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This reflection also tends to the removal
of the desire of empty fame. That

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it is no longer in thy power
to have lived the whole of thy life,

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or at least thy life from thy
youth upwards, like a philosopher.

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But both to many others and to
thyself, it is plain that thou art

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far from philosophy. Thou hast fallen
into disorder them, so that it is

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no longer easy for thee to get
the reputation of a philosopher, and thy

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plan of life also opposes it.
If then thou hast truly seen where the

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matter lies, throw away the thought
how thou shalt seem to others and be

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content? If thou shalt live the
rest of thy life in such wise as

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thy nature wills, observe then what
it wills, and let nothing else distract

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thee. But thou hast had experience
of many wanderings, without having found happiness

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anywhere in syllogisms, nor in wealth, nor in reputation, nor in enjoyment,

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nor anywhere where is it then in
doing what man's nature requires. How

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then shall a man do this?
If he has principles from which come his

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effects and his acts what principles,
those which relate to good and bad,

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the belief that there is nothing good
for man which does not make him just,

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temperate, manly, free, and
that there is nothing bad which does

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not do the contrary to what has
been mentioned. On the occasion of every

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act, Ask thyself, how is
this with respect to me? Shall I

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repent of it? A little time? And I am dead and all is

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gone? What more do I seek? If what I am doing now is

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the work of an intelligent, living
being and a social being, and one

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who is under the same law with
God. Alexander and Caius and Pompeius,

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what are they in comparison with Diogenes
and Heraclitus and Socrates. For they were

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acquainted with things and their causes,
forms and their matter, and the ruling

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principles of these men were the same
or conformable to their pursuits. But as

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to the others, how many things
had they to care for? And to

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how many things were they slaves?
Consider that men will do the same things.

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Nevertheless, even though thou shouldst burst, this is the chief thing,

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be not perturbed, For all things
are according to the nature of the universal,

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And in a little time thou wilt
be nobody and nowhere, like Hadrianus

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at Augustus in the next place,
having fixed thy eyes steadily on thy business,

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look at it, and at the
same time, remembering that it is

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thy duty to be a good man, and what man's nature demands, do

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that without turning aside, and speak
as it seems to thee most just.

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Only let it be with a good
disposition, and with modesty, and without

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hypocrisy. The nature of the universal
has this work to do, to remove

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to that place the things which are
in this, to change them, to

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take them away hence, and to
carry them there. All things are change,

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yet we need not fear anything new. All things are familiar to us,

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but the distribution of them still remains
the same. Every nature is contented

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with itself when it goes on its
way well, and irrational nature goes on

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its way well, when in its
thoughts it assents to nothing false or uncertain,

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and when it directs its movements to
social acts only, and when it

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confines its desires and aversions to the
things which are in its power, and

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when it is satisfied with everything that
is assigned to it by the common nature,

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or of this common nature, Every
particular nature is a part, as

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the nature of the leaf is a
part of the nature of the plant,

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except that in the plant, the
nature of the leaf is part of a

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nature which has not perception or reason, and is subject to being heated.

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But the nature of man is part
of a nature which is not subject to

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impediments, and is intelligent and just, since it gives to everything in equal

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portions and according to its worth times, substance, cause, form, activity,

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and incident. But examined not to
discover that any one thing compared with

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any other single thing, is equal
in all respects. But by taking all

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the parts together of one thing and
comparing them with all the parts together of

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another, thou hast not leisure or
ability to read. But thou hast leisure

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or ability to check arrogance. Thou
hast leisure to be superior to pleasure and

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pain, Thou hast leisure, to
be superior to love of fame, and

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not to be vexed at stupid and
ungrateful people, nay even to care for

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them. Let no man any longer
hear the finding fault with the court life

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or with thy own repentance is a
kind of self reproof for having neglected something

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useful. But that which is good
must be something useful, and the perfect

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good man should look after it.
But no such man would ever repent of

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having refused any sensual pleasure. Pleasure, then, is neither good nor useful

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this thing? What is it in
itself in its own constitution? What is

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its substance and material? And what
its causal nature or form? And what

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is it doing in the world?
And how long does it subsist? When

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thou risest from sleep with reluctance,
remember that it is according to thy constitution

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and according to human nature, to
perform social acts. But sleeping is common

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also to irrational animals. But that
which is according to each individual's nature is

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also more peculiarly its own, and
more suitable to its nature, and indeed

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also more agreeable. Constantly, and
if it be possible, on the occasion

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of every impression on the soul,
apply to it the principles of physic,

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of ethic, of dialectic. Whatever
a man thou meetest with, immediately say

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to thyself what opinions has this man
about good and bad? For it?

