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06 - The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius · The Philosophy Insights Collection

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The substance of the universe is obedient and compliant, and the reason which governs
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it has in itself no cause for doing evil, for it has no malice,
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nor does it do evil to anything, nor is anything harmed by it.
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But all things are made and perfected according to this reason. Let it
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make no difference to THEE whether thou art cold or warm, if thou art
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doing thy duty, and whether thou art drowsy or satisfied with sleep, and
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whether ill spoken or praised, and whether dying or doing something else. For
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it is one of the acts of this life, this act by which we
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die. It is sufficient, then in this act also to do well what
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we have in hand. Look within. Let neither the peculiar quality of anything,
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nor its value escape thee. All existing things soon change, and they
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will either be reduced to vapor if indeed all substance is won, or they
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will be dispersed. The reason which governance knows what its own disposition is,
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and what it does, and on what material it works. The best way
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of avenging thyself is not to become like the wrong doer. Take pleasure in
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one thing and rest in it. In passing from one social act to another
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social act. Thinking of God. The ruling principle is that which rouses and
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turns itself. And while it makes itself such as it is and such as
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it wills to be, it also makes everything which happens to appear itself to
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be such as it wills. In conformity to the nature of the universe,
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every single thing is accomplished. For certainly it is not in conformity to any
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other nature that each thing is accomplished, either a nature which externally comprehends this,
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or a nature which is comprehended within this nature, or a nature external
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and independent of this. The universe is either a confusion and a mutual involution
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of things and a dispersion, or it is unity and order and providence.
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If then it is the former, Why do I desire to tarry in a
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fortuitous combination of things in such a disorder? And why do I care about
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anything else than how I shall at last become earth? And why am I
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disturbed? For the dispersion of my elements will happen whatever I do. But
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if the other supposition is true, I venerate, and I am firm,
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and I trust in him who governs. When thou hast been compelled by circumstances
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to be disturbed in a manner. Quickly return to thyself, and do not
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continue out of tune longer than the compulsion lasts, For thou wilt have more
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mastery over the harmony by continually recurring to it. If thou hadst a stepmother
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and a mother at the same time, thou wouldst be dutiful to thy stepmother,
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that thou wouldst constantly return to thy mother. Let the court and philosophy
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now be to thee stepmother and mother return to philosophy frequently, and repose in
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her through whom what thou meetest with in the court appears to THEE tolerable,
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and thou appearest tolerable in the court. When we have meat before us,
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in such eatables, we receive the impression that this is the dead body of
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a fish, and this is the dead body of a bird, or of
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a pig, And again that this pillernian is only a little grape juice,
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and this purple robe some sheep's wool dyed with the blood of a shellfish.
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Such then are these impressions, and they reach the things themselves and penetrate them.
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And so we see what kind of things they are. Just in the
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same way ought we to act all through life. And where there are things
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which appear most worthy of our approbation, we ought to lay them bare,
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and look at their worthlessness, and strip them of all the words by which
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they are exalted. For outward show is a wonderful perverter of the reason.
