Book XIIMeditations · Liber XII

Everything you seek by roundabout ways you can have now: let the past go, leave the future to providence, and direct the present to piety, by loving what is allotted to you, and to justice, by speaking the truth and doing what is right. If, near your end, you honour only the divine part that rules in you, and fear not ceasing to live but beginning to live by nature too late, you will be worthy of the world that made you and no longer a stranger in your own country.

Istathose things omnia,all quaewhich perby ambagesambāgēsroundabout ways assequiassequīto reach contendis,you strive jamnow, already consequicōnsequīto obtain potes,you can ninīunless tibito yourself ipseyou yourself invideasinvideās.you begrudgeAll those things which you are striving to reach by roundabout ways you can obtain now, unless you begrudge them to yourself.Ista omnia, quae per ambages assequi contendis The object comes first, with its relative clause: Ista omnia, quae … "all those things which …" is what you consequi potes "can obtain". iste often points to what belongs to the person addressed: "those things of yours", the goals you keep chasing. per ambages "by roundabout ways": ambages is a going round, a detour, and is used almost only in the plural. Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quodassequi contendis, jam consequi potes assequi "to reach" and consequi "to obtain" are deponent infinitives, passive in form but active in meaning, both made from sequor "follow". What you are straining (contendis) to catch up with by a long road, you can have now (jam). Deponent verbs: passive forms, active meaningni tibi ipse invideas ni is an older, shorter nisi "unless". invidere "to begrudge" takes the dative of the person: tibi invideas "you begrudge (them) to yourself", that is, you stand in your own way. ipse "yourself" is nominative, with the subject: no one else can keep them from you. The subjunctive makes the condition a mere supposition, "unless you should begrudge". Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis) hocthis autemand fietfīet,will happen sisīif praeteritumthe past omneall missumlet go fecerisfēceris,you make futurumfutūrumthe future omneall providentiaeprōvidentiaeto providence divinaedīvīnaedivine permiserispermīseris,you entrust etand quodwhat praesenspraesēnspresent estis tantumonly adto pietatispietātisof piety acand justitiaejūstitiaeof justice normamthe standard direxerisdīrēxeris:you directAnd this will happen if you let go all the past, entrust all the future to divine providence, and direct only what is present to the standard of piety and justice:si praeteritum omne missum feceris missum facere, literally "to make (a thing) sent away", is an idiom for "to let go, dismiss, have done with": praeteritum omne missum feceris "you let go all the past". praeteritum and, next, futurum are participles used as nouns: "what has gone by" and "what is to be". Participles: present, perfect, future, and as nounsfeceris … permiseris … direxeris All three verbs of the si clause are future perfect: the letting go, the entrusting and the directing must be done before fiet "it will happen" can follow. English uses a plain present: "if you let go … entrust … direct". The future perfect ("if you will have done…")quod praesens est tantum ad pietatis ac justitiae normam direxeris quod praesens est "what is present", with its antecedent left out, is the object of direxeris, and tantum "only" limits it: past and future have been disposed of, so only the present is left to direct. A norma is a carpenter's square, hence a rule or standard. The colon announces that the two standards, piety and justice, will now be taken one at a time. Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quod adto pietatispietātisof piety normam,the standard dumwhile, in that quicquidwhatever destinaturdēstināturis allotted tibito you diligisdīligis;you love cumsince etboth tibito you hocthis naturanātūranature tulerit,has brought etand huicto this tetē:youto the standard of piety, by loving whatever is allotted to you, since nature has brought this to you and you to this;ad pietatis normam, dum quicquid destinatur tibi diligis direxeris is understood from the last sentence: "(you will direct the present) to the standard of piety". dum with the present indicative is "while", here nearly "by": you keep to piety by loving (diligis) whatever (quicquid) is allotted (destinatur) to you. The whole quicquid clause is the object of diligis. Words left out: esse, sum and others understoodcum et tibi hoc natura tulerit, et huic te cum with the subjunctive here means "since". The second half leaves out the subject and verb, which are the same as in the first: et tibi hoc natura tulerit, et huic te (natura tulerit) "nature has brought both this to you and you to this". ferre here is "bring, bring forth": your lot was made for you and you for it, which is why loving it is piety. Clauses with cum: when, since, although adto justitiaejūstitiae,(that) of justice dumin that, by liberelīberēfreely etand sinewithout ambageambāgeevasion ullaūllāany quae(the things) which veravēratrue suntare proloquerisprōloqueris,you speak out etand quae(the things) which legilēgīwith the law consentaneacōnsentāneain keeping acand proprōin proportion to reireīof thing cujusqueof each dignitatedignitātethe worth sunt,are facis:you doto that of justice, by speaking out freely and without any evasion what is true, and doing what is in keeping with the law and in proportion to the worth of each thing;ad justitiae Shortened like the last sentence: ad justitiae (normam direxeris) "(you will direct it) to (the standard) of justice". Justice is then described, like piety, by a dum clause. Words left out: esse, sum and others understoodsine ambage ulla quae vera sunt proloqueris ambage is the singular ablative of ambages, the word of the first sentence; of speech it means evasion, talking round a thing. Both quae clauses lack an antecedent and serve as objects: quae vera sunt "what is true" of proloqueris "you speak out" (a deponent in the present), and quae … sunt "what is …" of facis. Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quodquae legi consentanea ac pro rei cujusque dignitate sunt consentaneus "in keeping with" takes the dative: legi "with the law", the law of reason that all rational beings share (4.4). pro here is "in proportion to": pro rei cujusque dignitate "according to the worth of each thing", giving each thing its due. necand … not impediveritimpedīveritlet (it) hinder tetē,you quoquōso that minusthe less sicsīcso tetēyourself gerasgerās,you conduct auteither alienaaliēnaanother's sivesīvewhether vitiositasvitiōsitās,vice sivesīveor opinioopīniō,opinion sivesīveor sermosermō,talk autor sensussēnsusthe feeling etiameven cingentissurrounding tetēyou massaeof the mass istiusistīusof that carneae.fleshlyAnd let it not hinder you from conducting yourself so, whether another's vice, or opinion, or talk, or even the feeling of that fleshly mass which surrounds you.nec impediverit te impediverit is a perfect subjunctive used as a command, as the perfect is in prohibitions; with nec "and … not" it means "and let (it) not hinder you". It is third person, and its subjects wait until the end: another's vice, opinion or talk, or the feeling of the flesh. The form is the same as the future perfect; the sense decides, and the Greek has a command here. Jussive and hortatory subjunctive ("let him…", "you should…")quo minus sic te geras After verbs of hindering, quo minus with the subjunctive says what is hindered: impedire … quo minus sic te geras "to hinder you from conducting yourself so". se gerere "to carry oneself" is "to behave"; sic "so" sums up the piety and justice just described. Quo minus and quin after verbs of hinderingaut aliena sive vitiositas, sive opinio, sive sermo, aut sensus Two aut "either … or" mark the two kinds of hindrance, both negated by nec: "neither … nor". The first is divided by sive … sive … sive "whether … or … or"; aliena "another's" stands before all three and goes with them all, though it agrees with the nearest, vitiositas. The second is sensus … massae istius carneae "the feeling of that lump of flesh", the body which cingentis te "surrounds you". Paired words: et…et, nec…nec, vel…vel, cum…tum, non tam…quam, sive…sive videritvīderitlet (it) see to it enimfor idthat quodwhich patitur.suffersFor let that which suffers see to it.viderit enim id quod patitur viderit "let it see to it" is the brusque formula of dismissal met in 5.25 and 8.41: a perfect subjunctive used as a command, not a past tense. id quod patitur "that which suffers" is the flesh just named: if it feels pain, that is its business, and it does not touch the mind. enim "for" gives the reason why the flesh need not hinder you. Jussive and hortatory subjunctive ("let him…", "you should…") sisīif igitur,then cumnow that inat exituexitūthe departure fereferēalmost jamalready sissīs,you are missismissīslet go caeteriscaeterīsthe other things omnibus,all idthat duntaxat,only quodwhich inin tetēyou principatumprīncipātumthe rule geritholds etand divinumdīvīnumdivine est,is inin pretiopretiōvalue acand honorehonōrehonour habueris;you holdIf, then, now that you are almost at your departure, you let all else go and hold in value and honour only that which governs in you and is divine;cum in exitu fere jam sis cum with the subjunctive here gives both the time and the reason: "now that you are already almost at the exit". exitus "a going out" is the departure from life: Marcus was old and near his death when he wrote this last book. Clauses with cum: when, since, althoughmissis caeteris omnibus An ablative absolute, "all other things having been let go"; English says "letting all else go". It takes up missum feceris of the second sentence: the same verb mittere. Ablative absoluteid duntaxat, quod in te principatum gerit et divinum est, in pretio ac honore habueris id … quod "that which" is the object of habueris, and duntaxat "only" limits it. principatum gerere "to hold the rule" is "to govern": the ruling part of the soul, the mind, which is divine. in pretio habere "to hold in value", here with ac honore, is "to prize and honour". habueris is future perfect, like the verbs of the earlier si clause. Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quod necand not hocthis metueris,you fear nenēthat viverevīvereto live desinasdēsināsyou may cease aliquandoaliquandō,some day sedbut nenēthat secundumaccording to naturamnātūramnature viverevīvereto live tandemonly at the last occipiasoccipiās;you may beginand if you fear, not this, that you may some day cease to live, but that you may begin to live according to nature only at the last;nec hoc metueris, ne vivere desinas aliquando, sed ne secundum naturam vivere tandem occipias After verbs of fearing, ne means "that", not "that not": metuo ne desinam "I fear that I may stop". nec hoc … sed is "not this … but": fear not that you may some day stop living, but that you may begin to live by nature only tandem "at last", at the very end, too late. The Greek says more sharply "never begin"; tandem is Gataker's own softening, as his edition of 1652 prints it. metueris is future perfect, the second verb of the si clause. Noun clauses with ut and ne (after oportet, incumbit, necesse est…) mundomundō,of the world quiquīwhich tetēyou protulitprōtulit,brought forth dignumworthy tetēyourself praestabispraestābis,you will show desinesquedēsinēsqueand you will cease inin patriapatriācountry tuatuāyour own peregrinusperegrīnusa stranger esse,to be eaqueand the things quaewhich quotidiequotīdiēevery day eveniuntēveniunthappen tanquamas if inopinatainopīnātaunexpected admirariadmīrārī,to wonder at etand exon hachācthis velor illaillāthat rerēthing suspensussuspēnsushanging, in suspense teneritenērī.to be keptyou will show yourself worthy of the world that brought you forth, and you will cease to be a stranger in your own country, to wonder at what happens every day as if it were unexpected, and to be kept hanging on this thing or that.mundo, qui te protulit, dignum te praestabis Here at last is the main clause that the si clauses were waiting for. dignus "worthy" takes the ablative of what one is worthy of: mundo … dignum "worthy of the world". se praestare with a predicate is "to show oneself, prove oneself": dignum te praestabis "you will prove yourself worthy". The world te protulit "brought you forth": it is your parent. Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis)desinesque in patria tua peregrinus esse desinere "to cease" takes infinitives, here three: esse, admirari and teneri. With esse the predicate is nominative, agreeing with the subject "you": peregrinus esse "to be a stranger". Your patria "native land" is the world itself, the city of which all rational beings are citizens (4.4); the stranger in the world of 4.29 is the man who does not know what goes on in it. The infinitive as a noun (subject, object, complement)eaque quae quotidie eveniunt tanquam inopinata admirari ea quae … eveniunt "the things which happen" is the object of admirari, and tanquam inopinata "as if unexpected" agrees with ea. What happens every day should not surprise one who knows the world. Neuter plurals and adjectives used as nouns (bona, mala, omnia)ex hac vel illa re suspensus teneri suspensus "hung up, in suspense" is nominative because it describes the subject: "to be kept hanging". With ex it is hanging on a thing, as one depends on it: "to be kept dangling from this thing or that". Participles: present, perfect, future, and as nouns

God sees every mind stripped of its bodily wrappings, and touches minds only with his own mind, from which they flowed. If you learn to look the same way, past the flesh around you, you will be spared much trouble over clothes, house and reputation.

