Table Of ContentOF
MARCUS AURELIUS ANTONINUS,
TRANSLATED BY GEORGE LONG.
17te27 KINGST. EAlTi
TORONTO.
NEW YORK
:
THE F. M. LUPTON PUBLISHING COMPANY,
Nos. 73-76 WALKER STREET.
CONTENTS.
... PAGE
M. AURELJUS ANTONINUS 5
...
THE PHILOSOPHY OF ANTONINUS 19
THOUGHTS OF MARCUSAURELIUS ANTONINUS 41
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
OF
M. AURELIU3 ANTONINUS.
M.ANTONINUS wasborn at RomeA.D. 121, onthe26ft,of
AHpirsilm.othHeirswfaatsheDromAintniiausCaVlveirlulas,dailesdownhaimleedheLuwcaisllap.raetTohre.
Emperor Antoninus Pius married Annia Galeria Faustina,
thesisterof Annius Verus, and was consequently Antoni
nus uncle. When Hadrian adopted Antoninus Pius and
declaredhim his successor in the empire, Antoninus Pius
adopted both L. Ceionius Commodus, the son of Aelius
Caesar, and M. Antoninus, whose original name was M.
Annius Verus. Antoninus took the name of M. Aelius
Aurelius Verus, to which was added the title of Caesarin
Aa.ndD.Au1r3e9li:utshewansamteheAnealimuesobfelAonntgoendintousHPaidursi.anWshfeanmilMy.,
AntoninusbecameAugustus,he droppedthename ofVerus
and took the name of Antoninus. Accordinglyhe is gener
ally named M. Aurelius Antoninus, or simply M. Anton
inus.
The youth was most carefully broughtup. He thanks
thegods (r. 17) that he had good grandfathers, good par
ents, a good sister, good teachers, good associates, good
kinsmen and friends, nearly everythinggood. He had the
happy fortune to witness the example of Ms uncle and
adoptivefatherAntoninus Pius, and he has recordedin his
wprourdken(it.r1u0le;r.vr.L3i0k)ethmeanvyirytoueusngofRotmhaisnsexhceeltlreinetdmhiasnhaanndd
at poetry and studied rhetoric. Herodes Atticus and M.
Cornelius Fronto were his teachers in eloquence. There
areextantletters between Frontoand Marcus, whichshow
thegreataffection of the pupil forthemaster, and themas
tersgreat hopes of his industrious pupil. M. Antoninus
mentionsFronto (i. 11) among those to whom hewasin
debted forhis education.
Whenhewas eleven yearsold, he assumed the dressof
philosophers, something plain and coarse, became a hard
student, and livedamostlaborious abstemious life, even so
faras toinjurehis health. Finally, he abandoned poetry
andrhetoricforphilosophy, and he attached himselfto the
sect ofthe Stoics. Buthe did notneglectthe studyof law,
which was auseful preparation forthehighplacewhich he
wasdesigned to fill. His teacher was L. Vohisianus Mae-
lcieaanrunse,dathediRstoimnagunishdiesdcijpulriisnte.ofWaermsm,uswthiscuhppwoasse athnaetcehse
sarypartoftheeducation ofamanwho afterwardsledhit
JLroops tobattle againstawarlikerace.
6 BIOGKAPIIICAL SKETCH.
Antoninushas recorded in his firstbooktbe names ofm8
teachers and the obligations which he owed to each of
them. The way in which he speaks of what he learned
fromthemmight seem to savorof vanity orself-praise, if
welook carelessly at the way in which hehas expressed
hmiimsstealkfen;.butAnitfoanniynuosnemedarnaswstothciosmcmoenmcolursaitoen,thhee wmielrlibtse
ofhisseveral teachers, whattheytaught and whatapupil
might learn from them. Besides, this book like theeleven
otherbooks, wasfor his own use, and ifwe maytrustthe
noteat theendofthe first book, it was written duringone
ofM. Antoninus campaigns against the Quadi, ata time
whenthe commemoration ofthe virtues of his illustrious
teachersmightremind him of their lessons and thepracti
caluses whichhemightderivefromthem.
