The Thoughts of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus. Translated by George Long

1894·11.2 MB·English

by  Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome, 121-180

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NOTE.
IHAVE been informedthat anAmerican publisher hasprinted
the first edition of this translation of M. Antoninus. I do
not grudge him his profit, if he has made any. There may
be many men and women in the United States who will be
glad to read the thoughts of the Eoman emperor. If the
American politicians, as they are called, would read them
also, I should be much pleased, but I do not think the
emperor's morality would suit their taste.
I have also been informed that the American publisher
has dedicated this translation to an American. I have no
objection to the book being dedicated to an American; but
in doing this without my consent the publisher has trans-
gressed the bouuds of decency. 1 have never dedicated a
bookto any man, and ifI dedicated this, I should choose the
man whose name seemed to me most worthy to bejoined to
that ofthe Koman soldier and philosopher. Imightdedicate
the book to the successful general who is now the President
of the United States, with the hope that his. integrity and
justice will restore peace and happiness, so far as he can, to
those unhappy States which have suffered so much from war
and the unrelenting hostility ofwicked men.
But, as the Koman poet said,
VictrixcausaDeisplacuit,sedvicta Catoni
and if I dedicated this little book to any man, I would
dedicate it to him who led the Confederate armies against
the powerful invader, and retired from an unequal contest
defeated,butnot dishonoured; tothe noble Virginiansoldier,
whose talents and virtues place him by the side of the best
andwisestmanwhosatonthethrone ofthe ImperialCaesars.
George Long.