We ought to observe also that even the things which follow after the things which are produced according to nature contain something pleasing and attractive. For instance, when bread is baked some parts are split at the surface, and these parts which thus open, and have a certain fashion contrary to the purpose of the baker’s art, are beautiful in a manner, and in a peculiar3 way excite a desire for eating. And again, figs4, when they are quite ripe, gape5 open; and in the ripe olives the very circumstance of their being near to rottenness adds a peculiar beauty to the fruit. And the ears of corn bending down, and the lion’s eyebrows6, and the foam7 which flows from the mouth of wild boars, and many other things — though they are far from being beautiful, if a man should examine them severally — still, because they are consequent upon the things which are formed by nature, help to adorn8 them, and they please the mind; so that if a man should have a feeling and deeper insight with respect to the things which are produced in the universe, there is hardly one of those which follow by way of consequence which will not seem to him to be in a manner disposed so as to give pleasure. And so he will see even the real gaping9 jaws10 of wild beasts with no less pleasure than those which painters and sculptors11 show by imitation; and in an old woman and an old man he will be able to see a certain maturity12 and comeliness13; and the attractive loveliness of young persons he will be able to look on with chaste14 eyes; and many such things will present themselves, not pleasing to every man, but to him only who has become truly familiar with nature and her works.
Hippocrates after curing many diseases himself fell sick and died. The Chaldaei foretold15 the deaths of many, and then fate caught them too. Alexander, and Pompeius, and Caius Caesar, after so often completely destroying whole cities, and in battle cutting to pieces many ten thousands of cavalry16 and infantry17, themselves too at last departed from life. Heraclitus, after so many speculations18 on the conflagration19 of the universe, was filled with water internally and died smeared20 all over with mud. And lice destroyed Democritus; and other lice killed Socrates. What means all this? Thou hast embarked21, thou hast made the voyage, thou art come to shore; get out. If indeed to another life, there is no want of gods, not even there. But if to a state without sensation, thou wilt22 cease to be held by pains and pleasures, and to be a slave to the vessel23, which is as much inferior as that which serves it is superior: for the one is intelligence and deity24; the other is earth and corruption25.
Do not waste the remainder of thy life in thoughts about others, when thou dost not refer thy thoughts to some object of common utility. For thou losest the opportunity of doing something else when thou hast such thoughts as these, What is such a person doing, and why, and what is he saying, and what is he thinking of, and what is he contriving27, and whatever else of the kind makes us wander away from the observation of our own ruling power. We ought then to check in the series of our thoughts everything that is without a purpose and useless, but most of all the over-curious feeling and the malignant28; and a man should use himself to think of those things only about which if one should suddenly ask, What hast thou now in thy thoughts? With perfect openness thou mightest, immediately answer, This or That; so that from thy words it should be plain that everything in thee is simple and benevolent29, and such as befits a social animal, and one that cares not for thoughts about pleasure or sensual enjoyments31 at all, nor has any rivalry32 or envy and suspicion, or anything else for which thou wouldst blush if thou shouldst say that thou hadst it in thy mind. For the man who is such and no longer delays being among the number of the best, is like a priest and minister of the gods, using too the deity which is planted within him, which makes the man uncontaminated by pleasure, unharmed by any pain, untouched by any insult, feeling no wrong, a fighter in the noblest fight, one who cannot be overpowered by any passion, dyed deep with justice, accepting with all his soul everything which happens and is assigned to him as his portion; and not often, nor yet without great necessity and for the general interest, imagining what another says, or does, or thinks. For it is only what belongs to himself that he makes the matter for his activity; and he constantly thinks of that which is allotted33 to himself out of the sum total of things, and he makes his own acts fair, and he is persuaded that his own portion is good. For the lot which is assigned to each man is carried along with him and carries him along with it. And he remembers also that every rational animal is his kinsman34, and that to care for all men is according to man’s nature; and a man should hold on to the opinion not of all, but of those only who confessedly live according to nature. But as to those who live not so, he always bears in mind what kind of men they are both at home and from home, both by night and by day, and what they are, and with what men they live an impure35 life. Accordingly, he does not value at all the praise which comes from such men, since they are not even satisfied with themselves.