Amonghis teachers of philosophywas Sextus of Chae-
roneia, agrandson ofPlutarch. Whatlielearnedfromthis
oewxfacsperlQal.cetniJtcuamnliaugnsooiRsdutssotelindcsuebsyin(hii.pm7us)be,lliafcp(iha.fifl9a)oi.rssoH.pihseRrfuaasvntoidrciuatlsesowtaeasamcthahener
adviser of Antoninus after he became emperor. Young
men whoaredestined for high places arenot often fortu
nate in those who areabout them, their companions and
teachers and I do not know any example of a young
prince ha;ving had an education which can be compared
withthatofM. Antoninus. Such a body of teachers dis
tinguished by their acquirements and their characterwill
hardly be collected again and as tothe pupil, we have not
had one likehim since. ;
Hadrian died in July A. D. 138. and was succeeded by
Antoninus Pius. M. Antoninus married Faustina, his
cousin, the daughterof Pius, probably about A. D. 14(3, for
hehad a daughter born in 147. M. Antoninus received
from his adoptivefather thetitleofCaesar and was associ
ated with him in the administration of the state. The
fatherand theadopted son lived together in perfect friend
ship and confidence. Antoninuswas adutifulson. and the
emperorPius loved and esteemedhim.
Antoninus Pius died in March 161. The Senate, itis
said, urged M. Antoninus to take the solemn administra
tion ofthe empire, butheassociatedwith himselftheother
adopted son ofPius,L. Ceionius Commodus, who isgener
ally called L. Verus. Thus Romefor the first time had
twoemperors. Verus wasan indolentman ofpleasure and
unworthy of his station. Antoninus however bore with
him, and it is said that Verushad sense enoughAto payto
his colleague the respectdue to his character. virtuous
emperor and a loose partner lived together in peace, and
their alliance was strengthened by Antoninus giving to
Verusforwife his daughterLucilla. -
The reignof Antoninus was first troubledbya Parthian
war, in which Verus was sent to command, but he did
nothing, and the success that was obtained by the Romans
in Armenia andon the Euphratesand Tigris was due tohis
generals. This Parthian war ended in165.
Thenorthof Italy was also threatened by the rudepeople
beyondthe Alpsfrom the^borders ofGalliato the eastern
UUELIUS ANTONINUS.
J/. .1 1
sideoftheIladriatic. Thesebarbarians attemptedtobreak
itnhtroeeIhtualnyd,reasdytehaersGeberfmoarne;icanndattihoensrehstadofatthteemlpitfeedofnAenar
toninuswith someintervals was employed indrivingback
the invaders. In 169 Verus suddenlydied, and Antoninus
administeredthe statealone.
coImnmaA.ndr&e;gt;.r1w75hoAvwiadsiusatCatshseiuhse,aadborfavteheatnrdoospksilifnulAsRioa,maren
volted and declared himself Augustus. But Cassius was
assassinated bysome of his officers, and so the rebellion
came to an end. Antoninus showed his humanitybyhis
treatmentofthefamily and thepartisans ofCassius,andhis
lettertothe senate in which he recommends mercyis ex
tant. (Vulcatius, Avidius Cassius, c. 12.)
