the meditations-第43章

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ent　bodies；　in　number　infinite。　　There　is　but　one　common　soul；　though　divided　into　innumerable　particular　essences　and　natures。　　So　is　there　but　one　common　intellectual　soul；　though　it　seem　to　be　divided。　And　as　for　all　other　parts　of　those　generals　which　we　have　mentioned；　as　either　sensitive　souls　or　subjects；　these　of　themselves　（as　naturally　irrational）　have　no　common　mutual　reference　one　unto　another；　though　many　of　them　contain　a　mind；　or　reasonable　faculty　in　them；　whereby　they　are　ruled　and　governed。　But　of　every　reasonable　mind；　this　the　particular　nature；　that　it　hath　reference　to　whatsoever　is　of　her　own　kind；　and　desireth　to　be　united：　　neither　can　this　common　affection；　or　mutual　unity　and　correspondency；　be　here　intercepted　or　divided；　or　confined　to　particulars　as　those　other　common　things　are。

XXIV。　　What　doest　thou　desire？　　To　live　long。　　What？　　To　enjoy　the　operations　of　a　sensitive　soul；　or　of　the　appetitive　faculty？　or　wouldst　thou　grow；　and　then　decrease　again？　Wouldst　thou　long　be　able　to　talk；　to　think　and　reason　with　thyself？　Which　of　all　these　seems　unto　thee　a　worthy　object　of　thy　desire？　Now　if　of　all　these　thou　doest　find　that　they　be　but　little　worth　in　themselves；　proceed　on　unto　the　last；　which　is；　in　all　things　to　follow　God　and　reason。　　But　for　a　man　to　grieve　that　by　death　he　shall　be　deprived　of　any　of　these　things；　is　both　against　God　and　reason。

XXV。　　What　a　small　portion　of　vast　and　infinite　eternity　it　is；　that　is　allowed　unto　every　one　of　us；　and　how　soon　it　vanisheth　into　the　general　age　of　the　world：　　of　the　common　substance；　and　of　the　common　soul　also　what　a　small　portion　is　allotted　unto　us：　　and　in　what　a　little　clod　of　the　whole　earth　（as　it　were）　it　is　that　thou　doest　crawl。　After　thou　shalt　rightly　have　considered　these　things　with　thyself；　fancy　not　anything　else　in　the　world　any　more　to　be　of　any　weight　and　moment　but　this；　to　do　that　only　which　thine　own　nature　doth　require；　and　to　conform　thyself　to　that　which　the　common　nature　doth　afford。

XXVI。　　What　is　the　present　estate　of　my　understanding？　For　herein　lieth　all　indeed。　　As　for　all　other　things；　they　are　without　the　compass　of　mine　own　will：　　and　if　without　the　compass　of　my　will；　then　are　they　as　dead　things　unto　me；　and　as　it　were　mere　smoke。

XXVII。　　To　stir　up　a　man　to　the　contempt　of　death　this　among　other　things；　is　of　good　power　and　efficacy；　that　even　they　who　esteemed　pleasure　to　be　happiness；　and　pain　misery；　did　nevertheless　many　of　them　contemn　death　as　much　as　any。　And　can　death　be　terrible　to　him；　to　whom　that　only　seems　good；　which　in　the　ordinary　course　of　nature　is　seasonable？　to　him；　to　whom；　whether　his　actions　be　many　or　few；　so　they　be　all　good；　is　all　one；　and　who　whether　he　behold　the　things　of　the　world　being　always　the　same　either　for　many　years；　or　for　few　years　only；　is　altogether　indifferent？　　O　man！　as　a　citizen　thou　hast　lived；　and　conversed　in　this　great　city　the　world。　Whether　just　for　so　many　years；　or　no；　what　is　it　unto　thee？　Thou　hast　lived　（thou　mayest　be　sure）　as　long　as　the　laws　and　orders　of　the　city　required；　which　may　be　the　common　comfort　of　all。　Why　then　should　it　be　grievous　unto　thee；　if　（not　a　tyrant；　nor　an　unjust　judge；　but）　the　same　nature　that　brought　thee　in；　doth　now　send　thee　out　of　the　world？　　As　if　the　praetor　should　fairly　dismiss　him　from　the　stage；　whom　he　had　taken　in　to　act　a　while。　　Oh；　but　the　play　is　not　yet　at　an　end；　there　are　but　three　acts　yet　acted　of　it？　　Thou　hast　well　said：　for　in　matter　of　life；　three　acts　is　the　whole　play。　Now　to　set　a　certain　time　to　every　man's　acting；　belongs　unto　him　only；　who　as　first　he　was　of　thy　composition；　so　is　now　the　cause　of　thy　dissolution。　　As　for　thyself；　thou　hast　to　do　with　neither。　　Go　thy　ways　then　well　pleased　and　contented：　for　so　is　He　that　dismisseth　thee。

APPENDIX

CORRESPONDENCE　OF　M。　AURELIUS　ANTONINUS　AND　M。　CORNELIUS　FRONTO'

M。　CORNELIUS　FRONTO（1）　was　a　Roman　by　descent；　but　of　provincial　birth；　being　native　to　Cirta；　in　Numidia。　　Thence　he　migrated　to　Rome　in　the　reign　of　Hadrian；　and　became　the　most　famous　rhetorician　of　his　day。　As　a　pleader　and　orator　he　was　counted　by　his　contemporaries　hardly　inferior　to　Tully　himself；　and　as　a　teacher　his　aid　was　sought　for　the　noblest　youths　of　Rome。　　To　him　was　entrusted　the　education　of　M。