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With respect to pleasure and pain,
and the causes of each, and with

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respect to famine, and ignominy,
death and life. He has such and

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such opinions, it will seem nothing
wonderful or strange to me if he does

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such and such things, and I
shall bear in mind that he is compelled

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to do so. Remember that,
as it is a shame to be surprised

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if the fig tree produces figs,
so it is to be surprised if the

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world produces such and such things of
which it is productive. And for the

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physician and the helmsman, it is
a shame to be surprised if a man

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has a fever, or if the
wind if unfavorable. Remember that to change

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thy opinion and to fall allow him
who corrects thy error is as consistent with

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freedom as it is to persist in
thy error. For it is thy own

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the activity, which is exerted according
to thy own movement and judgment, and

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indeed according to thy own understanding.
Too. If a thing is in thy

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own power, why dost thou do
it? But if it is in the

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power of another home, dost thou
blame the atoms, chance or the gods?

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Both are foolish. Thou must blame
nobody, For if thou canst correct,

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what is the cause. But if
thou canst not do this correct at

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least the thing itself. But if
thou canst not do even this, of

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what use it to thee to find
fault? For nothing should be done without

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a purpose. That which has died
falls not out of the universe. If

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it stays here, it also changes
here and is dissolved into its proper parts,

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which are elements of the universe and
of thyself. And these two change,

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and they murmur, not everything exists
for some end? A horse of

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mine? Why dost thou wonder?
Even the Sun will say I am for

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some purpose, and the rest of
the gods will say the same. For

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what purpose? Then art thou to
enjoy pleasure? See? If common sense

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allows this, Nature has had regard
in everything, no less to the end

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than to the beginning and the continuance. Just like the man who throws up

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the ball, What good is it
then for the ball to be thrown up,

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or harm for it to come down, or even to have fallen.

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And what good is it to the
bubble while it holds together, or what

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harm when it is burst? The
same may be said of a light.

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Also turn it the body inside out, and see what kind of thing it

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is? And when it has grown
old, what kind of thing it becomes?

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And when it is diseased short lived
are both the praiser and the praised,

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and the rememberer and the remembered,
And all this in a nook of

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this part of the world. And
not even here do all agree, No,

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not anyone with himself, And the
whole earth too is a point attend

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to the matter which is before thee, whether it is an opinion or an

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act or a word. Thou sufferest
this justly, for thou choosest rather to

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become good tomorrow than to be good
today. Am I doing anything? I

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do it with reference to the good
of mankind? Does anything happen to me?

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I receive it and refer it to
the Gods and the source of all

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things from which all that happens is
derived, such as bathing appears to THEE,

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oil, sweat, dirt, filthy
water, all things disgusting. So

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is every part of life and everything. Lucilla saw Verus die, and then

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Lucilla died. Secunda saw Maximus die, and then Secunda died. Epitcanus saw

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Theotimus die, and then Epiitecanus died. Antonina saw Falstina die, and then

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Antoninas died, such as everything Kaylor
saw Hadrianus die, and then Kaylor died.

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And those sharp witted men, either
seers or men inflated with pride,

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where are they? For instance,
the sharp witted men Charex and Demetrius the

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Platonist, and you Diamond, and
anyone else like them, all ephemeral,

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dead long ago. Some indeed have
not been remembered even for a short time,

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And others have become the heroes of
fables, and again others have disappeared

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even from fables. Remember this,
then, that this little compound thyself must

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either be dissolved, or thy poor
breath must be extinguished, or be removed

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and placed elsewhere. It is satisfaction
to a man to do the proper works

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of a man. Now it is
a proper work of a man to be

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benevolent to his own kind, to
despise the movements of the senses, to

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form a just judgment of plausible appearances, and to take a survey of the

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nature of the universe and of the
things which happen in it. There are

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three relations between THEE and other things, the one to the body which surrounds

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THEE, the other to the divine
cause from which all things come to all,

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and the third to those who live
with thee. Pain is either an

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evil to the body, then let
the body say what it thinks of it,

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or to the soul. But it
is in the power of the soul

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to maintain its own serenity and tranquility, and not to think that pain is

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an evil. For every judgment and
movement, and desire and aversion is within,

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and no evil ascends so high.
Wipe out thy imaginations by often saying

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to thyself, now, it is
in my power to let no badness be

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in this soul, nor desire,
nor any perturbation at all. But looking

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at all things, I see what
is their nature, and I use each

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according to its value. Remember this
power which thou hast from nature. Speak

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both in the Senate and to every
man, whoever he may be, appropriately,

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not with any affectation, Use plain
discourse. Augustus, court, wife,

