From the reputation and remembrance of my father, modesty1 and a manly2 character.
From my mother, piety3 and beneficence, and abstinence, not only from evil deeds, but even from evil thoughts; and further, simplicity4 in my way of living, far removed from the habits of the rich.
From my great-grandfather, not to have frequented public schools, and to have had good teachers at home, and to know that on such things a man should spend liberally.
From my governor, to be neither of the green nor of the blue party at the games in the Circus, nor a partizan either of the Parmularius or the Scutarius at the gladiators’ fights; from him too I learned endurance of labour, and to want little, and to work with my own hands, and not to meddle5 with other people’s affairs, and not to be ready to listen to slander6.
From Diognetus, not to busy myself about trifling7 things, and not to give credit to what was said by miracle-workers and jugglers about incantations and the driving away of daemons and such things; and not to breed quails8 for fighting, nor to give myself up passionately9 to such things; and to endure freedom of speech; and to have become intimate with philosophy; and to have been a hearer, first of Bacchius, then of Tandasis and Marcianus; and to have written dialogues in my youth; and to have desired a plank11 bed and skin, and whatever else of the kind belongs to the Grecian discipline.
From Rusticus I received the impression that my character required improvement and discipline; and from him I learned not to be led astray to sophistic emulation13, nor to writing on speculative14 matters, nor to delivering little hortatory orations15, nor to showing myself off as a man who practises much discipline, or does benevolent16 acts in order to make a display; and to abstain17 from rhetoric18, and poetry, and fine writing; and not to walk about in the house in my outdoor dress, nor to do other things of the kind; and to write my letters with simplicity, like the letter which Rusticus wrote from Sinuessa to my mother; and with respect to those who have offended me by words, or done me wrong, to be easily disposed to be pacified19 and reconciled, as soon as they have shown a readiness to be reconciled; and to read carefully, and not to be satisfied with a superficial understanding of a book; nor hastily to give my assent20 to those who talk overmuch; and I am indebted to him for being acquainted with the discourses21 of Epictetus, which he communicated to me out of his own collection.
From Apollonius I learned freedom of will and undeviating steadiness of purpose; and to look to nothing else, not even for a moment, except to reason; and to be always the same, in sharp pains, on the occasion of the loss of a child, and in long illness; and to see clearly in a living example that the same man can be both most resolute22 and yielding, and not peevish23 in giving his instruction; and to have had before my eyes a man who clearly considered his experience and his skill in expounding24 philosophical25 principles as the smallest of his merits; and from him I learned how to receive from friends what are esteemed26 favours, without being either humbled27 by them or letting them pass unnoticed.
From Sextus, a benevolent disposition28, and the example of a family governed in a fatherly manner, and the idea of living conformably to nature; and gravity without affectation, and to look carefully after the interests of friends, and to tolerate ignorant persons, and those who form opinions without consideration: he had the power of readily accommodating himself to all, so that intercourse29 with him was more agreeable than any flattery; and at the same time he was most highly venerated30 by those who associated with him: and he had the faculty31 both of discovering and ordering, in an intelligent and methodical way, the principles necessary for life; and he never showed anger or any other passion, but was entirely32 free from passion, and also most affectionate; and he could express approbation33 without noisy display, and he possessed34 much knowledge without ostentation35.
From Alexander the grammarian, to refrain from fault-finding, and not in a reproachful way to chide36 those who uttered any barbarous or solecistic or strange-sounding expression; but dexterously37 to introduce the very expression which ought to have been used, and in the way of answer or giving confirmation38, or joining in an inquiry39 about the thing itself, not about the word, or by some other fit suggestion.
From Fronto I learned to observe what envy, and duplicity, and hypocrisy40 are in a tyrant41, and that generally those among us who are called Patricians42 are rather deficient43 in paternal44 affection.
From Alexander the Platonic45, not frequently nor without necessity to say to any one, or to write in a letter, that I have no leisure; nor continually to excuse the neglect of duties required by our relation to those with whom we live, by alleging46 urgent occupations.
From Catulus, not to be indifferent when a friend finds fault, even if he should find fault without reason, but to try to restore him to his usual disposition; and to be ready to speak well of teachers, as it is reported of Domitius and Athenodotus; and to love my children truly.