Labour not unwillingly36, nor without regard to the common interest, nor without due consideration, nor with distraction37; nor let studied ornament38 set off thy thoughts, and be not either a man of many words, or busy about too many things. And further, let the deity which is in thee be the guardian39 of a living being, manly40 and of ripe age, and engaged in matter political, and a Roman, and a ruler, who has taken his post like a man waiting for the signal which summons him from life, and ready to go, having need neither of oath nor of any man’s testimony41. Be cheerful also, and seek not external help nor the tranquility which others give. A man then must stand erect43, not be kept erect by others.
If thou findest in human life anything better than justice, truth, temperance, fortitude44, and, in a word, anything better than thy own mind’s self-satisfaction in the things which it enables thee to do according to right reason, and in the condition that is assigned to thee without thy own choice; if, I say, thou seest anything better than this, turn to it with all thy soul, and enjoy that which thou hast found to be the best. But if nothing appears to be better than the deity which is planted in thee, which has subjected to itself all thy appetites, and carefully examines all the impressions, and, as Socrates said, has detached itself from the persuasions45 of sense, and has submitted itself to the gods, and cares for mankind; if thou findest everything else smaller and of less value than this, give place to nothing else, for if thou dost once diverge46 and incline to it, thou wilt no longer without distraction be able to give the preference to that good thing which is thy proper possession and thy own; for it is not right that anything of any other kind, such as praise from the many, or power, or enjoyment30 of pleasure, should come into competition with that which is rationally and politically or practically good. All these things, even though they may seem to adapt themselves to the better things in a small degree, obtain the superiority all at once, and carry us away. But do thou, I say, simply and freely choose the better, and hold to it. — But that which is useful is the better. — Well then, if it is useful to thee as a rational being, keep to it; but if it is only useful to thee as an animal, say so, and maintain thy judgement without arrogance47: only take care that thou makest the inquiry48 by a sure method.
Never value anything as profitable to thyself which shall compel thee to break thy promise, to lose thy self-respect, to hate any man, to suspect, to curse, to act the hypocrite, to desire anything which needs walls and curtains: for he who has preferred to everything intelligence and daemon and the worship of its excellence49, acts no tragic50 part, does not groan51, will not need either solitude52 or much company; and, what is chief of all, he will live without either pursuing or flying from death; but whether for a longer or a shorter time he shall have the soul inclosed in the body, he cares not at all: for even if he must depart immediately, he will go as readily as if he were going to do anything else which can be done with decency53 and order; taking care of this only all through life, that his thoughts turn not away from anything which belongs to an intelligent animal and a member of a civil community.
In the mind of one who is chastened and purified thou wilt find no corrupt26 matter, nor impurity54, nor any sore skinned over. Nor is his life incomplete when fate overtakes him, as one may say of an actor who leaves the stage before ending and finishing the play. Besides, there is in him nothing servile, nor affected55, nor too closely bound to other things, nor yet detached from other things, nothing worthy56 of blame, nothing which seeks a hiding-place.
Reverence57 the faculty58 which produces opinion. On this faculty it entirely59 depends whether there shall exist in thy ruling part any opinion inconsistent with nature and the constitution of the rational animal. And this faculty promises freedom from hasty judgement, and friendship towards men, and obedience60 to the gods.
Throwing away then all things, hold to these only which are few; and besides bear in mind that every man lives only this present time, which is an indivisible point, and that all the rest of his life is either past or it is uncertain. Short then is the time which every man lives, and small the nook of the earth where he lives; and short too the longest posthumous61 fame, and even this only continued by a succession of poor human beings, who will very soon die, and who know not even themselves, much less him who died long ago.
