WERE THE STOICS UTILITARIANS? 183 



" Don't consider what others say, do or think, unless it is very 

 necessary and for the common good." (Marcus Aurelius, Commen- 

 taries, iii, 4.) '"' Never labor without regard to the general interest." 

 (do iii, 5.) " Choose the better part. But that which is useful is the 

 better part." (do iii, 6.) " Let no act be done without a purpose." 

 (do vi, 2, Long's translation.) " Do only what is useful to men." 

 do iv, 12.) '"' Turn the present to profit by aid of wisdom and jus- 

 tice." (do iv, 26.) " Hov^ cruel it is not to allow men to strive af- 

 ter what seems to them natural and useful." (do vi, 27.) " What- 

 ever I can do, ought to be directed to this end alone, usefulness fco 

 the community." (do vii, 5.) "A rational nature goes on its w^ay 

 well when it directs its movements only to actions universally bene- 

 ficial, etc. (do viii, 7.) '"Repentance is a kind of self reproof for 

 having neglected something useful." (do viii, 10, Compare Darwin,. 

 Descent of man I, 87.) ''Let every action be a complete part of 

 social life. Every act of thine, which has no immediate or ulti- 

 mate reference to a public end, tears thy life asunder." (do ix, 23.) 

 "Let there be effort and exertion resulting in acting for the com- 

 mon good, for this too. is according to thy nature.") do ix, 31.) "If 

 I remember that I am a part of the whole T shall do nothing un- 

 social, but shall turn all ray efforts to the common interest." (do 

 X, 6, Long, abridged.) "Thy charge is to provide in every way what 

 is useful to the State." (do xi, 13.) " Our object should be the good 

 of the State, and of mankind also." (do xi, 21.) " First, do noth- 

 ing inconsiderately, nor without a purpose; Second, make thy acts 

 refer to nothing else than a social end." (do xii, 20, Long.) "And 

 anything which is useful to the universe, is always good and in 

 season." (do xii, 23, Long.) 



" The Stoics say that men are created for the sake of mankind, 

 to be useful to each other. Thus we are commanded to follow 

 nature in being mutually and universally useful." (Cicero de Offi- 

 ciis, i, 1, 5.) " Those in charge of public business should look at 

 the advantage of the citizens, and consult that in all they do, for- 

 getting their own interests. A public trust should be administered 

 for the benefit of those giving it, not of him to v/hom it is given." 

 (do., i, 25, 1 and 2.) "True philosophers have not neglected the 

 advantage and interests of mankind." (do., i, 54, 1.) " Nothing 

 does more to deprave human conduct, than the belief that any- 

 thing is virtuous which is not virtuous." (do., ii, 3, 3.) " The 



