Thoughts Of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus - Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (novels to read for beginners .TXT) 📗

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 The Shower;" And "The Solemn Ether Loves;" And The

Universe Loves To Make Whatever Is About To Be. I Say Then To The

Universe,  That I Love As Thou Lovest. And Is Not This Too Said That

"This Or That Loves [Is Wont] To Be Produced?"[A]

 

22. Either Thou Livest Here And Hast Already Accustomed Thyself To It,

Or Thou Art Going Away,  And This Was 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 The Top

Of A Mountain,  Or On The Sea-Shore,  Or Wherever Thou Choosest 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. [The Three Last Words Are Omitted

In The Translation.][B]

 

    [A] These Words Are From Euripides. They Are Cited By

    Aristotle,  Ethic. Nicom. Viii. 1. Athenaeus (Xiii. 296) And

    Stobaeus Quote Seven Complete Lines Beginning [Greek: Era Men

    Ombrou Gaia]. There Is A Similar Fragment Of Aeschylus,

    Danaides,  Also Quoted By Athenaeus.

 

    It Was The Fashion Of The Stoics To Work On The Meanings Of

    Words. So Antoninus Here Takes The Verb [Greek: Philei],

    "Loves," Which Has Also The Sense Of "Is Wont," "Uses," And The

    Like. He Finds In The Common Language Of Mankind A

    Philosophical Truth,  And Most Great Truths Are Expressed In The

    Common Language Of Life; Some Understand Them,  But Most People

    Utter Them Without Knowing How Much They Mean.

 

    [B] Plato,  Theaet. 174 D.E. But Compare The Original With The

    Use That Antoninus Has Made Of It.

 

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 So As 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.[A]

 

    [A] Antoninus Is Here Playing On The Etymology,  Of [Greek:

    Nomos],  Law,  Assignment,  That Which Assigns ([Greek: Nemei]) To

    Every Man His Portion.

 

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 Through The Throat,  And Then

Another Cause Takes It And Makes Perception And Motion,  And In Fine,

Life And Strength And 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 (Vii. 85).

 

27. Constantly Consider How All Things Such As They Now Are,  In Time

Past Also Were; And Consider That They Will Be The Same Again. And Place

Before Thy 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,  Croesus; For All Those Were Such

Dramas As We See Now,  Only With Different Actors.

 

28. Imagine Every Man Who Is Grieved At Anything Or Discontented To Be

Like A Pig Which Is Sacrificed And 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,  Forthwith 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 Satyron[A] The Socratic,+ Think Of Either

Eutyches Or Hymen,  And When Thou Hast Seen Euphrates,  Think Of Eutychion

Or Silvanus,  And When Thou Hast Seen Alciphron Think Of Tropaeophorus,

And When Thou Hast Seen Xenophon,  Think Of Crito[B] Or Severus,  And When

Thou Hast Looked On Thyself,  Think Of Any Other Caesar,  And In The Case

Of Every One Do In Like Manner. Then Let This Thought Be In Thy Mind,

Where Then Are Those Men? Nowhere,  Or Nobody Knows Where. For Thus

Continuously Thou Wilt Look At Human Things As Smoke And Nothing At All;

Especially If Thou Reflectest At The Same Time That What Has 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] Art 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

Story 3 (The Thoughts Of Marcus Aurelius Antonius) Pg 104

Thrown Into It.

 

32. Let It Not Be In Any Man's Power To Say Truly Of Thee That Thou Are

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 Determine To Live No Longer Unless Thou Shalt Be

Such. For Neither Does Reason Allow [Thee To Live],  If Thou Art Not

Such.[C]

 

    [A] Nothing Is Known Of Satyron Or Satyrion; Nor,  I Believe,  Of

    Eutyches Or Hymen. Euphrates Is Honorably Mentioned By

    Epictetus (Iii. 15,  8; Iv. 8,  17). Pliny (Epp. I. 10) Speaks

    Very Highly Of Him. He Obtained The Permission Of The Emperor

    Hadrian To Drink Poison,  Because He Was Old And In Bad Health

    (Dion Cassius,  69,  C. 8).

 

    [B] Crito Is The Friend Of Socrates; And He Was,  It Appears,

    Also A Friend Of Xenophon. When The Emperor Says "Seen"

    ([Greek: Idôn]),  He Does Not Mean With The Eyes.

 

    [C] Compare Epictetus,  I. 29,  28.

 

33. What Is That Which As To This Material [Our Life] Can Be Done Or

Said In The Way Most Conformable To Reason? For Whatever This May Be,  It

Is In Thy Power To Do It Or To Say It,  And Do Not Make Excuses That Thou

Art Hindered. 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 The Things Which Are Conformable To Man's Constitution; For A

Man Ought To Consider As An Enjoyment Everything Which It 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 To Water Nor To Fire,  Nor To Anything Else Which Is

Governed By Nature Or 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 For Nothing Further. For All Other Obstacles Either

Affect The Body Only,  Which Is A Dead Thing; Or,  Except 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 Happen 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 [Order]; 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."[A]

 

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 After-Times.

For All Such Things As These "Are Produced In The Season Of Spring," As

The Poet Says; Then The Wind Casts 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.

 

    [A] Homer,  Ii.,  Vi. 146.

 

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

The Healthy Hearing And Smelling Ought To Be Ready To Perceive All That

Can Be Heard And Smelled. And The Healthy Stomach Ought To Be With

Respect To All Food Just As The Mill 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.[A] Suppose

That He Was A Good And Wise Man,  Will There Not Be