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daughter, descendants, ancestors, sister, Agrippa, Kinsman, intimates,

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friends, Arius, Mackeanists, physicians, and sacrificing priests. The whole court

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is dead. Then turned to the
rest, not considering the death of a

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single man, but of a whole
race, as of the Pompey, and

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that which is inscribed on the tombs
the last of his race. Then consider

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what trouble those before them have had
that they might leave a successor, And

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then that of necessity someone must be
the last. Again, here consider the

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death of a whole race. It
is thy duty to order thy life well

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in every single act. And if
every act does its duty as far as

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is possible, be content, and
no one is able to hinder THEE,

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so that each act shall not do
its duty. But something external will stand

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in the way. Nothing will stand
in the way of thy acting justly and

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soberly and considerately. But perhaps some
other active power will be hindered well.

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But by acquiescing in the hindrance,
and by being content to transfer thy efforts

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to that which is allowed, another
opportunity of action is immediately put before THEE

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in place of that which was hindered. And one will adapt itself to this

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ordering of which we are speaking.
Receive wealth or prosperity without arrogance, and

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be ready to let it go.
If thou didst ever see a hand cut

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off, or a foot or a
head lying anywhere apart from the rest of

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the body, which does a man
make himself as far as he can,

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who is not content with what happens, and separates himself from others, or

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does anything unsocial. Suppose that thou
hast detached thyself from the natural unity,

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for thou wast made by nature apart. But now thou hast cut thyself off.

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Yet here there is this beautiful provision
that it is in thy power again

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to unite thyself. God has allowed
this to no other part, after it

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has been separated and cut asunder,
to come together again. But consider the

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kindness by which he has distinguished man. For he has put it in his

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power not to be separated at all
from the Universal. And when he has

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been separated, he has allowed him
to return and to be united, and

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to resume his place as a part. As the nature of the Universal has

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given to every rational being all the
other powers that it has, so we

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have received from it this power.
Also. For as the universal nature converts

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and fixes in its predestined place everything
which stands in the way and opposes it,

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and makes such things a part of
itself, so also the rational animal

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is able to make every hindrance its
own material, and to use it for

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such purposes as it may have designed. Do not disturb thyself by thinking of

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the whole of thy life. Let
not thy thoughts at once embrace all the

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various troubles which thou mayest expect to
befall thee. But on every occasion,

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ask thyself, what is there in
this which is intolerable and past bearing?

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For thou wilt be ashamed to confess
in the next place, Remember that neither

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the future nor the past pains THEE, when only the present. But this

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is reduced to a very little if
thou only circumscribest it and chidest thy mind,

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if it is unable to hold out
against even this, Does Panthea or

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Pergamus now sit by the tomb of
Verus? Dost Charius or Diometus sit by

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the tomb of Hadrianus? That would
be ridiculous. Well, suppose they did

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sit there, would the dead be
conscious of it? And if the dead

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were conscious, would they be pleased? And if they were pleased, would

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that make them immortal? Was it
not in the order of destiny that these

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persons should first become old women and
old men and then die? What then

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would those do after these were dead? All this is foul smell and blood

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in a bag. If thou can
see sharp look and judge wisely, says

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the philosopher, in the constitution of
the rational animal, I see no virtue

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which is opposed to justice. But
I see a virtue which is opposed to

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love of pleasure, and that is
temperance. If thou takest away thy opinion

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about that which appears to give thee
pain, thou thyself standest in perfect security.

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Who is this self the reason?
But I am not reason be itself.

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Let then the reason itself not trouble
itself. But if any other part

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of these sufferers, let it have
its own opinion about itself. Hindrance to

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the perceptions of sense is an evil
to the animal nature. Hindrance to the

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movements desires is equally an evil to
the animal nature. And something else also

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is equally an impediment and evil to
the constitution of plants. So then that

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which is a hindrance to the intelligence
is an evil to the intelligent nature.

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Apply all these things to thyself.
Does pain or sensuous pleasure affecting the senses?

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Will look to that as any obstacle
opposed thee in thy efforts toward an

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object. If indeed, thou wast
making this effort absolutely, unconditionally or without

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any reservation. Certainly, this obstacle
isn't evil to thee considered as a rational

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animal. But if thou takest into
consideration the usual course of things, thou

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hast not yet been injured or even
impeded. The things, however, which

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are proper to the understanding, no
other man is used to impede. For

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neither fire, nor iron, nor
tyrant, nor purse touches it in any

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way. When it has been made
a sphere, it continues a sphere.