From my brother Severus, to love my kin12, and to love truth, and to love justice; and through him I learned to know Thrasea, Helvidius, Cato, Dion, Brutus; and from him I received the idea of a polity in which there is the same law for all, a polity administered with regard to equal rights and equal freedom of speech, and the idea of a kingly government which respects most of all the freedom of the governed; I learned from him also consistency47 and undeviating steadiness in my regard for philosophy; and a disposition to do good, and to give to others readily, and to cherish good hopes, and to believe that I am loved by my friends; and in him I observed no concealment48 of his opinions with respect to those whom he condemned49, and that his friends had no need to conjecture50 what he wished or did not wish, but it was quite plain.
From Maximus I learned self-government, and not to be led aside by anything; and cheerfulness in all circumstances, as well as in illness; and a just admixture in the moral character of sweetness and dignity, and to do what was set before me without complaining. I observed that everybody believed that he thought as he spoke51, and that in all that he did he never had any bad intention; and he never showed amazement52 and surprise, and was never in a hurry, and never put off doing a thing, nor was perplexed53 nor dejected, nor did he ever laugh to disguise his vexation, nor, on the other hand, was he ever passionate10 or suspicious. He was accustomed to do acts of beneficence, and was ready to forgive, and was free from all falsehood; and he presented the appearance of a man who could not be diverted from right rather than of a man who had been improved. I observed, too, that no man could ever think that he was despised by Maximus, or ever venture to think himself a better man. He had also the art of being humorous in an agreeable way.
In my father I observed mildness of temper, and unchangeable resolution in the things which he had determined54 after due deliberation; and no vainglory in those things which men call honours; and a love of labour and perseverance55; and a readiness to listen to those who had anything to propose for the common weal; and undeviating firmness in giving to every man according to his deserts; and a knowledge derived56 from experience of the occasions for vigorous action and for remission. And I observed that he had overcome all passion for boys; and he considered himself no more than any other citizen; and he released his friends from all obligation to sup with him or to attend him of necessity when he went abroad, and those who had failed to accompany him, by reason of any urgent circumstances, always found him the same. I observed too his habit of careful inquiry in all matters of deliberation, and his persistency58, and that he never stopped his investigation59 through being satisfied with appearances which first present themselves; and that his disposition was to keep his friends, and not to be soon tired of them, nor yet to be extravagant60 in his affection; and to be satisfied on all occasions, and cheerful; and to foresee things a long way off, and to provide for the smallest without display; and to check immediately popular applause and all flattery; and to be ever watchful61 over the things which were necessary for the administration of the empire, and to be a good manager of the expenditure62, and patiently to endure the blame which he got for such conduct; and he was neither superstitious63 with respect to the gods, nor did he court men by gifts or by trying to please them, or by flattering the populace; but he showed sobriety in all things and firmness, and never any mean thoughts or action, nor love of novelty. And the things which conduce in any way to the commodity of life, and of which fortune gives an abundant supply, he used without arrogance64 and without excusing himself; so that when he had them, he enjoyed them without affectation, and when he had them not, he did not want them. No one could ever say of him that he was either a sophist or a home-bred flippant slave or a pedant65; but every one acknowledged him to be a man ripe, perfect, above flattery, able to manage his own and other men’s affairs. Besides this, he honoured those who were true philosophers, and he did not reproach those who pretended to be philosophers, nor yet was he easily led by them. He was also easy in conversation, and he made himself agreeable without any offensive affectation. He took a reasonable care of his body’s health, not as one who was greatly attached to life, nor out of regard to personal appearance, nor yet in a careless way, but so that, through his own attention, he very seldom stood in need of the physician’s art or of medicine or external applications. He was most ready to give way without envy to those who possessed any particular faculty, such as that of eloquence66 or knowledge of the law or of morals, or of anything else; and he gave them his help, that each might enjoy reputation according to his deserts; and he always acted conformably to the institutions of his country, without showing any affectation of doing so. Further, he was not fond of change nor unsteady, but he loved to stay in the same places, and to employ himself about the same things; and after his paroxysms of headache he came immediately fresh and vigorous to his usual occupations. His secrets were not but very few and very rare, and these only about public matters; and he showed prudence67 and economy in the exhibition of the public spectacles and the construction of public buildings, his donations to the people, and in such things, for he was a man who looked to what ought to be done, not to the reputation which is got by a man’s acts. He did not take the bath at unseasonable hours; he was not fond of building houses, nor curious about what he ate, nor about the texture68 and colour of his clothes, nor about the beauty of his slaves. His dress came from Lorium, his villa69 on the coast, and from Lanuvium generally. We know how he behaved to the toll-collector at Tusculum who asked his pardon; and such was all his behaviour. There was in him nothing harsh, nor implacable, nor violent, nor, as one may say, anything carried to the sweating point; but he examined all things severally, as if he had abundance of time, and without confusion, in an orderly way, vigorously and consistently. And that might be applied70 to him which is recorded of Socrates, that he was able both to abstain from, and to enjoy, those things which many are too weak to abstain from, and cannot enjoy without excess. But to be strong enough both to bear the one and to be sober in the other is the mark of a man who has a perfect and invincible71 soul, such as he showed in the illness of Maximus.
