The Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius - College of Stoic Philosophers

124 THE THOUGHTS OF vi
conformity io any other nature that each thing is accom
plished, either a nature which externally comprehends
this, or a nature which is comprehended within this nature,
or a nature external and independent of this (xi, 1 ; vi,
40 ; vin, 50).
10. The universe is either a confusion, and a mutual
involution of things, and a dispersion ;
or it is
unity and
order and providence. If then it is the former, why do
I
desire to tarry in a fortuitous combination of things and
such a disorder ? and why do I
care about anything else
than how I shall at last become earth ? and why am I
disturbed, for Ihe dispersion of my elements will happen
whatever I do. But if the other supposition
is true, I
venerate, and I am firm, and I trust in him who governs
(iv, 27).
11. When thou hast been compelled by circumstances
to be disturbed in a manner, quickly return to thyself
and do not continue out of tune longer than the compulsion
lasts ;
for thou wilt have more mastery over the harmony
to it.
by continually recurring
12. If thou hadst a step-mother and a mother at the
same time, thou w r ouldst be dutiful to thy step-mother,
but still thou w ouldst 7 constantly return to thy mother.
Let the court and philosophy now be to thee step-mother
and mother : return to philosophy frequently and repose
in her, through whom what thou meetest with in the court
appears to thee tolerable, and thou appearest tolerable
in the court.
13. When we have meat before us and such eatables,
we receive the impression, that this is the dead body of a
fish, and this is the dead body of a bird or of a pig and
;
again, that this Falernian is
only a little grape juice, and
this purple robe some sheep s wool dyed with the blood of
a shell-fish : such then are these impressions, and they
reach the things themselves and penetrate them, and so
we see what kind of things they are. Just in the same