The meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus
By: translated by A.S.L. Farquharson ; and, A selection from the letters of Marcus and Fronto / translated by R.B. Rutherford ; with introduction and notes by R.B. Rutherford.
Contributors: Farquharson, A. S. L. 1871-1942.; Rutherford, R. B.; Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome, 121-180.; Fronto, Marcus Cornelius.
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Published: 1989
Place of publication: Oxford, England; New York
Language: eng; grc
Number of pages: 195
Subjects: Marcus Aurelius, Emperor of Rome, 121-180 -- Correspondence; Fronto, Marcus Cornelius -- Correspondence; Ethics -- Early works to 1800; Stoics -- Early works to 1800; Life -- Early works to 1800; Authors, Latin -- Correspondence; Emperors -- Rome -- Correspondence; Orators -- Rome -- Correspondence
Description: "Marcus Aurelius governed Rome and its empire from AD161 to 180, and his reign was long remembered as a golden age in which the citizens of that empire enjoyed the gentle rule of a philosophic sage. The truth was of course not so simple. The Meditations of Marcus' old age, composed while on campaign, give us exceptional access to the emperor's mind. Although they are not generally concerned withe the day-to-day business of warfare and administration, they do reveal, however elusively, the personality of the writer: clear-headed, serious, often disillusioned with his own status and with human activities in general. The work can be read as a historical document and as a spiritual diary: its vivid imagery and pungent epigrams have prompted comparisons with Pascal's Pensés and the biblical book of Ecclesiastes. A.S.L. Farquharson's translation was originally published in 1944, as part of a major commentary on Marcus Aurelius' work. In this volume Farquharson's work is brought up to date and supplied with an introduction and notes for students and the general reader. A selection of lively letters from Marcus to his tutor Fronto, most of which date from his earlier years is also included: these provide much more personal detail and help to fill out the sombre and selective portrait of the emperor which we find in the Meditations"--Unedited summary from book jacket.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.