virtuous ends of his life, such as may be in a reasonable sort within his compass to attain, end quote. He is a happy man who has been wise enough to do this when he was young and has had the opportunities, but the emperor seeing well that a man cannot always be so wise in his youth, encourages him to do it when he can, and not to let his life slip away before he has begun. He who can propose to himself good and virtuous ends of life and be true to them, cannot fail to live conformably to his own interest and universal interest, for in the nature of things they are one. If a thing is not good for the hive, it is not good for the bee. One passage may end this matter, quote, If the gods have determined about me and about the things which must happen to me, they have determined well, for it is not easy even to imagine a deity without forethought. And as to doing me harm, why should they have any desire towards that? For what advantage would result to them for this or to the whole, which is the special object to their providence? But if they have not determined about me individually, they have certainly determined about the whole at least, and the things which happen by way of sequence in this general arrangement I ought to accept with pleasure and to be content with them. But if they determined about nothing, which it is wicked to believe, or if we do believe it, let us neither sacrifice nor pray nor swear by them nor do anything else which we do as if the gods were present and lived with us, but if however the gods determined about none of these things which concern us, I am able to determine about myself, and I can inquire about that which is useful, and that is useful to every man which is conformable to his own constitution and nature. But my nature is rational and social, and my city and country so far as I am Antoninus is Rome. But so far as I am a man, it is the world. The things then which are useful to these cities are alone, useful to me. It would be tedious, and it is not necessary to state that the Emperor's opinions on all the ways in which a man may profitably use his understanding towards perfecting himself in practical virtue. The passages to this purpose are in all parts of his book, but as they are in no order or connection, a man must use the book a long time before he will find out all that is in it. A few words may be added here. If we analyze all other things, we find how insufficient they are for human life and how truly worthless many of them are. Virtue alone is indivisible, one and perfectly satisfying. The notion of virtue cannot be considered vague or unsettled, because a man may find it difficult to explain the notion fully to himself or to expound it to others in such a way as to prevent unveiling. Virtue as a whole and no more consists of parts than man's intelligence does, and yet we speak of various intellectual faculties as a convenient way of expressing the various powers which man's intellect shows by his works. In the same way, we may speak of various virtues or parts of virtue in a practical sense for the purpose of showing what particular virtues we ought to practice in order to exercise of the whole of virtue, that is, as much as man's nature is capable of. The prime principle in man's constitution is social. The next in order is not to yield to the persuasions of the body when they are not conformable to the rational principle which much govern. The third is freedom from error and from deception. Quote, let then the ruling principle holding fast to these things go straight on, and it has what is its own. The emperor selects justice as the virtue which is the basis of all the rest, and this had been said long before his time. It is true that all people have some notion of what is meant by justice as a disposition in the mind and some notion about acting in conformity to this disposition. But experience shows that men's notions about justice are as confused as their actions are inconsistent with the true notion of justice. The emperor's notion of justice is clear enough, but not practical enough for all mankind. Quote, let there be freedom from perturbations with respect to the things which come from the external cause, and let there be justice in the things done by virtue of the internal cause. That is, let there be a movement and action terminating in this, and social acts, for this is according to thy nature. In another place, he says that, he who acts unjustly acts impiously, which follows of course from all that he says in various places. He insists on the practice of truth as a virtue and as a means to virtue, which it no doubt is, for lying even and in different things weakens the understanding, and lying maliciously is a great immoral offense as man can be guilty of, viewed both as showing an habitual disposition and viewed with respect to consequences. He couples the notion of justice with action. A man must not pride himself on having some fine notion of justice in his head, but he must exhibit his justice in an act, like St. James' notion of faith. But this is enough. The Stoics and Antoninus among them call some things beautiful and some ugly, and as they are beautiful so they are good, and as they are ugly so they are evil or bad. All these things good and evil are in our power absolutely. Some of the stricter Stoics would say, in a manner only as those who would not depart altogether from common sense would say, practically they are to a great degree in the power of some persons and in some circumstances, but in a small degree only in other persons and in other circumstances. The Stoics maintain man's free will as to the things which are in his power, for as to the things which are out of his power, free will terminating in action is of course excluded by the very terms of the expression. I hardly know if we can discover exactly Antoninus notion of the free will of man, nor is the question worth the inquiry. What he does mean and does say is intelligible. All the things which are not in our power are indifferent. They are neither good nor bad morally. Such are