The Thoughts of Marcus Aurelius - College of Stoic Philosophers

130 THE THOUGHTS OF vi
freedom of speech in those \vho opposed his opinions ;
and the pleasure that he had when any man showed him
anything better ;
and how religious he was without
superstition. Imitate all this that thou rnayest have
as good a conscience, when thy last hour comes, as he
had (i, 16).
31. Return to thy sober senses and call thyself back;
and when thou hast roused thyself from sleep and hast
perceived that they were only dreams which troubled
thee, now in thy waking hours look at these [the things
about thee] as thou didst look at those [the dreams].
32. I consist of a little body and a soul. Now to this
little body all things are indifferent, for it is not able
to perceive differences. But to the understanding those
things only are indifferent, which are not the works of
its own activity. But whatever things are the works
of its own activity, all these are in its power. And of
these however only those which are done with reference
to the present ;
for as to the future and the past activities
of the mind, even these are for the present indifferent.
33. Neither the labour which the hand does nor that
of the foot is
contrary to nature, so long as the foot does
the foot s work and the hand the hand s. So then neither
to a man as a man is his labour contrary to nature, so long
as it does the things of a man. But if the labour is not
contrary to his nature, neither is it an evil to him.
34. How many pleasures have been enjoyed by robbers,
patricides,
tyrants.
35. Dost thou not see how the handicraftsmen accom
modate themselves up to a certain point to those who are
to the
not skilled in their craft, nevertheless they cling
reason [the principles] of their art and do not endure to
depart from it ? Is it not strange
if the architect and
the physician shall have more respect to the reason [the
principles]
of their own arts than man to his own reason,
which is common to him and the gods ?