THE SAYINGS OF MARCUS
he did not frown, or so much as turn his eyes, as even an arbitrator might have done, but turning to the Athenians said: Make your plea, men of Athens, even though Herodes is not for allowing you to do so. And as he listened to their case, at many points he was secretly grieved, but when the complaint of the Athenian Assembly was being read to him, in which they openly attacked Herodes for trying to win over the Governors of Greece with many honeyed words, and somewhere or other even cried out, "O bitter honey!" and again, "Happy they that perish in the pestilence!" he was so deeply moved by what he heard, that he was brought to tears in the sight of all. But as the case of the Athenians comprised an accusation against his freedmen as well as against Herodes, Marcus diverted his anger on to the freedmen, punishing them however as leniently as possible—for that is how he himself characterizes his sentence,―but to Alcimedon alone he remitted the punishment, alleging that his calamity in respect of his children was punishment enough.[1] In a way then thus worthy of a philosopher did Marcus act on this occasion.
(12) Themistius, Orat. 15. 191b.
When the army of Antoninus the Roman Emperor, who also had the cognomen of Pius, was perishing of thirst,[2] the king, raising both his hands to heaven, said, With this hand, wherewith I have taken away no life, have I implored Thee and besought the Giver of life. And he so prevailed with God by his prayer that upon a clear sky there came up clouds bringing rain to his soldiers.
