Book ninety. He acts unjustly acts impiously. For since the universal nature has
made rational animals for the sake of one another, to help one another according
to their deserts, but in no way to injure one another, he who
transgresses her will is clearly guilty of impiety towards the highest divinity. And he
too, who lies, is guilty of impiety too the same divinity. For
the universal nature is the nature of things that are, and things that are
have a relation to all things that come into existence. And further, this
universal nature is named truth, than is the prime cause of all things that
are true. He, then, who lies intentionally, is guilty of impiety
inasmuch as he acts unjustly by deceiving. And he also who lies unintentionally inasmuch
as he is at variance with the universal nature, and inasmuch as he disturbs
the order by fighting against the nature of the world. For he fights against
it who is moved of himself to that which is contrary to truth. For
he had received powers from nature through the neglect of which he is not able
now to distinguish falsehood from truth. And indeed, he who pursues pleasure as
good and avoids pain, as evil is guilty of impiety, for of necessity.
Such a man must often find fault with the universal nature, alleging that
it assigns things to the bad and the good contrary to their deserts, because
frequently the bad are in the enjoyment of pleasure and possess the things which procure
pleasure, but the good have pain for their share, and the things which
cause pain. And further, he who is afraid of pain will sometimes also
maybebe not be afraid of some of the things which will happen in the world.
And even this is impiety. And he who pursues pleasure will not abstain
from injustice. And this is plainly impiety. Now with respect to the things
towards which the universal nature is equally affected, for it would not have made
both unless it was equally affected towards both. Towards these, they who wish
to follow nature should be of the same mind with it, and equally affected
with respect to pain then and pleasure or death in life, or honor and
dishonor which the universal Nature employs equally. Whoever is not equally affected is manifestly
acting impiously. And I say that the universal nature employs them equally, instead
of saying that they happen alike to those who are produced in continuous series and
to those who come after them, by virtue of a certain original movement of
providence, according to which it moved from a certain beginning to this ordering of
things, having conceived certain principles of the things which were to be, and
having determined powers productive of beings and of changes, and of such like successions.
And it would be a man's happiest lot to depart from mankind without having
had any taste of lying and hypocrisy, and luxury and pride. However,
to breathe out one's life when a man has had enough of these things is
the next best voyage, As the saying is hast thou determined to abide with
vice, and has not experience yet induced thee to fly from this pestilence,
For the destruction of the understanding is a pestilence much more indeed than any such
corruption and change of this atmosphere which surrounds us. For this corruption is a
pestilence of animals so far as they are animals. But the other is a
pestilence of men, so far as they are men, do not despise death,
but be well content with it, since this too is one of those
things which nature wills for, such as it is to be young and to
grow old, and to increase, and to reach maturity, to have teeth
and beard and gray hairs, and to beget, and to be pregnant,
and to bring forth, and all the other natural operations which the seasons of
thy life bring. Such also is dissolution. This, then, is consistent
with the character of a reflecting man, to be neither careless, nor impatient,
nor contemptuous with respect to death, but to wait for it as one
of the operations of nature. As thou now waitest for at the time when
the child shall come out of thy wife's womb, so be ready for the
time when thy soul shall fall out of this envelope. But if thou requirest
also a vulgar kind of comfort which shall reach thy heart, thou wilt be
made best reconciled to death by observing the objects from which thou art going to
be removed, and the morals of those with whom thy soul will no longer
be mingled. For it is no way right to be offended with men but
it is thy duty to care for them and to bear with them gently,
and yet to remember that thy departure will be not from men who have the
same principles as thyself. For nat this is the only thing if there be
any which could draw us the contrary way and attach us to life, to
be permitted to live with those who have the same principles as ourselves. But
now thou seest how great is the trouble arising from the discordance of those who
live together, So that thou mayst say, come quick, o death,
lest perchance I too should forget myself. He who does wrong does wrong against
himself. He who acts unjustly acts unjustly to himself, because he makes himself
bad. He often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing, not
only he who does a certain thing. Thy present opinion founded on understanding,
and thy present conduct directed to social good, and thy present disposition of contentment
with everything which happens. That is enough wipe out imagination, check desire,
extinguish appetite, keep the ruling faculty in its own power. Among the animals
which have not reason, one life is distributed. But among reasonable animals,
one intelligent soul is distributed, just as there is one earth of all things
which are of an earthy nature, and we see by one light and breathe
one air. All of us that have the faculty of vision, and all
that have life, all things which participate in anything which is common to them,
all move towards that which is of the same kind with themselves. Everything
which is earth, he turns towards the earth. Everything which is liquid flows
together, and everything which is of an aerial kind does the That's the same,
so that they require something to keep them asunder, and the application of
force. Fire indeed moves upwards on account of the elemental fire. But it
is so ready to be kindled together with all the fire which is here,
that even every substance which is somewhat dry is easily ignited, because there is
less mingled with it of that which is a hindrance to ignition. Accordingly,
then everything also which participates in the common intelligent nature, moves in like manner
towards that which is of the same kind with itself, or moves even more,
for so much as it is superior in comparison with all other things in
the same degree. Also is it more ready to mingle with and to be
fused with that which is akin to it. Accordingly, among animals devoid of
reason, we find swarms of bees, and herds of cattle, and the
nurture of young birds, and in a manner loves. For even in animals
there are souls, and that power which brings them together is seen to exert
itself in the superior degree, and in such a way as never has been
observed in plants, nor in stones, nor in trees. But in rational
animals there are political communities, and friendships, and families, and meetings of
people, and in wars, treaties and armistices. But in the things which
are still superior, even though they are separated from one another, unity in
a manner exists, as in the stars. Thus the ascent to the higher
degree is able to produce a sympathy even in things which are separated. See
then what now takes place. For only intelligent animals have now forgotten this mutual
desire and inclination, and in them alone the property of flowing together is not
seen. But still, though men strive to avoid this union, they are
caught and held by it, for their nature is too strong for them.