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And when thou art most sure that thou art employed about things worth thy pains,
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it is then that it cheats thee most. Consider then, what Crates
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says of Xenocrates himself. Most of the things which the multitude admire are referred
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to objects of the most general kind, those which are held together by cohesion
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or natural organization, such as stones, wood, fig trees, vines,
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olives. But those which are admired by men who are a little more reasonable
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are referred to the things which are held together by a living principle, as
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flocks herds. Those which are admired by men who are still more instructed are
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the things which are held together by a rational soul, not, however,
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a universal soul, irrational so far as it is a soul skilled in some
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art, or expert in some other way, or simply rational soul far as
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it possesses a number of slaves. But he who values a rational soul the
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sole, universal and fitted for political life, regards nothing else except this,
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and above all things. He keeps his soul in a condition and inactively conformable
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to reason and social life. And he cooperates to this end with those who
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are of the same kind as himself. Some things are hurrying into existence,
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others are hurrying out of it. And of that which is coming into existence,
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part is already extinguished. Motions and changes are continually renewing the world,
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such as the uninterrupted course of time is always renewing, the infinite duration of
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ages in this flowing stream, then, on which there is no abiding,
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What is there of the things which hurry by, on which a man would
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set a high price. It would be just as if a man should fall
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in love with one of the sparrows which fly by, but it is already
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passed out of sight. Something of this kind is the very life of every
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man, Like the exhalation of the blood and the respiration of the air,
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such as it is to once have drawn in the air and to have given
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it back, which we do every moment. Just the same is it with
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the whole respiratory power which thou didst receive at thy birth, yesterday and the
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day before, to give it back to the elemental from which thou didst first
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draw it. Neither is transpiration as in plants, a thing to be valued,
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nor respiration as in domesticated animals and wild beasts. Nor the receiving of
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impressions by the appearances of things, nor being moved by desires as puppets by
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strings, nor assembling in herds, nor being nourished by food, For this
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is just like the act of separating imparting with the useless part of the food.
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What then, is worth being valued to be received with clapping of hands?
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No neither must we value the clapping of tongues, for the praise which
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comes from the many is the clapping of tongues. Suppose then, that thou
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hast given up this worthless thing called fame. What remains that is worth valuing?
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This, in my opinion, to move thyself and to restrain thyself in
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conformity to thy proper constitution, to which end both all employments and arts lead.
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For every art aims at this, that the thing which has been made
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should be adapted to the work for which it has been made. In both
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the vine planner who looks after the vine and the horse breaker, and he
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who trains the dog seeks this end. But the education and the teaching of
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youth aim at something. In this then is the value of the education and
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the teaching. And if this is well, thou wilt not seek anything else.
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Wilt thou not cease to value many other things too? Then thou wilt
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neither be free, nor sufficient for thy own happiness, nor without passion,
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For of necessity must be envious, jealous, and suspicious of those who can
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take away those things, and plot against those who have that which is valued
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by thee of necessity. A man must be altogether in a state of perturbation
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who wants any of these things, And besides he must often find fault with
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the gods. But to reverence and honor thy own mind will make thee content
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with thyself and in harmony with society, and agreement with the gods, that
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is, praising all that they give and have ordered. Above below all around
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are the movements of the elements. But the motion of virtue is in none
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of these. It is something more divine and advancing by a way hardly observed,
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it goes happily on its road. How strangely men act. They will
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not praise those who are living at the same time and living with themselves,
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but to be themselves praised by posterity, by those whom they know seen or
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will ever see. This they set much value on. But this is very
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much the same as if thou shouldest be grieved because those who have lived before
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THEE did not praise THEE. If a thing is difficult to be accomplished by
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thyself, do not think that it is impossible for man. But if anything
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is possible for man and conformable to his nature, think that this can be
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attained by thyself too. In the gymnastic exercises, suppose that a man has
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torn thee with his nails, and by dashing against thy head, has inflicted
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a wound. Well, we neither show any signs of vexation, nor are
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we offended, nor do we suspect him afterward as a treacherous fellow. And
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yet we are on our guard against him, not however, as an enemy,
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nor with suspicion. What we quietly get out of his way. Something
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like this, Let their behavior be in all other parts of life. Let
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us overlook many things in those who are like antagonists in the gymnasium. For
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it is in our power, as I said, to get out of the
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way, and to have no suspicion or hatred. If a man is able
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to convince me and show me that he do not think or act right,
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I will gladly change. For I seek the truth by which no man was
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ever injured. But he is injured who abides in his error and ignorance.
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I do my duty. Other things trouble me not, for they are either
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things without life, or things without reason, or things that have rambled and
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know not the way. As to the animals, which have no reason,
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and generally all things and objects, do thou, since thou hast reason and
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they have none, make use of them with the generous and liberal spirit.
