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

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

YUMPU automatically turns print PDFs into web optimized ePapers that Google loves.

i86 MARCUS ANTONINUS BOOK<br />

I reply first, they are visible even <strong>to</strong> the bodily<br />

eye : secondly, neither have I set eyes upon my<br />

soul, and yet I do it reverence. So is it with<br />

the gods ; from my continual experience<br />

<strong>of</strong> their<br />

power, I have the conviction that they exist, and<br />

yield respect.<br />

29 This is the way <strong>of</strong> salvation <strong>to</strong> look throughly<br />

in<strong>to</strong> everything and see what it really is, alike in<br />

matter and in cause ;<br />

with your whole heart <strong>to</strong> do<br />

what is just and say what is true : and one thing<br />

more, <strong>to</strong> find life's fruition in heaping good on<br />

good so close, that not a chink is left between.<br />

30 The light <strong>of</strong> the sun is one, even though dis-<br />

parted by walls, hills, or a hundred other things :<br />

its common substance is one, though disparted by<br />

any number <strong>of</strong> individual bodies. So <strong>to</strong>o soul is<br />

one, though disparted among any number <strong>of</strong> natures<br />

and individualities. And soul possessed <strong>of</strong> mind<br />

is one, though we think <strong>of</strong> it as distributed in<br />

parts. All the other constituents <strong>of</strong> the various<br />

wholes breath, material elements, and so forth<br />

possess neither sense nor mutual relationship ;<br />

yet even they are held in union by the unifying<br />

element and identity <strong>of</strong> gravitation.<br />

But thought<br />

tends specifically <strong>to</strong>wards its counterpart, and

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

Saved successfully!

Ooh no, something went wrong!