Page:The Emperor Marcus Antoninus - His Conversation with Himself.djvu/238

 58 neither be considerably Good, nor Bad.

XLIII. The World Hurries off a Pace, and Time is like a Rapid River : A Thing is no sooner well come, but 'tis past; And then another is posted after it; And it may be at length, the first will return under another Appearance.

XLIV. Whatever happens Here, is as Common, and well known as a Rose in the Spring, or an Apple in Autumn : Of this kind are Diseases, and Death, Calumny and Undermining; And several other Things, which Raise, and Depress the Spirits of unthinking People.

XLV. Antecedents, and Consequents are dexterously tyed together in the World : Things are not carelesly thrown on a Heap and joyn'd more by Number than Nature ; but as it were Artificially inlay'd into each other. And as the present Set of Appearances are very curiously contrived, so those upon the Stocks are carried on by Rule, and come forward with great Uniformity.

XLVI. The Elements are always shifting their Forms, and Transmuting into each other. Therefore don't forget the Saying of Heraclitus; That the Earth dies into Water, Water into Air, Air into Fire, and so Backward. Remember likewise the Story of the Man that Travelled on, without knowing to what place the Way Rh