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But towards human beings, as they have reason, behave in a social spirit,
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and on all occasions call on the gods. And do not perplex thyself
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about the length of time in which thou shalt do this, For even three
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hours so spent are sufficient. Alexander the Macedonian and his groom by death were
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brought to the same state. For either they were received among the same seminole
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principles of the universe, or they were alike dispersed among the atoms. Consider
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how many things, in the same indivisible time take place in each of us,
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things which concern the body and things which concern the soul. And so
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that will not wonder if many more things, or rather all things which come
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into existence in that which is the one in all, which we call cosmos,
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exist in it. At the same time, if any man should propose
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to Dee the question how the name Antoninus is written, wouldst thou, with
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the straining of the voice, utter each letter? What then, if they
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grow angry? Wilt thou grow angry too? Wilt thou not go on with
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composure and number every letter? Just so? Then is this life? Also?
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Remember that every duty is made up of certain parts. These, it
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is thy duty to observe, and, without being disturbed or showing anger towards
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those who are angry with THEE, to go on thy way and finish that
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which is set before THEE. How cool it is not to allow men to
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strive after the things which appear to them to be suitable to thy nature,
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improfitable. Yet in a manner thou dost not allow them to do this when
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thou art vexed, because they do wrong. For they are certainly moved towards
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the things which they suppose them to be suitable to their nature, improfitable to
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them. But it is not so. Teach them then, and show them
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without being angry. Death is the cessation of the impression through the senses,
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and of the pulling of the strings which move the appetites, and of the
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discursive movements of the thoughts, and of the service to the flesh. It
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is a shame for the soul to be the first to give way in this
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life when thy body does not give way. Take care that thou art not
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made into a caesar, that thou art not dyed with this die, for
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such things happen. Keep thyself, then, simple, good, pure,
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serious, free from affectation, a friend of justice, a worshiper of the
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Gods, kind, affectionate, strenuous in all proper acts. Strive to continue
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to be such as philosophy. Wish to make thee reverence the gods and help
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men. Short is life. There is only one fruit in this treened life,
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a pious disposition and social acts. Do everything as a disciple of Antoninus.
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Remember his constancy in every act which was conformable to reason, and his
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evenness in all things, and his piety and the serenity of his countenance and
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his sweetness, and his disregard of empty fame, and his efforts to understand
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things, and how he would never let anything pass without having first most carefuably
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examined it and clearly understood it, And how he bore with those who blamed
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him unjustly without blaming them in return, and how he did nothing in a
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hurry, and how we listened not to calumnies, and how exact an examiner
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of manners and actions he was, and not given to reproach people, nor
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timid, nor suspicious, nor a soophist, And with how little he was
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satisfied, such as lodging, bed dress, food servants, and how laborious
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and patient, and how he was able, on account of his sparing diet,
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to hold out to the evening without even requiring to relieve himself by any
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evacuations except at the usual hour, And with his firmness and uniformity in his
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friendships, and how he tolerated freedom of speech and those who opposed his opinions
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and the pleasure that he had when any man showed him anything better, and
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how religious he was without superstition. Imitate all this that thou mayest have as
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good as conscious when thy last hour comes, as he had, return to
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thy sober senses, and call thyself back when thou hast roused thyself from sleep,
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and hast perceived that they were only dreams which troubled thee. Now in
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the waking hours, look at these the things about thee, as thou didst
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look at those the dreams. I consist of a little body and soul.
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Now to this little body all things are indifferent. For it is not able
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to perceive differences, but to the understanding those things only are indifferent, which
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are not the works of its own activity. But whatever things are the works
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of its own activity, all these things are in its power. And of
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these, however, only those which are done with reference to the present.
