Page:The Emperor Marcus Antoninus - His Conversation with Himself.djvu/202

 22 Bad Men. Now Living, and Dying, Honour and Infamy, Pleasure and Pain; Riches and Poverty, all these Things are the common Allotment of the Virtuous, and Disorderly; why so? Because they have nothing of Intrinsick Creditableness, or Scandal in their Nature; And therefore to speak properly, are neither Good, nor Bad.

XII. A Mans Reason will easily convince him how quickly all Corporeal Things Moulder off, and vanish both in Appearance, and Memory; And are neither so much as seen, or talk'd of. The same Faculty will inform him of the Quality and Size of the Objects of Sense, particularly those which Charm us with Pleasure, frighten us with Pain, or are most admir'd upon the Score of Reputation. A little thinking will show a Man how insignificant, despicable, and paultry these Things are, and how soon they wither and go off: 'Twill show one what sort of Bulk those People are off, upon whose Fancy and Good Word, the Being of Fame depends. Thus a Man may examine the Point of Dying, which if once abstracted from the Pomp and Terror of the Idea, 'twill be found nothing more than a pure Natural Action. Now he that dreads the Course of Nature is a Child. Besides there's ge-