The Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius - College of Stoic Philosophers

120 THE THOUGHTS OF v
pains,
to discover wherein he offends I wish thee well
of thy discovery. Well then, and thou hast reason :
by
thy rational faculty stir up his rational faculty ; show
him his error, admonish him. For if he listens, thou wilt
cure him, and there is no need of anger,
actor nor whore.f]
l
[f Neither tragic
29. As thou intendest to live when thou art gone out,
* * so it is in thy power to live here. But if men do not
permit thee, then get away out of life, yet so as if thou
wert suffering no harm. The house is smoky, and I quit
it.
Why dost thou think that this is any trouble ? But
so long as nothing of the kind drives me out, I remain,
am free, and no man shall hinder me from doing what I
choose ;
and I choose to do what is
according to the
nature of the rational and social animal.
30. The intelligence of the universe is social. Ac
cordingly it has made the inferior things for the sake of
the superior, and it has fitted the superior to one another.
Thou seest how it has subordinated, co-ordinated and
assigned to everything its proper portion, and has brought
together into concord with one another the things which
are the best.
31. How hast thou behaved hitherto to the gods, thy
parents, brethren, children, teachers, to those who looked
after thy infancy, to thy friends, kinsfolk, to thy slaves ?
Consider if thou hast hitherto behaved to all in such a
way that this may be said of thee :
Never has wronged a man in deed or word.
And call to recollection both how many things thou hast
passed through, and how many things thou hast been able
1
This is imperfect or corrupt, or both. There is also some
thing wrong or incomplete in the beginning of S. 29, where he says
ws f?f\6tav fpy Siatoij, which Gataker translates as if thou wast about
to quit life but we cannot
;
translate e|oA0v in that way. Other
translations are not much more satisfactory. I have translated it
literally and left it imperfect.