From my grandfather Verus[A] [I learned] good morals and the government
of my temper.
2. From the reputation and remembrance of my father,[B] modesty and a
manly character.
3. From my mother,[C] piety and beneficence, and abstinence, not only
from evil deeds, but even from evil thoughts; and further, simplicity in
my way of living, far removed from the habits of the rich.
4. From my great-grandfather,[D] 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.
[A] Annius Verus was his grandfather's name. There is no verb
in this section connected with the word "from," nor in the
following sections of this book; and it is not quite certain
what verb should be supplied. What I have added may express the
meaning here, though there are sections which it will not fit.
If he does not mean to say that he learned all these good
things from the several persons whom he mentions, he means that
he observed certain good qualities in them, or received certain
benefits from them, and it is implied that he was the better
for it, or at least might have been: for it would be a mistake
to understand Marcus as saying that he possessed all the
virtues which he observed in his kinsmen and teachers.
[B] His father's name was Annius Verus.
[C] His mother was Domitia Calvilla, named also Lucilla.
[D] Perhaps his mother's grandfather, Catilius Severus.
5. From my governor, to be neither of the green nor of the blue party at
the games in the Circus, nor a partisan either of the Parmularius or the
Scutarius at the gladiators' fights; from him too I learned endurance of
labor, and to want little, and to work with my own hands, and not to
meddle with other people's affairs, and not to be ready to listen to
slander.
6. From Diognetus,[A] not to busy myself about trifling 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 quails [for fighting], nor to give myself up passionately 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 plank bed and skin, and whatever else of the kind
belongs to the Grecian discipline.
[A] In the works of Justinus there is printed a letter to one
Diognetus, whom the writer names "most excellent." He was a
Gentile, but he wished very much to know what the religion of
the Christians was, what God they worshipped, and how this
worship made them despise the world and death, and neither
believe in the gods of the Greeks nor observe the superstition
of the Jews; and what was this love to one another which they
had, and why this new kind of religion was introduced now and
not before. My friend Mr. Jenkins, rector of Lyminge in Kent,
has suggested to me that this Diognetus may have been the tutor
of M. Antoninus.
7. From Rusticus[A] I received the impression that my character required
improvement and discipline; and from him I learned not to be led astray
to sophistic emulation, nor to writing on speculative matters, nor to
delivering little hortatory orations, nor to showing myself off as a man
who practises much discipline, or does benevolent acts in order to make
a display; and to abstain from rhetoric, 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 pacified 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 assent to those who talk overmuch; and I am indebted to him for
being acquainted with the discourses of Epictetus, which he communicated
to me out of his own collection.
[A] Q. Junius Rusticus was a Stoic philosopher, whom Antoninus
valued highly, and often took his advice (Capitol. _M. Antonin_.
iii).
Antoninus says, [Greek: tois Epiktêteiois hypomnêmasin] which
must not be translated, "the writings of Epictetus," for
Epictetus wrote nothing. His pupil Arrian, who has preserved
for us all that we know of Epictetus, says, [Greek: tauta
epeirathên hypomnêmata emautô diaphylaxai tês ekeinou dianoias]
(_Ep. ad. Gell_.)
8. From Apollonius[A] 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 resolute
and yielding, and not peevish in giving his instruction; and to have had
before my eyes a man who clearly considered his experience and his skill
in expounding philosophical principles as the smallest of his merits;
and from him I learned how to receive from friends what are esteemed
favors, without being either humbled by them or letting them pass
unnoticed.
[A] Apollonius of Chalcis came to Rome in the time of Pius to
be Marcus' preceptor. He was a rigid Stoic.
9. From Sextus,[A] a benevolent disposition, 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 intercourse with him was more
agreeable than any flattery; and at the same time he was most highly
venerated by those who associated with him: and he had the faculty both
of discovery and ordering, in an intelligent and methodical way, the
principles necessary for life; and he never showed anger or any other
passion, but was entirely free from passion, and also most affectionate;
and he could express approbation without noisy display, and he possessed
much knowledge without ostentation.
10. From Alexander[B] the grammarian, to refrain from fault-finding, and
not in a reproachful way to chide those who uttered any barbarous or
solecistic or strange-sounding expression; but dexterously to introduce
the very expression which ought to have been used, and in the way of
answer or giving confirmation, or joining in an inquiry about the thing
itself, not about the word, or by some other fit suggestion.
