Meditations — Marcus Aurelius
p. 292
Capreae, and Velius Rufus [or Rufus at Velia] ; and in fine think of the eager pursuit of anything conjoined with pride ; l and how worthless everything is after which men violently strain ; and how much more philosophical it is for a man in the opportunities presented to him to show himself just, temperate, obedient to the gods, and to do this with all simplicity : for the pride which is proud of its want of pride is the most intolerable of all.
28. To those who ask, Where hast thou seen the gods, or how dost thou comprehend that they exist and so worshippest them, I answer, in the first place, they may be seen even with the eyes ; 2 1 /jlct otyffews. Ofyo-ts kclI tO0os, Epict. i. 8, 6. 2 " Seen even;with the eyes. It is supposed that this may be explained by the Stoic doctrine, that the universe is a god or living being (iv. 40) , and that the celestial bodies are gods (viii. 19).
But the emperor may mean that we know that the gods exist, as he afterwards states it, because we see what they do; as we know that man has intellectual powers, because we see what he does, and in no other way do we know it. This passage then will agree with the passage in the Epistle to the Romans (i. v. 20) , and with the Epistle to the Colossians (i. v.
15), in which Jesus Christ is named "the image of the invisible god; " and with the passage in the Gospel of St. John (xiv. v. 9.) Gataker, whose notes are a wonderful collection of learning, and all of it sound and good, quotes a passage of Calvin which is founded on St. Paul's language (Rom. i. v. 20): "God by creating the universe [or world, mundum], being himself invisible, has presented himself to our eyea conp. 293in the second place, neither have I seen even my own soul, and yet I honor it. Thus then with respect to the gods, from what I constantly experience of their power, from this I comprehend that they exist, and I venerate them. 29. The safety of life is this, to examine everything all through, what it is itself, that is its material, what the formal part ; with all thy soul to do justice and to say the truth.
What remains, except to enjoy life by joining one good thing to another so as not to leave even the smallest intervals between ? 30. There is one light of the sun, though it is interrupted by walls, mountains, and other things infinite. There is one common substance,1 though it is distributed among countless bodies which have their several qualities.
There is one soul, though it is distributed among infinite natures and individual circumscriptions [or individuals] . There is one intelligent soul, though it seems to be divided. Now in the things which have been mentioned, all the other parts, such as those which spicuously in a certain visible form. He also quotes Seneca (De Benef. iv. c.
8) : " Quocunque te flexeris, ibi ilium videbis occurrentem tibi : nihil ab illo vacat, opus suum ipse implet. Compare also Cicero, De Senectute (c. 22), Xenophon's Cyropaedia (viii. 7), and Mem. iv. 3; also Epictetus, i. 6, de Providentia. I think that my interpretation of Antoninus is right. 1 iv. 40.
p. 294are air and matter, are without sensation and have no fellowship : and yet even these parts the intelligent principle holds together and the gravitation towards the same. But intellect in a peculiar manner tends to that which is of the same kin, and combines with it, and the feeling for communion is not interrupted. 31. What dost thou wish, — to continue to exist?
Well, dost thou wish to have sensation, movement, growth, and then again to cease to grow, to use thy speech, to think ? What is there of all these things which seems to thee worth desiring? But if it is easy to set little value on all these things, turn to that which remains, which is to follow reason and God. But it is inconsistent with honoring reason and God to be troubled because by death a man will be deprived of the other things. 32.
How small a part of the boundless and unfathomable time is assigned to every man, for it is very soon swallowed up in the eternal ! And how small a part of the whole substance ; and how small a part of the universal soul ; and on what a small clod of the whole earth thou creepest ! Reflecting on all this, consider nothing to be great, except to act as thy nature leads thee, and to endure that which the common nature brings. 33. How does the ruling faculty make use of
292 MEDITATIONS. Capreae, and Velius Rufus [or Rufus at Velia] ; and in fine think of the eager pursuit of anything conjoined with pride ; l and how worthless everything is after which men violently strain ; and how much more philosophical it is for a man in the opportunities presented to him to show himself just, temperate, obedient to the gods, and to do this with all simplicity : for the pride which is proud of its want of pride is the most intolerable of all. 28. To those who ask, Where have you seen the gods, or how do you comprehend that they exist and so worshippest them, I answer, in the first place, they may be seen even with the eyes ; 2 1 /jlct otyffews. Ofyo-ts kclI tO0os, Epict. i. 8, 6. 2 " Seen even;with the eyes." It is supposed that this may be explained by the Stoic doctrine, that the universe is a god or living being (iv. 40) , and that the celestial bodies are gods (viii. 19). But the emperor may mean that we know that the gods exist, as he afterwards states it, because we see what they do; as we know that man has intellectual powers, because we see what he does, and in no other way do we know it. This passage then will agree with the passage in the Epistle to the Romans (i. v. 20) , and with the Epistle to the Colossians (i. v. 15), in which Jesus Christ is named "the image of the invisible god; " and with the passage in the Gospel of St. John (xiv. v. 9.) Gataker, whose notes are a wonderful collection of learning, and all of it sound and good, quotes a passage of Calvin which is founded on St. Paul's language (Rom. i. v. 20): "God by creating the universe [or world, mundum], being himself invisible, has presented himself to our eyea con- MABCUS AUBELIUS ANTONINUS. 293 in the second place, neither have I seen even my own soul, and yet I honor it. Thus then with respect to the gods, from what I constantly experience of their power, from this I comprehend that they exist, and I venerate them. 29. The safety of life is this, to examine everything all through, what it is itself, that is its material, what the formal part ; with all your soul to do justice and to say the truth. What remains, except to enjoy life by joining one good thing to another so as not to leave even the smallest intervals between ? 30. There is one light of the sun, though it is interrupted by walls, mountains, and other things infinite. There is one common substance,1 though it is distributed among countless bodies which have their several qualities. There is one soul, though it is distributed among infinite natures and individual circumscriptions [or individuals] . There is one intelligent soul, though it seems to be divided. Now in the things which have been mentioned, all the other parts, such as those which spicuously in a certain visible form." He also quotes Seneca (De Benef. iv. c. 8) : " Quocunque te flexeris, ibi ilium videbis occurrentem tibi : nihil ab illo vacat, opus suum ipse implet." Compare also Cicero, De Senectute (c. 22), Xenophon's Cyropaedia (viii. 7), and Mem. iv. 3; also Epictetus, i. 6, de Providentia. I think that my interpretation of Antoninus is right. 1 iv. 40.
294 MEDITATIONS. are air and matter, are without sensation and have no fellowship : and yet even these parts the intelligent principle holds together and the gravitation towards the same. But intellect in a peculiar manner tends to that which is of the same kin, and combines with it, and the feeling for communion is not interrupted. 31. What do you wish, — to continue to exist? Well, do you wish to have sensation, movement, growth, and then again to cease to grow, to use your speech, to think ? What is there of all these things which seems to you worth desiring? But if it is easy to set little value on all these things, turn to that which remains, which is to follow reason and God. But it is inconsistent with honoring reason and God to be troubled because by death a man will be deprived of the other things. 32. How small a part of the boundless and unfathomable time is assigned to every man, for it is very soon swallowed up in the eternal ! And how small a part of the whole substance ; and how small a part of the universal soul ; and on what a small clod of the whole earth you creepest ! Reflecting on all this, consider nothing to be great, except to act as your nature leads you, and to endure that which the common nature brings. 33. How does the ruling faculty make use of
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