Meditations — Marcus Aurelius
p. 277from his real thoughts. But the fourth is when thou shalt reproach thyself for anything, for this is an evidence of the diviner part within thee being overpowered and yielding to the less honorable and to the perishable part, the body, and to its gross pleasures (iv. 24 ; ii. 16). 20.
Thy aerial part and all the fiery parts which are mingled in thee, though by nature they have an upward tendency, still in obedience to the disposition of the universe they are overpowered here in the compound mass [the body]. And also the whole of the earthy part in thee and the watery, though their tendency is downward, still are raised up and occupy a position which is not their natural one.
In this manner then the elemental parts obey the universal ; for when they have been fixed in any place, perforce they remain there until again the universal shall sound the signal for dissolution. It is not then strange that thy intelligent part only should be disobedient and discontented with its own place ?
And yet no force is imposed on it, but only those things which are conformable to its nature : still it does not submit, but is carried in the opposite direction. For the movement towards injustice and intemperance and to anger and grief and fear is nothing else than the act of one who deviates from nature. And also when the ruling faculty is discontented with anything that happens, then p. 278too it deserts its post: for it is constituted for piety and reverence towards the gods no less than for justice. For these qualities also are comprehended under the generic term of contentment with the constitution of things, and indeed they are prior l to acts of justice. 21. He who has not one and always the same object in life, cannot be one and the same all through his life.
But what I have said is not enough, unless this also is added, what this object ought to be.
For as there is not the same opinion about all the things which in some way or other are considered by the majority to be 1 The word irpecr^vrepa, which is here translated "prior," may also mean " superior; " but Antoninus seems to say that piety and reverence of the gods precede all virtues, and that other virtues are derived from them, even justice, which in another passage (xi. 10) he makes the foundation of all virtues.
The ancient notion of justice is that of giving to every one his due. It is not a legal definition, as some have supposed, but a moral rule which law cannot in all cases enforce. Besides, law has its own rules, which are sometimes moral and sometimes immoral; but it enforces them all simply because they are general rules, and if it did not or could not enforce them, so far Law would not be Law.
Justice, or the doing what is just, implies a universal rule and obedience to it; and as we all live under universal Law, which commands both our body and our intelligence, and is the law of our nature, that is, the law of the whole constitution of man, we must endeavor to discover what this supreme Law is. It is the will of the power that rules all. By acting in obedience to this will, we do justice, and by consequence everything else that we ought to do.
p. 279good, but only about some certain things, that is, things which concern the common interest, so also ought we to propose to ourselves an object which shall be of a common kind [social] and political. For he who directs all his own efforts to this object, will make all his acts alike, and thus will always be the same. 22.
Think of the country mouse and of the town mouse, and of the alarm and trepidation of the town mouse.1 23. Socrates used to call the opinions of the many by the name of Lamiae, — bugbears to frighten children. 24. The Lacedaemonians at their public spectacles used to set seats in the shade for strangers, but themselves sat down anywhere. 25.
Socrates excused himself to Perdiccas 2 for not going to him, saying, It is because I would not perish by the worst of all ends ; that is, I would not receive a favor and then be unable to return it. 26. In the writings of the [Ephesians] 3 there was this precept, constantly to think of some one of the men of former times who practised virtue. 1 The story is told by Horace in his Satires (ii. 6) , and by others since, but not better.
2 Perhaps the emperor made a mistake here, for other writers say that it was Archelaus, the son of Perdiccas, who invited Socrates to Macedonia. 3 Gataker suggested 'EvtKovpdiov for 'E<pe<rtwv.
MABCUS AUBELIUS ANTONINUS. 277 from his real thoughts. But the fourth is when you shall reproach yourself for anything, for this is an evidence of the diviner part within you being overpowered and yielding to the less honorable and to the perishable part, the body, and to its gross pleasures (iv. 24 ; ii. 16). 20. Your aerial part and all the fiery parts which are mingled in you, though by nature they have an upward tendency, still in obedience to the disposition of the universe they are overpowered here in the compound mass [the body]. And also the whole of the earthy part in you and the watery, though their tendency is downward, still are raised up and occupy a position which is not their natural one. In this manner then the elemental parts obey the universal ; for when they have been fixed in any place, perforce they remain there until again the universal shall sound the signal for dissolution. It is not then strange that your intelligent part only should be disobedient and discontented with its own place ? And yet no force is imposed on it, but only those things which are conformable to its nature : still it does not submit, but is carried in the opposite direction. For the movement towards injustice and intemperance and to anger and grief and fear is nothing else than the act of one who deviates from nature. And also when the ruling faculty is discontented with anything that happens, then 278 MEDITATIONS. too it deserts its post: for it is constituted for piety and reverence towards the gods no less than for justice. For these qualities also are comprehended under the generic term of contentment with the constitution of things, and indeed they are prior l to acts of justice. 21. He who has not one and always the same object in life, cannot be one and the same all through his life.
But what I have said is not enough, unless this also is added, what this object ought to be.
For as there is not the same opinion about all the things which in some way or other are considered by the majority to be 1 The word irpecr^vrepa, which is here translated "prior," may also mean " superior; " but Antoninus seems to say that piety and reverence of the gods precede all virtues, and that other virtues are derived from them, even justice, which in another passage (xi. 10) he makes the foundation of all virtues.
The ancient notion of justice is that of giving to every one his due. It is not a legal definition, as some have supposed, but a moral rule which law cannot in all cases enforce. Besides, law has its own rules, which are sometimes moral and sometimes immoral; but it enforces them all simply because they are general rules, and if it did not or could not enforce them, so far Law would not be Law.
Justice, or the doing what is just, implies a universal rule and obedience to it; and as we all live under universal Law, which commands both our body and our intelligence, and is the law of our nature, that is, the law of the whole constitution of man, we must endeavor to discover what this supreme Law is. It is the will of the power that rules all. By acting in obedience to this will, we do justice, and by consequence everything else that we ought to do.
MABCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS. 279 good, but only about some certain things, that is, things which concern the common interest, so also ought we to propose to ourselves an object which shall be of a common kind [social] and political. For he who directs all his own efforts to this object, will make all his acts alike, and thus will always be the same. 22.
Think of the country mouse and of the town mouse, and of the alarm and trepidation of the town mouse.1 23. Socrates used to call the opinions of the many by the name of Lamiae, — bugbears to frighten children. 24. The Lacedaemonians at their public spectacles used to set seats in the shade for strangers, but themselves sat down anywhere. 25.
Socrates excused himself to Perdiccas 2 for not going to him, saying, It is because I would not perish by the worst of all ends ; that is, I would not receive a favor and then be unable to return it. 26. In the writings of the [Ephesians] 3 there was this precept, constantly to think of some one of the men of former times who practised virtue. 1 The story is told by Horace in his Satires (ii. 6) , and by others since, but not better.
2 Perhaps the emperor made a mistake here, for other writers say that it was Archelaus, the son of Perdiccas, who invited Socrates to Macedonia. 3 Gataker suggested 'EvtKovpdiov for 'E<pe<rtwv.
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