MentesMentēsminds omnesomnēs,all vasisvāsīsof vessels hiscehīscethese corporeiscorporeīs,bodily etand corticibus,of husks etand sordibusof filth DeusGod denudatasdēnūdātāsstripped intueturintuētur.beholdsGod beholds all minds stripped of these bodily vessels, and husks, and filth.Mentes omnes … Deus denudatas intuetur The object Mentes omnes "all minds" comes first and the subject Deus "God" late, so the sentence opens with what is seen. denudatas "stripped" agrees with Mentes: God sees them as stripped, bare.vasis hisce corporeis, et corticibus, et sordibus Three ablatives of separation with denudatas say what the minds are stripped of: "these bodily vessels, and husks, and dirt". A vas is a container; a cortex is bark or rind. The body is only the packing round the mind. Ablative of separation (a, ab, absque, liber, immunis, alienus) solasōlāalone enimfor mentewith mind suasuā,his own illasillāsthem aāfrom sesesēsēhimself demanantesdēmānantēsflowing down etand derivatasdērīvātās,drawn off attingit.he touchesFor with his own mind alone he touches them, as they flow down from himself and are drawn off from him.sola enim mente sua sola … mente sua "with his own mind alone" is an ablative of means; sola agrees with mente. Mind touches mind: God does not handle the bodies, only the minds. Ablative of means, cause and mannerillas a sese demanantes et derivatas The two participles describe the minds (illas). demanantes "flowing down" is present, from demanare "to flow down, flow from"; derivatas "drawn off" is perfect passive, from derivare, to lead water off from a stream (rivus); a sese "from himself" goes with both. Each human mind is a stream channelled off from God's, which is why God can reach it with his own. Participles: present, perfect, future, and as nouns hocthis idemsame tutūyou (too) sisīif fecerisfēceris,you do multamultāmuch temettēmetyourself molestiamolestiāfrom trouble liberabislīberābis.you will freeIf you too do this same thing, you will free yourself from much trouble.hoc idem tu si feceris The words that matter are put before si: hoc idem tu "this same thing, you (too)". Doing it means looking at minds, your own and others', without their bodily wrappings, as God does. feceris is future perfect: "if you do". Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis)multa temet molestia liberabis liberare "to free" takes an ablative of what one is freed from: multa … molestia "from much trouble", wrapped round the object. temet is te "yourself" with the strengthening suffix -met. Ablative of separation (a, ab, absque, liber, immunis, alienus) quiquīhe who enimfor circumjectamwrapped around sibihimself carnemthe flesh nonnōnnot respexerit,has paid regard to necnot … either dedēabout vestituvestītū,clothing domiciliodomiciliō,house famafāmā,reputation autor apparatuapparātūdisplay instructuqueīnstrūctūqueand equipment reliquoreliquōthe rest of cogitandocōgitandō,by thinking negotiumnegōtiumtrouble ullumūllumany facessetwill make sibi.for himselfFor he who pays no regard to the flesh wrapped around him will not make any trouble for himself either, by thinking about clothing, house, reputation, or the rest of his display and equipment.qui enim circumjectam sibi carnem non respexerit qui has no antecedent: "he who", and the whole clause is the subject of facesset. respexerit is future perfect, "(whoever) will have paid no regard to", that is, has learnt to look past the flesh. circumjectam sibi "wrapped round himself": the body is a garment about the mind. Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quodnec de vestitu nec "and not, not … either" negates the main verb facesset and picks up the non of the qui clause: the man who pays no regard to his own flesh will not fuss either over clothes, house and fame, which lie still further out. With the negative, ullum "any" makes "no trouble at all". Marcus's Greek puts this as a question expecting "no"; Gataker (1652) makes it a plain statement. The reprints of 1704 and 1744 print ne for his nec.de vestitu, domicilio, fama, aut apparatu instructuque reliquo cogitando, negotium ullum facesset sibi cogitando "by thinking" is the ablative of the gerund, and de with the ablatives says what the thinking is about. apparatu instructuque reliquo "the rest of the display and equipment" is all the outward show a man wraps round himself. negotium facessere alicui is an idiom, "to make trouble for someone"; here for oneself, sibi. facesset is the future of facesso. The gerund (agendo, laedendi)

You are made of body, breath and mind, and only the mind is properly yours. Separate from it what others say and do, what you have said and done, what you fear in the future, what belongs to body and breath, and the whirl of outside things; make yourself like Empedocles' self-contained sphere and live only the present, and you can spend the rest of your life calm, noble, and at peace with the spirit within you.

Triathree things sunt,there are exof quibuswhich constascōnstās,you consist corpusculum,a little body animula,a little breath of life mensmēns.a mindThere are three things of which you are made: a little body, a little breath of life, a mind.Tria sunt, ex quibus constas, corpusculum, animula, mens constare ex is "to consist of": ex quibus constas "of which you are made up". The three things are then named in apposition to Tria. The first two are diminutives, with a touch of disdain: corpusculum "a poor little body" and animula "a little breath of life", the vital spirit (Greek pneuma). The third, mens "mind", gets no diminutive: it is the ruling part, and the only one truly yours. Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quod horumhōrumof these priorapriōrathe first duotwo hactenushāctenusonly so far suntare tua,yours utpoteinasmuch as quorumquōrumof which curacūrathe care commissaentrusted esthas been tibi.to you tertiumthe third tantummodoalone, only propriepropriēproperly tuumyours est.isOf these the first two are yours only so far as their care has been entrusted to you. The third alone is properly yours.hactenus sunt tua, utpote quorum cura commissa est tibi hactenus "so far (and no further)" is explained by the relative clause: they are yours only utpote quorum cura commissa est tibi "inasmuch as their care has been entrusted to you". utpote qui "as being one who" gives a reason; quorum is an objective genitive with cura, "the care of which". You look after body and breath as a steward, but they are not you; only tertium "the third", the mind, is proprie "properly" yours. Objective genitive (reverentia tui, cura rerum) proindetherefore sisīif aāfrom tetē,yourself hocthat est,is aāfrom mentemind tuatuāyour sejunxerissējūnxeris,you separate quaecunquewhatever aliialiīothers dicuntdīcuntsay faciuntque;and doTherefore, if you separate from yourself, that is, from your mind, whatever others say and do;proinde si a te, hoc est, a mente tua sejunxeris, quaecunque A very long condition begins here. Its verb is sejunxeris "you separate" (future perfect), and its objects are a string of clauses each opening with quaecunque "whatever", each with its antecedent left out. The main clause does not come until poteris "you will be able", at the end of the section. hoc est "that is" corrects a te "from yourself" to a mente tua "from your mind": the mind is the real you. Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis) etand quaecunquewhatever ipseyou yourself aliquandoaliquandōever, at any time dixerisdīxerisyou have said fecerisquefēcerisque;and have done etand quaecunquewhatever (things) tetēyou tanquamas futurafutūrathings to come conturbant,trouble etand quaecunquewhatever (things) veleither circundaticircundatīput around tibiaround you corpusculicorpusculī,of the little body velor huicwith this coalitaegrown together animulae,of the little breath arbitriiarbitriīof your choice tuituīyour nonnōnnot sunt;areand whatever you yourself have ever said or done, and whatever troubles you as things to come, and whatever, belonging either to the little body put around you or to the little breath grown together with it, is not in your power;quaecunque ipse aliquando dixeris fecerisque dixeris and fecerisque are future perfect, like sejunxeris: whatever you will have said or done before you make the separation, that is, whatever you have ever said or done. The past, even your own, is to be let go, as in 12.1. The future perfect ("if you will have done…")quaecunque te tanquam futura conturbant tanquam futura "as things to come": what upsets you because it lies ahead. futura is the future participle of esse, agreeing with quaecunque. Participles: present, perfect, future, and as nounsquaecunque vel circundati tibi corpusculi, vel huic coalitae animulae, arbitrii tui non sunt The two genitives say whose the things are: "whatever (belongs) either to the little body put round you or to the little breath grown together with it"; circundati is Gataker's spelling of circumdati, from circumdare "to put round". huic "with this" is dative with coalitae and means the body. arbitrii tui non sunt "are not of your choosing" is a genitive in the predicate: not in your power. These are the two parts that are yours only on trust. Genitive of characteristic: "it belongs to…, it is the mark of…" deniquedēniquelastly quaecunquewhatever externaouter rerumrērumof things vertigovertīgōwhirl jugisjūgisunceasing volvit,rolls along itaso utthat mensmēnsmind tuayour rebusrēbusfrom the things fatofātōby fate obvenientibusthat befall exemptaexēmpta,freed purapūrapure acand liberalīberafree apudby, with sesēitself vivatvīvat,may live justajūstajust things faciensfaciēns,doing destinatadēstinātawhat is allotted volensvolēns,willing acand veravēratrue things proloquensprōloquēns.speaking outand lastly whatever the outer, unceasing whirl of things rolls along, so that your mind, set free from the things that befall by fate, may live pure and free by itself, doing what is just, willing what is allotted, and speaking out what is true.quaecunque externa rerum vertigo jugis volvit vertigo "a turning, whirl" is the subject, with one adjective before it, externa "outer", and one after, jugis "unceasing"; rerum "of things" depends on it. The outer world spins on and carries things round with it: let them go round without you. The same jugis vertigo comes back in Empedocles' line below.ita ut mens tua rebus fato obvenientibus exempta, pura ac libera apud se vivat ita ut with the subjunctive gives the result of the separation: "so that your mind may live …". pura ac libera are predicates agreeing with mens: it lives pure and free. apud se "by itself, at home with itself", depending on nothing outside. rebus fato obvenientibus exempta "freed from the things that come by fate": exempta takes an ablative of separation. Result clauses (ut after ita, tam, sic)justa faciens, destinata volens, ac vera proloquens Three present participles agreeing with mens sum up 12.1: justa faciens "doing just things" and vera proloquens "speaking out the truth" are justice, and destinata volens "willing what is allotted" is piety. The neuter plurals justa, destinata, vera are "just things", "things allotted", "true things". Participles: present, perfect, future, and as nouns sisīif aāfrom mente,mind inquam,I say tuatuāyour haecthese things sejunxerissējūnxeris,you separate quaewhich exthrough affectuaffectūfeeling vehementiorevehementiōretoo strong eieīto it adhaerereadhaerēreto cling solent,usually (do) etand temporisof time quicquidwhatever veleither praeteritumpast velor futurumfutūrumto come est;isIf, I say, you separate from your mind these things, which usually cling to it through too strong a feeling, and whatever of time is either past or to come;si a mente, inquam, tua haec sejunxeris After so many clauses Marcus starts the condition again: inquam "I say" marks the restart, and haec "these things" gathers up everything listed with quaecunque. The repeated si … sejunxeris is the same condition, not a new one. Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis)ex affectu vehementiore A comparative with nothing expressed to compare often means "too, rather": affectu vehementiore "too vehement a feeling". ex gives the cause: these things cling to the mind (ei adhaerere, dative with the compound verb) because we feel about them too strongly. Comparison: comparatives, superlatives, quamtemporis quicquid vel praeteritum vel futurum est temporis quicquid "whatever of time" is a partitive genitive: "whatever time is either past or to come". Only the present is left, as in 12.1. Partitive genitive (aliquid boni, nihil…) fecerisquefēcerisqueand (if) you make tetēyourself talemtālem,such qualisquālisas mundusworld hicthis EmpedocliEmpedoclīby Empedocles diciturdīcitur,is described Orbisof a globe habenshabēnshaving instarīnstarthe likeness jugijūgīunceasing vertiginevertīginein its whirl gaudensgaudēns.rejoicingand if you make yourself such as this world is described by Empedocles: "Having the likeness of a globe, rejoicing in its unceasing whirl."talem, qualis mundus hic Empedocli dicitur talem … qualis "such … as": te talem "yourself such" is object and predicate of feceris, and qualis is the predicate of the comparison, "as this world is described". Empedocli is dative: with a passive verb Latin, chiefly in verse and later prose, can give the agent in the dative instead of ab Empedocle. Empedocles wrote his philosophy in verse; his world, when Love has drawn all its parts together, is one perfect sphere. Paired words: et…et, nec…nec, vel…vel, cum…tum, non tam…quam, sive…siveOrbis habens instar jugi vertigine gaudens Gataker turns Empedocles' Greek hexameter into a Latin one: Orbis habens instar "having the likeness of a globe" (instar with the genitive Orbis), jugi vertigine gaudens "rejoicing in its unceasing whirl" (vertigine an ablative of cause with gaudens). The Greek is usually taken as the sphere rejoicing in its round solitude or rest; Gataker makes it turn. The mind should be like that sphere, whole and self-contained, as in 8.41 and 11.12. illudqueand that tantummodo,only quodwhich vivisvīvis,you are living hocthat est,is quodwhat impraesentiarumimpraesentiārumat present adest,is at hand viverevīvereto live sategerissatēgeris;you take painsAnd if you take pains to live only that which you are living, that is, what is at hand at present;illudque tantummodo, quod vivis … vivere sategeris vivere here takes an object, the stretch of life one lives: illud … quod vivis "that which you are living", explained by hoc est, quod impraesentiarum adest "that is, what is at hand at present". satagere "to busy oneself, take pains" takes the infinitive; sategeris is its future perfect, the last verb of the long condition. The print's full stop before illudque does not end the sentence. Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quod poterisyou will be able tandem,at last quodwhat superestremains vitaevītaeof life tuae,your adto mortemdeath usque,right (up to) tranquilletranquillē,calmly generosegenerōsē,nobly genioquegeniōqueand to guardian spirit tuotuōyour own propitiuswell disposed transigeretrānsigere.to passyou will then at last be able to pass what remains of your life, right up to death, calmly, nobly, and well disposed to your own guardian spirit.poteris tandem, quod superest vitae tuae Here, after all the si clauses, comes the main clause: poteris "you will be able", with its infinitive transigere "to pass, spend" kept for the very end. The object is quod superest vitae tuae "what remains of your life", with the partitive genitive vitae. ad mortem usque "right up to death": usque strengthens ad. Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis)genioque tuo propitius propitius "gracious, well disposed" is nominative, agreeing with "you", and takes the dative genio tuo "to your guardian spirit". It is the word used of a god who is kind to men; here the roles are turned, and you are to be kind to the god within you. Gataker's genius renders Marcus's daimon, the divine part in each person, which is the mind (2.13, 3.6, 5.27).

Each of us loves himself above everyone else, yet values other people's opinion of him above his own. If we were told to think nothing we would not at once say aloud, we could not bear it for a day: so we stand in more awe of what our neighbours think of us than of ourselves.

