BOOK NINE

  HE WHO acts unjustly acts impiously. For since the universal

nature has made rational animals for the sake of one another to help

one another according to their deserts, but in no way to injure one

another, he who transgresses her will, is clearly guilty of impiety

towards the highest divinity. And he too who lies is guilty of impiety

to the same divinity; for the universal nature is the nature of things

that are; and things that are have a relation to all things that

come into existence. And further, this universal nature is named

truth, and is the prime cause of all things that are true. He then who

lies intentionally is guilty of impiety inasmuch as he acts unjustly

by deceiving; and he also who lies unintentionally, inasmuch as he

is at variance with the universal nature, and inasmuch as he

disturbs the order by fighting against the nature of the world; for he

fights against it, who is moved of himself to that which is contrary

to truth, for he had received powers from nature through the neglect

of which he is not able now to distinguish falsehood from truth. And

indeed he who pursues pleasure as good, and avoids pain as evil, is

guilty of impiety. For of necessity such a man must often find fault

with the universal nature, alleging that it assigns things to the bad

and the good contrary to their deserts, because frequently the bad are

in the enjoyment of pleasure and possess the things which procure

pleasure, but the good have pain for their share and the things which

cause pain. And further, he who is afraid of pain will sometimes also

be afraid of some of the things which will happen in the world, and

even this is impiety. And he who pursues pleasure will not abstain

from injustice, and this is plainly impiety. Now with respect to the

things towards which the universal nature is equally affected- for it

would not have made both, unless it was equally affected towards

both- towards these they who wish to follow nature should be of the

same mind with it, and equally affected. With respect to pain, then,

and pleasure, or death and life, or honour and dishonour, which the

universal nature employs equally, whoever is not equally affected is

manifestly acting impiously. And I say that the universal nature

employs them equally, instead of saying that they happen alike to

those who are produced in continuous series and to those who come

after them by virtue of a certain original movement of Providence,

according to which it moved from a certain beginning to this ordering

of things, having conceived certain principles of the things which

were to be, and having determined powers productive of beings and of

changes and of such like successions.

  It would be a man's happiest lot to depart from mankind without

having had any taste of lying and hypocrisy and luxury and pride.

However to breathe out one's life when a man has had enough of these

things is the next best voyage, as the saying is. Hast thou determined

to abide with vice, and has not experience yet induced thee to fly

from this pestilence? For the destruction of the understanding is a

pestilence, much more indeed than any such corruption and change of

this atmosphere which surrounds us. For this corruption is a

pestilence of animals so far as they are animals; but the other is a

pestilence of men so far as they are men.

  Do not despise death, but be well content with it, since this too is

one of those things which nature wills. For such as it is to be

young and to grow old, and to increase and to reach maturity, and to

have teeth and beard and grey hairs, and to beget, and to be

pregnant and to bring forth, and all the other natural operations

which the seasons of thy life bring, such also is dissolution. This,

then, is consistent with the character of a reflecting man, to be

neither careless nor impatient nor contemptuous with respect to death,

but to wait for it as one of the operations of nature. As thou now

waitest for the time when the child shall come out of thy wife's womb,

so be ready for the time when thy soul shall fall out of this

envelope. But if thou requirest also a vulgar kind of comfort which

shall reach thy heart, thou wilt be made best reconciled to death by

observing the objects from which thou art going to be removed, and the

morals of those with whom thy soul will no longer be mingled. For it

is no way right to be offended with men, but it is thy duty to care

for them and to bear with them gently; and yet to remember that thy

departure will be not from men who have the same principles as

thyself. For this is the only thing, if there be any, which could draw

us the contrary way and attach us to life, to be permitted to live

with those who have the same principles as ourselves. But now thou

seest how great is the trouble arising from the discordance of those

who live together, so that thou mayest say, Come quick, O death,

lest perchance I, too, should forget myself.

  He who does wrong does wrong against himself. He who acts unjustly

acts unjustly to himself, because he makes himself bad.

