05.04.2013 Views

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself - College of Stoic Philosophers

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself - College of Stoic Philosophers

Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself - College of Stoic Philosophers

SHOW MORE
SHOW LESS

Create successful ePaper yourself

Turn your PDF publications into a flip-book with our unique Google optimized e-Paper software.

24 MARCUS ANTONINUS BOOK<br />

/ Hippocrates cured many sick, but himself fell<br />

sick and died. The .Chaldeans fore<strong>to</strong>ld many<br />

deaths, but fate over<strong>to</strong>ok them <strong>to</strong>o. Alexander,<br />

Pompey, Julius Caesar, razed city after city <strong>to</strong><br />

the ground, and cut thousands and thousands <strong>to</strong><br />

pieces, horse and foot, upon the field <strong>of</strong> battle,<br />

but for them <strong>to</strong>o came the hour <strong>of</strong> departure.<br />

Heraclitus after all his speculations on the con-<br />

flagration <strong>of</strong> the universe, was water-logged with<br />

dropsy, and died in a plaster <strong>of</strong> GQW dung<br />

Democritus was killed by vermin ; and Socrates<br />

by<br />

vermin <strong>of</strong> another kind. What does it all<br />

come <strong>to</strong> ? This. You embark, you make life's<br />

voyage, you come <strong>to</strong> port : step<br />

out. If for<br />

another life, there are gods everywhere, there<br />

as here. If out <strong>of</strong> all sensation, then pains and<br />

pleasures will solicit you no more, and you will<br />

drudge no more for the carnal shell, which is so<br />

unworthy <strong>of</strong> its ministering<br />

servant. For the<br />

spirit is mind and god, the body refuse clay.<br />

Do not waste what is left <strong>of</strong> life in regarding<br />

other men, except when bent upon some unselfish<br />

gain. Why miss opportunities for action by thus<br />

persistently regarding what so-and-so is doing<br />

and why, what he is saying or thinking or

Hooray! Your file is uploaded and ready to be published.

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!