Humanitext Reader

Marcus Aurelius · Meditations §7.1.1

The Nature of Evil and the Repetition of Events

Passage 197 of 486 · Greek

Summary

The author explains that wickedness is something familiar and experienced many times before, emphasizing that everything happening in history and the present is repetitive, common, and ephemeral.

§7.1.1Τί ἐστι κακία;
What is wickedness?
τοῦτ’ ἔστιν ὃ πολλάκις εἶδες.
It is that which you have often seen.
καὶ ἐπὶ παντὸς δὲ τοῦ συμβαίνοντος πρόχειρον ἔχε ὅτι τοῦτό ἐστιν ὃ πολλάκις εἶδες. ὅλως ἄνω κάτω τὰ αὐτὰ εὑρήσεις, ὧν μεσταὶ αἱ ἱστορίαι αἱ παλαιαί, αἱ μέσαι, αἱ ὑπόγυιοι· ὧν νῦν μεσταὶ αἱ πόλεις καὶ αἱ οἰκίαι.
And upon everything that happens, keep this at hand: that "this is what you have often seen." Generally, up and down, you will find the same things, with which ancient, medieval, and recent histories are full; with which cities and houses are now full.
οὐδὲν καινόν· πάντα καὶ συνήθη καὶ ὀλιγοχρόνια.
Nothing is new; all things are both familiar and ephemeral.

Notes

  1. §7.1.1πρόχειρον ἔχε ὅτι — The neuter singular adjective `πρόχειρον` (at hand, ready) functions as an object complement to the verb `ἔχε` (present imperative active second-person singular of `ἔχω`), while the `ὅτι` clause serves as the direct object of the verb, meaning "keep [it] at hand that...".
  2. §7.1.1ὧν — Genitive neuter plural of the relative pronoun `ὅς`. Its antecedent is the preceding `τὰ αὐτά` (the same things), and the genitive is governed by the adjective `μεσταί` (full of, feminine plural nominative agreeing with `αἱ ἱστορίαι` etc.).

Cite this passage

Marcus Aurelius, Meditations §7.1.1. Humanitext Reader, https://reader.humanitext.ai/en/text/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0562.tlg001.humanitext-grc2:7.1.1

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