DioLiu/Test1 · Datasets at Hugging Face

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they? For instance the sharp-witted men, Charax and Demetrius the
Platonist and Eudaemon, and any one else like them. All ephemeral,
dead long ago. Some indeed have not been remembered even for a short
time, and others have become the heroes of fables, and again others
have disappeared even from fables. Remember this then, that this little
compound, thyself, must either be dissolved, or thy poor breath must
be extinguished, or be removed and placed elsewhere.

It is satisfaction to a man to do the proper works of a man. Now it
is a proper work of a man to be benevolent to his own kind, to despise
the movements of the senses, to form a just judgement of plausible
appearances, and to take a survey of the nature of the universe and
of the things which happen in it.

There are three relations between thee and other things: the one to
the body which surrounds thee; the second to the divine cause from
which all things come to all; and the third to those who live with
thee.

Pain is either an evil to the body- then let the body say what it
thinks of it- or to the soul; but it is in the power of the soul to
maintain its own serenity and tranquility, and not to think that pain
is an evil. For every judgement and movement and desire and aversion
is within, and no evil ascends so high.

Wipe out thy imaginations by often saying to thyself: now it is in
my power to let no badness be in this soul, nor desire nor any perturbation
at all; but looking at all things I see what is their nature, and
I use each according to its value.- Remember this power which thou
hast from nature.

Speak both in the senate and to every man, whoever he may be, appropriately,
not with any affectation: use plain discourse.

Augustus' court, wife, daughter, descendants, ancestors, sister, Agrippa,
kinsmen, intimates, friends, Areius, Maecenas, physicians and sacrificing
priests- the whole court is dead. Then turn to the rest, not considering
the death of a single man, but of a whole race, as of the Pompeii;
and that which is inscribed on the tombs- The last of his race. Then
consider what trouble those before them have had that they might leave
a successor; and then, that of necessity some one must be the last.
Again here consider the death of a whole race.

It is thy duty to order thy life well in every single act; and if
every act does its duty, as far as is possible, be content; and no
one is able to hinder thee so that each act shall not do its duty.-
But something external will stand in the way.- Nothing will stand
in the way of thy acting justly and soberly and considerately.- But
perhaps some other active power will be hindered.- Well, but by acquiescing
in the hindrance and by being content to transfer thy efforts to that
which is allowed, another opportunity of action is immediately put
before thee in place of that which was hindered, and one which will
adapt itself to this ordering of which we are speaking.

Receive wealth or prosperity without arrogance; and be ready to let
it go.

If thou didst ever see a hand cut off, or a foot, or a head, lying
anywhere apart from the rest of the body, such does a man make himself,
as far as he can, who is not content with what happens, and separates
himself from others, or does anything unsocial. Suppose that thou
hast detached thyself from the natural unity- for thou wast made by
nature a part, but now thou hast cut thyself off- yet here there is
this beautiful provision, that it is in thy power again to unite thyself.
God has allowed this to no other part, after it has been separated
and cut asunder, to come together again. But consider the kindness
by which he has distinguished man, for he has put it in his power
not to be separated at all from the universal; and when he has been
separated, he has allowed him to return and to be united and to resume
his place as a part.

As the nature of the universal has given to every rational being all
the other powers that it has, so we have received from it this power
also. For as the universal nature converts and fixes in its predestined
place everything which stands in the way and opposes it, and makes
such things a part of itself, so also the rational animal is able
to make every hindrance its own material, and to use it for such purposes
as it may have designed.

Do not disturb thyself by thinking of the whole of thy life. Let not
thy thoughts at once embrace all the various troubles which thou mayest
expect to befall thee: but on every occasion ask thyself, What is
there in this which is intolerable and past bearing? For thou wilt
be ashamed to confess. In the next place remember that neither the
future nor the past pains thee, but only the present. But this is
reduced to a very little, if thou only circumscribest it, and chidest
thy mind, if it is unable to hold out against even this.

Does Panthea or Pergamus now sit by the tomb of Verus? Does Chaurias
or Diotimus sit by the tomb of Hadrian? That would be ridiculous.
Well, suppose they did sit there, would the dead be conscious of it?
And if the dead were conscious, would they be pleased? And if they
were pleased, would that make them immortal? Was it not in the order
of destiny that these persons too should first become old women and
old men and then die? What then would those do after these were dead?
All this is foul smell and blood in a bag.

If thou canst see sharp, look and judge wisely, says the philosopher.