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It is not fit that I should
give myself pain, for I have never

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intentionally given pain even to another.
Different things delight different people. But it

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is my delight to keep the ruling
faculty sound, without turning either from any

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man or from any of the things
which happen to men, but looking at

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and receiving all with welcome eyes,
and using everything according to its nature.

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See that thou secure this present time
to thyself. For those who rather pursue

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posthumous fame, do not consider that
the men of aftertime will be exactly such

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as these whom they cannot bear now. And both are mortal, And what

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is it in any way to THEE. If these men of aftertime utter this

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or that sound, or have this
or that opinion about THEE, take me

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and cast me where thou wilt,
For there I shall keep my divine part

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tranquil, that is content, if
it can feel and act comfortably to its

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proper constitution. Is this change of
place sufficient reason why man, my soul

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should be unhappy and worse than it
was depressed and expanded, shrinking affrighted.

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And what wilt thou find which is
sufficient reason for this? Nothing can happen

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to any man which is not human
accident, nor to an ox which is

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not according to the nature of an
ox, nor to vine which is not

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according to the nature of a vine, nor to a stone which is not

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proper to a stone. If then
there happens to each thing both what is

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usual and natural, Why shouldst thou
complain? For the common nature brings nothing

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which may not be borne by THEE. If thou art pained by any external

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thing, it is not this that
disturbs THEE, but by thy own judgment

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about it. And it is in
thy power to wipe out this judgment now.

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But if anything in thy own disposition
gives a pain who hinders THEE from

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correcting thy opinion. And even if
thou art pain because thou art not doing

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some particular thing which seems to THEE
to be right, why dost thou not

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rather act than complain? But some
insuperable obstacle is in the way. Do

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not be grieved, then, for
the cause of its not being done depends

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not on THEE. But it is
not worthwhile to live if this cannot be

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done. Take thy departure, then, from life contentedly, just as he

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dies, who is in full activity
and well pleased to with the things which

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are obstacles. Remember that the ruling
faculty is invincible when self collected. It

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is satisfied with itself if it does
nothing which it does not choose to do,

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Even if it resists from mere obstinacy, what then will it meet when

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it forms a judgment about anything,
aided by reason and deliberately. Therefore,

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the mind, which is freedom from
passions, is a citadel, for man

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has nothing more secure to which he
can fly for refuge and for the future

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to be inexpungible. He, then, who has not seen this, is

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an ignorant man. But he who
has seen it and does not fly to

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this refuge is unhappy. Say nothing
more to thyself than what the first appearances

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report. Suppose that it has been
reported to THEE that a certain person speaks

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ill of THEE. This has been
reported, or that thou hast been injured,

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this has not been reported. I
see that my child is sick,

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I do see, but that he
is in danger I do not see.

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Thus, then, always abide by
the permanent appearances, and add nothing thyself

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from within. And when nothing happens
to THEE, or rather add something like

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a man who knows everything that happens
in the world. A cucumber is bitter,

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throw it away. There are briers
in the road, turn aside from

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them. This is enough. Do
not add? And why were such things

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made in the world? For thou
wilt be ridiculed by a man who is

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acquainted with nature, as thou wouldst
be ridiculed by a carpenter and a shoemaker

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if thou didst fine fault because thou
seest in their workshops savings and cuttings from

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which they make, and yet they
have places into which they can throw these

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shavings and cuttings. And the universal
nature has no external space. But the

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wondrous part of her art is that, though she has circumscribed herself everything within

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her which appears to decay and to
grow old and to be useless, she

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changes into herself helf and again makes
new things from these very same, so

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that she requires neither substance from without, nor wants a place into which she

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may cast that which delays. She
is content then with her own space,

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and her own matter, and her
own heart. Neither in thy actions be

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sluggish, nor in thy conversation without
method, nor wandering in thy thoughts,

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nor let there be in thy soul
inward contention or external effusion, nor in

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life be so busy as to leave
no pleasure. Suppose that men kill thee,

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cut thee in pieces, curse thee, What then can these things do

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to prevent thy mind from remaining pure
wise sober? Just for instance, if

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a man should stand by a limpid, pure spring in curse it, the

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00:29:59.200 --> 00:30:03.799
spring never see he is setting a
potable water. And if he should cast

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00:30:03.920 --> 00:30:08.119
clay into it or filth, it
will speedily disperse them and wash them out,

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00:30:08.559 --> 00:30:14.079
and will not be at all polluted. How then, shalt thou possess

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00:30:14.160 --> 00:30:19.079
a perpetual fountain and not a mere
wall, by forming thyself hourly to freedom

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conjoined with contentment, simplicity, and
modesty. He who does not know what

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00:30:29.799 --> 00:30:33.720
the world is does not know where
he is. And he who does not