  He often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing; not only

he who does a certain thing.

  Thy present opinion founded on understanding, and thy present

conduct directed to social good, and thy present disposition of

contentment with everything which happens- that is enough.

  Wipe out imagination: check desire: extinguish appetite: keep the

ruling faculty in its own power.

  Among the animals which have not reason one life is distributed; but

among reasonable animals one intelligent soul is distributed: just

as there is one earth of all things which are of an earthy nature, and

we see by one light, and breathe one air, all of us that have the

faculty of vision and all that have life.

  All things which participate in anything which is common to them all

move towards that which is of the same kind with themselves.

Everything which is earthy turns towards the earth, everything which

is liquid flows together, and everything which is of an aerial kind

does the same, so that they require something to keep them asunder,

and the application of force. Fire indeed moves upwards on account

of the elemental fire, but it is so ready to be kindled together

with all the fire which is here, that even every substance which is

somewhat dry, is easily ignited, because there is less mingled with it

of that which is a hindrance to ignition. Accordingly then

everything also which participates in the common intelligent nature

moves in like manner towards that which is of the same kind with

itself, or moves even more. For so much as it is superior in

comparison with all other things, in the same degree also is it more

ready to mingle with and to be fused with that which is akin to it.

Accordingly among animals devoid of reason we find swarms of bees, and

herds of cattle, and the nurture of young birds, and in a manner,

loves; for even in animals there are souls, and that power which

brings them together is seen to exert itself in the superior degree,

and in such a way as never has been observed in plants nor in stones

nor in trees. But in rational animals there are political

communities and friendships, and families and meetings of people;

and in wars, treaties and armistices. But in the things which are

still superior, even though they are separated from one another, unity

in a manner exists, as in the stars. Thus the ascent to the higher

degree is able to produce a sympathy even in things which are

separated. See, then, what now takes place. For only intelligent

animals have now forgotten this mutual desire and inclination, and

in them alone the property of flowing together is not seen. But

still though men strive to avoid this union, they are caught and

held by it, for their nature is too strong for them; and thou wilt see

what I say, if thou only observest. Sooner, then, will one find

anything earthy which comes in contact with no earthy thing than a man

altogether separated from other men.

  Both man and God and the universe produce fruit; at the proper

seasons each produces it. But if usage has especially fixed these

terms to the vine and like things, this is nothing. Reason produces

fruit both for all and for itself, and there are produced from it

other things of the same kind as reason itself.

  If thou art able, correct by teaching those who do wrong; but if

thou canst not, remember that indulgence is given to thee for this

purpose. And the gods, too, are indulgent to such persons; and for

some purposes they even help them to get health, wealth, reputation;

so kind they are. And it is in thy power also; or say, who hinders

thee?

  Labour not as one who is wretched, nor yet as one who would be

pitied or admired: but direct thy will to one thing only, to put

thyself in motion and to check thyself, as the social reason requires.

  To-day I have got out of all trouble, or rather I have cast out

all trouble, for it was not outside, but within and in my opinions.

  All things are the same, familiar in experience, and ephemeral in

time, and worthless in the matter. Everything now is just as it was in

the time of those whom we have buried.

  Things stand outside of us, themselves by themselves, neither

knowing aught of themselves, nor expressing any judgement. What is it,

then, which does judge about them? The ruling faculty.

  Not in passivity, but in activity lie the evil and the good of the

rational social animal, just as his virtue and his vice lie not in

passivity, but in activity.

  For the stone which has been thrown up it is no evil to come down,

nor indeed any good to have been carried up.

  Penetrate inwards into men's leading principles, and thou wilt see

what judges thou art afraid of, and what kind of judges they are of

themselves.

  All things are changing: and thou thyself art in continuous mutation

and in a manner in continuous destruction, and the whole universe too.

  It is thy duty to leave another man's wrongful act there where it

is.

