As physicians have always their instruments and knives ready for cases
which suddenly require their skill, so do thou have principles ready
for the understanding of things divine and human, and for doing everything,
even the smallest, with a recollection of the bond which unites the
divine and human to one another. For neither wilt thou do anything
well which pertains to man without at the same time having a reference
to things divine; nor the contrary.
No longer wander at hazard; for neither wilt thou read thy own memoirs,
nor the acts of the ancient Romans and Hellenes, and the selections
from books which thou wast reserving for thy old age. Hasten then
to the end which thou hast before thee, and throwing away idle hopes,
come to thy own aid, if thou carest at all for thyself, while it is
in thy power.
They know not how many things are signified by the words stealing,
sowing, buying, keeping quiet, seeing what ought to be done; for this
is not effected by the eyes, but by another kind of vision.
Body, soul, intelligence: to the body belong sensations, to the soul
appetites, to the intelligence principles. To receive the impressions
of forms by means of appearances belongs even to animals; to be pulled
by the strings of desire belongs both to wild beasts and to men who
have made themselves into women, and to a Phalaris and a Nero: and
to have the intelligence that guides to the things which appear suitable
belongs also to those who do not believe in the gods, and who betray
their country, and do their impure deeds when they have shut the doors.
If then everything else is common to all that I have mentioned, there
remains that which is peculiar to the good man, to be pleased and
content with what happens, and with the thread which is spun for him;
and not to defile the divinity which is planted in his breast, nor
disturb it by a crowd of images, but to preserve it tranquil, following
it obediently as a god, neither saying anything contrary to the truth,
nor doing anything contrary to justice. And if all men refuse to believe
that he lives a simple, modest, and contented life, he is neither
angry with any of them, nor does he deviate from the way which leads
to the end of life, to which a man ought to come pure, tranquil, ready
to depart, and without any compulsion perfectly reconciled to his
lot.
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BOOK FOUR
That which rules within, when it is according to nature, is so affected
with respect to the events which happen, that it always easily adapts
itself to that which is and is presented to it. For it requires no
definite material, but it moves towards its purpose, under certain
conditions however; and it makes a material for itself out of that
which opposes it, as fire lays hold of what falls into it, by which
a small light would have been extinguished: but when the fire is strong,
it soon appropriates to itself the matter which is heaped on it, and
consumes it, and rises higher by means of this very material.
Let no act be done without a purpose, nor otherwise than according
to the perfect principles of art.
Men seek retreats for themselves, houses in the country, sea-shores,
and mountains; and thou too art wont to desire such things very much.
But this is altogether a mark of the most common sort of men, for
it is in thy power whenever thou shalt choose to retire into thyself.
For nowhere either with more quiet or more freedom from trouble does
a man retire than into his own soul, particularly when he has within
him such thoughts that by looking into them he is immediately in perfect
tranquility; and I affirm that tranquility is nothing else than the
good ordering of the mind. Constantly then give to thyself this retreat,
and renew thyself; and let thy principles be brief and fundamental,
which, as soon as thou shalt recur to them, will be sufficient to
cleanse the soul completely, and to send thee back free from all discontent
with the things to which thou returnest. For with what art thou discontented?
With the badness of men? Recall to thy mind this conclusion, that
rational animals exist for one another, and that to endure is a part
of justice, and that men do wrong involuntarily; and consider how
many already, after mutual enmity, suspicion, hatred, and fighting,
have been stretched dead, reduced to ashes; and be quiet at last.-
But perhaps thou art dissatisfied with that which is assigned to thee
out of the universe.- Recall to thy recollection this alternative;
either there is providence or atoms, fortuitous concurrence of things;
or remember the arguments by which it has been proved that the world
is a kind of political community, and be quiet at last.- But perhaps
corporeal things will still fasten upon thee.- Consider then further
that the mind mingles not with the breath, whether moving gently or
violently, when it has once drawn itself apart and discovered its
own power, and think also of all that thou hast heard and assented
to about pain and pleasure, and be quiet at last.- But perhaps the
desire of the thing called fame will torment thee.- See how soon everything
is forgotten, and look at the chaos of infinite time on each side
of the present, and the emptiness of applause, and the changeableness
and want of judgement in those who pretend to give praise, and the
narrowness of the space within which it is circumscribed, and be quiet
at last. For the whole earth is a point, and how small a nook in it
is this thy dwelling, and how few are there in it, and what kind of
people are they who will praise thee.
This then remains: Remember to retire into this little territory of
thy own, and above all do not distract or strain thyself, but be free,
and look at things as a man, as a human being, as a citizen, as a
mortal. But among the things readiest to thy hand to which thou shalt
turn, let there be these, which are two. One is that things do not
touch the soul, for they are external and remain immovable; but our
perturbations come only from the opinion which is within. The other
is that all these things, which thou seest, change immediately and
will no longer be; and constantly bear in mind how many of these changes
thou hast already witnessed. The universe is transformation: life
is opinion.
If our intellectual part is common, the reason also, in respect of
which we are rational beings, is common: if this is so, common also
is the reason which commands us what to do, and what not to do; if
this is so, there is a common law also; if this is so, we are fellow-citizens;
if this is so, we are members of some political community; if this
is so, the world is in a manner a state. For of what other common
political community will any one say that the whole human race are
members? And from thence, from this common political community comes
also our very intellectual faculty and reasoning faculty and our capacity
for law; or whence do they come? For as my earthly part is a portion
given to me from certain earth, and that which is watery from another
element, and that which is hot and fiery from some peculiar source
(for nothing comes out of that which is nothing, as nothing also returns
to non-existence), so also the intellectual part comes from some source.
