PHILOSOPHERS - MARCUS AURELIUS

<BODY> <CENTER><FONT SIZE=5><B><FONT SIZE=6>MARCUS AURELIUS</FONT><BR> (121-180)</B></FONT></CENTER><P> <BLOCKQUOTE>"It does not matter what you bear but how you bear it."<P> ("Meditations")</BLOCKQUOTE> Marcus Aurelius was a Roman emperor whose "Meditations" are considered one of the finest expressions of <A HREF="../t03/g050.html" TARGET="_top">Stoic</A> philosophy. Born in Rome to a wealthy and prestigious family, his ancestors derived originally from Spain. He was only three when his father died and he was adopted by his grandfather. The "Historia Augusta" tells us that he took an early interest in philosophy and, at the age of 12, adopted a rough Greek cloak as dress. Perhaps it was his family connections that brought him to the attention of the emperor Hadrian, who awarded him honours when he was only six. Hadrian's successor, Antoninus Pius, Marcus' uncle by marriage, adopted Marcus and the orphaned son of Hadrian's heir-apparent, Commodus. Marcus quickly came to be the preferred of the two. He was given the title "Caesar" at the age of 17, and became consul at 18. He was married to Antoninus' daughter, Faustina. Yet, on the death of Antoninus, Marcus ensured that both he and his adoptive brother assumed joint power.<P> Perhaps he anticipated that shared rule would give him more time for philosophy, but there proved to be little time for quiet contemplation. The reign saw a succession of disasters including flood, famine, frontier wars, plague and an attempted coup. Marcus wrote his "Meditations" while campaigning against Germanic invaders. They are expressions of the bleakest sort of <A HREF="../t03/g050.html" TARGET="_top">Stoic</A> philosophy, dominated by thoughts on death and the transitory nature of human experience. He bore the illness of his last years (possibly cancer) with Stoic fortitude. He dying words: "Why do you weep for me, instead of thinking about the plague, and about death which is the common lot of all?" <BR clear=left><BR> <HR width=100%> <A HREF="http://www.creatorix.com.au"><IMG SRC="../creatorix.gif" WIDTH="85" HEIGHT="40" BORDER="0" ALT="Creatorix" align=right></A> </BODY>