The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (Natural Law and Enlightenment Classics)

This 1742 translation is a collaborative work by Frances Hutcheson and a colleague at Glasgow University, the classicist James Moor. Although Hutcheson was secretive about the extent of his work on the book, he was clearly the leading spirit of the project. This influential classical work offered a vision of a universe governed by a natural law that obliges us to love mankind and to govern our lives in accordance with the natural order of things. In their account of the life of the emperor, prefaced to their translation from the Greek, Hutcheson and Moor celebrated the Stoic ideal of an orderly universe governed by a benevolent God. They contrasted the serenity recommended and practiced by Marcus Aurelius with the divisive sectarianism then exhibited by their fellow Presbyterians in Scotland and elsewhere. They urged their readers and fellow citizens to set aside their narrow prejudices. "Translated from the Greek as a collaborative effort by Francis Hutcheson (1694-1746) and the classicist James Moor (1712-1779), The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus became a highly influential work in the philosophy of the Scottish Enlightenment. In their translation and notes to the text, Hutcheson and Moor celebrate the Stoic ideal of an orderly universe governed by a benevolent God. The translation and notes also shed light on Hutcheson's other writings: above all, perhaps, on his conception of "true religion" as a religion of virtue, benevolence, and public spirit for an enlightened age." "Hutcheson contrasts the divisive sectarianism exhibited by Christians in Scotland and elsewhere with Marcus's recommendations of serenity and resignation to the will of the Creator. In light of the warmth of feeling Hutcheson expresses in his remarks, it is not surprising that he took pains to conceal his role (and Moor's) in the composition of the introductory "Life of the Emperor" and in the notes." "The edition of The Meditations that is reproduced here was published in 1742. It is the first of five editions published by Robert Foulis and is the only Foulis edition of the English translation published during Hutcheson's lifetime. In this new Liberty Fund edition, editors Moore and Silverthorne clarify the respective contributions of Hutcheson and Moor and identify persons and occurrences that appear in the text. The editors also explain Hutcheson and Moor's motivation in undertaking the translation and discuss the challenge Hutcheson faced in translating the technical Stoic vocabulary used by Marcus."--Jacket Nearly two thousand years after it was written, Meditations remains profoundly relevant for anyone seeking to lead a meaningful life. Few ancient works have been as influential as the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius, philosopher and emperor of Rome (A.D. 161–180). A series of spiritual exercises filled with wisdom, practical guidance, and profound understanding of human behavior, it remains one of the greatest works of spiritual and ethical reflection ever written. Marcus’s insights and advice—on everything from living in the world to coping with adversity and interacting with others—have made the Meditations required reading for statesmen and philosophers alike, while generations of ordinary readers have responded to the straightforward intimacy of his style. For anyone who struggles to reconcile the demands of leadership with a concern for personal integrity and spiritual well-being, the Meditations remains as relevant now as it was two thousand years ago. In Gregory Hays’s new translation—the first in thirty-five years—Marcus’s thoughts speak with a new immediacy. In fresh and unencumbered English, Hays vividly conveys the spareness and compression of the original Greek text. Never before have Marcus’s insights been so directly and powerfully presented. With an Introduction that outlines Marcus’s life and career, the essentials of Stoic doctrine, the style and construction of the Meditations, and the work’s ongoing influence, this edition makes it possible to fully rediscover the thoughts of one of the most enlightened and intelligent leaders of any era. Half Title Page, p. i......Page 1 Frontispiece, p. iii......Page 3 Full Title Page, p. v......Page 5 Copyright Page, p. vi......Page 6 Contents, p. vii......Page 7 Introduction, p. ix......Page 9 A Note on the Text, p. xxix......Page 29 Acknowledgements, p. xxxi......Page 31 The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, p. xxxiii......Page 33 Original Title Page, p. 1......Page 35 Introduction: Containing some of the Most Memorable Passages, Preserv'd, of the Life of the Emperor Marcus Antoninus., p. 3......Page 37 Book I, p. 25......Page 59 Book II, p. 33......Page 67 Book III, p. 40......Page 74 Book IV, p. 47......Page 81 Book V, p. 58......Page 92 Book VI, p. 71......Page 105 Book VII, p. 83......Page 117 Book VIII, p. 95......Page 129 Book IX, p. 107......Page 141 Book X, p. 119......Page 153 Book XI, p. 133......Page 167 Book XII, p. 144......Page 178 Errata, p. 153......Page 187 Maxims of the Stoics, p. 155......Page 189 Gataker’s Apology, p. 161......Page 195 Editors’ Notes to Hutcheson and Moor’s Life of the Emperor Marcus Antoninus, p. 165......Page 199 Editors’ Notes to Marcus’s Text and to Hutcheson and Moor’s Notes, p. 170......Page 204 Editors’ Notes to Maxims of the Stoics, p. 191......Page 225 Editors’ Notes to Gataker’s Apology, p. 192......Page 226 Bibliography, p. 193......Page 227 Index, p. 203......Page 237 Colophon, p. 214......Page 248 This 1742 translation is a collaborative work by Francis Hutcheson and a colleague at Glasgow University, the classicist James Moor. Although Hutcheson was secretive about the extent of his work on the book, he was clearly the leading spirit of the project. This influential classical work offers a vision of a universe governed by a natural law that obliges us to love mankind and to govern our lives in accordance with the natural order of things. In many ways, Hutcheson and Moor's The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus is a companion volume to Hutcheson's Latin work on ethics, released in the same year, Philosophiae Moralis Institutio Compendiaria. In the latter volume, which is also available from Liberty Fund, Hutcheson continues a theme that proffered his ethics as a modern and, not least, Christianized version of Stoicism. Francis Hutcheson (1694–1746) was educated at the University of Glasgow, where he assumed the chair of moral philosophy in 1729. Please note: This title is available as an ebook for purchase on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and iTunes.