life, health, wealth, power, disease, poverty, and death. Life and death are all men's portion. Health, wealth, power, disease, and poverty happen to men indifferently, to the good and to the bad, to those who live according to nature, and to those who do not. Quote, Life, says the Emperor, is a warfare and a stranger's shojourn, and after fame is oblivion. End quote. After speaking of those men who have disturbed the world and then died and of the death of philosophers such as Heraclitus and Democritus, who was destroyed by Lice and of Socrates, whom other Lice, his enemies, destroyed, he says, quote, What means all this? Thou hast embarked, thou hast made the voyage, thou art come to shore, get out. If indeed to another life there is no want of gods, not even there. But if to a state without sensation, thou wilt cease to be held by pains and pleasures, and to be a slave to the vessel which is as much inferior to that which serves it as superior, for the one is intelligence and deity, the other is earth and corruption, end quote. It is not death that man should fear, but he should fear never beginning to live according to his nature. Every man should live in such a way as to discharge his duty, and to trouble himself about nothing else. He should live such a life that he shall always be ready for death, and shall depart content when the summon comes. For what is death, quote, a cessation of the impressions through the senses, and of the pulling of the strings which move the appetites, and of the discursive movements of the thoughts, and of the service to the flesh, end quote. Death is, such as generation is, a mystery of nature. In another passage, the exact meaning of which is perhaps doubtful, he speaks of the child which leaves the womb, and so he says the soul at death leaves its envelope. As the child is born it comes into life by leaving the womb, so the soul may, on leaving the body, pass into another existence which is perfect. I am not sure if this is the emperor's meaning. Antoninus' opinion of a future life is nowhere clearly expressed. His doctrine of the nature of the soul and necessity implies that it does not perish absolutely, for a portion of divinity cannot perish. The opinion is at least as old as the time of Epicharmus in the Euripides, what comes from the earth goes back to the earth, and what comes from heaven the divinity returns to him who gave it. But I find nothing clear in Antoninus as to the notion of the man existing after death, so as to be conscious of his sameness with the soul which occupied his vessel of clay. He seemed to be perplexed on this matter, and finally to have rested in this that God or the gods will do whatever is best and consistent with the university of things. Nor, I think, does he speak conclusively on another stoic doctrine, which some stoics practice, the anticipating the regular course of nature by man's own act. The reader will find some passages in which this is touched on, and he may make of them what he can. But there are passages in which the emperor encourages himself to wait for the end patiently and with tranquility, and certainly it is consistent with all his best teaching that a man should bear all that falls to his lot and do useful acts as long as he lives. He should not therefore abridge the time of his usefulness by his own act. Whether he contemplates any possible cases in which a man should die by his own hand, I cannot tell, and the matter is not worth the curious inquiry, for I believe it would not lead to any certain result as to his opinion on this point. I do not think that Antoninus, who never mentioned Seneca, though he must have known all about him, would have agreed with Seneca when he gives us a reason for suicide that the eternal law, whatever he means, has made nothing better for us than this, that it has given us only one way of entering life and many ways of going out of it. The ways of going out indeed are many, and that is a good reason for a man taking care of himself. Happiness was not the direct object of a stoic's life. There is no rule of life contained in the precept that a man should pursue his own happiness. Many men think that they are seeking happiness when they are only seeking the gratification of some particular passion the strongest that they have. The end of a man is, as already explained, to live conformably to nature, and he will thus obtain happiness, tranquility, of mind, and contentment. As a means of living conformably to nature, he must study the four chief virtues, each of which has its proper sphere, wisdom or the knowledge of good and evil, justice or the giving to every man his due, fortitude or the enduring of labor and pain and temperance, which is moderation in all things. By thus loving conformability to nature, the stoic obtained all that he wished to expect it. His reward was in his virtuous life, and he was satisfied with that. Some Greek poet long ago wrote, Some of the stoics indeed express themselves in very arrogant, absurd terms about the wise man's self-sufficiency. They elevated him to the rank of a deity. But these were only talkers and lecturers, such as those in all ages who utter fine words knowing little of human affairs and caring only for notoriety. Epictetus and Antoninas both by precept and example labor to improve themselves and others. And if we discover imperfections in their teaching, we must still honor these great men who attempted to show that there is in a man's nature and in a constitution of things sufficient reason for living a virtuous life. It is difficult enough to live as we ought to live, difficult even for any man to live in such a way as to satisfy himself if he exercises only in a moderate degree the power of reflecting upon and reviewing his own conduct. And if all men cannot be brought to the same opinions and morals and religion, it is at least worthwhile to give them good reasons for as much as they can be persuaded to accept. And meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninas, section 14, The Philosophy of Antoninas by George Long. End of Meditations of Marcus Aurelius.