Antoninussetoutfor the east on hearingofCassiussre
vaoglati.nstWtehekQnuoadwi,thMataricnoAm.anr&n;gt;.i17a4ndheowtahesreGnegramgaendiicntariwbeasr,
anditisprobable thathewent directfrom the German war
withoutreturningto Rome. His wifeFaustina whoaccom
paniedhim intoAsiadied suddenlyat the foot oftheTau
rustothe greatgriefof herhusband. Capitolinus whohas
writtenthelifeofAntoninus, and alsoDion Cassiusaccuse
theempressof scandalous infidelityto her husband andof
abominablelewdness. ButCapitolinussaysthatAntoninus
eitherknewitnotorpretended not toknowit. Nothingis
socommon as such malicious reports in all ages, and the
historyof imperial Rome isfullof them. Antoninus loved
his wife andhe says that she was "obedient, affectionate,
and simple." The same scandal had been spread about
Faustinasmother, thewife ofAntoninus Pius, andyet he
too was perfectlysatisfied with hia wife. Antoninus Pius
says ina lettertoFronto that he would ratherlive in exile
with his wife than in his palace at Rome without her.
Therearenotmanymen whowould givetheir wives abetter
characterthan these two emperors. Capitolinus wrotein
thetime ofDiocletian. He may have intended to tellthe
truth, buthe isa poor, feeble biographer. Dion Cassius,
the mostmalignant of historians, alwaysreports and per
hapshebelieved any scandalagainstanybody.
Antoninuscontinued his journeyto Syriaand Egypt,and
on hisreturn to Italythrough Athens hewas initiated into
theEleusinianmysteries. Itwasthepracticeoftheemperor
toconformto theestablishedritesofthe age andtoperform
religious ceremonies with due solemnity. Wecannot con
cludefromthis that hewas a superstitious man, thoughwe
mightperhapsdo so, ifhis bookdid not show thathe was
nroutl.ersBpuubtlitchiasctsisdoonnloytoanlewaaymsopnrgovemahinsyreianlstoapnicneisontsh.atAa
prudentgovernorwill notroughly opposeeventhesupersti
tionsofhis people, and thoughhemaywishthat theywere
wiser, hewillknowthathecannot make them sobyoffend
ingtheirprejudices.
Antoninus and his son Commodus entered Rome in tri
umph on the2:M ofDecember, A.D. 176. In the following
yearCommoduswasassociatedwith hisfatherinthe empire
and took the name of Augustus. This year A.D. 177 if
memorable in ecclesiastical Usiory. Attalus and other\
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
8
were putto death atLyon fortheiradherence totheChris
tian religion. The evidenceof this persecution is aletter
plirqeusieaerveSdacrbsye,Evuosle.bii.uswi(Et.hHn.otve.s)1.; pTrhienteledttiern Risouftrhoms Rthee
Christiansof Viennaand Lugdunum in Gallia (Vienna nnd
Lyon)to theirChristian brethren inAsia and Phrygia; and
it is preserved perhaps nearly entire. It contains avery
particulardescription of the tortures inflicted on the Chvis-
tians iu Gallia, a/id it states that while the persecutionwas
going on, Attalus a Christian and a Roman citizen was
loudlydemanded by thepopulace and brought intotheam
phitheatre,butthegovernororderedhim to bereservedwith
the restwho were in prison until be had received instruc
tions from the emperor. It is not clear who the "rest"
were who are mentioned in the letter. Many had been
tortured before the governor thought of applying to the
emperor. Tha imperial rescript, says the letter, was that
theChristians should be punished, but if they woulddeny
theirfaith, they must be released. On this the workbegan
again. The Christians who were Roman citizens werebe
headed: the rest were exposed to the wild beasts in the
amphitheatre. Some modern writers on ecclesiasticalhis
tory, when theyuse this letter, saynothingof thewonderful
stories of the martyrs sufferings. Sanctus, as the letter
says, wasburnt withplates ofhotiron till his bodywasone
oreandhad lost all human form, buton beingput to the
rackhe recoveredhis former appearance underthe torture,
which wasthus acure instead of a punishment. He was
afterwards torn by beasts, and placed on an iron chairand
roasted. Hedied at last.