Death is such as generation is, a mystery of nature; a composition
out of the same elements, and a decomposition into the same; and altogether
not a thing of which any man should be ashamed, for it is not contrary
to the nature of a reasonable animal, and not contrary to the reason
of our constitution.
It is natural that these things should be done by such persons, it
is a matter of necessity; and if a man will not have it so, he will
not allow the fig-tree to have juice. But by all means bear this in
mind, that within a very short time both thou and he will be dead;
and soon not even your names will be left behind.
Take away thy opinion, and then there is taken away the complaint,
"I have been harmed." Take away the complaint, "I have been harmed,"
and the harm is taken away.
That which does not make a man worse than he was, also does not make
his life worse, nor does it harm him either from without or from within.
The nature of that which is universally useful has been compelled
to do this.
Consider that everything which happens, happens justly, and if thou
observest carefully, thou wilt find it to be so. I do not say only
with respect to the continuity of the series of things, but with respect
to what is just, and as if it were done by one who assigns to each
thing its value. Observe then as thou hast begun; and whatever thou
doest, do it in conjunction with this, the being good, and in the
sense in which a man is properly understood to be good. Keep to this
in every action.
Do not have such an opinion of things as he has who does thee wrong,
or such as he wishes thee to have, but look at them as they are in
truth.
A man should always have these two rules in readiness; the one, to
do only whatever the reason of the ruling and legislating faculty
may suggest for the use of men; the other, to change thy opinion,
if there is any one at hand who sets thee right and moves thee from
any opinion. But this change of opinion must proceed only from a certain
persuasion, as of what is just or of common advantage, and the like,
not because it appears pleasant or brings reputation.
Hast thou reason? I have.- Why then dost not thou use it? For if this
does its own work, what else dost thou wish?
Thou hast existed as a part. Thou shalt disappear in that which produced
thee; but rather thou shalt be received back into its seminal principle
by transmutation.
Many grains of frankincense on the same altar: one falls before, another
falls after; but it makes no difference.
Within ten days thou wilt seem a god to those to whom thou art now
a beast and an ape, if thou wilt return to thy principles and the
worship of reason.
Do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. Death
hangs over thee. While thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good.
How much trouble he avoids who does not look to see what his neighbour
says or does or thinks, but only to what he does himself, that it
may be just and pure; or as Agathon says, look not round at the depraved
morals of others, but run straight along the line without deviating
from it.
He who has a vehement desire for posthumous fame does not consider
that every one of those who remember him will himself also die very
soon; then again also they who have succeeded them, until the whole
remembrance shall have been extinguished as it is transmitted through
men who foolishly admire and perish. But suppose that those who will
remember are even immortal, and that the remembrance will be immortal,
what then is this to thee? And I say not what is it to the dead, but
what is it to the living? What is praise except indeed so far as it
has a certain utility? For thou now rejectest unseasonably the gift
of nature, clinging to something else...
Everything which is in any way beautiful is beautiful in itself, and
terminates in itself, not having praise as part of itself. Neither
worse then nor better is a thing made by being praised. I affirm this
also of the things which are called beautiful by the vulgar, for example,
material things and works of art. That which is really beautiful has
no need of anything; not more than law, not more than truth, not more
than benevolence or modesty. Which of these things is beautiful because
it is praised, or spoiled by being blamed? Is such a thing as an emerald
made worse than it was, if it is not praised? Or gold, ivory, purple,
a lyre, a little knife, a flower, a shrub?
If souls continue to exist, how does the air contain them from eternity?-
But how does the earth contain the bodies of those who have been buried
from time so remote? For as here the mutation of these bodies after
a certain continuance, whatever it may be, and their dissolution make
room for other dead bodies; so the souls which are removed into the
air after subsisting for some time are transmuted and diffused, and
assume a fiery nature by being received into the seminal intelligence
of the universe, and in this way make room for the fresh souls which
come to dwell there. And this is the answer which a man might give
on the hypothesis of souls continuing to exist. But we must not only
think of the number of bodies which are thus buried, but also of the
number of animals which are daily eaten by us and the other animals.
For what a number is consumed, and thus in a manner buried in the
bodies of those who feed on them! And nevertheless this earth receives
them by reason of the changes of these bodies into blood, and the
transformations into the aerial or the fiery element.
What is the investigation into the truth in this matter? The division
into that which is material and that which is the cause of form, the
formal.
Do not be whirled about, but in every movement have respect to justice,
and on the occasion of every impression maintain the faculty of comprehension
or understanding.
Everything harmonizes with me, which is harmonious to thee, O Universe.
Nothing for me is too early nor too late, which is in due time for
thee. Everything is fruit to me which thy seasons bring, O Nature:
from thee are all things, in thee are all things, to thee all things
return. The poet says, Dear city of Cecrops; and wilt not thou say,
Dear city of Zeus?
Occupy thyself with few things, says the philosopher, if thou wouldst
be tranquil.- But consider if it would not be better to say, Do what
is necessary, and whatever the reason of the animal which is naturally
social requires, and as it requires. For this brings not only the
tranquility which comes from doing well, but also that which comes