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For as to the future and the past activities of the mind, even these
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are for the present indifferent. Neither the labor which the hand does, nor
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that of the foot, is contrary to nature. So long as the foot
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does the foots work in the hand the hands. So then neither to a
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man as a man, is his labor contrary to nature, as long as
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he does the things of a man. But if the labor is not contrary
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to his nature, neither is it an evil to him. How many pleasures
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have been enjoyed by robbers, patricides, tyrants. Dost thou not see how
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the handicraftsmen accommodate themselves up to a certain point to those which are not skilled
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in their craft. Nevertheless, they cling to the reason, the principles of
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their art, and do not endure to depart from it. Is it not
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strange if the architect and the physicians shall have more respect to the reason the
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principles of their own arts, than man to his own reason, which is
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common to him. In the gods, Asia Europe are corners of the universe.
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All the sea a drop in the universe, Athos a little clod in
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the universe. All the present time is a point in eternity. All things
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are little, changeable, perishable. All things come from, thence, from
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that universal ruling power, either directly proceeding or by way of sequence. And
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accordingly, the lions gaping jaws, and that which is poisonous, and every
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harmful thing as a thorn as mud are after products of the grand and beautiful.
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Do not imagine then, that they are of another kind from that which
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thou dost venerate, But form a just opinion of the source of all.
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He who has seen present things has seen all, both everything which has taken
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place from all eternity, and everything which will be for time without end.
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For all things are of one kin and of one form. Frequently consider the
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connection of all things in the universe and their relation to one another. For
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in a manner, all things are implicated with one another, and all in
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this way are friendly to one another. For one thing comes in order after
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another, and this is by virtue of the active movement and mutual composition,
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and the unity of the substance. Adapt thyself to the things with which thy
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lot has been cast, and the men among whom thou hast receive thy portion,
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love them. But do it truly. Every instrument to vessel, if
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it does that for which it has been made, is well, And yet
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he who made it is not there. But in all things which are held
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together by nature, there is within, and there abides in them the power
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which made them. Wherefore, the more it is fit to reverence this power,
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and to think that if thou dost live and act according to its will,
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everything in THEE is in conformity to intelligence. And thus also in the
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universe, the things which belong to it are in conformity to intelligence. Whatever
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of the things which are not within thy power, without shot, suppose to
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be good for THEE or evil, it must of necessity be that if such
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a bad thing be fal THEE, or the loss of such a good thing,
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thou wilt blame the gods and hate men too, those who are the
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cause of the misfortune or the loss, or those who are suspected of being
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likely to be the cause. And indeed we do much injustice because we make
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a difference between those things, because we do not regard these things as indifferent.
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But if we judge only those things which are in our power to be
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good or bad, there remains no reason either for finding fault with God or
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standing in a hostile attitude to man. We are all working together to one
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end, some with knowledge and design, and others without knowing what they do
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as men, also when they are asleep, of whom it is Heraclius I
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think, who says that there are laborers and co operators in the things which
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take place in the universe. But men cooperate after different fashion, and even
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those cooperate abundantly who find fault with what happens, and those who try to
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oppose it and to hinder it. For the universe has need even of such
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men as these. It remains then for THEE to understand among what kind of
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workmen thou placest thyself. For he who rules all things will certainly make a
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right use of THEE, and he will receive THEE among some part of the
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cooperators and of those whose labors conduce to one end. But be not thou
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such a part as the mean and ridiculous verse in the play which Prysippus speaks
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of. Does the sun undertake to do the work of the rain, or
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Issculapius the work of the fruit bearer? And how is it with respect to
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each of the stars? Are they not different? And yet they work together
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to the same end. If the gods have determined about me and about the
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things which must happen to me, they have determined well. For it is
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not easy even to imagine a deity without forethought. And as to doing me
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harm, why should they have any desire towards that, for what advantage would
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result to them from this or to the whole, which is the special object
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of their providence. But if they have not determined about me individually, they
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have certainly determined about the whole at least, and the things which happen by
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way of sequence in this general arrangement I ought to accept with pleasure and to
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be content with them. But if they determine about nothing, which it is
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wicked to believe, or if we do believe it, let us neither sacrifice,
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nor pray, nor swear by them, nor do anything else which we
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do, as if the gods were present and lived with us. But if
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however, the gods determined about none of the things which concern us, I
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am able to determine about myself, And I can acquire about that which is
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useful, and that is useful to every man, which is conformable to his
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own constitution and nature. But my nature is rational and social. In my
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city and country, as far as I a Mantoninus, is Rome. But
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so far as I am a man, it is the world. The things,
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then, which are useful to these cities, are alone useful to me.