  Termination of activity, cessation from movement and opinion, and in

a sense their death, is no evil. Turn thy thoughts now to the

consideration of thy life, thy life as a child, as a youth, thy

manhood, thy old age, for in these also every change was a death. Is

this anything to fear? Turn thy thoughts now to thy life under thy

grandfather, then to thy life under thy mother, then to thy life under

thy father; and as thou findest many other differences and changes and

terminations, ask thyself, Is this anything to fear? In like manner,

then, neither are the termination and cessation and change of thy

whole life a thing to be afraid of.

  Hasten to examine thy own ruling faculty and that of the universe

and that of thy neighbour: thy own that thou mayest make it just:

and that of the universe, that thou mayest remember of what thou art a

part; and that of thy neighbour, that thou mayest know whether he

has acted ignorantly or with knowledge, and that thou mayest also

consider that his ruling faculty is akin to thine.

  As thou thyself art a component part of a social system, so let

every act of thine be a component part of social life. Whatever act of

thine then has no reference either immediately or remotely to a social

end, this tears asunder thy life, and does not allow it to be one, and

it is of the nature of a mutiny, just as when in a popular assembly

a man acting by himself stands apart from the general agreement.

  Quarrels of little children and their sports, and poor spirits

carrying about dead bodies, such is everything; and so what is

exhibited in the representation of the mansions of the dead strikes

our eyes more clearly.

  Examine into the quality of the form of an object, and detach it

altogether from its material part, and then contemplate it; then

determine the time, the longest which a thing of this peculiar form is

naturally made to endure.

  Thou hast endured infinite troubles through not being contented with

thy ruling faculty, when it does the things which it is constituted by

nature to do. But enough of this.

  When another blames thee or hates thee, or when men say about thee

anything injurious, approach their poor souls, penetrate within, and

see what kind of men they are. Thou wilt discover that there is no

reason to take any trouble that these men may have this or that

opinion about thee. However thou must be well disposed towards them,

for by nature they are friends. And the gods too aid them in all ways,

by dreams, by signs, towards the attainment of those things on which

they set a value.

  The periodic movements of the universe are the same, up and down

from age to age. And either the universal intelligence puts itself

in motion for every separate effect, and if this is so, be thou

content with that which is the result of its activity; or it puts

itself in motion once, and everything else comes by way of sequence in

a manner; or indivisible elements are the origin of all things.- In a

word, if there is a god, all is well; and if chance rules, do not thou

also be governed by it.

  Soon will the earth cover us all: then the earth, too, will

change, and the things also which result from change will continue

to change for ever, and these again for ever. For if a man reflects on

the changes and transformations which follow one another like wave

after wave and their rapidity, he will despise everything which is

perishable.

  The universal cause is like a winter torrent: it carries

everything along with it. But how worthless are all these poor

people who are engaged in matters political, and, as they suppose, are

playing the philosopher! All drivellers. Well then, man: do what

nature now requires. Set thyself in motion, if it is in thy power, and

do not look about thee to see if any one will observe it; nor yet

expect Plato's Republic: but be content if the smallest thing goes

on well, and consider such an event to be no small matter. For who can

change men's opinions? And without a change of opinions what else is

there than the slavery of men who groan while they pretend to obey?

Come now and tell me of Alexander and Philip and Demetrius of

Phalerum. They themselves shall judge whether they discovered what the

common nature required, and trained themselves accordingly. But if

they acted like tragedy heroes, no one has condemned me to imitate

them. Simple and modest is the work of philosophy. Draw me not aside

to indolence and pride.

  Look down from above on the countless herds of men and their

countless solemnities, and the infinitely varied voyagings in storms

and calms, and the differences among those who are born, who live

together, and die. And consider, too, the life lived by others in

olden time, and the life of those who will live after thee, and the

life now lived among barbarous nations, and how many know not even thy

name, and how many will soon forget it, and how they who perhaps now

are praising thee will very soon blame thee, and that neither a

posthumous name is of any value, nor reputation, nor anything else.

  Let there be freedom from perturbations with respect to the things

which come from the external cause; and let there be justice in the

things done by virtue of the internal cause, that is, let there be