To the gods I am indebted for having good grandfathers, good parents, a good sister, good teachers, good associates, good kinsmen72 and friends, nearly everything good. Further, I owe it to the gods that I was not hurried into any offence against any of them, though I had a disposition which, if opportunity had offered, might have led me to do something of this kind; but, through their favour, there never was such a concurrence73 of circumstances as put me to the trial. Further, I am thankful to the gods that I was not longer brought up with my grandfather’s concubine, and that I preserved the flower of my youth, and that I did not make proof of my virility74 before the proper season, but even deferred75 the time; that I was subjected to a ruler and a father who was able to take away all pride from me, and to bring me to the knowledge that it is possible for a man to live in a palace without wanting either guards or embroidered76 dresses, or torches and statues, and such-like show; but that it is in such a man’s power to bring himself very near to the fashion of a private person, without being for this reason either meaner in thought, or more remiss57 in action, with respect to the things which must be done for the public interest in a manner that befits a ruler. I thank the gods for giving me such a brother, who was able by his moral character to rouse me to vigilance over myself, and who, at the same time, pleased me by his respect and affection; that my children have not been stupid nor deformed77 in body; that I did not make more proficiency78 in rhetoric, poetry, and the other studies, in which I should perhaps have been completely engaged, if I had seen that I was making progress in them; that I made haste to place those who brought me up in the station of honour, which they seemed to desire, without putting them off with hope of my doing it some time after, because they were then still young; that I knew Apollonius, Rusticus, Maximus; that I received clear and frequent impressions about living according to nature, and what kind of a life that is, so that, so far as depended on the gods, and their gifts, and help, and inspirations, nothing hindered me from forthwith living according to nature, though I still fall short of it through my own fault, and through not observing the admonitions of the gods, and, I may almost say, their direct instructions; that my body has held out so long in such a kind of life; that I never touched either Benedicta or Theodotus, and that, after having fallen into amatory passions, I was cured; and, though I was often out of humour with Rusticus, I never did anything of which I had occasion to repent79; that, though it was my mother’s fate to die young, she spent the last years of her life with me; that, whenever I wished to help any man in his need, or on any other occasion, I was never told that I had not the means of doing it; and that to myself the same necessity never happened, to receive anything from another; that I have such a wife, so obedient, and so affectionate, and so simple; that I had abundance of good masters for my children; and that remedies have been shown to me by dreams, both others, and against bloodspitting and giddiness . . .; and that, when I had an inclination80 to philosophy, I did not fall into the hands of any sophist, and that I did not waste my time on writers of histories, or in the resolution of syllogisms, or occupy myself about the investigation of appearances in the heavens; for all these things require the help of the gods and fortune.
Among the Quadi at the Granua.