Theletteris onepieceofevidence. The writer, whoever
hewasthatwrote in the name of the Gallic Christians, is
ourevidence both forthe ordinary and the extraordinary
cdiernccuemfsotranocneespoafrttahnedstroerjye,ctatnhdewotehecra.nnoWteacocfetpetn hriesceeivvie
unall evidence asproof of a thing which we believetobe
withinthe limits ofprobability or possibility, and wereject
ixactlythesameevidence,whenthething to which itrefers
ippearsveryimprobable or Impossible. Exit this is afalse
taethod of inquiry, though it is followed by some modern
Writers, who select what they like from a story and reject
thhoenersetsltyosfutphpereesvsidietn.ce;Aomrainf tchaenydoonlnyotacrtejeccotnsiits,ttehnetylydibsy
accepting all this letter or rejecting it all, and we cannot
blame him foreither. But he who rejects it maystill ad-
toitthatsucha lettermay be founded on real facts; andhe
would make this admission as the most probablewayof
accounting for the existence of the letter: but if, as he
wouldsuppose, thewriterhas statedsome things falsely, he
cannottell what partof his story is worthyofcredit.
The war on the northern frontier appears to have been
uninterruptedduringthevisitofAntoninus to the East,and
onhis return theemperor again left Rome to oppose the
barbarians. The Germanic people were defeated in a great
battle A.D. 179. During this campaign the emperor was
seizedwith some contagious malady, of which he died in
thecampatSirmium(Mitrovitz)ontheSaveinLowerPan-
31. AURELIUS ANTONINUS. 9
nonia, but at Vindebona (Vienna) according to other au
thorities, on the 17th ofMarch A.D. 180, in the fifty-ninth
yearof his age. His son Comruodus was with him. His
body, or the ashesprobably, was carried to Rome, and he
receivedthehonorof deification. Those who could afford
i*hadhisstatue or bust, andwhenCapitolinus wrote,many
people still had statues of Antoninus among the Dei Pe
nates or household deities. He was in amanner made a
saint. His son Coinmodus erected to hismemory theAn-
toninecolumnwhich is now in the Piazza Collonaat Rome.
Thebassi rilievi which areplaced in aspiral line round the
shaft commemorate his fathersvictories over the Marco-
manni and the Quadi, and the miraculous shower ofrain
which refreshed the Roman soldiers and discomfited their
eiiemies-. The statue cfAntoninus was placed on thecol
umn, but it was removed at some time unknown, and a
bronze statueof St. Paul was put in its place by PopeSix-
tusthefifth.
Thehistorical evidenceforthetimes ofAntoninusisvery
defective, and some of that which remains is not credible.
The mostcurious is thestoryabout the miracle whichhap
pened in A.D. 174, during thewar with the Quadi. The
Roman army was in danger of perishing by thirst, but a
sudden stormdrenched them with rain, while it discharged
fire and hail on their enemies, and the Romans gained a
greatvictory. All the authorities whichspeak ofthebattle
speak also ofthe miracle. The Gentile writer* assign itto
their gods, and the Christians to the intercession of the
Christian legion in the emperors army. To confirm the
Christianstatement it is added that the emperor gave the
twihtloe omfaiTnhtuanidnertihnegChtroistthiiasnlergeipoonrt; boufttDhaecimeirraacnled,oatdhmeirts
thatthis title of Thundering orLightning was notgiven to
this legion because the Quadi were struck with lightning,
but because there was a figure oflightningon their shields,
and that this title of the legion existed in the timeof Au
gustus.