In the constitution of the rational animal I see no virtue which is

they? For instance the sharp-witted men, Charax and Demetrius the

Platonist and Eudaemon, and any one else like them. All ephemeral,

dead long ago. Some indeed have not been remembered even for a short

time, and others have become the heroes of fables, and again others

have disappeared even from fables. Remember this then, that this little

compound, thyself, must either be dissolved, or thy poor breath must

be extinguished, or be removed and placed elsewhere.

It is satisfaction to a man to do the proper works of a man. Now it

is a proper work of a man to be benevolent to his own kind, to despise

the movements of the senses, to form a just judgement of plausible

appearances, and to take a survey of the nature of the universe and

of the things which happen in it.

There are three relations between thee and other things: the one to

the body which surrounds thee; the second to the divine cause from

which all things come to all; and the third to those who live with

thee.

Pain is either an evil to the body- then let the body say what it

thinks of it- or to the soul; but it is in the power of the soul to

maintain its own serenity and tranquility, and not to think that pain

is an evil. For every judgement and movement and desire and aversion

is within, and no evil ascends so high.

Wipe out thy imaginations by often saying to thyself: now it is in

my power to let no badness be in this soul, nor desire nor any perturbation

at all; but looking at all things I see what is their nature, and

I use each according to its value.- Remember this power which thou

hast from nature.

Speak both in the senate and to every man, whoever he may be, appropriately,

not with any affectation: use plain discourse.

Augustus' court, wife, daughter, descendants, ancestors, sister, Agrippa,

kinsmen, intimates, friends, Areius, Maecenas, physicians and sacrificing

priests- the whole court is dead. Then turn to the rest, not considering

the death of a single man, but of a whole race, as of the Pompeii;

and that which is inscribed on the tombs- The last of his race. Then

consider what trouble those before them have had that they might leave

a successor; and then, that of necessity some one must be the last.

Again here consider the death of a whole race.

It is thy duty to order thy life well in every single act; and if

every act does its duty, as far as is possible, be content; and no

one is able to hinder thee so that each act shall not do its duty.-

But something external will stand in the way.- Nothing will stand

in the way of thy acting justly and soberly and considerately.- But

perhaps some other active power will be hindered.- Well, but by acquiescing

in the hindrance and by being content to transfer thy efforts to that

which is allowed, another opportunity of action is immediately put

before thee in place of that which was hindered, and one which will

adapt itself to this ordering of which we are speaking.

Receive wealth or prosperity without arrogance; and be ready to let

it go.

If thou didst ever see a hand cut off, or a foot, or a head, lying

anywhere apart from the rest of the body, such does a man make himself,

as far as he can, who is not content with what happens, and separates

himself from others, or does anything unsocial. Suppose that thou

hast detached thyself from the natural unity- for thou wast made by

nature a part, but now thou hast cut thyself off- yet here there is

this beautiful provision, that it is in thy power again to unite thyself.

God has allowed this to no other part, after it has been separated

and cut asunder, to come together again. But consider the kindness

by which he has distinguished man, for he has put it in his power

not to be separated at all from the universal; and when he has been

separated, he has allowed him to return and to be united and to resume

his place as a part.

As the nature of the universal has given to every rational being all

the other powers that it has, so we have received from it this power

also. For as the universal nature converts and fixes in its predestined

place everything which stands in the way and opposes it, and makes

such things a part of itself, so also the rational animal is able

to make every hindrance its own material, and to use it for such purposes

as it may have designed.

Do not disturb thyself by thinking of the whole of thy life. Let not

thy thoughts at once embrace all the various troubles which thou mayest

expect to befall thee: but on every occasion ask thyself, What is

there in this which is intolerable and past bearing? For thou wilt

be ashamed to confess. In the next place remember that neither the

future nor the past pains thee, but only the present. But this is

reduced to a very little, if thou only circumscribest it, and chidest

thy mind, if it is unable to hold out against even this.

Does Panthea or Pergamus now sit by the tomb of Verus? Does Chaurias

or Diotimus sit by the tomb of Hadrian? That would be ridiculous.

Well, suppose they did sit there, would the dead be conscious of it?

And if the dead were conscious, would they be pleased? And if they

were pleased, would that make them immortal? Was it not in the order

of destiny that these persons too should first become old women and

old men and then die? What then would those do after these were dead?

All this is foul smell and blood in a bag.

If thou canst see sharp, look and judge wisely, says the philosopher.

In the constitution of the rational animal I see no virtue which is