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Μάρκος

Marcus, Marcus Aurelius

Translated by Abram Ring26 May 2004Vetting: high7 revisions

4 notes · 227 words
[Marcus,] emperor of [the] Romans. It is easier to be astonished at him in silence than to praise him since no word could equal the man’s virtues—for already in his youth he displayed a calm and stable life, and his expression was never seen to be affected either by fear or by pleasure.1 And of the philosophers he praised the Stoics2 and was in fact an imitator of these men, not only in his practice of their mode of living but also in his comprehension of their teachings. At any rate in his youth he shone out so very much that Hadrian3 often wanted to assign a share of the imperial power to him. But, when he [Hadrian] had made Pius4 his first heir according to custom, he took care that this man would succeed him and determined that through intermarriage he [Marcus] be united with Pius so that he would come into hegemony through the hereditary succession. And at any rate he lived the private life in equality with the mass of Romans, nor was he at all changed by his adoption into that family. And, when he came into hegemony, ruled as a monarch, and enjoyed the lofty power, he was never driven to any vainglory but was free and liberal in his good deeds and good and moderate in his management of the nations.

Greek original · Adler’s text

Μάρκος, βασιλεὺς Ῥωμαίων· ὃν ἐκπλήττεσθαι ἐν σιωπῇ μᾶλλον ἢ ἐπαινεῖν ῥᾴδιον, οὐδενὸς λόγου ταῖς τοῦ ἀνδρὸς ἀρεταῖς ἐξισουμένου. ἐκ πρώτης γὰρ ἤδη τῆς ἡλικίας εὐσταθῆ τε καὶ ἡσύχιον βίον ὑποστησάμενος οὔτε κατὰ δέος οὔτε καθ' ἡδονὴν τραπεὶς τὸ πρόσωπον ὤφθη πώποτε. ἐπαινεῖ δὲ τῶν φιλοσόφων τοὺς ἀπὸ τῆς Στοᾶς καὶ ἦν ἄρα ἐκείνων μιμητὴς οὐ μόνον κατὰ τὴν τῶν διαιτημάτων ἐπιτήδευσιν, ἀλλὰ καὶ κατὰ τὴν τῶν μαθημάτων σύλληψιν. οὕτω γοῦν ἐκ νέας κομιδῆ τῆς ἡλικίας ἐξέλαμπεν, ὡς πολλάκις τὸν Ἀδριανὸν ἐπὶ τοῦτον ἐθελῆσαι τὸν τῆς βασιλείας ἀγαγεῖν κλῆρον. ἐπεὶ δὲ ἔφθασε τὸν Εὐσεβῆ πρότερον κατὰ νόμον ποιησάμενος, ἐκείνῳ μὲν τὴν ἑαυτοῦ διαδοχὴν ἐφύλαξε, τοῦτον δὲ συνοικεῖν ἔγνω διὰ τῆς ἐπιγαμίας τῷ Εὐσεβεῖ, ὡς ἂν κατὰ τὴν τοῦ γένους διαδοχὴν ἐς τὴν ἡγεμονίαν παρέλθοι. τόν τε γοῦν ἰδιώτην βίον ἐν ἰσηγορίᾳ τοῖς πολλοῖς Ῥωμαίοις ἐβίω, οὐδὲν τῇ ἐσποιήσει τοῦ γένους ἀλλοιωθείς. καὶ ἐπεὶ παρῆλθεν ἐς τὴν ἡγεμονίαν, κατὰ μοναρχίαν ἐξηγούμενος καὶ τὴν ἄκραν δυναστείαν καρπούμενος πρὸς οὐδεμίαν ἀλαζονείαν ὑπήχθη πώποτε, ἀλλ' ἦν ἐλεύθερος μὲν καὶ δαψιλὴς ἐν τοῖς εὐεργετήμασιν, ἀγαθὸς δὲ καὶ μέτριος ἐν ταῖς τῶν ἐθνῶν διοικήσεσι.

Betacode
*ma/rkos, basileu\s *(rwmai/wn: o(\n e)kplh/ttesqai e)n siwph=| ma=llon h)\ e)painei=n r(a/|dion, ou)deno\s lo/gou tai=s tou= a)ndro\s a)retai=s e)cisoume/nou. e)k prw/ths ga\r h)/dh th=s h(liki/as eu)staqh= te kai\ h(su/xion bi/on u(posthsa/menos ou)/te kata\ de/os ou)/te kaq' h(donh\n trapei\s to\ pro/swpon w)/fqh pw/pote. e)painei= de\ tw=n filoso/fwn tou\s a)po\ th=s *stoa=s kai\ h)=n a)/ra e)kei/nwn mimhth\s ou) mo/non kata\ th\n tw=n diaithma/twn e)pith/deusin, a)lla\ kai\ kata\ th\n tw=n maqhma/twn su/llhyin. ou(/tw gou=n e)k ne/as komidh= th=s h(liki/as e)ce/lampen, w(s polla/kis to\n *)adriano\n e)pi\ tou=ton e)qelh=sai to\n th=s basilei/as a)gagei=n klh=ron. e)pei\ de\ e)/fqase to\n *eu)sebh= pro/teron kata\ no/mon poihsa/menos, e)kei/nw| me\n th\n e(autou= diadoxh\n e)fu/lace, tou=ton de\ sunoikei=n e)/gnw dia\ th=s e)pigami/as tw=| *eu)sebei=, w(s a)\n kata\ th\n tou= ge/nous diadoxh\n e)s th\n h(gemoni/an  pare/lqoi. to/n te gou=n i)diw/thn bi/on e)n i)shgori/a| toi=s polloi=s *(rwmai/ois e)bi/w, ou)de\n th=| e)spoih/sei tou= ge/nous a)lloiwqei/s. kai\ e)pei\ parh=lqen e)s th\n h(gemoni/an, kata\ monarxi/an e)chgou/menos kai\ th\n a)/kran dunastei/an karpou/menos pro\s ou)demi/an a)lazonei/an u(ph/xqh pw/pote, a)ll' h)=n e)leu/qeros me\n kai\ dayilh\s e)n toi=s eu)ergeth/masin, a)gaqo\s de\ kai\ me/trios e)n tai=s tw=n e)qnw=n dioikh/sesi.

Notes (4)

  1. For Marcus Aurelius (161-180 CE), the last of the five so-called "good" emperors, see also mu 214 and mu 216; Herbert Benario's DIR entry (web address 1); A.R. Birley and R.B. Rutherford in OCD(4) s.v. Aurelius, Marcus. The present entry = John of Antioch fr.116 FHG (4.582), now 199 Roberto.
  2. 1cf. upsilon 592. ↩
  3. 2Stoics: see generally sigma 1150. ↩
  4. 3Reigned 117-138 (alpha 527). ↩
  5. 4Antoninius Pius, reigned 138-161; see under mu 216. ↩

External resources

Linked from3 entries

Neighbouring entries

μ213ΜαρκίωνοςMarkion's, Marcion'sμ214ΜάρκοςMarcusμ215ΜάρκοςMarcus, Marcus Aureliusμ216ΜάρκοςMarcus, Markosμ217ΜάρκοςMarcus [Apicius]
Revision history7 revisions · last 29 Jan 2015
  1. updated a ref — David Whitehead
  2. cosmeticule — Catharine Roth
  3. expanded note — Catharine Roth
  4. Revised — David Whitehead
  5. Revised — David Whitehead
  6. more keywords; tweaking — David Whitehead
  7. augmented notes — David Whitehead
  8. Translated — Abram Ring

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