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00:30:34.039 --> 00:30:41.000
know for what purpose the world exists
does not know who he is nor what

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00:30:41.039 --> 00:30:45.720
the world is. But he who
has failed in any of these things could

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00:30:45.799 --> 00:30:51.079
not even say for what purpose he
exists himself. What then, dost thou

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00:30:51.200 --> 00:30:56.319
think of him who avoids or seeks
the praise of those who applaud of men

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00:30:56.400 --> 00:31:03.160
who know not either where they are
or who they are? Dost thou wish

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00:31:03.200 --> 00:31:07.359
to be praised by a man who
curses himself thrice every hour? Wouldst thou

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00:31:07.400 --> 00:31:12.640
wish to please a man who does
not please himself? Does a man please

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00:31:12.759 --> 00:31:22.119
himself who repents of nearly everything that
he does? No longer let thy breathing

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00:31:22.240 --> 00:31:26.440
only act in concert with the air
which surrounds thee. But let thy intelligence

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also now be in harmony with the
intelligence which embraces all things. For the

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00:31:33.160 --> 00:31:37.119
intelligent power is no less diffused in
all parts, and pervades all things from

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00:31:37.200 --> 00:31:41.599
him who is willing to draw it
to him, than the aerial power.

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For him who is able to respire
it. Generally, wickedness does no harm

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00:31:49.480 --> 00:31:53.599
at all to the universe, and
particularly the wickedness of one man does no

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00:31:53.720 --> 00:31:59.240
harm or another. It is only
harmful to him who has it in his

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00:31:59.400 --> 00:32:07.279
power to be released from it,
as soon as he shall choose to my

311
00:32:07.359 --> 00:32:12.039
own free will, the free will
of my neighbor is just as indifferent as

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00:32:12.119 --> 00:32:15.880
his poor health and flesh. For
though we are made especially for the sake

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00:32:15.920 --> 00:32:21.480
of one another, still the ruling
power of each of us has its own

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00:32:21.559 --> 00:32:25.960
office, For otherwise my neighbor's wickedness
would be my farm, which God has

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00:32:27.000 --> 00:32:36.400
not willed, in order that my
unhappiness might not depend on another. The

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00:32:36.559 --> 00:32:40.119
sun appears to be poured down,
and in all directions, indeed it is

317
00:32:40.119 --> 00:32:46.839
diffused, Yet it is not diffused, for this diffusion is extension. Accordingly,

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00:32:46.880 --> 00:32:52.680
its rays are called extensions Greek,
because they are extended Greek. But

319
00:32:52.880 --> 00:32:58.000
one may judge what kind of a
thing a array is if he looks at

320
00:32:58.039 --> 00:33:02.759
the night's light passing through an arrow
opening into a darkened rome. For it

321
00:33:02.880 --> 00:33:07.960
is extended in a right line,
and, as it were, is divided

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00:33:07.160 --> 00:33:12.279
when it meets with any solid body, which stands in the way and intercepts

323
00:33:12.319 --> 00:33:16.240
the air beyond. But there the
light remains fixed and does not glide or

324
00:33:16.240 --> 00:33:22.079
fall. Such then ought to be
the outpouring and affection of the understanding,

325
00:33:22.880 --> 00:33:27.200
and it should in no way be
an effusion, but an extension. And

326
00:33:27.319 --> 00:33:32.400
it should make no violent or impetus
collision with the obstacles which are in its

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00:33:32.480 --> 00:33:37.480
way, nor yet fall down,
but be fixed and enlightened that which receives

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00:33:37.519 --> 00:33:43.400
it. For a body will deprive
itself of the illumination if it does not

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00:33:43.559 --> 00:33:51.240
admit it. He who fears death
either fears the loss of sensation or a

330
00:33:51.279 --> 00:33:57.559
different kind of sensation. But if
thou shalt have no sensation, neither wilt

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00:33:57.559 --> 00:34:02.000
thou feel any harm. And if
thou shalt acquire another kind of sensation,

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00:34:02.359 --> 00:34:12.079
thou wilt be a kind of living
being who will not cease. Men exist

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00:34:12.159 --> 00:34:15.000
for the sake of one another.
Teach them, then, or bear with

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00:34:15.079 --> 00:34:22.480
them. In one way, an
arrow moves in another way the mind.

335
00:34:23.280 --> 00:34:29.760
The mind, indeed, both when
it exercises caution and when it is employed

336
00:34:29.800 --> 00:34:35.199
about iniquity, move straight onward,
not the less, and to its object,

337
00:34:37.280 --> 00:34:44.679
enter into every man's ruling faculty,
and also let every other man enter into thine