Aurelius　and　of　his　colleague　L。　Verus　in　their　boyhood；　and　he　was　rewarded　for　his　efforts　by　a　seat　in　the　Senate　and　the　consular　rank　（A。D。　143）。　　By　the　exercise　of　his　profession　he　became　wealthy；　and　if　he　speaks　of　his　means　as　not　great；（2）　he　must　be　comparing　his　wealth　with　the　grandees　of　Rome；　not　with　the　ordinary　citizen。

Before　the　present　century　nothing　was　known　of　the　works　of　Fronto；　except　a　grammatical　treatise；　but　in　1815　Cardinal　Mai　published　a　number　of　letters　and

some　short　essays　of　Fronto；　which　he　had　discovered　in　a　palimpsest　at　Milan。　　Other　parts　of　the　same　MS。　　he　found　later　in　the　Vatican；　the　whole　being　collected　（1）　References　are　made　to　the　edition　of　Naber；　Leipzig　（Trübner）；　1867。

（2）　Ad　Verum　imp。　　Aur。　　Caes。；　ii；　7。

and　edited　in　the　year　1823。　　We　now　possess　parts　of　his　correspondence　with　Antoninus　Pius；　with　M。　Aurelius；　with　L。　Verus；　and　with　certain　of　his　friends；　and　also　several　rhetorical　and　historical　fragments。　Though　none　of　the　more　ambitious　works　of　Fronto　have　survived；　there　are　enough　to　give　proof　of　his　powers。　Never　was　a　great　literary　reputation　less　deserved。　It　would　be　bard　to　conceive　of　anything　more　vapid　than　the　style　and　conception　of　these　letters；　clearly　the　man　was　a　pedant　without　imagination　or　taste。　　Such　indeed　was　the　age　he　lived　in；　and　it　is　no　marvel　that　he　was　like　to　his　age。　But　there　must　have　been　more　in　him　than　mere　pedantry；　there　was　indeed　a　heart　in　the　man；　which　Marcus　found；　arid　he　found　also　a　tongue　which　could　speak　the　truth。　Fronto's　letters　are　by　no　means　free　from　exaggeration　and　laudation；　but　they　do　not　show　that　loathsome　flattery　which　filled　the　Roman　court。　　He　really　admires　what　he　praises；　and　his　way　of　saying　so　is　not　unlike　what　often　passes　for　criticism　at　the　present　day。　　He　is　not　afraid　to　reprove　what　he　thinks　amiss；　and　the　astonishment　of　Marcus　at　this　will　prove；　if　proof　were　needed；　that　he　was　not　used　to　plain　dealing。　〃How　happy　I　am；〃　he　writes；　〃that　my　friend　Marcus　Cornelius；　so　distinguished　as　an　orator　and　so　noble　as　a　man；　thinks　me　worth　praising　and　blaming。〃（1）　In　another　place　he　deems　himself　blest　because　Pronto　had　taught　him　to　speak　the　truth（2）　although　the　context　shows　him　to　be　speaking　of　expression；　it　is　still　a　point　in　favour　of　Pronto。　A　sincere　heart　is　better　than　literary　taste；　and　if　Fronto　had　not　done　his　duty　by　the　young　prince；　it　is　not　easy　to　understand　the　friendship　which　remained　between　them　up　to　the　last。

An　example　of　the　frankness　which　was　between　them　is　given　by　a　difference　they　had　over　the　case　of　Herodes　Atticus。　Herodes　was　a　Greek　rhetorician　who　had　a　school　at　Rome；　and　Marcus　Aurelius　was　among　his　pupils。　　Both　Marcus　and　the　Emperor　（1）　Ad　M。　Caes　iii。　　17　（2）　Ad　M。　Caes　iii。　12　Antoninus　had　a　high　opinion　of　Herodes；　and　all　we　know　goes　to　prove　he　was　a　man　of　high　character　and　princely　generosity。　When　quite　young　he　was　made　administrator　of　the　free　cities　in　Asia；　nor　is　it　surprising　to　find　that　he　made　bitter　enemies　there；　indeed；　a　just　ruler　was　sure　to　make　enemies。　The　end　of　it　was　that　an　Athenian　deputation；　headed　by　the　orators　Theodotus　and　Demostratus；　made　serious　accusations　against　his　honour。　There　is　no　need　to　discuss　the　merits　of　the　case　here；　suffice　it　to　say；　Herodes　succeeded　in　defending　himself　to　the　satisfaction　of　the　emperor。　　Pronto　appears　to　have　taken　the　delegates'　part；　and　to　have　accepted　a　brief　for　the　prosecution；　urged　to　some　extent　by　personal　considerations；　and　in　this　cause　Marcus　Aurelius　writes　to　Fronto　as　follows　'AURELIUS　CAESAR　to　his　friend　FRONTO；　greeting。（1）　'I　know　you　have　often　told　me　you　were　anxious　to　find　how　you　might　best　please　me。　　Now　is　the　time；　now　you　can　increase　my　love　towards　you；　if　it　can　be　increased。　A　trial　is　at　hand；　in　which　pe