11. From Fronto[C] I learned to observe what envy and duplicity and
hypocrisy are in a tyrant, and that generally those among us who are
called Patricians are rather deficient in paternal affection.
12. From Alexander the Platonic, 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 alleging urgent occupations.
13. From Catulus[D] 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.
[A] Sextus of Chaeronea, a grandson of Plutarch, or nephew, as
some say; but more probably a grandson.
[B] Alexander was a Grammaticus, a native of Phrygia. He wrote
a commentary on Homer; and the rhetorician Aristides wrote a
panegyric on Alexander in a funeral oration.
[C] M. Cornelius Fronto was a rhetorician, and in great favor
with Marcus. There are extant various letters between Marcus
and Fronto.
[D] Cinna Catulus, a Stoic philosopher.
14. From my brother[A] Severus, to love my kin, and to love truth, and
to love justice; and through him I learned to know Thrasea, Helvidius,
Cato, Dion, Brutus;[B] 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 + consistency 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 concealment of his
opinions with respect to those whom he condemned, and that his friends
had no need to conjecture what he wished or did not wish, but it was
quite plain.
[A] The word brother may not be genuine. Antoninus had no
brother. It has been supposed that he may mean some cousin.
Schultz in his translation omits "brother," and says that this
Severus is probably Claudius Severus, a peripatetic.
[B] We know, from Tacitus (_Annal._ xiii., xvi. 21; and other
passages), who Thrasea and Helvidius were. Plutarch has written
the lives of the two Catos, and of Dion and Brutus. Antoninus
probably alludes to Cato of Utica, who was a Stoic.
15. From Maximus[A] 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 spoke, and that
in all that he did he never had any bad intention; and he never showed
amazement and surprise, and was never in a hurry, and never put off
doing a thing, nor was perplexed nor dejected, nor did he ever laugh to
disguise his vexation, nor, on the other hand, was he ever passionate 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.+
[A] Claudius Maximus was a Stoic philosopher, who was highly
esteemed also by Antoninus Pius, Marcus' predecessor. The
character of Maximus is that of a perfect man. (See viii. 25.)
16. In my father[A] I observed mildness of temper, and unchangeable
resolution in the things which he had determined after due deliberation;
and no vain-glory in those things which men call honors; and a love of
labor and perseverance; 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 derived
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;[B] 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 persistency, and that he never stopped his
investigation 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 extravagant 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 watchful over the things which were necessary for the
administration of the empire, and to be a good manager of the
expenditure, and patiently to endure the blame which he got for such
conduct; and he was neither superstitious 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 arrogance 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
pedant; 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 honored 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 without envy to those who possessed any particular
faculty, such as that of eloquence 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 many, but very
few and very rare, and these only about public matters; and he showed
prudence 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 texture and color of his clothes, nor
about the beauty of his slaves.[C] His dress came from Lorium, his villa
on the coast, and from Lanuvium generally.[D] We know how he behaved to
the toll-collector at Tusculum who asked his pardon; and such was all
his behavior. 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 applied to him which is recorded of Socrates,[E] 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 invincible soul, such as he showed
in the illness of Maximus.
[A] He means his adoptive father, his predecessor, the Emperor
Antoninus Pius. Compare vi. 30.
[B] He uses the word [Greek: koinonoêmosunê]. See Gataker's
note.
[C] This passage is corrupt, and the exact meaning is
uncertain.
[D] Lorium was a villa on the coast north of Rome, and there
Antoninus was brought up, and he died there. This also is
corrupt.
[E] Xenophon, Memorab. i. 3, 15.
17. To the gods I am indebted for having good grandfathers, good
parents, a good sister, good teachers, good associates, good kinsmen 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 favor, there never was such a
concurrence 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 virility before the proper season,
but even deferred the time; that I was subjected to a ruler and 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 embroidered 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 remiss 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,[A] 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 deformed in body;
that I did not make more proficiency 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 honor, which they seemed to
desire, without putting them off with hope of my doing it some other
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 humor with Rusticus, I never did anything of
which I had occasion to repent; 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,[B] 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[C]...; and that, when I had an inclination 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.