Butler  compares  it  with  a  passage  in  Strabo  (p.  713)  about
the  Brahmin's  notion  of  death  being  the  birth  into  real
life  and  a  happy  life  to  those  who  have  philosophized ;
and  he  thinks  that  Antoninus  may  allude  to  this  opinion.1
Antoninus'  opinion  of  a  future  life  is  nowhere  clearly
expressed.  His  doctrine  of  the  nature  of  the  soul  of
necessity  implies  that  it  does  not  perish  absolutely,  for  a
portion  of  the  divinity  cannot  perish.  The  opinion  is  at
least  as  old  as  the  time  of  Epicharmus  and  Euripides  ;
what  comes  from  earth  goes  back  to  earth,  and  what
comes  from  heaven,  the  divinity,  returns  to  him  who
gave  it.  But  I  find  nothing  clear  in  Antoninus  as  to  the

1  Seneca  (Ep.  102)  has  the  same,  whether  an  expression  of  his
own  opinion,  or  merely  a  fine  saying  of  others  employed  to  embellish
his  writings,  I  know  not.  After  speaking  of  the  child  being  pre
pared  in  the  womb  to  live  this  life,  he  adds,  '  Sic  per  hoc  spatium,
quod  ab  infantia  patet  in  sensectutem,  in  alium  naturae  sumimur
partum.  Alia  origo  nos  expectat,  alius  rerum  status.'


THE    PHILOSOPHY    OF   ANTONINUS        67

notion  of  the  man  existing  after  death  so  as  to  be  conscious
of  his  sameness  with  that  soul  which  occupied  his  vessel
of  clay.  He  seems  to  be  perplexed  on  this  matter,  and
finally  to  have  rested  in  this,  that  God  or  the  gods  will
do  whatever  is  best  and  consistent  with  the  university  of
things.
Nor  I  think  does  he  speak  conclusively  on  another
Stoic  doctrine,  which  some  Stoics  practised,  the  antici
pating  the  regular  course  of  nature  by  a  man's  own  act.
