Meditations — Marcus Aurelius
p. 92to do other things of the kind ; and to write my letters with simplicity, like the letter which Rusticus wrote from Sinuessa 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 a superficial understanding of a book ; nor hastily to give my assent to those who talk overmuch ; 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 l 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 1 Apollonius of Chalcis came to Iiome in the time of Pius to be Marcus' preceptor. He was a rigid Stoic.
MAX C US AUBELIUS ANTONINUS. 93 favors, without being either humbled by them or letting them pass unnoticed. 9.
From Sextus,1 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 affectation, and to look carefully after the interests of friends, and to tolerate ignorant persons, and those who form opinions without consideration : t 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 Alexander2 the grammarian, to refrain from fault-finding, and not in a reproachful way to chide those who uttered any barbarous or 1 Sextus of Chaeronea, a grandson of Plutarch, or nephew, as some say ; but more probably a grandson. 2 Alexander was a Grammaticus, a native of Phrygia. He wrote a commentary on Homer; and the rhetorician Aristides wrote a panegyric on Alexander in a funeral oration.
94 MEDITATIOXS. solecistic or strange-sounding expression; but dexterously to introduce the very expression which ought to have been used, and ID the way of answer or giving confirmation, or joining in an inquiry about the thing itself, not about the word, or by some other fit suggestion. 11.
From Fronto1 I learned to observe what envy and duplicity and 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 Catulus,2 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 Domitius and Athenodotus ; and to love my children truly. 14. From my brother3 Severus, to love my kin, 1 M. Cornelius Fronto was a rhetorician, and in great favor with Marcus.
There are extant various letters between .Marcus and Fronto. * Cinna Catulus, a Stoic philosopher. 3 The word brother may not be genuine. Antoninus had no brother. It has been supposed that he may mean some
92 MEDITATIONS. to do other things of the kind ; and to write my letters with simplicity, like the letter which Rusticus wrote from Sinuessa 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 a superficial understanding of a book ; nor hastily to give my assent to those who talk overmuch ; 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 l 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 1 Apollonius of Chalcis came to Iiome in the time of Pius to be Marcus' preceptor. He was a rigid Stoic.
MAX C US AUBELIUS ANTONINUS. 93 favors, without being either humbled by them or letting them pass unnoticed. 9.
From Sextus,1 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 affectation, and to look carefully after the interests of friends, and to tolerate ignorant persons, and those who form opinions without consideration : t 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 Alexander2 the grammarian, to refrain from fault-finding, and not in a reproachful way to chide those who uttered any barbarous or 1 Sextus of Chaeronea, a grandson of Plutarch, or nephew, as some say ; but more probably a grandson. 2 Alexander was a Grammaticus, a native of Phrygia. He wrote a commentary on Homer; and the rhetorician Aristides wrote a panegyric on Alexander in a funeral oration.
94 MEDITATIOXS. solecistic or strange-sounding expression; but dexterously to introduce the very expression which ought to have been used, and ID the way of answer or giving confirmation, or joining in an inquiry about the thing itself, not about the word, or by some other fit suggestion. 11.
From Fronto1 I learned to observe what envy and duplicity and 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 Catulus,2 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 Domitius and Athenodotus ; and to love my children truly. 14. From my brother3 Severus, to love my kin, 1 M. Cornelius Fronto was a rhetorician, and in great favor with Marcus.
There are extant various letters between .Marcus and Fronto. * Cinna Catulus, a Stoic philosopher. 3 The word brother may not be genuine. Antoninus had no brother. It has been supposed that he may mean some
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