SaepenumeroSaepenumerōoften sumI have miratusmīrātus,wondered quiquīhow fiatfīat,it comes about utthat cumalthough sesesēsēhimself praeabove, more than caeteriscaeterīsthe others omnibusall diligatdīligatloves unusquisqueūnusquisque,each person suamhis own tamenstill dedēof, about sesēhimself existimationemexīstimātiōnemopinion minorisminōrisat less faciat,he values quamthan alienamaliēnam.other people'sI have often wondered how it comes about that, though each person loves himself more than all others, he still sets less value on his own opinion of himself than on other people's.Saepenumero sum miratus, qui fiat sum miratus "I have wondered" is the perfect of the deponent miror. qui is not the relative but the old adverb "how?", and fiat is subjunctive because the question is indirect: "how it comes about". The perfect here means "I have wondered", which counts as present time, so the present subjunctive follows. Indirect questionsut cum sese prae caeteris omnibus diligat unusquisque fit ut "it comes about that" takes a noun clause with ut and the subjunctive (faciat). Inside it, cum with the subjunctive diligat means "although", answered by tamen "still". prae caeteris omnibus "above all others": prae is "in comparison with". Concessive clauses: etiamsi, quamvis, cumsuam tamen de se existimationem minoris faciat, quam alienam With verbs of valuing the price is put in the genitive: minoris facere "to value at less", as minoris aestimare in 5.1. suam de se existimationem "his own opinion of himself" is set against alienam "another's", that is, others' opinion of him, with existimationem understood. Comparison: comparatives, superlatives, quam itaquethus, and so sisīif veleither DeusGod velor praeceptorteacher prudensprūdēnswise quissome astansastānsstanding by praeceperitpraecēperitshould order cuiquam,anyone nenēnot to quidanything apudwithin sesēhimself cogitetcōgitethe think menteveor in his mind agitetturn over quodwhich nonnōnnot simulas soon acas conceperitconcēperithe had conceived proferatprōferat,he would speak out nenēnot even adfor dieculamdiēculama single little day quidemeven idit sustineretsustinēret.he would bearThus, if either God or some wise teacher standing by should order anyone not to think anything to himself or turn anything over in his mind that he would not speak out as soon as he had conceived it, he would not bear it for even a single day.si vel Deus vel praeceptor prudens quis astans praeceperit cuiquam quis after si is indefinite, "some": praeceptor prudens quis "some wise teacher". astans "standing by" pictures him at one's side, watching. praecipere "to order" takes the dative of the person, cuiquam "anyone", and a ne clause saying what is forbidden. Indefinite pronouns: aliquis, quis, quisquam, ullus, quisque, quicunquene quid apud se cogitet menteve agitet quod non simul ac conceperit proferat An indirect command: ne quid … cogitet "not to think anything", with quid indefinite after ne; menteve agitet "or turn over in his mind", with -ve "or". The relative clause quod non … proferat "which he would not speak out" is subjunctive because it describes the kind of thought forbidden, and simul ac conceperit "as soon as he had conceived it" because it stands inside the command. In short: to think nothing he would not say aloud at once. Relative clauses with the subjunctive (characteristic, ut qui)ne ad dieculam quidem id sustineret ne … quidem "not even" encloses the words it stresses: ne ad dieculam quidem "not even for one little day"; diecula is a diminutive of dies. sustineret, imperfect subjunctive, is "he would not bear it": Gataker puts the si clause in the perfect subjunctive (praeceperit "should order") and the conclusion in the imperfect, the form of an unreal present. The subject has changed: it is now the man who received the order. Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis) itaso proximosproximōsour neighbours magis,more quidwhat dedēabout nobisnōbīsus sentiant,they think veremurverēmur,we stand in awe of quamthan nosipsosnōsipsōs.ourselvesSo we stand in more awe of what our neighbours think of us than of ourselves.proximos magis, quid de nobis sentiant, veremur Latin often draws the subject of an indirect question forward as the object of the main verb: proximos … quid de nobis sentiant, veremur is literally "we fear our neighbours, what they think of us", that is, "we fear what our neighbours think of us". vereri is to fear with respect, to stand in awe of. quam nosipsos "than (we do) ourselves" completes magis: our own judgement ought to weigh most. Gataker prints nos ipsos as one word, nosipsos. Indirect questions

Why should the gods, who ordered everything well and lovingly, have let good men, their closest friends, be wholly put out at death? If it is so, it must be right: had another way been just and natural, the gods would have made it so. And the very fact that you argue about justice with God shows that you think the gods supremely just.

QuiQuīhow fit,does it happen utthat DiiDiī,the gods quiquīwho pulcrepulcrēbeautifully acand cumwith singularisingulārīa singular ergaergātowards genusrace humanumhūmānumhuman amoreamōrelove disposueruntdisposuēruntarranged universaūniversa,all things hocthis unumūnumone thing neglexerintneglēxerint,have neglectedHow does it happen that the gods, who arranged all things beautifully and with a singular love towards the human race, have neglected this one thing:Qui fit, ut Dii … hoc unum neglexerint Qui fit, ut …? "How does it happen that …?" is a stock way of opening a puzzled question. qui is the old adverb "how", not the relative pronoun; fit "it happens" is impersonal, and the ut clause, with its verb in the subjunctive (neglexerint), is the thing that happens. The question is an objection to providence, which Marcus answers in the rest of the section. Impersonal verbs and phrases (oportet, decet, constat, attinet, detur)cum singulari erga genus humanum amore The preposition and its noun frame the phrase: cum … amore "with … love", and inside it singulari "singular" and erga genus humanum "towards the human race". Latin often wraps a phrase this way, with the noun last.pulcre pulcre is Gataker's spelling of pulchre "beautifully, well"; he writes the adjective both ways too. Gataker's spelling: j, caeterum, quenquam, -cunque curarecūrāreto take care nempe,namely nenēthat … not homineshominēs,men bonibonīgood men cumprimiscumprīmīs,above all quiquequīqueand who frequentissimathe most frequent cumwith ipsisipsīsthem quasias it were commerciadealings habuerint,have had atqueand perthrough operaworks piapious sacraqueand sacred ministeriaservices quamas … as possible maximemāximēmost familiaresfamiliārēsintimate ipsisipsīswith them extiterint,have proved ubiwhen semelonce defunctidēfūnctīdead sunt,have (died) nonnōnnot existerentthey should exist amplius,any longer sedbut omninoomnīnōutterly extinguerentur?they should be put outnamely, to take care that men, good men above all, and those who have had the most frequent dealings, as it were, with them, and through pious works and sacred services have been as close to them as could be, should not, once they have died, cease to exist and be utterly extinguished?curare nempe, ne The infinitive curare "to take care" spells out hoc unum "this one thing" in the last sentence; nempe "namely" marks it as an explanation. curare ne "to take care that … not" takes a clause with the subjunctive. The infinitive as a noun (subject, object, complement)ne homines … non existerent amplius, sed omnino extinguerentur ne covers the whole of what follows: what the gods failed to prevent is that men non existerent amplius, sed omnino extinguerentur "should no longer exist, but be utterly put out". So ne … non is not a slip: "take care that they should not cease to exist". The imperfect subjunctives follow the past tense neglexerint. Noun clauses with ut and ne (after oportet, incumbit, necesse est…)quique frequentissima cum ipsis quasi commercia habuerint quique is qui + -que "and who", not a form of quisque. commercia "dealings, trade" is a bold word for men's converse with the gods, so it is softened by quasi "as it were". The relative clauses inside the ne clause take the subjunctive (habuerint, extiterint). Relative clauses with the subjunctive (characteristic, ut qui)quam maxime familiares ipsis extiterint quam with a superlative is "as … as possible": quam maxime familiares "as intimate as could be". familiaris takes the dative, ipsis "with them", the gods; existere (perfect extiti) here is "to prove to be, show oneself". Gataker writes extiterint, existerent and extinguerentur without the s that other prints add after the x (exstiterint, exsisterent, exstinguerentur); both spellings are Latin. Comparison: comparatives, superlatives, quamubi semel defuncti sunt ubi semel "once, as soon as". defuncti sunt is the perfect of the deponent defungor "to finish (one's life)", so "they have died". It keeps the indicative because it states the plain time, not part of what the gods should prevent. Temporal clauses: dum, ubi, quando, quoties, quamdiu hocthis verovērōbut siquidemsīquidemif indeed sicsīcso sesēitself habet,is (so) proprōfor certocertōcertain sciassciās,know aliterotherwise facturosfactūrōsgoing to do eoseōsthey fuisse,to have been sisīif aliterotherwise fierifierīto happen oporteretoportēret.it were rightBut if this really is so, know for certain that they would have done otherwise, if it were right for it to happen otherwise.hoc vero siquidem sic se habet se habere "to hold oneself" is "to be (in some state)": sic se habet "it is so". siquidem here is "if indeed": Marcus grants the point for the sake of argument without asserting it. Reflexive pronouns: se, sibi, sui, suuspro certo scias, aliter facturos eos fuisse, si aliter fieri oporteret pro certo scias "know for certain": the subjunctive scias is a polite command. What is to be known is an unreal condition reported in an accusative and infinitive. Spoken directly it would be aliter fecissent, si aliter fieri oporteret "they would have done otherwise, if it were right for it to happen otherwise"; reported, "they would have done" becomes the future participle with fuisse: facturos eos fuisse. The si clause keeps its subjunctive oporteret. Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis) SiSīif enimfor justumjūstumjust erat,it was etalso fierifierīto be done poterat;it could have etand sisīif juxtajuxtāaccording to naturamnātūram,nature idit naturanātūranature protulissetprōtulisset.would have brought forthFor if it was just, it could also have been done; and if it was according to nature, nature would have brought it about.Si enim justum erat, et fieri poterat Two steps: what is just the gods can do, and what is natural nature produces. Latin puts verbs of being able in the indicative where English says "could have": fieri poterat "it could have been done". et here is "also". Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis)et si juxta naturam, id natura protulisset erat is understood again: "if (it was) according to nature". The pluperfect subjunctive protulisset of profero is unreal: "nature would have brought it forth". It has not, so it was not according to nature. Words left out: esse, sum and others understood veleven hincfrom this ergoergō,so quodthat aliterotherwise sesēitself habet,it is sisīif aliterotherwise saltemat least sesēitself habet,it is compertumfound out for certain habeashabeās,you may hold fierifierīto happen nonnōnnot oportuisse.to have been rightSo from this very fact, that it is otherwise, if at least it is otherwise, you may take it as proved that it ought not to have happened.vel hinc ergo, quod aliter se habet hinc "from this" points ahead to the quod clause: "from this, namely that it is otherwise". vel before a single word is "even": "from this very fact". "Otherwise" means otherwise than you would wish: good men are put out at death.si aliter saltem se habet Marcus does not say the soul perishes; si … saltem "if at least" leaves the question open, as siquidem did above. Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis)compertum habeas, fieri non oportuisse compertum habere "to hold as found out", i.e. "to know for certain" (as in 2.1), takes an accusative and infinitive. oportuisse is the perfect infinitive of the impersonal oportet: "that it was not right for it to happen", that is, to happen the way you would have it. Accusative and infinitive (indirect statement) videsvidēsyou see enim,for quodthat inin hujusthis reireīof matter indagationeindāgātiōnesearching dedēabout jurejūrewhat is right cumwith DeoDeōGod disceptasdisceptās.you are arguingFor you see that in searching into this matter you are arguing with God about what is right.vides enim, quod After a verb of seeing or knowing, Gataker sometimes uses quod "that" with the indicative instead of the accusative and infinitive: vides quod … disceptas "you see that you are arguing".de jure cum Deo disceptas disceptare is a word of the law courts, "to argue a case", and de jure "about the right of it". To ask why good men perish is to plead a case against God, as if before a judge who owes you justice. The next sentence turns this against the objector. nonnōnnot autembut dedēabout jurejūrewhat is right cumwith DeoDeōGod disceptaremusdisceptārēmus,we would be arguing nisiunless optimioptimīsupremely good illiillīthey acand justissimijūstissimīmost just forent.they wereBut we would not be arguing with God about what is right, unless they were supremely good and just.nisi optimi illi ac justissimi forent forent is another form of essent, the imperfect subjunctive of sum. With disceptaremus it makes an unreal condition about the present: "we would not be arguing … unless they were supremely good and just". No one pleads for justice before a judge he thinks unjust, so the complaint itself takes for granted that the gods are just. optimi is the superlative of bonus. Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis)cum Deo … illi The singular Deo "God" is followed by the plural illi "they", the gods: Marcus passes freely between God and the gods, as the Greek does here too. quiquīthose who suntare autemand istiusmodiistīusmodī,of that kind nihilnothing inin mundimundīof the world dispositionedispositiōnethe ordering injusteinjūstēunjustly atqueand irrationabiliterirratiōnābiliterunreasonably neglectumneglēctumneglected insuperīnsuperaside habuissent.would have heldAnd those who are of that kind would have left nothing in the ordering of the world unjustly and unreasonably neglected and disregarded.qui sunt autem istiusmodi The antecedent is left out: (ii) qui sunt istiusmodi "(those) who are of that kind", that is, supremely good and just. Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quodnihil … neglectum insuper habuissent habere with a perfect participle keeps a thing in a state: neglectum habere "to leave neglected". insuper habere "to disregard" is an idiom met in 5.5 and 6.14. The pluperfect subjunctive is "would have": beings so just would have let nothing in the world lie neglected. So the death of the good is no oversight, and Marcus can rest in it. Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis)

Train yourself even in the things you despair of doing: the left hand, clumsy at other work from lack of practice, holds the reins more firmly than the right, because it is used to that.

IllisIllīsto those things etiameven assuesceassuēsce,accustom yourself quaewhich fierifierīto be done possecan desperasdēspērās.you despairAccustom yourself even to those things which you have no hope can be done.Illis etiam assuesce, quae fieri posse desperas assuescere "to get used to" takes the dative: illis "to those things". In the relative clause the relative is itself the subject of an accusative and infinitive: quae fieri posse desperas "which you despair can be done", the things you think beyond you. Practice makes them possible, as the next sentence shows. Accusative and infinitive (indirect statement) namfor ettoo sinistraleft manus,hand cumthough adfor aliaother operawork perthrough desuetudinemdēsuētūdinemlack of practice ineptaunfit sit,it is fraenumthe bridle quamthan dextrathe right validiusmore firmly tenet;holds quiabecause huicto this operioperīwork assuevitassuēvit.it has grown usedFor the left hand too, though it is unfit for other work through lack of practice, holds the bridle more firmly than the right, because it has grown used to this work.cum ad alia opera per desuetudinem inepta sit cum with the subjunctive here means "although". desuetudo "disuse, want of practice" is the opposite of consuetudo "habit". Concessive clauses: etiamsi, quamvis, cumsinistra manus … fraenum quam dextra validius tenet The comparison is turned round: quam dextra "than the right" stands before the comparative validius "more firmly" that it depends on. dextra is the adjective dexter "right" with manus understood, as English says "the right". A rider held the reins in his left hand, so the weaker hand became the stronger at this one task. fraenum is Gataker's spelling of frenum "bridle". Comparison: comparatives, superlatives, quamquia huic operi assuevit assuescere again with the dative. Its perfect assuevit "has grown used" amounts to "is used to". Dative with special and compound verbs (succensere, obsequi)

Think in what state of body and soul death ought to find you; think of the shortness of life, the immense stretch of time behind and ahead, and the frailty of all matter.