To the aids which have been mentioned let this one still be added:— Make for thyself a definition or description of the thing which is presented to thee, so as to see distinctly what kind of a thing it is in its substance, in its nudity, in its complete entirety, and tell thyself its proper name, and the names of the things of which it has been compounded, and into which it will be resolved. For nothing is so productive of elevation62 of mind as to be able to examine methodically and truly every object which is presented to thee in life, and always to look at things so as to see at the same time what kind of universe this is, and what kind of use everything performs in it, and what value everything has with reference to the whole, and what with reference to man, who is a citizen of the highest city, of which all other cities are like families; what each thing is, and of what it is composed, and how long it is the nature of this thing to endure which now makes an impression on me, and what virtue63 I have need of with respect to it, such as gentleness, manliness64, truth, fidelity65, simplicity66, contentment, and the rest. Wherefore, on every occasion a man should say: this comes from God; and this is according to the apportionment and spinning of the thread of destiny, and such-like coincidence and chance; and this is from one of the same stock, and a kinsman and partner, one who knows not however what is according to his nature. But I know; for this reason I behave towards him according to the natural law of fellowship with benevolence67 and justice. At the same time however in things indifferent I attempt to ascertain68 the value of each.
If thou workest at that which is before thee, following right reason seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything else to distract thee, but keeping thy divine part pure, as if thou shouldst be bound to give it back immediately; if thou holdest to this, expecting nothing, fearing nothing, but satisfied with thy present activity according to nature, and with heroic truth in every word and sound which thou utterest, thou wilt live happy. And there is no man who is able to prevent this.
As physicians have always their instruments and knives ready for cases which suddenly require their skill, so do thou have principles ready for the understanding of things divine and human, and for doing everything, even the smallest, with a recollection of the bond which unites the divine and human to one another. For neither wilt thou do anything well which pertains69 to man without at the same time having a reference to things divine; nor the contrary.
No longer wander at hazard; for neither wilt thou read thy own memoirs70, nor the acts of the ancient Romans and Hellenes, and the selections from books which thou wast reserving for thy old age. Hasten then to the end which thou hast before thee, and throwing away idle hopes, come to thy own aid, if thou carest at all for thyself, while it is in thy power.
They know not how many things are signified by the words stealing, sowing, buying, keeping quiet, seeing what ought to be done; for this is not effected by the eyes, but by another kind of vision.
Body, soul, intelligence: to the body belong sensations, to the soul appetites, to the intelligence principles. To receive the impressions of forms by means of appearances belongs even to animals; to be pulled by the strings71 of desire belongs both to wild beasts and to men who have made themselves into women, and to a Phalaris and a Nero: and to have the intelligence that guides to the things which appear suitable belongs also to those who do not believe in the gods, and who betray their country, and do their impure deeds when they have shut the doors. If then everything else is common to all that I have mentioned, there remains72 that which is peculiar to the good man, to be pleased and content with what happens, and with the thread which is spun73 for him; and not to defile74 the divinity which is planted in his breast, nor disturb it by a crowd of images, but to preserve it tranquil42, following it obediently as a god, neither saying anything contrary to the truth, nor doing anything contrary to justice. And if all men refuse to believe that he lives a simple, modest, and contented75 life, he is neither angry with any of them, nor does he deviate76 from the way which leads to the end of life, to which a man ought to come pure, tranquil, ready to depart, and without any compulsion perfectly77 reconciled to his lot.
