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Marcus Aurelius Antoninus to Himself - College of Stoic Philosophers

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xi TO HIMSELF 173<br />

aim must be social and unselfish. Direct all your<br />

inward endeavours <strong>to</strong> this end, and you will give<br />

unity <strong>to</strong> all your actions, and be always con-<br />

sistent with yourself.<br />

Think <strong>of</strong> the mountain-mouse 1 and the <strong>to</strong>wn- 22<br />

mouse, and the poor beast's scurry and scare !<br />

Socrates called popular beliefs Bug-bears<br />

children.<br />

for 23<br />

The Spartans at their festivals, for their guests 24<br />

set seats in the shade,<br />

they could.<br />

for themselves sat where<br />

Socrates declined the invitation <strong>of</strong> Archelaus 25<br />

son <strong>of</strong> Perdiccas, "<strong>to</strong> avoid" he said "death with<br />

ignominy "<br />

return.<br />

<strong>to</strong> wit, receiving favours he could not<br />

Among the statutes <strong>of</strong> the Ephesians was an 26<br />

injunction, <strong>to</strong> meditate continually on some ancient<br />

model <strong>of</strong> virtue.<br />

The Pythagoreans bid us every morning lift our 27<br />

eyes <strong>to</strong> heaven, <strong>to</strong> meditate upon the heavenly bodies<br />

pursuing their everlasting round their order, their<br />

purity, their nakedness. For no star wears a veil.<br />

1 <strong>Marcus</strong> habitually uses ' mountain '<br />

<strong>to</strong> signify unperturbed<br />

withdrawal from the world, and the adjective here echoes x. 15,<br />

23, and opening <strong>of</strong> iv. 2.

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