CogitaCōgitāthink qualemquālemof what sort tetē,you tumboth corpore,in body tumand animaanimā,in soul aāby mortedeath deprehendidēprehendīto be overtaken oporteat:it is right vitaevītaeof life etiamalso hujusthis brevitatembrevitātem;the shortness aeviaevīof time retrorsumretrōrsumbehind prorsumqueprōrsumqueand ahead vastitatemvāstitātemthe vastness immensamimmēnsam:immense materiaemāteriaeof matter deniquedēniquelastly cujusqueall, every imbecillitatemimbēcillitātem.the frailtyThink what sort of person, both in body and in soul, you ought to be when death overtakes you; think also of the shortness of this life, of the immense vastness of time behind and ahead, and lastly of the frailty of all matter.qualem te, tum corpore, tum anima, a morte deprehendi oporteat An indirect question after cogita: literally "of what sort it is right that you be overtaken by death", i.e. "in what state death ought to find you". qualem agrees with te, the accusative subject of the passive infinitive deprehendi "to be caught, overtaken", and a morte gives the agent. oporteat is subjunctive because the question is indirect. tum … tum "both … and" joins two ablatives of respect, "in body and in soul". Indirect questionsvitae etiam hujus brevitatem; aevi retrorsum prorsumque vastitatem immensam: materiae denique cujusque imbecillitatem After the question, cogita takes plain accusative objects: think of the shortness, the vastness, the frailty. Each object has its genitive before it: vitae … brevitatem "the shortness of life", aevi … vastitatem "the vastness of time", materiae … imbecillitatem "the frailty of matter".aevi retrorsum prorsumque retrorsum "backwards" and prorsum "forwards" are adverbs, used here like adjectives with aevi: "of time behind and ahead", the endless age before we were born and after we die.

Look at the forms of things with their husks peeled off, at the aims of actions, at what pain, pleasure, death and glory are; see who makes each man's troubles, how no one can be hindered by another, and that everything rests on opinion.

FormasFōrmāsthe forms corticibusof their husks nudatasnūdātāsstripped contemplarecontemplāre:contemplate actionumāctiōnumof actions itemlikewise intentionesintentiōnēs:the aims quidwhat dolor;pain quidwhat voluptasvoluptās;pleasure quidwhat mors;death quidwhat gloriaglōria:glory quiswho cuiqueto each man molestiarummolestiārumof troubles autor:the author quoquōin what modomodōway nemonēmōno one abby alioaliōanother quopiamquōpiamanyone impediaturimpediātur:is hinderedContemplate the forms of things stripped of their husks; likewise the aims of actions; what pain is, what pleasure, what death, what glory; who is the author of each man's troubles; how no one is hindered by anyone else;Formas corticibus nudatas contemplare contemplare is the imperative of the deponent contemplor "look closely at", not an infinitive. formas "forms" is Gataker's word for what the Greek calls the "causes": what makes each thing what it is, as against its matter. corticibus "of their husks" is an ablative of separation with nudatas "stripped": look at things with the outer bark peeled off, as in 12.2 God sees minds stripped of their bodily husks (corticibus). Ablative of separation (a, ab, absque, liber, immunis, alienus)quid dolor; quid voluptas; quid mors; quid gloria A string of indirect questions with sit left out each time: "what pain (is), what pleasure (is) …". They are objects of contemplare, like formas and intentiones. Words left out: esse, sum and others understoodquis cuique molestiarum autor "who is to each man the author of his troubles", with sit understood again. autor is Gataker's spelling of auctor "author, maker". The answer Marcus expects is "he himself": the Greek says each man is the cause of his own trouble. Dative of reference, possession and advantagequo modo nemo ab alio quopiam impediatur quo modo "in what way, how" opens another indirect question, so impediatur is subjunctive. ab alio quopiam "by any other person": no one can hinder your mind but you. Indirect questions quodthat deniquedēniquelastly opinioneopīniōneon opinion constantcōnstantrest omnia.all thingsand lastly, that all things rest on opinion.quod denique opinione constant omnia quod "that, the fact that" with the indicative gives a last object of contemplare in the sentence before. constare with the ablative is "to consist in, rest on": things are good or bad only as we judge them.

In using your principles be like a boxer, not a gladiator: the gladiator who lays down his sword is killed at once, but the boxer always has his hand with him and need only swing it.

Inin decretorumdēcrētōrumof principles usuūsū,the use pugilipugilī,a boxer nonnōnnot gladiatorigladiātōrīa gladiator similemlike esseto be tetēyou oportet.it is rightIn the use of your principles you must be like a boxer, not a gladiator.pugili, non gladiatori similem esse te oportet oportet "it is right, one must" takes an accusative and infinitive: te … esse "that you be". similis "like" takes the dative: pugili "a boxer", gladiatori "a gladiator"; similem is accusative to agree with te. The gladiator fights with a sword that can be put down or lost; the boxer's weapon is his own hand. Your principles should be like the hand, part of you, not a tool you pick up. Impersonal verbs and phrases (oportet, decet, constat, attinet, detur) istethat one enimfor enseēnse,the sword quoquōwhich utiturūtitur,he uses positopositō,laid down statimat once interficitur.is killedFor the gladiator, once the sword he uses is laid down, is killed at once.ense, quo utitur, posito An ablative absolute with a relative clause tucked inside it: ense … posito "the sword having been laid down", and quo utitur "which he uses" (utor takes the ablative). The gladiator's strength lies outside himself. Ablative absoluteiste iste "that one" is the gladiator, the second named; in the next sentence ille "the other" is the boxer. Demonstratives: hic, ille, iste, is, ipse, idem illethe other autembut manumhis hand semperalways praestopraestōat hand habet,has quaquāwhich vibratavibrātāswung duntaxatonly opusneed est.there isBut the boxer always has his hand ready, and needs only to swing it.qua vibrata duntaxat opus est opus est "there is need" takes the ablative of the thing needed, and a perfect participle can go with it: qua vibrata … opus est, literally "there is need only of it swung", i.e. "it needs only to be swung". The boxer has no weapon to drop: his hand is always his. (The Greek says he need only clench it.) Ablative of means, cause and manner

See things as they really are by dividing each into its matter, its form and its end.

ResRēsthings ipsasipsāsthemselves qualesquālēsof what sort sintthey are intuereintuēre,look at ininto materiammāteriam,matter formamfōrmam,form finemfīnemend dividendodīvidendō.by dividingLook at things themselves, what they are like, by dividing them into matter, form and end.Res ipsas quales sint intuere The subject of the indirect question is pulled forward to be the object of the main verb: "look at things themselves, of what sort they are", i.e. "look at what things really are". intuere is the imperative of the deponent intueor. Indirect questionsin materiam, formam, finem dividendo dividendo, the ablative of the gerund, is "by dividing". This is the Stoic analysis Marcus uses again and again: the materia a thing is made of; its forma, the active cause that shapes the matter (the Greek says "cause"); and its finis, the end it serves. 12.18 gives the same list and adds time. The gerund (agendo, laedendi)

How great is man's power: it lies in his own choice to do nothing but what God will approve, and to welcome whatever God assigns him.

Quantahow great estis hominisof man potentia,the power inin cujuswhose situmplaced estis arbitrioarbitriō,choice utthat nihilnothing faciat,he does nisiexcept quodwhat DeusGod ipsehimself comprobaturuscomprobātūrusgoing to approve est,is etand quicquidwhatever DeusGod illiillīto him assignaveritassignāverit,has assigned libenslibēnsgladly excipiat?he acceptsHow great is the power of man, in whose choice it lies to do nothing except what God himself will approve, and to accept gladly whatever God has assigned him?Quanta est hominis potentia quantus "how great" here exclaims rather than asks: "How great is the power of man!" Gataker ends the sentence with a question mark, but no answer is expected. hominis is man in general.in cujus situm est arbitrio, ut in aliquo situm esse "to lie in someone's power"; here the phrase is split, in cujus … arbitrio "in whose choice", round the verb. What lies in his choice is the ut clause: "that he do nothing … and accept gladly …". Noun clauses with ut and ne (after oportet, incumbit, necesse est…)nisi quod Deus ipse comprobaturus est The future participle with est looks ahead: "what God himself is going to approve". quod "what" stands for id quod "that which". Future participle with sum (moriturus sis, victurus esses)quicquid Deus illi assignaverit, libens excipiat assignaverit is perfect subjunctive because its clause sits inside the ut clause: "whatever God has allotted him". libens "glad" is an adjective agreeing with the subject, where English uses an adverb: "accept gladly".

For what happens in keeping with nature, neither gods nor men are to be blamed: the gods do no wrong, willingly or unwillingly, and men do none willingly. So no one is to be blamed.

Quicquidwhatever naturaenātūraewith nature consentaneumcōnsentāneumin keeping contingit,happens dedēfor eoeōthat necneither DiiDiīthe gods suntare incusandiincūsandī;to be blamed nihilin nothing enimfor veleither spontewillingly velor invitiinvītīagainst their will peccant:they do wrong necnor homineshominēs:men nihilnothing enimfor ettoo ipsiipsīthey sponte.willinglyWhatever happens in keeping with nature, for that neither are the gods to be blamed, for they do no wrong at all, either willingly or against their will; nor are men, for they too do none willingly.Quicquid … de eo The quicquid clause comes first, and de eo "about it" takes it up in the main clause: "whatever happens …, for that …".nec Dii sunt incusandi The gerundive with sum says what must or must not be done: sunt incusandi "are to be blamed". nec … nec "neither … nor" sets the gods against men. Gerundive of obligation (cavenda est, agenda sunt)nihil enim vel sponte vel inviti peccant nihil with a verb like peccare is "in nothing, not at all": "they do no wrong at all". vel … vel "either … or" joins two different kinds of word: sponte "of their own accord" is an ablative noun, inviti "unwilling" an adjective agreeing with the subject. The gods do no wrong in either way. Paired words: et…et, nec…nec, vel…vel, cum…tum, non tam…quam, sive…sivenec homines: nihil enim et ipsi sponte Two things are left out: supply sunt incusandi with homines, and peccant after sponte. et ipsi "they too". Men do wrong, but never willingly: the old teaching, from Socrates, that no one errs on purpose, only from not knowing the good. Words left out: esse, sum and others understood nullinūllīnone ergoergōso suntare incusandiincūsandī.to be blamedSo no one is to be blamed.nulli nulli is plural, "none (of them)", because it covers both groups, gods and men; English says "no one".

How ridiculous, how much a stranger in the world, is the man who is surprised at anything that happens in life.

Quamhow ridiculusrīdiculusridiculous etand peregrinusperegrīnusa stranger est,is quiquīhe who quicquamanything eorumeōrumof the things quaewhich inin vitavītālife hachācthis fiuntfīunt,happen miraturmīrātur?wonders atHow ridiculous and what a stranger is the man who wonders at anything of what happens in this life?Quam ridiculus et peregrinus est quam with an adjective is "how": an exclamation dressed as a question, with no answer expected. peregrinus "a foreigner, stranger" looks back to 12.1, where Marcus hopes to stop being in patria tua peregrinus "a stranger in your own country", forever amazed at what happens every day. The subject is the qui clause; its antecedent is "he" is left out.quicquam eorum quae in vita hac fiunt quisquam "anyone, anything" belongs to negative sentences; it fits here because the question means "no one should wonder at anything". eorum is a partitive genitive: "anything of the things that happen". Indefinite pronouns: aliquis, quis, quisquam, ullus, quisque, quicunque

Either fixed necessity rules, or a providence that can be won over, or aimless chaos. If necessity, why struggle? If providence, make yourself worthy of its help. If chaos, be glad that in the flood you have a ruling mind within you; let the flood carry off body and breath, but not the mind.