ThSucnadleigreirngalbseofohreadtheobrseeirgvnedofthAanttotnhienusl.egioWnewlaesarcnaltlheids
from Dion Cassius (Lib. 55, c. 23, and the note ofReima-
rus) who enumeratesallthelegions ofAugustus time. The
name Thundering or Lightning also occurs on an inscrip*
tion of the reign of Trajan, which was found at Trieste
Eusebius (v. 5) when he relates themiracle, quotes Apoli
narius, bishop of Hierapolis, as authority for this nam
beinggivento the legion Meliteneby the emperor in conse
quence of the success which he obtained through then,
paArpraomylseirnstaer;situfisrmootmnhyew.hisctEahutseewmbeeinumtsayodcoecesustrism.naotteDstiahyoenvianslauwyehsaotfthAbapotoolkitnho&a.mp;lt;
Tbunderinglegion was stationed in Cappadocia in the tim*
ofAugustus. Valesius also observes that in the Notitiao*
the Imperium Romanum there is mentioned underthecon?-
manderofArmenia the Praefectura of the twelfth legion
named "Thundering Mditene;" and this position in
Armenia will agree with what Dion says of its positionin
Capyadociai Accordingly Valesiusconcludesthat
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH.
10
was notthenameof the legton, but of thetown In whichIt
was stationed. The legions did not, he says, take their
namefrom the place wherethey wereon duty,butfrom the
country in which they were raised, and therefore, what
Eusebius says about the Melitene does notseemprobableto
him. Yet Valesius on the authority of Apolinarius and
Tertullian believedthatthe miraclewasworkedthrough the
prayers of the Christian soldiers in the emperors army.
Kufinus does not give the name of Melitene to thislegion,
scaayusseVhaeleksinuesw, tahnadt Mpeiloibtaebnleywhaes tphuerpnoasmeleyofomaittotewdn iint,Abre
menia Minor, where the legion was stationedin histime.
Theemperor, it is said, madea reportofhis victory tothe
Senate, which we may believe, for such was the practice;
butwe donotknow what ho said in his letter, for it isnot
extant. Dacierassumes that the emperors letterwaspur-
pose4y destroyed by the Senate or the enemies of Chris
tianity, thatsohonorable a testimony tothe Christiansand
their religion might not be perpetuated. The critic has
howevernot seen that he contradicts himself when hetells
is thepurportofthe letter, forhesays that itwasdestroyed,
l&aemp;tgt;tndereviennGErueseekbiaudsdrceosusleddnboyt fAinntdoint.inuBsuttothtehreeEdooemsanexiSsetn-a
Ateafterthis memorable victory. It \a sometimes printed
afterJustins second Apology, though it is totallyunconnec
ted with the apologies. Thisletterisoneof themost stupid
forgeries of the many which exist, and it cannot bepossibly
/Bunded even on the genuine report of Antoninus to the
itenate. If it were genuine, it would free theemperorfrom
the chargeofpersecuting men becausetheywere Christians,
Torhesays in this false letter that if a man accuse another
onlyof beinga Christian and the accused confess and there
in nothingelse against him, he must be set free; with this
monstrous addition made by aman Inconceivably ignorant,
that the informermust be burntalive.*
Duringthe time of Antoninus Pius and Marcus Antoni
nus thereappeared the first Apology of Justinus,andunder
M. Antoninus the Oration of Tatian against the Greeks,
whichwasafierce attack on the established religions, the
address of Athenagoras to M. Antoninus on behalfofthe
Christians, and the Apology of Melito, bishop of Sardes,
also addressed to the emperor, and that of Apolinarius.
The first Apology of Justinus is addressed to Antoninus
Piusand his two adoptedsonsM. Antoninus and L. Verus;
butwe do not know whether they read it. Thesecond
Apologyof Justinus is addressed to the Roman Senate, but
*Euseblua(v. 5) quotes Tertullians Apology to the Roman
Senatein confirmation of the story. Tertullian, he says,writes
thatlettersofthe emperorwereextant, inwhich hedeclaresthat
hhies&quaot;rthmryeawtaesnesdavtoedpubnyisthhewiptrhayedresatohftthhoeseCwhrhiostivaennstu;raenddtothaact
cuseus." Itispossiblethattheforged letterwhichisnowextant
maybeoneof those which Tertullisni hnd seen, for heusesthe
plural number "letters." A grent deal hasbeenwritten about
thismiracleof the Thundering Legion, and morethaniswortlj
ttading.
