Marcus Aurelius' Stoic tome Meditations, written in Greek while on campaign between 170 and 180, is still revered as a literary monument to a philosophy of service and duty, describing how to find and preserve equanimity in the midst of conflict by following nature as a source of guidance and inspiration. Marcus Aurelius was a Roman Emperor from 161 to 180. He ruled with Lucius Verus as co-emperor from 161 until Verus' death in 169. He was the last of the Five Good Emperors, and is also considered one of the most important Stoic philosophers. During his reign, the Empire defeated a revitalized Parthian Empire in the East; Aurelius' general Avidius Cassius sacked the capital Ctesiphon in 164. In central Europe, Aurelius fought the Marcomanni, Quadi, and Sarmatians with success during the Marcomannic Wars, with the threat of the Germanic tribes beginning to represent a troubling reality for the Empire. A revolt in the East led by Avidius Cassius failed to gain momentum and was suppressed immediately.

The Discourses of Epictetus - Translated by George Long - The Discourses of Epictetus are a series of extracts of the teachings of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus written down by Arrian c. 108 AD. The earliest manuscript of the Discourses is a twelfth-century manuscript kept at the Bodleian Library, Oxford. In the Bodleian manuscript, a blot or stain has fallen onto one of the pages, and has made a series of words illegible; in all the other known manuscripts these words (or sometimes the entire passage) are omitted, thus all the other manuscripts are derived from this one archetype. The Discourses were first printed, in Greek, by Vettore Trincavelli, at Venice in 1535. The first English translation did not appear until 1758 with the appearance of Elizabeth Carter's translation. This proved to be very successful, with a second edition appearing a year later (1759), a third edition in 1768, and a fourth edition published posthumously in 1807. It influenced later translations: e.g. those of Higginson and George Long (see his Introduction for comments, some critical of Carter).

The Meditations of the Emperor Marcus Aurelius Antoninus is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.

As seen through the writings of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic approach to life is surprisingly rich, nuanced, clear-eyed and friendly. Offers startlingly modern psychological and spiritual insight from the emperor's personal journal entries.

GREEK CLASSICS

The Enchiridion or Manual of Epictetus

A Selection from the Discourses of Epictetus with the Encheiridion

Translated by George Long

The Enchiridion or Manual of Epictetus is a short manual of Stoic ethical advice compiled by Arrian, a 2nd-century disciple of the Greek philosopher Epictetus.

Although the content is similar to the Discourses of Epictetus, it is not a summary of the Discourses but rather a compilation of practical precepts. Eschewing metaphysics, Arrian focused his attention on Epictetus's work applying philosophy in daily life. The primary theme is that one should accept what happens.

However, some things are up to us and some are not up to us and we must act accordingly, taking responsibility for planning and enacting what we can with virtue without becoming upset or disheartened by obstacles and reverses beyond our control.

For many centuries, the Enchiridion maintained its authority both with Christians and Pagans. Two Christian writers--Nilus and an anonymous contemporary--wrote paraphrases of it in the early 5th century and Simplicius of Cilicia wrote a commentary upon it in the 6th. The work was first published in Latin translation by Poliziano in Rome in 1493; Beroaldus published another edition in Bologna in 1496. The original Greek was first published in Venice with the Simplicius's commentary in 1528 and an English translation appeared as early as 1567. The book was a common school text in Scotland during the Scottish Enlightenment. Adam Smith had a 1670 edition in his library, acquired as a schoolboy.

The Discourses of Epictetus translated by George Long. The Discourses of Epictetus are a series of extracts of the teachings of the Stoic philosopher Epictetus written down by Arrian c. 108 AD. There were originally eight books, but only four now remain in their entirety, along with a few fragments of the others. In a preface attached to the Discourses, Arrian explains how he came to write them: 'I neither wrote these Discourses of Epictetus in the way in which a man might write such things; nor did I make them public myself, inasmuch as I declare that I did not even write them. But whatever I heard him say, the same I attempted to write down in his own words as nearly as possible, for the purpose of preserving them as memorials to myself afterwards of the thoughts and the freedom of speech of Epictetus.' The earliest manuscript of the Discourses is a twelfth-century manuscript kept at the Bodleian Library, Oxford. In the Bodleian manuscript, a blot or stain has fallen onto one of the pages, and has made a series of words illegible; in all the other known manuscripts these words (or sometimes the entire passage) are omitted, thus all the other manuscripts are derived from this one archetype. The Discourses were first printed (in Greek) by Vettore Trincavelli, at Venice in 1535.

As seen through the writings of Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius, the Stoic approach to life is surprisingly rich, nuanced, clear-eyed and friendly. Offers startlingly modern psychological and spiritual insight from the emperor's personal journal entries.

