Book eight. This reflection also tends to the removal of the desire of empty
fame, that it is no longer in thy power to have lived the whole
of thy life, or at least thy life from thy youth upwards, like
a philosopher. But both to many others and to thyself. It is plain
that thou art far from philosophy. Thou hast fallen into disorder, then,
so that it is no longer easy for THEE to get the reputation of a
philosopher, and thy plan of life also opposes it. If then thou hast
truly seen where the matter lies, throw away the thought how thou shalt seem
to others and be content? If thou shalt live the rest of thy life
in such wise as thy nature wills, observe then what it wills, and
let nothing else distract thee. For thou hast had experience of many wanderings without
having found happiness anywhere, not in syllogisms, nor in wealth, nor in
reputation, nor in enjoyment, nor anywhere where is it then in doing what
man's nature requires. How then shall a man do this? If he has
principles from which come his effects and his acts? What principles those which relate
to good and bad? The belief that there is nothing good for man which
does not make him just, temperate, manly free, and that there is
nothing bad which does not do the contrary to what has been mentioned on the
occasion of every act, Ask thyself, how is this with respect to me?
Shall I repent of it? A little time? And I am dead
and all is gone? What more do I seek? If what I am
now doing is work of an intelligent, living being and a social being,
and one who is under the same law with God. Alexander and Gaius and
Pompeius, what are they in comparison with Diogenes and Heraclitis and Socrates? For
they were acquainted with things in their causes, forms, and their matter,
and the ruling principles of these men were the same. But as to the
others, how many things had they to care for? And to how many
things were they slaves? Consider that men will do the same things. Nevertheless,
even though thou shouldst burst, this is the chief thing. Be not
perturbed, For all things are according to the nature of the universal, And
in a little time thou wilt be nobody in nowhere like Hadrian and Augustus in
the next place, having fix thy eyes steadily on thy business, look at
it, and at the same time remembering that it is thy duty to be
a good man, and what mans nature demands, do that without turning aside,
and speak as it seems to thee most just. Only let it be
with a good disposition, and with them modesty and without hypocrisy. The nature
of the universal has this work to do, to remove to that place the
things which are in this, to change them, to take them away hence,
and to carry them there. All things are changed, yet we need
not fear anything new. All things are familiar to us, but the distribution
of them still remains the same. Every nature is contented with itself when it
goes on its way well, and irrational nature goes on its way well when
it when its thoughts it a sense to nothing false or uncertain, and when
it directs its movements to social acts only, and when it confines its desires
and aversions into the things which are in its power, and when it is
satisfied with everything that is assigned to it by the common nature. For of
this common nature, every particular nature is a part as the nature of the
leaf is a part of the nature of the plant, except that in the
plant, the nature of the leaf is part of a nature which has not
perception or reason, and is subject to be impeded. But the nature of
man is part of a nature which is not subject to impediments, and is
intelligent and just, since it gives to everything in equal portions and according to
its worth time, substance, cause, form, activity, and incident.
But examine not to discover that any one thing compared with any other single thing,
is equal in all respects. But by taking all the parts together of
one thing and comparing them with all the parts together of another, thou hast
not leisure or ability to read. But thou hast leisure or ability to check
arrogance. Thou hast leisure to be superior to pleasure and pain. Thou hast
leisure to be superior to love of fame, and not to be vexed its
stupid and ungrateful people, nay even to care for them. Let no man
any longer hear thee finding fault with the court life or with thy own repentance
is a kind of self reproof for having neglected something useful, but that which
is good, must be something useful, and the perfect good man should look
after it. But no such man would ever repent of having refused any sensual
pleasure. Pleasure, then, is neither good out nor useful this thing?
What is it in itself in its own constitution? What is its substance and
material? And what its causal nature or form? And what is it doing
in the world? And how long does it subsist? When thou risest from
sleep with reluctance, remember that it is a according to thy constitution and according
to human nature, to perform social acts. But sleeping is common also to
irrational animals. But that which is according to each individual's nature is also more
peculiarly its own, and more suitable to its nature, and indeed also more
agreeable. Constantly, And if it be possible, on the occasion of every
impression on the soul, apply to it the principles of physic, of ethic,
and of dialectic. Whatever man thou meetest with, immediately say to thyself
what opinions has this man about good and bad? For if with respect to
pleasure and pain in the causes of each, and with respect to fame and
ignominy, death and life he has such and such opinions, it will seem
nothing wonderful or strange to me if he does such and such things, and
I shall bear in mind that he is compelled to do so. Remember that,
as it is a shame to be surprised if the fig tree produces figs,
so it is to be surprised if the world produces such and such things
of which it is productive. And for the physician and the helmsman, it
is a shame to be surprised if a man has a fever, or if
the wind is unfavorable. Remember that to change thy opinion and to follow him
who corrects thy error, is as consistent with freedom as it is to persist
in thy error. For it is thy own the activity which is exerted according
to thy own movement and judgment, and indeed according to thy own understanding.
