Greek political ideals. Marcus Aurelius 1.14
The dream of a government that values the freedom of its subjects. Alas, perhaps all dreams eventually become nightmares. You can hear me read this passage <here>.
Παρὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου (*) Σεουήρου τὸ φιλοίκειον καὶ φιλάληθες καὶ φιλοδίκαιον· καὶ τὸ δἰ αὐτοῦ γνῶναι Θρασέαν, Ἑλβίδιον, Κάτωνα, Δίωνα, Βροῦτον, καὶ φαντασίαν λαβεῖν πολιτείας ἰσονόμου, κατ̓ ἰσότητα καὶ ἰσηγορίαν διοικουμένης, καὶ βασιλείας τιμώσης πάντων μάλιστα τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῶν ἀρχομένων· καὶ ἔτι παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τὸ ὁμαλὲς καὶ ὁμότονον ἐν τῇ τιμῇ τῆς φιλοσοφίας· καὶ τὸ εὐποιητικὸν καὶ τὸ εὐμετάδοτον ἐκτενῶς καὶ τὸ εὔελπι καὶ τὸ πιστευτικὸν περὶ τοῦ ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων φιλεῖσθαι· καὶ τὸ ἀνεπίκρυπτον πρὸς τοὺς καταγνώσεως ὑπ̓ αὐτοῦ τυγχάνοντας· καὶ τὸ μὴ δεῖσθαι στοχασμοῦ τοὺς φίλους αὐτοῦ περὶ τοῦ τί θέλει ἢ τί οὐ θέλει, ἀλλὰ δῆλον εἶναι.
Παρὰ τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου (*) Σεουήρου τὸ φιλοίκειον καὶ φιλάληθες καὶ φιλοδίκαιον· καὶ τὸ δἰ αὐτοῦ γνῶναι Θρασέαν, Ἑλβίδιον, Κάτωνα, Δίωνα, Βροῦτον, καὶ φαντασίαν λαβεῖν πολιτείας ἰσονόμου, κατ̓ ἰσότητα καὶ ἰσηγορίαν διοικουμένης, καὶ βασιλείας τιμώσης πάντων μάλιστα τὴν ἐλευθερίαν τῶν ἀρχομένων· καὶ ἔτι παρὰ τοῦ αὐτοῦ τὸ ὁμαλὲς καὶ ὁμότονον ἐν τῇ τιμῇ τῆς φιλοσοφίας· καὶ τὸ εὐποιητικὸν καὶ τὸ εὐμετάδοτον ἐκτενῶς καὶ τὸ εὔελπι καὶ τὸ πιστευτικὸν περὶ τοῦ ὑπὸ τῶν φίλων φιλεῖσθαι· καὶ τὸ ἀνεπίκρυπτον πρὸς τοὺς καταγνώσεως ὑπ̓ αὐτοῦ τυγχάνοντας· καὶ τὸ μὴ δεῖσθαι στοχασμοῦ τοὺς φίλους αὐτοῦ περὶ τοῦ τί θέλει ἢ τί οὐ θέλει, ἀλλὰ δῆλον εἶναι.
From my brother Severus (†) I learned to love home, truth, and justice. Through him I got to know Thrasea, Helvidius, Cato, Dio, and Brutus (‡), and took on the dream of a state that treats all citizens as equals before the law, with the same rights and responsibilities, and of government that respects the freedom of its subjects above all else. Also from him I took the habit of paying homage to philosophy evenly and uniformly, without making strong personal or factional distinctions. Receiving the affection of friends with goodwill, constant generosity, hope, and trust. Not hiding from those who condemn or despise you. And relieving your friends from having to guess what you want by making it clear.
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(*) Farquharson omits τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου from his edition (published 1944).
(†) Gnaeus Claudius Severus Arabianus, it would seem. He was a Pontic Greek, born and raised in Pompeiopolis in Paphlagonia; his father, Gaius Claudius Severus, was the first governor of Arabia Petraea under Trajan. Our Severus came to Rome during Hadrian's reign and stayed to tutor nobles in philosophy, hold a consulship, and serve as one of the Senate.
(‡) A catalogue of political heroes with Stoic leanings. (1) Publius Clodius Thrasea Paetus (died 66 AD) was the most famous martyr of the Stoic Opposition to Nero. Thrasea's death by suicide at the emperor's behest provided a picture of righteous resignation to fate (see Tacitus, Annales 16.21-35). (2) Helvidius Priscus was Thrasea's son-in-law and held similarly independent attitudes toward imperial authority; he was exiled from Rome under Nero, recalled under Galba, exiled again under Vespasian, and eventually executed by order of the Flavian. Helvidius' son, who bore his name, was later put to death by Domitian. Quite a family! (3) Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis, Cato Minor, was of course the famous republican who killed himself after the battle of Thapsus (46 BCE) rather than surrender to Julius Caesar, and so betray the independence of the republic. (4) Dio is either Dion of Syracuse, the ill-fated protege of Plato whose attempt to rule Syracuse with philosophy faltered on a Zacynthian dagger in 354 BCE, or Dio Cocceianus, known as Χρυσόστομος ('Golden Mouth') because of his eloquence, which was often employed to express thoughts consonant with Cynic and Stoic philosophy. (5) Brutus, finally, was Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the chief conspirators against Julius Caesar alongside Gaius Cassius Longinus.
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(*) Farquharson omits τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ μου from his edition (published 1944).
(†) Gnaeus Claudius Severus Arabianus, it would seem. He was a Pontic Greek, born and raised in Pompeiopolis in Paphlagonia; his father, Gaius Claudius Severus, was the first governor of Arabia Petraea under Trajan. Our Severus came to Rome during Hadrian's reign and stayed to tutor nobles in philosophy, hold a consulship, and serve as one of the Senate.
(‡) A catalogue of political heroes with Stoic leanings. (1) Publius Clodius Thrasea Paetus (died 66 AD) was the most famous martyr of the Stoic Opposition to Nero. Thrasea's death by suicide at the emperor's behest provided a picture of righteous resignation to fate (see Tacitus, Annales 16.21-35). (2) Helvidius Priscus was Thrasea's son-in-law and held similarly independent attitudes toward imperial authority; he was exiled from Rome under Nero, recalled under Galba, exiled again under Vespasian, and eventually executed by order of the Flavian. Helvidius' son, who bore his name, was later put to death by Domitian. Quite a family! (3) Marcus Porcius Cato Uticensis, Cato Minor, was of course the famous republican who killed himself after the battle of Thapsus (46 BCE) rather than surrender to Julius Caesar, and so betray the independence of the republic. (4) Dio is either Dion of Syracuse, the ill-fated protege of Plato whose attempt to rule Syracuse with philosophy faltered on a Zacynthian dagger in 354 BCE, or Dio Cocceianus, known as Χρυσόστομος ('Golden Mouth') because of his eloquence, which was often employed to express thoughts consonant with Cynic and Stoic philosophy. (5) Brutus, finally, was Marcus Junius Brutus, one of the chief conspirators against Julius Caesar alongside Gaius Cassius Longinus.