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Πῶς ποτε πάντα καλῶς καὶ φιλανθρώπως διατάξαντες οἱ θεοὶ τοῦτο μόνον παρεῖδον, τὸ ἐνίους τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ πάνυ χρηστοὺς καὶ πλεῖστα πρὸς τὸ θεῖον ὥσπερ συμβόλαια θεμένους καὶ ἐπὶ πλεῖστον δἰ ἔργων ὁσίων καὶ ἱερουργιῶν συνήθεις τῷ θείῳ γενομένους, ἐπειδὰν ἅπαξ ἀποθάνωσι, μηκέτι αὖθις γίνεσθαι, ἀλλ̓ εἰς τὸ παντελὲς ἀπεσβηκέναι; τοῦτο δὲ εἴπερ ἄρα καὶ οὕτως ἔχει, εὖ ἴσθι ὅτι, εἰ ὡς ἑτέρως ἔχειν ἔδει, ἐποίησαν ἄν: εἰ γὰρ δίκαιον ἦν, ἦν ἃν καὶ δυνατόν, καὶ εἰ κατὰ φύσιν, ἤνεγκεν ἂν αὐτὸ ἡ φύσις. ἐκ δὴ τοῦ μὴ οὕτως ἔχειν, εἴπερ οὐχ οὕτως ἔχει, πιστούσθω σοι τὸ μὴ δεῆσαι οὕτως γίνεσθαι: ὁρᾷς γὰρ καὶ αὐτὸς ὅτι τοῦτο παραζητῶν δικαιολογῇ πρὸς τὸν θεόν: οὐκ ἂν δ̓ οὕτως διελεγόμεθα τοῖς θεοῖς, εἰ μὴ ἄριστοι καὶ δικαιότατοί εἰσιν. εἰ δὲ τοῦτο, οὐκ ἄν τι περιεῖδον ἀδίκως καὶ ἀλόγως ἠμελημένον τῶν ἐν τῇ διακοσμήσει.
Marcus Aurelius. M. Antonius Imperator Ad Se Ipsum. Jan Hendrik Leopold. in aedibus B. G. Teubneri. Leipzig. 1908. Keyboarding.
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