Auteither estthere is necessitasnecessitāsnecessity fatalisfātālis,fated etand ordoōrdōan order inviolabilisinviolābilis,that cannot be broken autor providentiaprōvidentiaa providence placabilisplācābilis,that can be appeased autor confusiocōnfūsiōa confusion temerariatemerāria,random etand rectorisrēctōrisof a ruler orba.bereftEither there is a fated necessity and an order that cannot be broken, or a providence that can be appeased, or a random confusion with no one to steer it.Aut est necessitas fatalis, et ordo inviolabilis, aut providentia placabilis, aut confusio temeraria Three possibilities about the world, which Marcus weighs often (compare 4.3 and 6.10): aut … aut … aut "either … or … or". The one est "there is" at the head serves all three. Adjectives in -bilis mean "that can be …": inviolabilis "that cannot be violated", placabilis "that can be appeased" by prayer and right living. Paired words: et…et, nec…nec, vel…vel, cum…tum, non tam…quam, sive…siveconfusio temeraria, et rectoris orba orbus "bereft, orphaned" takes the genitive of what is lost: rectoris orba "bereft of a ruler". rector is also the word for a ship's helmsman, and the picture of a ship in a storm comes back with aestu below. sisīif necessitasnecessitāsnecessity inviolabilisinviolābilis,unbreakable quorsumquōrsumto what end reniterisrenīteris?do you struggle against (it)If an unbreakable necessity, why do you struggle against it?si necessitas inviolabilis, quorsum reniteris est is understood from the first sentence: "if (it is) an unbreakable necessity". quorsum "to what end, why"; reniteris is the deponent renitor "struggle against", with a passive-looking ending. Words left out: esse, sum and others understood sinsīnbut if providentiaprōvidentia,a providence quaewhich placariplācārīto be appeased possit,can auxilioauxiliōof help divinodīvīnōdivine dignumworthy tetēyourself praestapraestā.showBut if a providence that can be appeased, make yourself worthy of divine help.quae placari possit A relative clause of characteristic, "(a providence) such as can be appeased": it restates placabilis. Relative clauses with the subjunctive (characteristic, ut qui)auxilio divino dignum te praesta dignus "worthy" takes the ablative: auxilio divino "of divine help". praestare se with an adjective is "to show oneself, prove oneself": "prove yourself worthy". Commands: imperative, memento, ne with the perfect subjunctive sisīif deniquedēniquelastly confusiocōnfūsiōa confusion rectorisrēctōrisof a ruler orba,bereft satenough habehabē,hold (it) quodthat inin aestuaestūa surge istiusmodiistīusmodīof that kind rectricemrēctrīcemruling quandama kind of intraintrāwithin tetēyou mentemmind habeshabēs.you haveIf, lastly, a confusion with no one to steer it, be content that in such a surge you have within you a mind that steers.sat habe sat is the short form of satis "enough"; sat habere "to hold it enough" means "to be content". What you are to be content with is the quod clause, "that you have …".in aestu istiusmodi rectricem quandam intra te mentem habes aestus is the surge of the sea, and the ship picture goes on: the world may have no helmsman (rectoris orba), but you have a steersman within. rectrix "she who rules", a feminine noun, stands beside mentem almost as an adjective, "a ruling mind", and quandam "a kind of" softens it. quodand sisīif tetēyou aestusthe surge corripuerit,sweeps (you) away carunculam,your bit of flesh animulam,your little breath caeteraremaining aliaother things abripiat:let it carry off mentemthe mind duntaxatonly nenēnot abripiat.let it carry offAnd if the surge sweeps you away, let it carry off your bit of flesh, your little breath, all the rest: only let it not carry off your mind.quod si te aestus corripuerit quod si "and if, but if": quod only links the sentence to the last. corripuerit is future perfect, "if the surge shall have seized you"; English says "if it sweeps you away". The future perfect ("if you will have done…")carunculam, animulam, caetera alia Diminutives of contempt: caruncula "a bit of flesh" and animula "a little breath", the body and the vital breath, the two lesser parts of man in 12.3. caetera alia "all the other things".mentem duntaxat ne abripiat abripiat is a jussive subjunctive, "let it carry off"; with ne it becomes a negative command, "let it not carry off". The Greek states a fact here, "the mind it will not carry off"; Gataker's Latin makes it a charge: keep the mind out of the flood. Jussive and hortatory subjunctive ("let him…", "you should…")

A lamp keeps its light until it is put out; will you let the truth, justice and temperance in you go out before you yourself are extinguished?

Anor cumwhile lucernaeof a lamp lumenlūmen,the light usquedumuntil extinguaturextinguātur,it is put out luceatlūceat,shines necand not splendoremsplendōrembrightness amittatāmittatloses suum;its tutūyou admissurusadmissūrusgoing to allow es,are utthat inin tetēyou veritasvēritās,truth justitiajūstitia,justice temperantiatemperance antebefore extinctumextīnctumput out temettēmetyou yourself extinguaturextinguātur?be put outOr, while the light of a lamp shines until it is put out and does not lose its brightness, will you allow the truth, justice and temperance in you to be put out before you yourself are extinguished?An cum lucernae lumen, usquedum extinguatur, luceat An at the head of a question shows surprise or indignation: "Or is it really so that …?" cum with the subjunctive sets two things side by side, "whereas, while": the lamp shines to the end; will you go dark early? usquedum "until" (usque dum, "all the way until") has its verb extinguatur in the subjunctive because it stands inside the cum clause. Clauses with cum: when, since, althoughtu admissurus es, ut The future participle with es: "are you going to allow". admittere ut "to let it happen that" takes the subjunctive. Future participle with sum (moriturus sis, victurus esses)veritas, justitia, temperantia … extinguatur Three subjects with a singular verb: the verb agrees with the nearest, or the three are taken as one thing, the light within you.ante extinctum temet ante with a pronoun and a perfect participle does the work of an English clause: ante extinctum temet, literally "before you put out", is "before you yourself are extinguished" (compare ante urbem conditam "before the city was founded"). temet is te strengthened by -met: "you yourself". Gataker writes extinguo, extinctum without the s after the x that other prints have (exstinguo). Participles: present, perfect, future, and as nouns

When you think someone has done wrong, ask whether it is really a wrong, and whether he has not already condemned himself, which is like tearing his own face. To want the bad not to do wrong is like wanting the fig tree not to bear its sharp juice: if you think you can, cure him.

Ubiwhen obrepseritobrēpserithas crept up on tibion you cogitatiocōgitātiō,the thought peccassepeccāsseto have done wrong aliquem,someone haecthese things tutūyou tibi,to yourself Undehow novinōvī,do I know anwhether peccatumpeccātuma wrong hocthis sit;is autor sisīif peccavitpeccāvit,he did wrong anwhether peccatipeccātīof the wrong ipsehe himself sesēhimself reumguilty peregeritperēgerit?has convictedWhen the thought creeps up on you that someone has done wrong, say this to yourself: How do I know whether this is a wrong? Or, if he did do wrong, whether he himself has convicted himself of the wrong?Ubi obrepserit tibi cogitatio, peccasse aliquem obrepere "to creep up on" takes the dative (tibi). ubi with the future perfect looks ahead: "when the thought has crept up on you". The thought itself is an accusative and infinitive in apposition to cogitatio: peccasse aliquem "that someone has done wrong"; peccasse is the short form of peccavisse. Accusative and infinitive (indirect statement)haec tu tibi A verb of saying is left out: "(say) this to yourself". The words to be said follow at once as direct speech, from Unde novi. Words left out: esse, sum and others understoodUnde novi, an peccatum hoc sit unde "from where" is "how" in unde novi "how do I know?"; novi, the perfect of nosco "get to know", means "I know". an "whether" opens an indirect question, so sit is subjunctive. First ask whether it was a wrong at all: we often judge before we know. Indirect questionsan peccati ipse se reum peregerit reum peragere is a law-court phrase, "to carry a prosecution through to conviction"; se reum peragere is "to convict oneself", and the genitive peccati gives the charge, "of the wrong". The wrongdoer is his own accuser and judge. (The Greek states this as a fact, "he has condemned himself"; Gataker makes it a second question.) hocthis enimfor perindejust est,is acsiacsīas if faciemface sibihis own dilacerassetdīlacerāsset:he had tornFor this is just as if he had torn his own face.acsi faciem sibi dilacerasset perinde acsi "just as if" (acsi is ac si written as one word, as Gataker prints it) brings in an imagined comparison, so the verb is subjunctive: the pluperfect dilacerasset (short for dilaceravisset) "as if he had torn". sibi, a dative of reference, makes it "his own face". To condemn oneself is to wound oneself, as mourners tore their cheeks: the wrongdoer is already punished and needs no anger from you. Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis) tumthen illudthis meminerismeminerīs,remember eumthe man quiquīwho improbosimprobōsthe wicked delinqueredēlinquereto do wrong nonnōnnot vult,does want paremlike esseis illiillī,that one quiquīwho ficumfīcumthe fig tree inin ficubusfīcubusits figs succumjuice acremācremsharp gerere;to bear etand infantesīnfantēsbabies vagirevāgīre,to cry etand equumthe horse hinnirehinnīre,to neigh aliaqueand other things ejusmodiejusmodīof that kind quaewhich necessarianecessārianecessary sunt,are nolitnōlit.would not wantThen remember this: that the man who does not want the wicked to do wrong is like one who would not want the fig tree to bear a sharp juice in its figs, and babies to cry, and the horse to neigh, and other such things that are necessary.tum illud memineris memineris, the perfect subjunctive of memini (perfect in form, present in meaning), is a gentle command: "remember". illud "this" points ahead to the accusative and infinitive. Jussive and hortatory subjunctive ("let him…", "you should…")eum qui improbos delinquere non vult, parem esse illi velle with an accusative and infinitive is "to want someone to do something": improbos delinquere non vult "does not want the wicked to do wrong". par "equal, like" takes the dative: parem esse illi "is like that man". Accusative and infinitive (indirect statement)qui ficum in ficubus succum acrem gerere … nolit eum qui … non vult has the indicative, a real man; illi qui … nolit the subjunctive, an imagined kind of man: "one who would not want". nolit governs a row of accusatives and infinitives, ficum … gerere "the fig tree to bear", infantes vagire "babies to cry", equum hinnire "the horse to neigh", and last a plain object, alia ejusmodi "other such things". ficus is both the tree and the fruit: ficum "the fig tree", in ficubus (4th-declension ablative plural) "in its figs". Sharp sap, crying, neighing: each nature does what it must, and so do the wicked. Relative clauses with the subjunctive (characteristic, ut qui) quidwhat enimfor feceritfēcerit,would he do quiquīhe who sicsīcso affectusdisposed fuerit?has beenFor what would a man do who is so disposed?quid enim fecerit, qui sic affectus fuerit fecerit, perfect subjunctive, is potential: "what would he do?", i.e. what else could he do? A man in that state acts from it, as the fig tree bears its juice. sic affectus "so disposed, in that state", as in 9.1. Potential and deliberative subjunctive in questions hunchim tutū,you sisīif tantumso much posseto be able tetēyou putasputās,you think sanasānā.cureCure him, if you think you are able to do so much.hunc tu, si tantum posse te putas, sana sana is the imperative of sano "heal", not the adjective sana "healthy". tantum is the neuter of tantus, object of posse, "to be able to do so much", not the adverb tantum "only". The challenge is half ironic: the cure for a wrongdoer is to change his disposition (the Greek says "cure this disposition"), not to be angry that he acts on it. If you can do that, do it. Commands: imperative, memento, ne with the perfect subjunctive

If it is not fitting, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it. Let your aim be set on these two things always.

NiNīif not decorumdecōrumfitting sit,it is nenēdo not fecerisfēcerīs;do (it) ninīif not verumvērumtrue sit,it is nenēdo not dixerisdīxerīs.say (it)If it is not fitting, do not do it; if it is not true, do not say it.ne feceris … ne dixeris ne with the perfect subjunctive is the regular way to forbid something: ne feceris "do not do (it)", ne dixeris "do not say (it)". The perfect has no past meaning here; it gives a single, firm prohibition. (The other way of forbidding is noli with the infinitive: noli facere.) Commands: imperative, memento, ne with the perfect subjunctiveNi decorum sit … ni verum sit ni is an older, shorter form of nisi "if not, unless". The subject is left to be understood: "if (the thing) is not fitting". The subjunctive sit puts the case in general terms, "should it not be". decorum and verum are neuter adjectives: "a fitting thing", "a true thing". The Greek has the Stoic word for an action that is fitting or due (kathekon). Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis) adtowards istathose enimfor duotwo (things) semperalways intentiointentiōaim tuayour tendat.should make forFor your aim should always be directed to these two things.tendat tendat is a jussive subjunctive, a command in the third person: "let (your aim) make for". tendere ad is "to stretch towards, make for". intentio, from intendo "stretch, aim", is the straining of the mind towards what it means to do: its aim or impulse. ista duo "those two" are the fitting and the true. Jussive and hortatory subjunctive ("let him…", "you should…")

Always ask what it really is that is working on your mind, and lay it open by dividing it into its form, its matter, its end, and the time within which it will cease.

ConsideraCōnsīderāconsider semper,always quidwhat illudthat thing sit,is quodwhich cogitationemcōgitātiōnemthought tuamyour afficit;affectsAlways consider what that thing is which is affecting your thought;quid illud sit, quod cogitationem tuam afficit quid illud sit "what that thing is" is an indirect question depending on considera, so its verb is subjunctive. The relative clause quod … afficit keeps the indicative: it simply points to the thing, whatever is acting on your mind at the moment. afficere is "to act upon, make an impression on"; the Greek speaks of what produces the impression (phantasia) in you. Indirect questions curaequecūraequeand a concern sitlet it be tibito you hocthis ipsumvery (thing) ininto formamfōrmam,(its) form materiammāteriam,(its) matter finemfīnem,(its) end etand tempus,the time intraintrāwithin quodwhich desiturumdēsitūrumgoing to cease sit,it is distinguendodistinguendōby dividing (it) explicareexplicāre.to unfoldand make it your concern to lay this very thing open by dividing it into its form, its matter, its end, and the time within which it will cease.curaeque sit tibi … explicare curae sit tibi is a double dative: literally "let it be for a care to you", i.e. "make it your concern". curae says what the thing serves as, tibi whom it concerns. The subject of sit is the infinitive explicare at the very end: "let laying this open be your concern". sit is jussive, a command. Dative of reference, possession and advantagein formam, materiam, finem, et tempus … distinguendo explicare explicare, literally "to unfold, unroll", is to lay a thing open so that it can be seen; distinguendo "by dividing", the ablative of the gerund, says how: by sorting it in "into" four heads. They are the questions a Stoic put to anything: what shapes it (forma), what it is made of (materia), what it is for (finis), and how long it will last (tempus). Gataker's forma renders a Greek word for the causal, active part of a thing. The gerund (agendo, laedendi)intra quod desiturum sit desiturum sit is the future participle of desino "cease" with sit: "(it) is going to cease". Its subject is the thing being examined. The subjunctive is used because the clause belongs to what you are to work out. Future participle with sum (moriturus sis, victurus esses)

Realise at last that you have in you something better and more divine than the things that stir up passions and work you like a puppet. Ask yourself what is in your mind now: fear, suspicion, desire, or something of the kind?

