Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus

Marcus Aurelius, John Jackson

• Publisher: Left of Brain Books
• Year: 2021
• ISBN:
  9781396318481
• Edition: 1
• Topic: Philosophy
• Subtopic: Philosophers

Marcus Aurelius was the last of the Five Good Emperors of the Roman Empire, and he is known for his military victories, for his contribution to Stoic philosophy, and for his diary. This is that diary, which was published after his death, Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus.

Aurelius offers a logical yet insightful approach to topics such as mortality, how to cultivate internal peace and strength, and the importance of focusing on your decisions and not the actions of others, as well as other personal issues that are familiar to us all.

The introduction offers a background of the Emperor's life and provides an insight into a man who is torn in two directions. Aurelius is described as "a sovereign whose conscience draws him in one direction, while fortune drives him to tread the opposite path." It is from this point of internal struggle that Aurelius writes, so as to gain a better sense of himself. And with him the reader is able to explore their own life, desire, and spirituality.

CRITICAL NOTES

The following are the more important deviations from Herr Stich s text, such variants as merely affect the grammatical structure being for the most part omitted. It is scarcely necessary to point out the improbable nature of some of the conjectures adopted; but in a translation intended mainly for a class of readers to whom such matters would fall under the ἀδιάφορα, I have thought it needless to retain readings manifestly or probably corrupt, merely because no certain remedy has been discovered.

The Roman numerals refer to the sections; the Arabic to the lines of the Teubner (1903) text.

BOOK I.

IV. 10. τὸ με Casaubon: τὸ μὴ vulg. Cf. Iul. Capitol. ‘Frequentauit et declamatorum scholas publicas.’

VII. 18. ἐνεργητικόν Xylander: εὐεργ. vulg.

IX. 23. καὶ κατὰ τὸ ἀθεώρητον οἰομένων Polak: καὶ τὸ ἀθ. οἰομ. vulg.

XIV. 7. Οὐήρου Scaliger: Σεουήρου vulg.

XVI. p. 7 (l. 14). παρεῖχε would seem apter than παρέχει.

XVI. p. 8 (l. 10). τὸ τὰ πάτρια φυλάσσειν was deleted by Polak.

XVI. p. 8 (l. 22 sqq.) This passage is hopelessly corrupt. Beyond the fact that χιτών (Salmasius) and φελώνῃ (Coraës) should be read for καὶ τῶν and τελώνῃ, nothing is certain. I have given a paraphrase that might approximate to the meaning.

XVI. p. 9 (l. 8). 󠅽‹οἱ›πολλοί Scaphidiotes.

XVI. 10. ἐγκαρτερεῖν Reiske : ἔτι καρτερεῖν vulg.

XVII. p. 10 (l. 23). ἐπιπνοίαις Gataker and Casaubon: ἐπινοίαις.

XVII. p. 11 (l. 17). I have translated the old conjecture ὥσπερ χρησμόν, in spite of its manifest improbability.

BOOK II.

II. p. 12 (l. 17). I have followed Stich in omitting ἄφες . . . ἀλλ’, as alien to this passage.

II. p. 13 (l. 3) ὑπιδέσθαι Wilamowitz: ὑποδύεσθαι vulg.

III. 12 αἰτεῖς Polak: ἐστι, sim., vulg.

IV. 21. We ought apparently to read οἰχήσεταιμ καὶ οἰχήσῃ ‹σύ›, καὶ αὖθις οὐχ ἥξετε. The MSS. omit σύ, which Stich suggests, and have ἥξεται, which Coraës emended to ἵξεται.

VI. 15. The reading βραχὺς γὰρ κτἑ rests only on an interpolated MS., the others having οὐ (or εὖ) γὰρ ὁ βίος ἑκάστῳ. Boot conjectured εἶς γὰρ κτἑ, which seems favoured by τοῦτον. Perhaps οὐκέτι καιρὸν ἕξεις ‹ἐξ ἴσ›ου. ὁ βίος γὰρ ‹εἶς› ἑκάστῳ.

XV. 22. πρὸς τοῦ Κυνικοῦ Μονίμου Menagius: πρὸς τὸν κτἑ vulg.

XVII. 17. ἡ δὲ ψυχὴ δυστέκμαρτον, ἡ δὲ τύχη ῥόμβος Schultz : ἡ δὲ τύχ. δυστ., ἡ δὲ ψ. ῥ. vulg.

BOOK III.

IV. p. 22 (l. 23). The text is corrupt though the meaning is fairly clear. τί γὰρ ἀνθώπου (ανου) ἔργου στέρῃ τοιοῦτό τι φανταζόμενος would be intelligible.

IV. p. 23 (l. 17). ἄτρυτον Valckenaer: ἄτρωτον vulg.

XII. I (p. 29). εὐροϊκῇ Rendall : ἡρωικῇ vulg.

XVI. 24 sqq. I have adopted Gataker s transposition.

BOOK IV.

III. 5 (p. 32). I have written τι for ἔτι, which Stich deletes.

XIX. 8. καὶ μεμνημένων should, I think, be added after ἐπτοημένων.

XIX. 13 sqq. The words are corrupt. I have taken Gataker’s παρίης and ἐχόμενος, though alteration and version are alike improbable.

XX. 21. ἐπαίνου was added before τινο...