The profundity and spirit of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius is brought out superbly in this edition of the Meditations, translated by George Long. All twelve books are present, complete with original footnotes which help to clarify and explain the meanings behind the passages. Since the original text was written in Greek after the spirit of many classical philosophers, an index of Greek terminology is also included at the conclusion for the benefit of the reader. The spirit of Stoicism, whereby Marcus Aurelius details a lifetime spent cultivating good habits, manners, attitude and evenness of temperament are laid out upon these pages evocatively. Many of the pages are thought to have been written at Sirmium, during periods of military planning. It is a strongly autobiographical text; each book focuses upon a different time - from upbringing to youth to maturity. The writing is famously frank, clear and honest - with none of the superiority or pretense one might expect of an Emperor of Rome.

The profundity and spirit of Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius is brought out superbly in this hardcover edition of the Meditations, translated by George Long. All twelve books are present, complete with original footnotes which help to clarify and explain the meanings behind the passages. Since the original text was written in Greek after the spirit of many classical philosophers, an index of Greek terminology is also included at the conclusion for the benefit of the reader. The spirit of Stoicism, whereby Marcus Aurelius details a lifetime spent cultivating good habits, manners, attitude and evenness of temperament are laid out upon these pages evocatively. Many of the pages are thought to have been written at Sirmium, during periods of military planning. It is a strongly autobiographical text; each book focuses upon a different time - from upbringing to youth to maturity. The writing is famously frank, clear and honest - with none of the superiority or pretense one might expect of an Emperor of Rome.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1871. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1871. The publishing house Anatiposi publishes historical books as reprints. Due to their age, these books may have missing pages or inferior quality. Our aim is to preserve these books and make them available to the public so that they do not get lost.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1864.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1864.

In this poignant and reflective work, George Long contemplates life and death, love and loss, and the meaning of existence itself. Drawing on his own experiences and observations, Long offers insights that are both profound and deeply personal.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it.

This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work.

Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.

Reprint of the original, first published in 1864.

This book contains a complete translation, by George Long, of the 12 books that make up The Meditations of Marcus Aurelius Antoninus, which are his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy. It is 'abridged' only in the sense that most of the footnotes have been omitted in order to publish a 'cleaner' translation. George Long's translation is considered to be one of the more accurate ones. Many of the footnotes that have been left out contained sections written in the original Koine Greek language, eg: which for most of us would be unintelligible anyway Marcus Aurelius Antoninus was a Roman emperor from 161 AD to 180 AD, ruling jointly with Lucius Verus until Verus' death in 169 AD and jointly with his son, Commodus, from 177 AD. He was the last of the so-called Five Good Emperors. He was born: April 26, 121 AD, in Rome, Italy and died March 17, 180 AD, in Vindobona, Austria. His spouse was Faustina the Younger (m. 145 AD-175 AD). His father, Annius Verus, died while he was praetor. His mother was Domitia Calvilla, also named Lucilla. The Emperor T. Antoninus Pius married Annia Galeria Faustina, the sister of Annius Verus, and was consequently the uncle of Marcus Antoninus. When Hadrian adopted Antoninus Pius and declared him his successor in the empire, Antoninus Pius adopted both L. Ceionius Commodus, the son of Aelius Caesar, and Marcus Antoninus, whose original name was Marcus Annius Verus. Antoninus then took the name of Marcus Aelius Aurelius Verus, to which was added the title of Caesar in a. d. 139: the name Aelius belonged to Hadrian's family, and Aurelius was the name of Antoninus Pius. When Marcus Antoninus became Augustus, he dropped the name of Verus and took the name of Antoninus. Accordingly he is generally named Marcus Aurelius Antoninus or simply Marcus Antoninus.

This Is A New Release Of The Original 1877 Edition.

Written in Greek, without any intention of publication, by the only Roman emperor who was also a philosopher, the Meditations of Marcus Aurelius (AD 121-180) offer a remarkable series of challenging spiritual reflections and exercises developed as the emperor struggled to understand himself and make sense of the universe. Ranging from doubt and despair to conviction and exaltation, they cover such diverse topics as the nature of moral virtue, human rationality, divine providence, and Marcus' own emotions. But while the Meditations were composed to provide personal consolation and encouragement, in developing his beliefs Marcus Aurelius also created one of the greatest of all works of philosophy: a timeless collection of extended meditations and short aphorisms that has been consulted and admired by statesmen, thinkers and readers through the centuries.

This special edition of the Discourses of Epictetus contains all four extant books of the Discourses, the Enchiridion or Manual and the few remaining fragments of the lost works of this famous Stoic. As a student of Zeno, the originator of the Stoic system, Epictetus was instrumental in putting a human face on what was otherwise considered a dispassionate philosophy. Epictetus, Seneca, and Marcus Aurelius are the three famous names of the later school of stoicism, and they are all teachers of the conduct of life, in love with inner perfection, and comparatively heedless of mere speculation. The Discourses of Epictetus were not written by Epictetus but by his student, Arrian, who is best remembered for his biography of Alexander the Great. Arrian modestly makes no claim to the wisdom or true authorship of the Discourses, but he was clearly more than a scribe. Without Arrian, the writtten Discourses would never have existed and the philosophy of Epictetus would be all but lost in the fog of ancient history.

The Meditations is a series of personal writings by Marcus Aurelius, Roman Emperor from 161 to 180 AD, recording his private notes to himself and ideas on Stoic philosophy.