Page:The Emperor Marcus Antoninus - His Conversation with Himself.djvu/145

 Rh with ; who having given the chief Commands in the Army to his Friends, endeavour'd to secure himself againft Opposition, and in a little time made himself Master of all the Country from Syria to Mount Taurus ; and at the same time he wrote a Letter somewhat in the form of a Manifesto, to his Son the Governour of Alexandria ; It runs thus.

''Nothing can he more unhappy than a Government which Cherishes such an insatiable sort of People as we are now pester'd with. Antoninus is really a very good Man, only he strains too much for the Character of Clemency, and suffers those Wretches to go on, whose Misbehaviour he is fully convincd of; where's the brave Cassius, whose Name we have the Honour to carry, tho' without much Significancy at present ? Where's Cato the Censor ? What's become of the Discipline of our Ancestors ? Alas ! It expired with those great Men, and now we have scarcely the Manhood left so much as to think on't. Antoninus is perfectly subdued by Philosophy : He spends his time in reading upon the Elements, dissecting the Soul, and making fine Discourses upon Decency and Justice, but as for the Government, that's the least of his Business. In short, you see there's nothing but Steel, and extream Remedies can relieve us, and set the Commonwealth upon the old''