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.He goes to the theatre or the law-courts,78 or takes part in court cer-emony, but his heart is always with his books.The vintage season, with its religiousrites, was always spent by Antoninus Pius in the country.The following letters givesonic notion of a day s occupation at that time:79 MY DEAREST MASTER, I am well.To-day I studied from the ninth hour ofthe night to the second hour of day, after taking food.I then put on my slip-pers, and from time second to the third hour had a most enjoyable walk up anddown before my chamber.Then booted and cloaked for so we were com-manded to appear I went to wait upon my lord the emperor.We went a-hunting, did doughty deeds, heard a rumour that boars had been caught, butthere was nothing to see.However, we climbed a pretty steep hill, and in the af-ternoon returned home.I went straight to my books.Off with the boots, downwith the cloak; I spent a couple of hours in bed.I read Cato s speech on theProperty of Pulchra, and another in which he impeaches a tribune.Ho, ho! Ihear you cry to your man, Off with you as fast as you can, and bring me thesespeeches from the library of Apollo.No use to send: I have those books with metoo.You must get round the Tiberian librarian; you will have to spend some-thing on the matter; and when I return to town, I shall expect to go shares withhim.Well, after reading these speeches I wrote a wretched trifle, destined fordrowning or burning.No, indeed my attempt at writing did not come off at allto-day; the composition of a hunter or a vintager, whose shouts are echoingthrough my chamber, hateful and wearisome as the law-courts.What have Isaid? Yes, it was rightly said, for my master is an orator.I think I have caught77Ad M.Cæs., iv.1.78[Ibid.] ii.14.79[Ibid.] iv.5, 6.Marcus Aurelius' Meditations - tr.Casaubon v.8.16, uploaded to www.philaletheians.co.uk, 14 July 2013Page 116 of 128 MEDITATIONS OF MARCUS AURELIUSAPPENDIXcold, whether from walking in slippers or from writing badly, I do not know.Iam always annoyed with phlegm, but to-day I seem to snivel more than usual.Well, I will pour oil on my head and go off to sleep.I don t mean to put one dropin my lamp to-day, so weary am I from riding and sneezing.Farewell, dearestand most beloved master, whom I miss, I may say, more than Rome itself. MY BELOVED MASTER, I am well.I slept a little more than usual for my slightcold, which seems to be well again.So I spent the time from the eleventh hourof the night to the third of the day partly in reading in Cato s Agriculture, partlyin writing, not quite so badly as yesterday indeed.Then, after waiting upon myfather, I soothed my throat with honey-water, ejecting it without swallowing: Imight say gargle, but I won t, though I think the word is found in Novius andelsewhere.After attending to my throat I went to my father, and stood by hisside as he sacrificed.Then to luncheon.What do you think I had to eat? A bit ofbread so big, while I watched others gobbling boiled beans, onions, and fish fullof roe.Then we set to work at gathering the grapes, with plenty of sweat andshouting, and, as the quotation runs, A few high-hanging clusters did we leavesurvivors of the vintage. After the sixth hour we returned home.I did a littlework, and poor work at that.Then I had a long gossip with my dear mother sit-ting on the bed.My conversation was: What do you think my friend Fronto isdoing just now? She said: And what do you think of my friend Gratia? 80 Myturn now: And what of our little Gratia,81 the sparrowkin? After this kind oftalk, and an argument as to which of you loved the other most, the gongsounded, the signal that my father had gone to the bath.We supped, after ab-lutions in the oil-cellar I mean we supped after ablutions, not after ablutionsin the oil-cellar; and listened with enjoyment to the rustics gibing.After return-ing, before turning on my side to snore, I do my task and give an account of theday to my delightful master, whom if I could long for a little more, I should notmind growing a trifle thinner.Farewell, Fronto, wherever you are, honey-sweet,my darling, my delight.Why do I want you? I can love you while far away. One anecdote puts Marcus before us in a new light:82 When my father returned home from the vineyards, I mounted my horse asusual, and rode on ahead some little way.Well, there on the road was a herd ofsheep, standing all crowded together as though the place were a desert, withfour dogs and two shepherds, but nothing else.Then one shepherd said to an-other shepherd, on seeing a number of horsemen: I say, says he, look you atthose horsemen; they do a deal of robbery. When I heard this, I clap spurs tomy horse, and ride straight for the sheep.In consternation the sheep scatter;hither and thither they are fleeting and bleating.A shepherd throws his fork,and the fork falls on the horseman who came next to me.We make our escape. We like Marcus none the worse for this spice of mischief.80Fronto s wife.81Fronto s daughter.82Ad M.Cæs ii.12.Marcus Aurelius' Meditations - tr.Casaubon v.8.16, uploaded to www.philaletheians.co.uk, 14 July 2013Page 117 of 128 MEDITATIONS OF MARCUS AURELIUSAPPENDIXAnother letter83 describes a visit to a country town, and shows the antiquarian spiritof the writer: M.CÆSAR to his Master M.FRONTO, greeting. After I entered the carriage, after I took leave of you, we made a journey com-fortable enough, but we had a few drops of rain to wet us
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