~ Marcus advises himself to avoid carrying pride or grudges to the grave, which awaits all of humanity as something natural (& in his mind, good, though we commonly regard it as evil). ~
Ἐννόει συνεχῶς παντοίους ἀνθρώπους καὶ παντοίων μὲν ἐπιτηδευμάτων, παντοδαπῶν δὲ ἐθνῶν τεθνεῶτας, ὥστε κατιέναι τοῦτο μέχρι Φιλιστίωνος καὶ Φοίβου καὶ Ὀριγανίωνος. μέτιθι νῦν ἐπὶ τὰ ἄλλα φῦλα· ἐκεῖ δὴ μεταβαλεῖν ἡμᾶς δεῖ ὅπου τοσοῦτοι μὲν δεινοὶ ῥήτορες, τοσοῦτοι δὲ σεμνοὶ φιλόσοφοι, Ἡράκλειτος, Πυθαγόρας, Σωκράτης, τοσοῦτοι δὲ ἥρωες πρότερον, τοσοῦτοι δὲ ὕστερον στρατηγοί, τύραννοι· ἐπὶ τούτοις δὲ Εὔδοξος, Ἵππαρχος, Ἀρχιμήδης, ἄλλαι φύσεις ὀξεῖαι, μεγαλόφρονες, φιλόπονοι, πανοῦργοι, αὐθάδεις, αὐτῆς τῆς ἐπικήρου καὶ ἐφημέρου τῶν ἀνθρώπων ζωῆς χλευασταί, οἷον Μένιππος καὶ ὅσοι τοιοῦτοι. περὶ πάντων τούτων ἐννόει ὅτι πάλαι κεῖνται· τί οὖν τοῦτο δεινὸν αὐτοῖς; τί δαὶ τοῖς μηδ’ ὀνομαζομένοις ὅλως; ἓν ὧδε πολλοῦ ἄξιον, τὸ μετ’ ἀληθείας καὶ δικαιοσύνης εὐμενῆ τοῖς ψεύσταις καὶ ἀδίκοις διαβιοῦν.
Keep in mind that absolutely all men of the present age—with every kind of culture, from every sort of nation—have died, a fate that befalls our Philistion, Phoebus, & Origanion, too. From our generation, move on to consider all the other tribes of humankind. Here we are forced to notice how many clever speakers have perished, how many solemn philosophers (including Heraclitus, Pythagoras, & Socrates), how many primitive heroes & later historical leaders—generals & tyrants alike. Eudoxus, Hipparchus, and Archimedes are also among the dead (†), along with other quick & generous wits of the past. Toilers & knaves & bold spirits, too, have died, including those who mocked the little day allotted to our lives, as Menippus and quite a few like him were wont to do (‡). Remind yourself that all these folk have lain dead for a long time. Why is this a terrible fate for them? What about the dead whose names are never uttered? Why should this be awful, in their view? There is only one thing worth doing here, and that is finishing the course of your own life with truth and justice at your side, crossing this mortal moment at peace, with goodwill for the liars & the unjust.
---
(†) Eudoxus of Cnidus (c. 390-340 BCE) studied astronomy, medicine, & math, leaving a legacy to future generations of students whose number included Archimedes of Syracuse (c. 287-212 BCE) & Hipparchus of Rhodes (c. 190-120 BCE).
(‡) Menippus of Gadara (fl. in the third century BCE) was a Cynic philosopher & satirist. His written treatises presented serious philosophical themes in mocking fashion, mixing prose & poetry together in a way that seemed novel to many ancient readers.