SentiasSentiāsyou should perceive tandemat last aliquandoaliquandō,(now) at length aliquidsomething esse(that there) is inin tetēyou praestantiusmore excellent acand diviniusdīvīniusmore divine eiseīsthan those things quaewhich affectusaffectūspassions inin tetēyou excitant,stir up etand quasias if fidiculisfidiculīswith strings quibusdama sort of distrahuntpull apart tetē.youCome to feel at long last that there is something in you better and more divine than the things which stir up passions in you and, as if with strings, pull you this way and that.Sentias tandem aliquando, aliquid esse sentias is a jussive subjunctive in the second person, a softened command: "you should perceive". tandem aliquando together is "at long last", with a note of impatience. sentire "perceive" takes an accusative and infinitive: aliquid esse in te "that there is something in you". Jussive and hortatory subjunctive ("let him…", "you should…")praestantius ac divinius eis quae affectus in te excitant Two neuter comparatives agreeing with aliquid: "something more excellent and more divine". What it is compared with is in the ablative, without quam: eis "than those things". quae is nominative, the subject, and affectus accusative plural (4th declension), the object: "the things which stir up passions", not "which the passions stir up". Comparison: comparatives, superlatives, quamquasi fidiculis quibusdam distrahunt te The image is of a puppet worked by strings, which Marcus uses several times (3.16, 10.38). fidiculis, literally "little lyre-strings", is an ablative of means, and both quasi "as if" and quibusdam "certain, a sort of" mark it as a figure of speech: "with strings, as it were". distrahere is to pull in different directions. Ablative of means, cause and manner quaewhat mihito me (my) nuncnow dicasdīcāsyou should say tibito yourself mensmēnsmind est?isWhat, you should now ask yourself, is my mind?quae mihi nunc dicas tibi mens est The words nunc dicas tibi "you should now say to yourself" are dropped into the middle of the question they introduce, with no commas to mark them off; dicas is jussive, like sentias above. quae is the interrogative adjective agreeing with mens, and mihi a dative of possession: "what mind is there to me?", i.e. "what is my mind (taken up with) now?" Jussive and hortatory subjunctive ("let him…", "you should…") numis it? metus?fear numis it? suspiciosuspīciō?suspicion numis it? libidolibīdō?desire numis it? aliudelse aliquidsomething istiusmodiistīusmodī?of that kindIs it fear? Is it suspicion? Is it desire? Is it something else of that kind?num metus? num suspicio? num libido? Each question leaves out the verb: supply est, "is it fear?", that is, is my mind now fear? num asks a question that hopes for the answer "no": "it isn't fear, is it?" libido is desire or craving of any kind, not only lust. Words left out: esse, sum and others understood

First, do nothing rashly or without a definite purpose; second, direct nothing you do to any end but the good of the community.

PrimoPrīmōfirst videvidē,see (to it) nequidnēquidthat nothing temere,rashly autor absquewithout certocertōdefinite aliquoaliquōsome finefīne.endFirst, see that nothing is done rashly, or without some definite end.Primo vide, nequid temere vide ne "see that … not" takes a clause with ne and the subjunctive, but here the verb is left out: supply fiat "be done", as in 12.24 (nequid frustra … fiat). nequid is Gataker's one-word spelling of ne quid "that not anything", i.e. "that nothing": "first, see that nothing (is done) rashly". Noun clauses with ut and ne (after oportet, incumbit, necesse est…)absque certo aliquo fine absque "without" is a rarer word for sine. finis here is the "end" in the sense of purpose: an act should be aimed at something definite. Ablative of separation (a, ab, absque, liber, immunis, alienus) secundosecundō,second nenēthat not adto ullumūllumany aliumother finemfīnem,end quamthan quiquī(one) which societatisocietātīsociety conducatcondūcat,serves referaturreferātur.it be directedSecond, that it is not directed to any other end than one which serves society.secundo, ne … referatur vide is understood again: "second, (see) that (it) is not directed …". The subject of referatur is whatever you do. referre ad "to refer to, bring back to" is to direct an act towards its purpose, to make it serve that purpose. Noun clauses with ut and ne (after oportet, incumbit, necesse est…)ad ullum alium finem, quam qui societati conducat alius … quam is "other than". After quam supply "the one": "to any other end than (one) which serves society". conducere "be of use to" takes the dative societati. The relative clause is subjunctive because it describes the only kind of end allowed, and because it stands inside the ne clause. Relative clauses with the subjunctive (characteristic, ut qui)

Before long you will be no one and nowhere, and so will everything you see and everyone now alive. All things are made to change, turn and perish, so that others may follow them in an unbroken series.

CogitaCōgitāthink tecumtēcum,to yourself brevibrevīshortly fore,that it will come about utthat necneither ipseyou yourself ullusūllusanyone usquamanywhere futurusfutūrusgoing to be sissīs,you are necnor quicquamanything eorumeōrumof those things quaewhich videsvidēs,you see necnor horumhōrumof these (people) quisquamanyone quiquīwho nuncnow vivuntvīvunt.are aliveThink to yourself that before long it will come about that you yourself will be no one and nowhere, and the same with everything you see and everyone who is now alive.brevi fore, ut … futurus sis fore is the future infinitive of sum, and fore ut with the subjunctive, "that it will come about that", reports a future event after cogita. Here the ut clause has a future participle as well, futurus sis "you are going to be", so the future is marked twice. brevi is short for brevi tempore "in a short time". Noun clauses with ut and ne (after oportet, incumbit, necesse est…)nec ipse ullus usquam futurus sis Literally "neither will you yourself be anyone anywhere". ullus "any(one)" and usquam "anywhere" are the forms used after a negative, so nec … ullus usquam amounts to "no one, nowhere". ipse "you yourself" is the subject; the "you" is in the ending of sis. Indefinite pronouns: aliquis, quis, quisquam, ullus, quisque, quicunquenec quicquam eorum quae vides, nec horum quisquam qui nunc vivunt The verb is understood from the first clause: "nor (will) anything of the things you see (be), nor anyone of these who are now alive". quicquam is the neuter "anything", quisquam the masculine "anyone"; both are used after a negative. eorum and horum are partitive genitives, "of those things", "of these people". Words left out: esse, sum and others understood omniaall things enimfor mutaremūtāreto change acand vertivertīto turn etand interireinterīreto perish natanātaborn sunt,are utso that novanew aliaother things serieseriēin a series perpetuaperpetuāunbroken producanturprōdūcantur.may be brought forthFor all things are made by nature to change and turn and perish, so that other new things may be brought forth in an unbroken series.omnia … mutare ac verti et interire nata sunt nata sunt, the perfect of the deponent nascor, with an infinitive means "are born to, are made by nature to": "all things are by nature such as to change". mutare is intransitive here, "to change"; verti, a passive, has a middle sense, "to turn, be transformed". Deponent verbs: passive forms, active meaningut nova alia serie perpetua producantur ut with the subjunctive gives the purpose: "so that other new things may be produced". serie perpetua "in an unbroken series" is an ablative of manner: one thing follows another without a gap. Purpose clauses (ut, ne, quo)

Everything depends on opinion, and opinion is in your power. Take it away whenever you wish, and you will find calm, like a sailor who has rounded a headland and come into a bay sheltered from the swell.

Omniaall things inin opinioneopīniōneopinion sitaplaced, lying sunt:are etand haecthis (opinion) ipsaitself inin tetē.youAll things rest on opinion, and opinion itself rests with you.in opinione sita sunt … in te situs, the perfect participle of sino, means "placed, lying"; in aliquo situm esse is "to lie in, depend on". With haec ipsa in te supply sita est: "and this very (opinion) lies in you", i.e. is in your power. haec is feminine because it stands for opinio, which here is the judgement you form about a thing. Words left out: esse, sum and others understood quandocunquequandōcunquewhenever ergoergōso volueris,you (shall) wish opinionemopīniōnemthe opinion tolle,take away etand sicutsīcutjust as promontoriumprōmontoriuma headland praetervectopraetervectōfor one who has sailed past tranquillitastranquillitās,(there is) calm sicsīcso stabiliasteady tibifor you futurafutūragoing to be suntare omnia,all things etand sinusa bay aestuaestūfrom the swell immunisimmūnis.freeSo whenever you wish, take away the opinion; and as there is calm for one who has sailed round a headland, so for you all things will be steady, and there will be a bay untouched by the swell.quandocunque ergo volueris volueris is future perfect: "whenever you (shall) have wished", where English says "whenever you wish". Latin uses it because the wishing comes before the taking away. quandocunque is Gataker's spelling of quandocumque "whenever". The future perfect ("if you will have done…")sicut promontorium praetervecto tranquillitas A compressed simile with no verb: "as (there is) calm for one who has sailed past a headland". praetervecto is the perfect participle of praeterveho "carry past", in the dative, "for (a man) carried past". The passive of verbs of carrying is used of travelling by ship or on horseback: praetervehi "to sail past". Once round the headland, the sailor leaves the swell of the open sea for calm water. The passive with a reflexive sense ("be carried away", "let yourself be…")sic stabilia tibi futura sunt omnia, et sinus aestu immunis sicut … sic "as … so". futura sunt "are going to be" is the future participle of sum with sunt: "all things will be steady for you". With sinus aestu immunis "a bay untouched by the swell" supply the verb again: "(there will be) a bay …". immunis "free, exempt" takes an ablative of what one is free from (aestu). Future participle with sum (moriturus sis, victurus esses)

An activity that stops at its proper time suffers no harm by stopping, nor does the one who did it; so with life, the sum of all our actions. Nature fixes its term, and what serves the whole is always good and timely: the end of life is not shameful, since we do not choose it and it does not offend against the common good, and so it is no evil but a good. The man who moves along the same road as God, and towards the same ends, is carried by God.

OperatioOperātiōactivity unaquaequeūnaquaeque,each single quaewhich temporeat (its) time suosuōits own desinitdēsinit,ceases nihilnothing indefrom that malimalīof harm patitur,suffers quiabecause desiitdēsiit:it has ceasedEach activity that ceases at its own time suffers no harm from that, because it has ceased;nihil inde mali patitur, quia desiit nihil mali "nothing of evil" is a partitive genitive: "no harm". inde "from that" points to the ceasing, and quia desiit "because it has ceased" means "just by the fact of having ceased". tempore suo "at its own time" is an ablative of time: when its proper time comes. Partitive genitive (aliquid boni, nihil…) necnor autoriautōrīto the doer ejus,of it cessationiscessātiōnisof the ceasing hujusthis rationeratiōne,by reason malimalīof harm quicquamanything contingit.befallsnor does any harm come to the one who did it, by reason of this ceasing.cessationis hujus ratione ratione with a genitive, "by reason of", is a common way of saying "because of": "on account of this ceasing". autor ejus "its author" is the one who performed the activity (autor is Gataker's spelling of auctor); contingit "befalls" takes the dative autori. mali quicquam "anything of harm" is the partitive genitive again, with quicquam "anything" after nec. Ablative of means, cause and manner pariparīlike ergoergōthen modomodōway actionumāctiōnumof actions omniumall complexiocomplexiō,the sum quaewhich vitavītalife diciturdīcitur,is called sisīif temporeat (its) time suosuōits own desieritdēsierit,(shall have) ceased nihilnothing indefrom that quicquamwhatever malimalīof harm patitur,suffers quiabecause desiitdēsiit.it has ceasedIn the same way, then, the sum of all our actions, which is called life, if it ceases at its own time, suffers no harm whatever from that, because it has ceased.actionum omnium complexio, quae vita dicitur complexio, from complector "embrace, clasp together", is the whole that all our actions make when taken together (the Greek systema). The relative clause says what it is: "which is called life". With a passive verb of calling, the name stays in the nominative: vita dicitur. Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quodsi tempore suo desierit desierit is future perfect, "if it shall have ceased": Latin uses it for a condition that must be fulfilled before the main statement holds, where English uses the present, "if it ceases". The future perfect ("if you will have done…")nihil inde quicquam mali nihil … quicquam "nothing whatever" is an emphatic doubling: quicquam "anything" repeats and strengthens nihil. mali is again a partitive genitive, "of harm". Partitive genitive (aliquid boni, nihil…) necnor quiquī(he) who temporeat a time opportunoopportūnōfitting seriemseries hancthis terminavittermināvit,has ended malebadly ideoideōon that account afficitur.is affectedNor is the one who has brought this series to an end at the right time harmed on that account.nec qui … terminavit, male ideo afficitur The antecedent of qui is left out: "nor (is he) who has ended this series …". The whole qui clause is the subject of afficitur. male afficior "be badly affected" means "come to harm"; ideo "for that reason" points back to the ending of the series, that is, of his life. Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quod tempusthe time autemnow etand terminumthe limit assignatassigns naturanātūra:nature eaqueand it quandoquequandōquesometimes peculiarispecūliāris,(one's) own utas inin senectutesenectūteold age fit;it happens semperalways verovērōbut communiscommūnis,the common (nature)Now it is nature that assigns the time and the limit: sometimes a man's own particular nature, as happens in old age, but always the common nature,eaque quandoque peculiaris … semper vero communis Supply est and natura: "and that (nature) is sometimes (a man's own) particular (nature) …, but always the common (nature)". A man's own nature sets his term when he dies of old age; the nature of the whole, of which his is a part, sets it every time. quandoque here is "sometimes", and vero "but" marks the contrast. Words left out: esse, sum and others understood cujusof which partibusparts assidueassiduēconstantly mutantibusmūtantibuschanging novusnew perpetuoperpetuōfor ever vegetusqueand vigorous mundusthe world permanetremains universusūniversus.wholewhose parts are constantly changing, so that the whole world remains for ever new and vigorous.cujus partibus assidue mutantibus An ablative absolute: "its parts constantly changing", i.e. "while its parts are constantly changing". cujus "of which, whose" refers to the common nature at the end of the last sentence. mutare is intransitive, "to change". Ablative absolutenovus perpetuo vegetusque mundus permanet universus novus and vegetus are predicates with permanet: the world "remains new and vigorous", not "the new world remains". universus "whole, entire" stands at the end for stress: the world as a whole stays young, though none of its parts lasts. bonumgood autemand semperalways acand tempestivumtempestīvumtimely est,is quod(that) which universoūniversōthe whole conducitcondūcit.benefitsAnd whatever benefits the whole is always good and timely.bonum … est, quod universo conducit The subject comes last: quod universo conducit "what benefits the whole", with its antecedent (id "that") left out. bonum and tempestivum are its predicates: "(that) is always good and in season". universum, the neuter of universus used as a noun, is "the whole, the universe"; conducere "be of use to" takes the dative. Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quod proindetherefore vitaevītaeof life cessatiocessātiōthe ending nonnōnnot estis maluman evil cuiquam,for anyone quiabecause necnot … either inhonestum:shameful siquidemsīquidemif indeed necneither optionisoptiōnisof choice sitit is nostrae,our necnor communitatiscommūnitātisof the community legibuslēgibusthe laws adverseturadversētur.it goes againstTherefore the ending of life is not an evil for anyone, because it is not shameful either, if indeed it is neither a matter of our own choice nor contrary to the laws of the community.proinde vitae cessatio non est malum cuiquam, quia nec inhonestum nec inhonestum "not shameful either" leaves out est. The argument is Stoic: only what is shameful is truly evil, so if the end of life is not shameful it is no evil. The predicates malum, inhonestum are neuter although cessatio is feminine: "an evil thing", "a shameful thing". cuiquam "for anyone" is the form of quisquam used after a negative. Words left out: esse, sum and others understoodsiquidem nec optionis sit nostrae, nec communitatis legibus adversetur optionis sit nostrae "it is (a matter) of our choice" is a genitive with esse: we do not choose the end of our life, so it cannot be a fault of ours. adversor "set oneself against" is a deponent and takes the dative legibus. siquidem "if indeed, seeing that" renders the Greek eiper; Gataker puts both verbs in the subjunctive, keeping the "if" in it: "if indeed it is neither …". Genitive of characteristic: "it belongs to…, it is the mark of…" imoimōon the contrary bonumgood est;it is siquidemsīquidemsince universoūniversōfor the whole tempestivumtempestīvum,timely eidemqueeīdemqueand to the same conducenscondūcēnsuseful etand congruum.suitedOn the contrary, it is good, since it is timely for the whole, and useful and suited to it.imo bonum est; siquidem universo tempestivum, eidemque conducens et congruum imo (Gataker's spelling of immo) corrects and goes further: "no, rather, it is good". The reasons again leave out est: "since (it is) timely for the whole, and useful and suited to the same (whole)". eidem "to the same" is the dative of idem and refers to universo; the present participle conducens "being of use" is used like an adjective beside congruum. itain this way numinenūmineby the power divinodīvīnōdivine fertur,is carried quiquī(he) who eademeādem,the same quaquāby which Deus,God viaviāroad fertur,travels mentequeand by mind suasuāhis own adtowards eademthe same things fertur.is carriedIn this way he is carried by the divine power who is carried along the same road as God, and is carried by his own mind towards the same ends.ita numine divino fertur, qui fertur "is carried" comes three times. The first renders a Greek word for one possessed or inspired by a god, "god-borne": numine divino fertur "is carried by the divine power". The other two are passives in a middle sense, "moves, travels": the man whose road and whose aims are God's own is, by that very fact, carried by God. The antecedent of qui ("he") is left out; the qui clause is the subject of the first fertur. The passive with a reflexive sense ("be carried away", "let yourself be…")eadem, qua Deus, via Read eadem via, qua Deus (fertur): "by the same road by which God (moves)". The relative clause is tucked inside the phrase, between eadem and via, and its verb is understood from fertur. This eadem is ablative singular feminine (with a long ā), agreeing with via; the eadem at the end of the sentence is accusative plural neuter, "the same things". Relative clauses and the relative pronoun qui, quae, quod