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1
dotage
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| n.年老体衰；年老昏聩 | |
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perspiration
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| n.汗水；出汗 | |
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peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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figs
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| figures 数字，图形，外形 | |
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gape
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| v.张口，打呵欠，目瞪口呆地凝视 | |
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eyebrows
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| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
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foam
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| v./n.泡沫，起泡沫 | |
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adorn
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| vt.使美化，装饰 | |
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gaping
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| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
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jaws
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| n.口部；嘴 | |
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sculptors
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| 雕刻家，雕塑家( sculptor的名词复数 )； [天]玉夫座 | |
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maturity
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| n.成熟；完成；(支票、债券等)到期 | |
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comeliness
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| n. 清秀, 美丽, 合宜 | |
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chaste
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| adj.贞洁的；有道德的；善良的；简朴的 | |
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foretold
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| v.预言，预示( foretell的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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cavalry
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| n.骑兵；轻装甲部队 | |
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infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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speculations
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| n.投机买卖( speculation的名词复数 )；思考；投机活动；推断 | |
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conflagration
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| n.建筑物或森林大火 | |
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smeared
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| 弄脏； 玷污； 涂抹； 擦上 | |
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embarked
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| 乘船( embark的过去式和过去分词 )； 装载； 从事 | |
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wilt
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| v.(使)植物凋谢或枯萎；(指人)疲倦，衰弱 | |
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vessel
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| n.船舶；容器，器皿；管，导管，血管 | |
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deity
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| n.神，神性；被奉若神明的人(或物) | |
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corruption
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| n.腐败，堕落，贪污 | |
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corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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contriving
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| （不顾困难地）促成某事( contrive的现在分词 )； 巧妙地策划，精巧地制造（如机器）； 设法做到 | |
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malignant
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| adj.恶性的，致命的；恶意的，恶毒的 | |
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benevolent
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| adj.仁慈的，乐善好施的 | |
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enjoyment
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| n.乐趣；享有；享用 | |
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enjoyments
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| 愉快( enjoyment的名词复数 )； 令人愉快的事物； 享有； 享受 | |
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rivalry
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| n.竞争，竞赛，对抗 | |
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allotted
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| 分配，拨给，摊派( allot的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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kinsman
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| n.男亲属 | |
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impure
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| adj.不纯净的，不洁的；不道德的，下流的 | |
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unwillingly
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| adv.不情愿地 | |
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distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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ornament
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| v.装饰，美化；n.装饰，装饰物 | |
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guardian
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| n.监护人；守卫者，保护者 | |
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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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testimony
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| n.证词；见证，证明 | |
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42
tranquil
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| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
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erect
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| n./v.树立，建立，使竖立；adj.直立的，垂直的 | |
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fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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persuasions
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| n.劝说，说服（力）( persuasion的名词复数 )；信仰 | |
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46
diverge
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| v.分叉，分歧，离题，使...岔开，使转向 | |
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arrogance
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| n.傲慢，自大 | |
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inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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excellence
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| n.优秀，杰出，(pl.)优点，美德 | |
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tragic
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| adj.悲剧的，悲剧性的，悲惨的 | |
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51
groan
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| vi./n.呻吟，抱怨；(发出)呻吟般的声音 | |
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52
solitude
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| n. 孤独; 独居,荒僻之地,幽静的地方 | |
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decency
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| n.体面，得体，合宜，正派，庄重 | |
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impurity
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| n.不洁，不纯，杂质 | |
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affected
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| adj.不自然的，假装的 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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57
reverence
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| n.敬畏，尊敬，尊严；Reverence:对某些基督教神职人员的尊称；v.尊敬，敬畏，崇敬 | |
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58
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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59
entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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obedience
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| n.服从，顺从 | |
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posthumous
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| adj.遗腹的；父亡后出生的；死后的，身后的 | |
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elevation
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| n.高度；海拔；高地；上升；提高 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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manliness
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| 刚毅 | |
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fidelity
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| n.忠诚，忠实；精确 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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benevolence
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| n.慈悲，捐助 | |
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ascertain
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| vt.发现，确定，查明，弄清 | |
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pertains
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| 关于( pertain的第三人称单数 )； 有关； 存在； 适用 | |
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memoirs
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| n.回忆录；回忆录传( mem,自oir的名词复数) | |
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71
strings
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| n.弦 | |
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72
remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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73
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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defile
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| v.弄污，弄脏；n.(山间)小道 | |
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contented
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| adj.满意的，安心的，知足的 | |
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76
deviate
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| v.(from)背离，偏离 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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