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Whatever happens to every man this is for the interest of the universal.
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This might be sufficient. But further thou wilt observe this also is a general
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truth, if thou dost observe that whatever is profitable to any man is profitable
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also to other men. But let the word profitable be taken here in the
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common sense, as set of things of the middle kind, neither good nor
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bad, as it happens to thee in the amphitheater. In such places that
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the continual sight of the same things and the uniformity make the spectacle wearisome,
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so it is in the whole of life. For all things above below are
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the same, and from the same. How long, then think continually that
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all kinds of men, and all kinds of pursuits, and of all nations
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are dead, so that thy thoughts come down even to Philistian and Phoebus an
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Oregonian. Now turn thy thoughts to the other kinds of men. To that
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place, then we must remove, where there are so many great orators,
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so many noble philosophers, Heraclitus, Pythagoreas, Socrates, so many heroes of
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former days, and so many generals after them in tyrants. Besides these,
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Eudoxus Hipparchus, Archimedes, and other men of acute natural talents, great minds,
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lovers of labor, versatile, confident mockers, even of the perishable and
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effemorable life of man, as Manipus, and such as are like him.
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As to all these, consider that they have long been in the dust.
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What harm, then is this to them? And what to those whose names
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are altogether unknown? Thing here is worth a great deal to pass thy life
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in truth and justice, with a benevolent disposition, even to liars and unjust
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men. Thou art not dissatisfied, I suppose, because thou weighest only so
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many leader, and not three hundred. Be not dissatisfied, then that thou
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must live only so many years, and not more. For as thou art
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satisfied with the amount of substance which has been assigned to thee, so be
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content with the time. Let us try to persuade them, but act even
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against their will, when the principles of justice lead that way. If however,
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any man using forest stands in thy way, betake thyself to contentment and
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tranquility, and at the same time employ the hindrance toward the exercise of some
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other virtue. And remember that thy attempt was with a reservation that thou didst
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not desire to do impossibilities? What then, didst thou desire some such effort
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as this? But thou attainest thy object if the things to which thou wust
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move are accomplished. He who loves fame considers another man's activity to be his
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own good, and he who loves pleasure his own sensations. But he who
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has understanding considers his own acts to be his own good. It is in
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our power to have no opinion about a thing, and not to be disturbed
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in our soul, for things themselves have no natural power to form our judgments.
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Accustom thyself to attend carefully to what is said by another, And as
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much as it is possible be in the speaker's mind that which is not good
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for the swarm, neither is it good for the bee. If sailors abuse
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the helmsman or the sick the doctor, would they listen to anybody else?
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And how could the helmsman secure the safety of those in the ship, or
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the doctor health of those whom he attends. How Many, together with whom
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I came into the world, are already gone out of it. To the
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jaundice, honey tastes bitter, and to those bitten by mad dogs, water
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causes fear, and to little children the ball is a fine thing. Why
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then, am I angry? Dost thou think that a false opinion has less
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power than the bile in the jaundice or the poison in him who is bitten
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by a mad dog. No man will hinder thee from living. According to
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the reason of that nature, nothing will happen to thee country to the reason
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of the universal nature. What kind of people are those whom men wish to
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please, and for what objects? And by what kinds of acts? How
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soon time will cover all things? And how many it is covered already