And thou wilt see what I say, thou only observest. Sooner than will
one find anything earthy which comes in contact with no earthy thing than a man
altogether separated from other men. Both man and God and the universe produce fruit
at the proper seasons each produces it. But if usage has especially fixed these
terms to the vine, and like things, this is nothing. Reason produces
fruit both for all and for itself, and there are produced from it other
things of the same kind as reason itself. Yet if thou art able correct
by teaching those who do wrong, but if thou canst not, remember that
indulgence is given to THEE for this purpose, and the gods too are indulgent
to such persons, and for some purposes they even help them to get health,
wealth, reputation. So kind they are, and it is in thy
power also, Or say, who hinders thee? Yet it labor not as
one who is wretched, nor yet as one who would be pitied or admired.
But direct thy will to one thing, only to put thyself in motion
and to check thyself, as the social reason requires. Today, I have
got out of all trouble, or rather I have cast out all trouble for
it was not outside but within, and in my opinions, all things are
the same, familiar in experience, and ephemeral in time, and worthless in
the matter. Everything now is just as it was in the time of those
whom we have buried. Things stand outside of us themselves by themselves, neither
knowing aught of themselves, nor expressing any judgment. What is it, then,
which does judge about them? The ruling faculty, not in passivity,
but in activity, lie the evil in the good of the rational social animal,
just as his virtue and his vice lie not in passivity but in activity.
For the stone which has been thrown up, it is no evil to
come down, nor indeed any good to have been carried up. Penetrate inwards
into men's leading principles. And thou wilt see what judges thou art afraid of,
and what kind of judges they are of themselves. All things are changing,
and thou thyself art in continuous mutation, and in a manner in continuous
destruction, and the whole universe too. It is thy duty to leave another
man's wrongful act there where it is termination of activity, cessation from movement and
opinion, and in a sense their death is no evil. Turn thy thoughts
now to the consideration of thy life, thy life as a child, as
a youth, thy manhood, thy old age. For in these also every
change was a death. Is this anything to fear? Turn thy thoughts now
to thy life under thy grandfather, then to thy life under thy mother,
then to thy life under thy father, And as thou findest many other differences
and changes in terminations, ask thyself, is this anything to fear? In
like manner? Then neither are the termination and cessation and change of thy whole
life a thing to be afraid of. Hasten to examine thy own ruling faculty,
and that of the universe, and that of thy neighbor. Thy own,
that thou mayest make it just, and that of the universe, that
thou mayest remember of what thou art a part, and that of thy neighbor,
that thou mayst know whether he has acted ignorantly or with knowledge, And
that thou mayest also consider that his ruling faculty is akin to thine. As
thou thyself art a component part of a social system. So let every act
of thine be a component part of social life. Whatever act of thine then
has no reference, either immediately or remotely, to a social end. This
tears asunder thy life and does not allow it to be one. And it
is of the nature of a mutiny. Just as when in a popular assembly
a man acting by himself stands apart from the general agreement, quarrels of little
children in their sports, and poor spirits carrying about dead bodies. Such is
everything, and so what is exhibited in the representation of the mansions of the
dead strikes our eyes more clearly. Examine into the quality of the form of
an object, and detach it all together from its material part, and then
contemplate it. Then determine the time the longest which a thing of this peculiar
form is naturally made to endure it. Thou hast endured infinite troubles through not
being contented with thy ruling faculty when it does the things which it is constituted
by nature to do. But enough of this. When another blames THEE or
hates THEE, or when men say about THEE anything injurious, approach their poor
souls, penetrate within, and see what kind of men they are, Thou
wilt discover that there is no reason to take any trouble that these men may
have this or that opinion about thee However, thou must be well disposed towards
them, for by nature they are friends, and the gods to aid them
in all ways, by dreams, by signs, towards the attainment of those
things on which they set a value. The periodic movements of the universe are
the same, up and down from age to age. And either the universal
intelligence puts itself in motion for every separate effect, and if this is so,
be thou content with that which is the result of its activity, or
it puts itself in motion once, and everything else comes by way of sequence
in a manner. Or indivisible elements are the origin of all things. In
a word, if there is a God, all is well, and if
chance rules do not, thou also be governed by it. Soon will the
earth cover us all? Then the earth too will change, and the things
also which result from change will continue to change forever, and these again forever.
For if a man reflects on the changes and transformations which follow one another,
like wave after wave, and their rapidity, he will despise everything which
is perishable.