First, do nothing at random or otherwise than justice would, and remember that what comes from outside comes by chance or by providence, neither of which may be blamed. Second, consider what each thing is from seed to death, what it is made of and into what it is dissolved. Third, if you could look down on human affairs from on high, however often you rose you would see the same things, all alike and short-lived; and yet we are proud of them.

Triathree haecthese (things) inin promptuprōmptūreadiness habendato be kept sunt.areThese three things must be kept at hand.Tria haec in promptu habenda sunt The gerundive with sunt says what must be done: habenda sunt "are to be kept, must be kept". in promptu "in readiness, at hand" is a fixed phrase: these three thoughts should be ready for use at any moment. The three follow, the first without a number, then secundum and tertium. Gerundive of obligation (cavenda est, agenda sunt) inin eiseīsthose things quaewhich agis,you do nequidnēquidlet nothing frustrafrūstrā,to no purpose autor secusotherwise fiatfīat,be done quamthan jusjūsjustice ipsumitself fecissetfēcisset.would have doneIn what you do: let nothing be done to no purpose, or otherwise than justice itself would have done it.nequid frustra, aut secus fiat The first of the three thoughts is a rule in the subjunctive with ne: "let nothing be done to no purpose, or otherwise …". It is the rule of 12.20, where the same words depended on vide "see that". nequid is ne quid written as one word. Jussive and hortatory subjunctive ("let him…", "you should…")secus … quam jus ipsum fecisset secus quam is "otherwise than". fecisset "would have done" is a pluperfect subjunctive, the verb of an unreal condition with the "if" left out: "than justice itself would have done (had it been acting)". jus "right, justice" is pictured as a person at work. Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis) inin eiseīsthose things verovērōand quaewhich extrinsecusfrom outside eveniuntēveniunt,happen veleither forteby chance fortunafortūnāby luck quodqueeach thing velor providentiaprōvidentiāby providence obvenireobvenīre.comesIn what happens from outside: that each thing comes either by chance or by providence.vel forte fortuna quodque vel providentia obvenire The infinitive obvenire with its subject quodque "each thing" in the accusative is a reported statement, and the verb it depends on is left out: "(remember) that each thing comes either by chance or by providence". forte fortuna is an old fixed phrase, two ablatives side by side, "by chance and luck", i.e. "by mere chance". Marcus often weighs such alternatives against each other (as in 12.14). Accusative and infinitive (indirect statement) atquiatquīand yet necneither dedēabout fortunafortūnāfortune conquerendum(one) must complain est,it is necnor providentiamprōvidentiamprovidence incusandumincūsandum.(one) must blameAnd yet we must neither complain about fortune nor blame providence.nec de fortuna conquerendum est, nec providentiam incusandum Two gerundives of obligation, both impersonal neuters: conquerendum est "one must complain", here "one must not complain", and providentiam incusandum (est) "one must (not) blame providence". conqueror "complain" takes de with the ablative. incuso "blame" takes a direct object, and the usual idiom makes the gerundive agree with it (providentia incusanda "providence must be blamed"); Gataker keeps the gerundive impersonal and lets it take providentiam as its object, an older construction found in Lucretius (aeternas … poenas in morte timendum est "one must fear eternal punishment in death"). Gerundive of obligation (cavenda est, agenda sunt) secundum,the second (thing) qualenamquālenamof what kind exactly unumquodqueūnumquodqueeach thing sitis aāfrom sationesatiōne(its) sowing usqueall the way adto animationemanimātiōnem,(its) ensouling abfrom animationeanimātiōne(its) ensouling usqueall the way adto animamthe soul emissamēmissam.let goSecond: what each thing is like from its sowing until it receives a soul, and from receiving a soul until it gives the soul up;secundum, qualenam unumquodque sit secundum "the second (thing)" is neuter, like tria haec; supply est. What it is, is an indirect question, so sit is subjunctive: "of what sort each thing is". qualis "of what kind" is strengthened by -nam: "of what kind, exactly". This secundum is the adjective "second", not the preposition "according to". Indirect questionsa satione usque ad animationem, ab animatione usque ad animam emissam The stages of a life: satio "sowing", the seed it starts from; animatio "ensouling", when life or soul enters it; and anima emissa "the soul let go". A noun with a perfect participle often stands for an action: ad animam emissam is "until the soul is let go", until it breathes its last. usque ad is "all the way to". Participles: present, perfect, future, and as nouns itemlikewise exout of quibuswhat (things) conflaturcōnflātur,it is put together etand ininto quaenamwhat things exactly resolvitur.it is dissolvedLikewise, out of what things it is put together, and into what it is dissolved.ex quibus conflatur, et in quaenam resolvitur Two more indirect questions under secundum: "out of what things it is formed, and into what it is dissolved". Classical Latin would put their verbs in the subjunctive (confletur, resolvatur); Gataker keeps the indicative here, as later writers often do. conflare "to blow together" is used of melting metals into one mass: "to fuse, compose". Indirect questions tertium,the third (thing) sisīif into sublimesublīmethe heights subvectuscarried up resrēsaffairs humanashūmānāshuman despiceresdēspicerēs,you were to look down on ubionce, when varietatemvarietātemthe variety earumeārumof them quantahow great essetit was perspexissesperspexissēs,you had seen clearly simulqueand at the same time unoūnōa single conspectucōnspectūview comprehenderescomprehenderēs,you took in quantumhow great a number undiquaqueundiquāqueall around aeriorumāeriōrumof beings of the air etand aetheriorumaetheriōrumof beings of the upper sky sedessēdēsdwellings suassuāstheir habeat,has quodthat quotiescunquequotiēscunquehowever often subvectuscarried up essesessēs,you were eademthe same things semperalways occurrerent.would meet (you)Third: that if you were carried up on high and looked down on human affairs, once you had seen how great their variety was, and at the same time took in at a single view how many beings of the air and of the upper sky have their dwellings all around, then however often you were carried up, the same things would always meet you.si in sublime subvectus res humanas despiceres An unreal condition in present time: si with the imperfect subjunctive, "if you were to look down", answered at the end by the imperfect subjunctive occurrerent "(the same things) would meet (you)". in sublime subvectus "carried up on high" pictures the mind raised above the earth. despicere is "to look down on" and also "to despise": Gataker's one word covers both the Greek "look down at" and "how you will despise (them)". Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis)ubi varietatem earum quanta esset perspexisses varietatem earum quanta esset is literally "their variety, how great it was": the noun is lifted out of the indirect question and made the object of the main verb, a common Latin turn; English says "how great their variety was". perspexisses is pluperfect subjunctive, "once you had seen", subjunctive because it is part of the imagined case. Indirect questionssimulque uno conspectu comprehenderes, quantum undiquaque aeriorum et aetheriorum sedes suas habeat comprehenderes is the second verb of the si clause: "and (if) at the same time you took in at one view". quantum … aeriorum et aetheriorum "how great an amount of beings of the air and the upper sky" is a partitive genitive: how great a population has its home all around, in the air and in the bright air above the clouds (aether). habeat is present although the verbs around it are past, as though their numbers were a standing fact. Partitive genitive (aliquid boni, nihil…)tertium … quod quotiescunque subvectus esses, eadem semper occurrerent Here at last is the third thought itself: tertium (est) quod … "the third is that …"; the long si clause before quod sets the scene. subvectus esses is a pluperfect passive subjunctive, "you had been carried up", and occurrerent "would meet (you)" keeps the subjunctive of the imagined case. eadem is neuter plural, "the same things". Conditional sentences (si, nisi, siquis) ejusdemof the same enimfor generiskind suntare omnia,all things etand aeviaevīof a lifetime brevis.shortFor all things are of the same kind, and short-lived.ejusdem enim generis sunt omnia, et aevi brevis Two genitives of description with sunt: "all things are of the same kind, and of short duration". A noun in the genitive with an adjective can say what something is like, much as in English "of the same kind". They render two Greek words, "alike in kind" and "short-lived". Genitive of characteristic: "it belongs to…, it is the mark of…" etand dedēabout hishīsthese things tamenyet insolescimusīnsolēscimus.we grow proudAnd yet these are the things we grow proud about.insolescimus insolesco "grow insolent, grow puffed up" is an inceptive verb: the ending -sco marks a beginning or growing, "we grow proud". The Greek has only a noun: "over these, the vanity!"

Throw out the opinion and you are safe; and who can stop you from throwing it out?

OpinionemOpīniōnemthe opinion ejiceējice;throw out salvussafe es.you areThrow out the opinion, and you are safe.Opinionem ejice; salvus es Command and result stand side by side with no conjunction: "throw out the opinion; (and) you are safe". The present es "you are" makes the result immediate: the moment the opinion goes, you are safe. ejicio is Gataker's spelling of eicio "throw out", from e "out" and jacio "throw". Commands: imperative, memento, ne with the perfect subjunctive ejicereējicerethrowing (it) out autemand ecquiswho at all impediat?could preventAnd who could stop you from throwing it out?ejicere autem ecquis impediat? ecquis "is there anyone who …?" asks a question that expects the answer "no one". impediat is a potential subjunctive, "could prevent", and what is prevented is the infinitive ejicere "to throw (it) out", put first for stress: "and who could stop you throwing it out?" Potential and deliberative subjunctive in questions

When something vexes you, you have forgotten that all things happen by the nature of the whole, that another's wrong is nothing to you, that what happens always has happened and always will, and how close the kinship of all men is, a kinship of mind. You have forgotten that each man's mind is God and flowed from God, that nothing is anyone's own, that everything rests on opinion, and that each man lives and loses only the present.