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1
modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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manly
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| adj.有男子气概的；adv.男子般地，果断地 | |
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piety
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| n.虔诚，虔敬 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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meddle
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| v.干预，干涉，插手 | |
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slander
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| n./v.诽谤，污蔑 | |
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trifling
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| adj.微不足道的；没什么价值的 | |
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quails
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| 鹌鹑( quail的名词复数 )； 鹌鹑肉 | |
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passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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plank
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| n.板条，木板，政策要点，政纲条目 | |
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kin
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| n.家族，亲属，血缘关系；adj.亲属关系的，同类的 | |
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emulation
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| n.竞争；仿效 | |
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speculative
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| adj.思索性的，暝想性的，推理的 | |
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orations
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| n.（正式仪式中的）演说，演讲( oration的名词复数 ) | |
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16
benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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abstain
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| v.自制，戒绝，弃权，避免 | |
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rhetoric
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| n.修辞学，浮夸之言语 | |
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19
pacified
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| 使（某人）安静( pacify的过去式和过去分词 )； 息怒； 抚慰； 在（有战争的地区、国家等）实现和平 | |
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20
assent
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| v.批准，认可；n.批准，认可 | |
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discourses
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| 论文( discourse的名词复数 )； 演说； 讲道； 话语 | |
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resolute
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| adj.坚决的，果敢的 | |
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peevish
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| adj.易怒的，坏脾气的 | |
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expounding
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| 论述，详细讲解( expound的现在分词 ) | |
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philosophical
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| adj.哲学家的，哲学上的，达观的 | |
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esteemed
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| adj.受人尊敬的v.尊敬( esteem的过去式和过去分词 )；敬重；认为；以为 | |
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humbled
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| adj. 卑下的，谦逊的，粗陋的 vt. 使 ... 卑下，贬低 | |
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disposition
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| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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venerated
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| 敬重（某人或某事物），崇敬( venerate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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faculty
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| n.才能；学院，系；(学院或系的)全体教学人员 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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approbation
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| n.称赞；认可 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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ostentation
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| n.夸耀，卖弄 | |
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chide
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| v.叱责；谴责 | |
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dexterously
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| adv.巧妙地，敏捷地 | |
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confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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hypocrisy
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| n.伪善，虚伪 | |
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41
tyrant
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| n.暴君，专制的君主，残暴的人 | |
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42
patricians
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| n.（古罗马的）统治阶层成员( patrician的名词复数 )；贵族，显贵 | |
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43
deficient
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| adj.不足的，不充份的，有缺陷的 | |
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paternal
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| adj.父亲的，像父亲的，父系的，父方的 | |
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45
platonic
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| adj.精神的；柏拉图（哲学）的 | |
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46
alleging
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| 断言，宣称，辩解( allege的现在分词 ) | |
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47
consistency
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| n.一贯性，前后一致，稳定性；(液体的)浓度 | |
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concealment
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| n.隐藏, 掩盖，隐瞒 | |
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49
condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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50
conjecture
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| n./v.推测，猜测 | |
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51
spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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52
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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53
perplexed
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| adj.不知所措的 | |
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54
determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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55
perseverance
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| n.坚持不懈，不屈不挠 | |
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56
derived
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| vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取 | |
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57
remiss
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| adj.不小心的，马虎 | |
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58
persistency
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| n. 坚持(余辉, 时间常数) | |
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59
investigation
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| n.调查，调查研究 | |
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60
extravagant
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| adj.奢侈的；过分的；(言行等)放肆的 | |
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watchful
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| adj.注意的，警惕的 | |
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62
expenditure
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| n.(时间、劳力、金钱等)支出；使用，消耗 | |
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superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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arrogance
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| n.傲慢，自大 | |
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pedant
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| n.迂儒；卖弄学问的人 | |
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eloquence
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| n.雄辩；口才，修辞 | |
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67
prudence
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| n.谨慎，精明，节俭 | |
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68
texture
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| n.(织物)质地；(材料)构造；结构；肌理 | |
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villa
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| n.别墅，城郊小屋 | |
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70
applied
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| adj.应用的；v.应用，适用 | |
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71
invincible
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| adj.不可征服的，难以制服的 | |
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72
kinsmen
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| n.家属，亲属( kinsman的名词复数 ) | |
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73
concurrence
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| n.同意；并发 | |
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74
virility
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| n.雄劲，丈夫气 | |
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75
deferred
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| adj.延期的，缓召的v.拖延，延缓，推迟( defer的过去式和过去分词 )；服从某人的意愿，遵从 | |
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76
embroidered
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| adj．绣花的 | |
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77
deformed
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| adj.畸形的；变形的；丑的，破相了的 | |
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78
proficiency
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| n.精通，熟练，精练 | |
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79
repent
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| v.悔悟，悔改，忏悔，后悔 | |
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inclination
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| n.倾斜；点头；弯腰；斜坡；倾度；倾向；爱好 | |
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