Meditations — Marcus Aurelius
p. 98to 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 a pedant ; but every one 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 offensive 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 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 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
MABCUS A UBELIUS ANTONINUS. 9 9 reputation according to his deserts ; 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 acts.
He did not take the bath at unseasonable hours ; he was not fond of building houses, nor curious about what he ate, nor about the texture and color of his clothes, nor about the beauty of his slaves.1 His dress came from Lorium, his villa on the coast, and from Lanuvium generally.2 We know how he behaved to the tollcollector at Tusculum who asked his pardon ; and such was all his behavior.
There was in him noth- 1 This passage is corrupt, and the exact meaning is uncertain. 8 Lorium was a villa on the coast north of Rome, and there Antoninus v,as brought up, and he died there. This also is corrupt.
p. 100ing 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,1 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.
Further, I owe it 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 favor, 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 the time ; that I was subjected to a 1 Xenophon, Memorab. i. 3. 15.
98 MEDITATIONS. 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 a pedant ; but every one 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 offensive 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 so that through his own attention he very seldom stood in need of the physician's are or of medicine or external applications. He was most ready to give 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
MABCUS A UBELIUS ANTONINUS. 9 9 reputation according to his deserts ; 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 acts.
He did not take the bath at unseasonable hours ; he was not fond of building houses, nor curious about what he ate, nor about the texture and color of his clothes, nor about the beauty of his slaves.1 His dress came from Lorium, his villa on the coast, and from Lanuvium generally.2 We know how he behaved to the tollcollector at Tusculum who asked his pardon ; and such was all his behavior.
There was in him noth- 1 This passage is corrupt, and the exact meaning is uncertain. 8 Lorium was a villa on the coast north of Rome, and there Antoninus v,as brought up, and he died there. This also is corrupt.
100 MEDITATIONS. ing 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,1 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.
Further, I owe it 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 favor, 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 the time ; that I was subjected to a 1 Xenophon, Memorab. i. 3. 15.
No commentary for this page under the selected tracks.
There is commentary on page 1.