Too. If a thing is in thy own power, why dost thou do
it? But if it is in the power of another, whom dost thou
blame? The atoms, chance or the gods both are foolish. Thou must
blame nobody. For if thou canst correct that which is the cause, but
if thou canst not do this correct, at least the thing itself. But
if thou canst not do even this, of what use is it to thee
to find fault? For nothing should be done without a purpose. That which
has died falls not out of the universe. If it stays here, it
also changes here and is dissolved into its proper parts, which are elements of
the universe and of thyself. And these two change, and they murmur,
Not everything exists for some end? A horse, a vine. Why dost
thou wonder? Even the sun will say I am for some purpose, and
the rest of the gods will say the same. For what purpose? Then
art thou to enjoy pleasure? See? If common sense allows this, Nature
has had regard in everything, no less to the end than to the beginning
and the continuance. Just like the man who throws up a ball, What
good is it, then for the ball to be thrown up or harmed for
it to come down, or even to have fallen. And what good is
it to the bubble while it holds together, or what harm when it is
burst? The same may be said of a light. Also turn it the
body inside out, and see what kind of thing it is? And when
it has grown old, what kind of thing it becomes? And when it
is diseased short lived? Are both the praiser and the praised, and the
rememberer and the remembered. And all this in a nook of this part of
the world. And not even here do all agree, No, not anyone
with himself, And the whole earth too is a point attend to the matter
which is before thee, whether it is an opinion or an act or a
word. Thou sufferest this justly, for thou choosest rather to become good tomorrow,
then to be good today. Am I doing anything? I do it
with reference to the good of mankind? Does anything happen to me? I
receive it and refer it to the Gods and the source of all things from
which all that happens is derived, such as bathing appears to THEE, oil,
sweat, dirt, filthy water, all things disgusting. So is every
part of life and everything. Lucilla saw Verus die, and then Lucilla died.
Secunda saw Maximus die, and then Secunda died. Epitin Canus saw Diatomus
die, and epitin Canus died. Antoninus saw Faustina die, and then Antoninus
died, such as everything sailor saw Hadrian die, and then Cellar died,
and those sharp witted men either sears or men inflated with pride, where they,
for instance, the sharp witted men Cherax and Demetrius, the Platonist,
and Eudaemon, and anyone else like them, all ephemeral, dead long ago.
Some indeed have not been remembered even for a short time, And others
have become the heroes of fables, and again others have disappeared even from fables.
Remember this, then, that this little compound thyself must either be dissolved,
or thy poor breath must be extinguished, or be removed and placed elsewhere.
It is satisfaction to a man to do the proper works of a man.
Now it is a proper work of a man to be benevolent to his
own kind, to despise the movements of the senses, to form a just
judgment of plausible appearances, and to take a survey of the nature of the
universe and of the things which happen in it. There are three relations between
THEE and other things. The one too the body which surrounds THEE. The
second to the divine cause from which all things come to all, and the
third to those who live with thee. Pain is either an evil to the
body, then let the body say what it thinks of it, or to
the soul. But it is in the power of the soul too maintain its
own serenity and tranquility, and not to think that pain is an evil.
For every judgment and movement, and desire and aversion is within, and no
evil ascends so high. Wipe out thy imaginations by often saying to thyself,
now, it is in my power to let no badness be in this soul,
nor desire, nor any perturbation at all. But looking at all things,
I see what is their nature, and I use each according to its
value. Remember this power which thou pass from nature. Speak both in the
Senate and to every man, whoever he may be, appropriately, not with
any affectation. Use plain discourse. Augustus's court, wife, daughter, descendants,
ancestors, sister Agrippa, kinsman, intimates, friends, Arius, Messinus,
physicians, and sacrificing priests. The whole court is dead. Then turn
to the rest, not considering the death of a single man, but of
a whole race, as of the Pompeii and that which is in described on
the tombs the last of his race. Then consider what trouble those before them
have had that they might leave a successor, And then that of necessity someone
must be the last. Again, here consider the death of a whole race.
It is thy duty to order thy life well in every single act.
And if every act does its duty as far as its possible, be content,
and no one is able to hinder THEE, so that each act shall
not do its duty, but something external will stand in the way. Nothing
will stand in the way of thy acting justly and soberly and considerately. But
perhaps some other active power will be hindered well. But by acquiescing in the
hindrance, and by being content to transfer thy efforts to that which is allowed,
another opportunity of action is immediately put before THEE in place of that which
was hindered, and one which will adapt itself to this ordering of which we
are speaking.