Meditations — Marcus Aurelius
p. 1843. The idle business of show, plays on the stage, flocks of sheep, herds, exercises with spears, a bone cast to little dogs, a bit of bread into fishponds, laborings of ants and burden-carrying, runnings 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 shouldst 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, ought to be directed to this only, to that which is useful and well suited to society. 6. How many aiter being celebrated by fame
MABCUS AUBEL* US ANTONINUS. 1&> 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 on a town. How then, if being lame thou canst not mount up on the battlements 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 usest 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 co-ordinated, 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,1 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. 1 tl One substance," p. 42, note 1.
p. 18611. To the rational animal the same act is according to nature and according to reason. 12. Be thou erect, or be made erect (iii. 5). 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 co-operation.
And the perception of this will be more apparent to thee if thou often sayest to thyself that I am a member [fteAos] of the system of rational beings. But if [using the letter r] thou sayest that thou art a part [ftcpos], thou dost not yet love men from thy heart ; beneficence does not yet delight thee for its own sake ; 1 thou still doest it barely as a thing of propriety, and not yet as doing good to thyself. 14.
Let 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 any one does or says, I must be good ; just as if the gold, or the emerald, or the purple were always saying this, Whatever any one 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.f 1 I have used Gataker's conjecture KardX^KraiKm instead of •he common reading KOTaX^Trucws : compare iv. 20 ; ix. 42.
184 MEDITATIONS. 3. The idle business of show, plays on the stage, flocks of sheep, herds, exercises with spears, a bone cast to little dogs, a bit of bread into fishponds, laborings of ants and burden-carrying, runnings about of frightened little mice, puppets pulled by strings — [all alike]. It is your 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 you must attend to what is said, and in every movement you must observe what is doing. And in the one you 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, ought to be directed to this only, to that which is useful and well suited to society. 6. How many aiter being celebrated by fame
MABCUS AUBEL* US ANTONINUS. 1&> 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 your business to do your duty like a soldier in the assault on a town. How then, if being lame you can not mount up on the battlements alone, but with the help of another it is possible ? 8. Let not future things disturb you, for you will come to them, if it shall be necessary, having with you the same reason which now you usest 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 co-ordinated, 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,1 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. 1 tl One substance," p. 42, note 1.
186 MEDITATIONS. 11. To the rational animal the same act is according to nature and according to reason. 12. Be you erect, or be made erect (iii. 5). 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 co-operation. And the perception of this will be more apparent to you if you often say to yourself that I am a member [fteAos] of the system of rational beings. But if [using the letter r] you say that you are a part [ftcpos], you do not yet love men from your heart ; beneficence does not yet delight you for its own sake ; 1 you still do it barely as a thing of propriety, and not yet as doing good to yourself. 14. Let 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 any one does or says, I must be good ; just as if the gold, or the emerald, or the purple were always saying this, Whatever any one 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.f 1 I have used Gataker's conjecture KardX^KraiKm instead of •he common reading KOTaX^Trucws : compare iv. 20 ; ix. 42.
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