QuandoQuandōwhen molestemolestēbadly fersyou take quicquam;anything oblitusoblītusforgotten es,you have omniaall things secundumaccording to universiūniversīof the whole naturamnātūramthe nature fierifierī.happenWhen you take anything badly, you have forgotten that all things happen according to the nature of the whole.Quando moleste fers quicquam moleste ferre "to bear with annoyance" is the regular phrase for "to take something badly, be vexed at it". The main clause tells you the cause of the vexation: you have forgotten something.oblitus es, omnia secundum universi naturam fieri oblitus es "you have forgotten" is the perfect of the deponent obliviscor. Like a verb of knowing, it takes an accusative and infinitive: omnia … fieri "that all things happen". The whole section is a list of forgotten truths, and nearly all of them depend on this oblitus es or on the second one below. Accusative and infinitive (indirect statement) itemalso peccatumpeccātumthe wrongdoing alteriusalterīusof another nihilnothing adto tetē.youAlso, that another's wrongdoing is nothing to you.peccatum alterius nihil ad te Still under oblitus es: "(you have forgotten) that another's wrongdoing is nothing to you". nihil ad te is an everyday idiom with the verb left out (esse, or pertinere "concern"): "it is none of your business". Another's fault harms only the one who commits it. Words left out: esse, sum and others understood adhaec,besides quicquidwhatever fit,happens itaso, in this way semperalways factum,happened semperqueand always futurumfutūrum,going to be etand nuncnow etiamalso ubiqueubīqueeverywhere fierifierī.is happeningBesides, that whatever happens has always happened so, and always will, and is happening now everywhere too.quicquid fit, ita semper factum, semperque futurum, et nunc etiam ubique fieri Three infinitives for past, future and present, with esse left out of the first two: factum (esse) "has happened", futurum (esse) "will be", fieri "is happening". factum is the participle that fio uses for its perfect (factum est "it has happened"). The subject of all three is the clause quicquid fit "whatever happens". Words left out: esse, sum and others understood porroporrō,further quaewhat hominihominīa man cuiviscuivīsany … whatever cumwith tototōtōthe whole genererace humanohūmānōhuman intercedatintercēdatexists between cognatiocognātiō.kinshipFurther, what kinship there is between any man whatever and the whole human race.quae homini cuivis cum toto genere humano intercedat cognatio Still depending on oblitus es, but now an indirect question: "(you have forgotten) what kinship there is …", with its verb intercedat in the subjunctive. quae "what (a)" agrees with cognatio at the end; the sense is "how close a kinship" (the Greek has "how great"). intercedere "to come between" is used of a bond that exists between two parties: homini cum … genere humano "for a man with the whole human race". Indirect questions nequenot enimfor tamso much sanguinisof blood autor seminissēminis,of seed quamas mentisof mind existitthere is communiocommūniō.sharingFor it is not so much a sharing of blood or seed as of mind.neque enim tam sanguinis aut seminis, quam mentis existit communio non tam … quam "not so much … as": the kinship is "not so much a sharing of blood or seed as a sharing of mind". All three genitives depend on communio "a sharing, fellowship" at the end. Gataker softens the Greek, which says flatly "not of blood or seed, but of mind". Paired words: et…et, nec…nec, vel…vel, cum…tum, non tam…quam, sive…sive oblitusoblītusforgotten es,you have etboth mentemthe mind cujusqueof each man DeumGod esse,is etand divinitusdīvīnitusfrom God defluxissedēflūxisse.has flowed down et,and nihilnothing esseis cujusquamanyone's proprium;ownYou have forgotten both that each man's mind is God, and that it has flowed down from God. And that nothing is anyone's own;mentem cujusque Deum esse, et divinitus defluxisse Two accusatives with esse: mentem is the subject, Deum the predicate, "that the mind of each man is God". For the Stoics the mind in us is a portion of the divine reason that runs through the world, so it "has flowed down from God" (divinitus defluxisse). divinitus is an adverb, "from God, from heaven". Accusative and infinitive (indirect statement)nihil esse cujusquam proprium proprius "one's own" takes a genitive: cujusquam proprium "anyone's own". quisquam is used because the statement is negative: "nothing is anyone's own". Indefinite pronouns: aliquis, quis, quisquam, ullus, quisque, quicunque sedbut eteven filiolumfīliolum,the little son etand corpusculum,the little body etand animulamthe little soul ipsamitself indefrom there prodiisseprōdiisse.have come forthbut that even your little son, your little body, and your little soul itself have come from there.sed et filiolum, et corpusculum, et animulam ipsam inde prodiisse Still after oblitus es: "but that (your) little son, little body and little soul itself have come from there". The three diminutives (filiolus from filius, corpusculum from corpus, animula from anima) are tender and belittling at once, as in the Greek. inde "from there" points back to divinitus: they come from God, so they are not ours. sed et is "but also"; prodiisse is the perfect infinitive of prodeo "come forth". Accusative and infinitive (indirect statement) sedbut et,also opinioneopīniōneon opinion constarecōnstārerest cunctacūncta.all thingsAnd also that everything rests on opinion.opinione constare cuncta constare with the ablative is "to consist of, to rest on": "that all things consist in opinion", that is, how anything affects us depends on the judgement we form of it (as in 12.22). cuncta "all things" is the subject, put last. Ablative of means, cause and manner etand quodthat tempustime deniquedēniquefinally praesenspraesēnspresent tantumonly cuiqueby each man etboth viviturvīvitur,is lived etand amittiturāmittitur.is lostAnd finally, that it is only the present time that each man both lives and loses.et quod tempus denique praesens tantum cuique et vivitur, et amittitur The last thing forgotten is put as a quod clause, "(and) the fact that", with the indicative, instead of another accusative and infinitive. vivere is usually intransitive, but here it has a passive with tempus as subject: "the present time alone is lived". cuique "by each (man)" is a dative with the passives, close to "for each": the present is all anyone lives, and all he can lose. et … et is "both … and". Dative of reference, possession and advantage

Call to mind the men who raged over something, or stood out in glory or in disaster, and ask where they are now: smoke, ash, a story, or not even that. Think of the famous names and their retreats, of how cheap the things are that men strive for, and how much better it is simply to be just, temperate and obedient to the gods; and pride that is proud of its humility is the worst pride of all.

EosEōsthose apudwith tetēyourself crebrocrēbrōoften recolasrecolās,you should recall quiquīwho dedēabout rerēthing aliquaaliquāsome vehementerviolently indignatiindignātīindignant fuerint,were quiquīwho veleither inin summasummāthe highest gloriaglōriā,glory velor inin insigniīnsignīremarkable miseriamiseriā,misery inimicitiainimīcitiā,enmity fortunafortūnāfortune qualibetquālibetany … you like extitereextitēre.stood outOften call to mind those who were violently indignant about something, who stood out either in the highest glory, or in remarkable misery, enmity, or any fortune you like.Eos apud te crebro recolas recolas is a jussive subjunctive, a softer command than the imperative: "you should call to mind". apud te "with yourself" means in your own thoughts. Eos "those" points ahead to the two qui clauses. Jussive and hortatory subjunctive ("let him…", "you should…")indignati fuerint indignati fuerint is the perfect subjunctive of the deponent indignor "be indignant", made with fuerint where classical Latin has indignati sint. The first qui clause is subjunctive because it depends on the command recolas and describes the kind of man meant; the second has a plain indicative, extitere. Relative clauses with the subjunctive (characteristic, ut qui)extitere extitere is the short form of extiterunt; Gataker often uses the perfect ending -ere for -erunt, and he writes this verb without the s after the x (exstiterunt in other prints). existo here means "stand out, prove to be": these men were conspicuous, for good fortune or bad. Perfect stems and short forms (norim, posuere)in summa gloria … fortuna qualibet The second in serves the whole list: "in remarkable misery, (in) enmity, (in) any fortune you like". summa is the superlative of superus "high"; qualibet is the ablative feminine of quilibet "any … you please", agreeing with fortuna. tumthen sciscitarescīscitāre,ask ubiwhere? istathose nuncnow suntare omnia?things, allThen ask: where are all those things now?tum sciscitare Do not take sciscitare for an infinitive. It is the imperative of the deponent sciscitor "ask, inquire", whose imperative ends in -re (compare utere "use!"). The question that follows is quoted as you would put it, so its verb sunt is indicative. Deponent verbs: passive forms, active meaningista nunc sunt omnia ista … omnia "all those things" frames the verb. iste often carries a note of contempt: all that glory and misery. Demonstratives: hic, ille, iste, is, ipse, idem fumusfūmussmoke utiqueutīquecertainly sunt,they are etand cinis,ashes etand fabulafābula,a tale velor nenēnot fabulafābulaa tale quidem.evenThey are smoke, certainly, and ashes, and a tale, or not even a tale.fumus utique sunt, et cinis, et fabula, vel ne fabula quidem The subject is still ista omnia from the question, so sunt is plural though the predicate nouns are singular: "they are smoke, and ashes, and a tale". A fabula is a story people tell about someone; vel ne fabula quidem corrects it: "or not even a story", for most are not talked of at all. In ne … quidem "not even" the stressed word stands between the two. succurratlet … come to mind tibito you simulat the same time etalso quicquidwhatever estis ejusmodiejusmodī,of that kind qualequālesuch as estis FabiusFabius CatulinusCatulīnusCatulinus inin agroagrō,the country LuciusLūciusLucius LupusLupus etand StertiniusStertinius BajisBājīs,at Baiae TiberiusTiberius CapreisCapreīs,on Capri etand VeliusVelius RufusRūfus;RufusAt the same time let everything of that kind come to your mind as well, such as Fabius Catulinus in the country, Lucius Lupus and Stertinius at Baiae, Tiberius on Capri, and Velius Rufus;succurrat tibi succurrat "let … come to your mind" is jussive again; succurro with the dative means "occur to". Its subject is quicquid est ejusmodi "whatever is of that kind", and in the next clause also eminentia. et here means "also". Jussive and hortatory subjunctive ("let him…", "you should…")quale est Fabius Catulinus in agro quale est "such as is" brings in examples, like English "as with": the neuter quale agrees with quicquid, and the one singular est serves the whole list of names. Each man is remembered with the place where he lived for his pleasure or his pride.Bajis … Capreis Bajis and Capreis are locatives, the case that says "at" a town. For names that are plural, like Bajae and Capreae, the locative has the same ending as the ablative plural: "at Baiae", "on Capri". Baiae was the fashionable resort of the Roman rich on the Bay of Naples; Capri, across the bay, is the island where the emperor Tiberius spent his last ten years in seclusion.Fabius Catulinus … Lucius Lupus et Stertinius … Velius Rufus Fabius Catulinus was probably Quintus Fabius Catullinus, consul in 130 under Hadrian; Stertinius may be the rich court physician of Claudius whom Pliny the Elder mentions; of Lupus and Velius Rufus nothing more is known. Modern texts of the Greek place Lupus "in his gardens", and some call him Lusius; Gataker's Latin gives him no place of his own, so as it stands he and Stertinius are both at Baiae. omnisqueand every omninoomnīnōin a word cumwith existimationeexīstimātiōneesteem, high opinion inin rerēmatter ullaūllāany … at all eminentiaēminentia.eminenceand, in a word, every eminence in anything at all, joined with high esteem.omnisque omnino cum existimatione in re ulla eminentia A second subject for succurrat: "and, in a word, every kind of eminence in any matter at all, joined with esteem". cum existimatione is Gataker's rendering of the Greek "with conceit": the high opinion, of others or of oneself, that comes with standing out. The noun eminentia waits until the end, with all its qualifiers before it. quamqueand how vilevīleworthless sitis omneeverything inon quodwhich studiumeffort, zeal tantopereso greatly impenditur.is spentAnd how worthless everything is on which so much effort is spent.quamque vile sit Still depending on succurrat: let it come to mind "how worthless everything is". quam "how" opens an indirect question, so sit is subjunctive; -que joins it to what went before. Indirect questionsin quod studium tantopere impenditur impendo "spend, pay out" takes in with the accusative for what the effort is spent on: in quod "on which". studium is eager effort, the zeal men pour into fame or pleasure. quantoquequantōqueand by how much sitit is philosophiaewith philosophy magismore consentaneumcōnsentāneumin keeping inin oblataoblātāput before sibioneself materiamāteriāthe material justumjūstum,just temperantem,temperate DeisDeīsthe gods obsequentemobedient to sesēoneself simplicitersimply, without show praestarepraestāre.to showAnd how much more in keeping with philosophy it is, in the material put before one, simply to show oneself just, temperate, and obedient to the gods.quantoque sit philosophiae magis consentaneum A second indirect question: "and how much more in keeping with philosophy it is". quanto is an ablative of the degree of difference with magis: "by how much more". consentaneum takes the dative, philosophiae; its subject is the infinitive phrase at the end, se … praestare. Indirect questionsjustum, temperantem, Deis obsequentem se simpliciter praestare se praestare with a predicate adjective means "to show oneself (as)": "to show oneself just, temperate, obedient to the gods". The three accusatives agree with se; Deis is dative because obsequor takes the dative. The infinitive as a noun (subject, object, complement)in oblata sibi materia "In the material put before one": oblata is the perfect participle of offero. Whatever comes to us is the material on which virtue works. sibi looks to the person who is to show himself just. Participles: present, perfect, future, and as nouns fastuspride deinthen, next dedēover, about fastusfastūsof pride contemptucontemptūcontempt inflatusīnflātuspuffed up omniumof all estis maximemāximēmost intolerabilisintolerābilis.intolerableThen: pride puffed up over its contempt of pride is the most intolerable of all.fastus dein de fastus contemptu inflatus One spelling, two cases: the first fastus is nominative, the subject; the second is genitive (fastūs, 4th declension), depending on contemptu. fastus contemptus "contempt of pride" is humility, so the whole phrase is "pride puffed up over its contempt of pride": the man who is proud of not being proud. de with the ablative gives the cause, "over"; inflatus "puffed up" is the perfect participle of inflo. Objective genitive (reverentia tui, cura rerum)omnium est maxime intolerabilis maxime with an adjective makes a superlative, "most intolerable"; omnium "of all" is partitive. dein, the short form of deinde "then, next", adds this as the last thing to remember. Comparison: comparatives, superlatives, quam