Meditations — Marcus Aurelius
p. 178happens and those who try to oppose it and to hinder it ; for the universe had need even of such men as these. It remains then for thee to understand among what kind of workmen thou placest 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 co-operators and of those whose labors conduce to one end.
But be not thou such a part as the mean and ridiculous verse in the play, which Chrysippus speaks of.1 43. Does the sun undertake to do the work of the rain, or Aesculapius the work of the Fruitbearer [the earth] ? And how is it with respect to each of the stars, are they not different and vet they work together to the same end? 44.
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 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. 1 Plutarch, adversus Stoicos, o. 14.
MARCUS AUBELIUS ANTONINUS.
179 But if they determine 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 determine about none of the 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. 45. Whatever happens to every man, this is for the interest of the universal : this might be sufficient.
But further thou wilt observe this also as a general truth, if thou dost observe, 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 as said of things of the middle kind [neither good nor bad]. 46.
As it happens to thee in the amphitheatre and 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 ?
p. 18047. Think continually that all kinds of men and of all kinds of pursuits and of all nations are dead, so that thy thoughts come down even to Philistion and Phoebus and Origanion. Now turn thy thoughts to the other kinds [of men].
To that place then we must remove, where there are so many great orators, and so many noble philosophers, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Socrates ; so many heroes of former days, and so many generals after them, and t}^rants ; 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 Menippus 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. 48.
When thou wishest to delight thyself, think of the virtues of those who live with thee; for instance, the activity of one, and the modesty of another, and the liberality of a third, and some other good quality of a fourth. For nothing delights so much as the examples of the virtues, when they are exhibited in the morals of those who live with us and present themselves in abun-
178 MEDITATIONS. happens and those who try to oppose it and to hinder it ; for the universe had need even of such men as these. It remains then for you to understand among what kind of workmen you placest yourself ; for he who rules all things will certainly make a right use of you, and he will receive you among some part of the co-operators and of those whose labors conduce to one end. But be not you such a part as the mean and ridiculous verse in the play, which Chrysippus speaks of.1 43. Does the sun undertake to do the work of the rain, or Aesculapius the work of the Fruitbearer [the earth] ? And how is it with respect to each of the stars, are they not different and vet they work together to the same end? 44. 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 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. 1 Plutarch, adversus Stoicos, o. 14.
MARCUS AUBELIUS ANTONINUS. 179 But if they determine 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 determine about none of the 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. 45. Whatever happens to every man, this is for the interest of the universal : this might be sufficient. But further you will observe this also as a general truth, if you do observe, 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 as said of things of the middle kind [neither good nor bad]. 46. As it happens to you in the amphitheatre and 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 ?
180 MEDITATIONS, 47. Think continually that all kinds of men and of all kinds of pursuits and of all nations are dead, so that your thoughts come down even to Philistion and Phoebus and Origanion. Now turn your thoughts to the other kinds [of men]. To that place then we must remove, where there are so many great orators, and so many noble philosophers, Heraclitus, Pythagoras, Socrates ; so many heroes of former days, and so many generals after them, and t}^rants ; 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 Menippus 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 your life in truth and justice, with a benevolent disposition even to liars and unjust men. 48. When you wishest to delight yourself, think of the virtues of those who live with you; for instance, the activity of one, and the modesty of another, and the liberality of a third, and some other good quality of a fourth. For nothing delights so much as the examples of the virtues, when they are exhibited in the morals of those who live with us and present themselves in abun-
No commentary for this page under the selected tracks.
There is commentary on page 1.