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In his scanty free time often late at night Marcus wrote down his meditations a series of unconnected philosophical observations on life, religion and public affairs.
在他为数不多的闲暇时间里，通常是在深夜，马可写下了一系列自己对于生命，宗教和公共事务的哲学思想的片段。
His personal focus on ensuring the solace generus humani, or good of the human race
他个人非常注重确保和追求全人类的福祉，
reflected a stoic tradition going all the way back to ancient Greece.
反映了一种起源于古希腊的斯多噶传统。
Unfortunately Marcus picked a poor successor the reign of Marcus' biological son Commodus from 180 to 192 AD marked the end of the age of the five good emperors.
不幸的是，马可选择了自己的亲生儿子康茂德作为继位者，康茂德从公元180到192年的统治标志着五贤帝时代的终结。
The age of the five good emperors brought unprecedented material prosperity and military security to the entire roman world, hence the term Pax Romano. Roman Peace.
五贤帝时代为整个罗马世界带来了前所未有的物质繁荣和军事安全，因此被称为罗马和平时期。
In this way at least the solace generus humani was enhanced. The wealthiest always benefited most but in order to retain favour with the emperors the wealthy were also made to donate great amounts of money to the upkeep of their communities and to those of their fellow Romans who were less fortunate.
至少人类的福祉得到了促进。最富有的人总是从中获益最多，但是为了得到皇帝的垂青，富人也得捐献大笔的钱来维持自己的社会阶层也帮助那些不这么幸运的罗马同胞。
The Alimenta was invented, a complicated form of welfare payment to the poor,
图拉真还推行了供养政策，一种形式复杂的为穷人提供的福利，
financed by the profit on low interest small business loans.
由低利息小额商业贷款的利润提供资金。
Apparently the Alimenta program was so prevalent and so wide spread that none of our surviving Roman historians wrote about it.
显然供养政策非常的普遍盛行，幸存的罗马史学家都没有特别写过，
All Romans benefitted from the building projects and festivals sponsored by the emperor and the upper class.
所有罗马人都从皇帝和上层阶级赞助的建筑项目和节庆活动中受益。
Even those Romans eking a rough life out in the countryside benefitted too.
甚至是那些农村地区生活艰辛的人们也从中受益。
If only from the improved personal and internal safety coming from secure borders.
因为边疆的安全得到保证，国内的人民安全也得到了改善，
But all Romans alike had to pay a certain price for their prosperity,
但是所有罗马人也都得为繁荣付出一定的代价，
these costs included the permanent loss of personal liberty, and loss of the chance to make an individual contribution to Roman life.
比如永远失去个人自由,也没有机会为罗马人的生活作出个人贡献。
The so called five good emperors ruled to ensure the safety and well being of the roman world's inhabitants
五贤帝的统治确保了罗马帝国居民的安全，促进了他们的福祉，
but they didn't really do that much for the intellectual or spiritual life of the Roman world.
但是他们并没有为罗马世界的知识和精神生活作出多少贡献。
It's no accident that the quote unquote golden period of Latin literature ends during this time.
拉丁文学的黄金时代在这个时期终结并非偶然。
The Roman upper class seems to have picked luxury over education.
罗马上层阶级似乎更追求奢华而非教育。
From this point on, most of the Roman world's literary development took place outside the city of Rome.
从这个时期开始，罗马世界的文学发展大多是在罗马城外发生的。
In North Africa, in Greece, and even in the Middle East.
在北非，希腊，甚至是在中东。
It is also telling that the Roman mob welcomed the succession of Marcus Aurelius' son Commodus.
马可·奥勒留的儿子康茂德继任的时候受到了罗马民众的欢迎。
And they continued to support him long after he had shown his true colours,
即便是康茂德显露出本色后，他们也继续支持了他很久，
who needs a boring old philosopher king like Marcus Aurelius
谁还需要一个又无聊又年老的马可·奥勒留那样的哲学家皇帝呢？
when you have a god emperor who appears in the coliseum and shoots ostriches with a bow and arrow from the imperial box, all the while dressed up as Hercules.
有这么个神皇打扮成赫尔克里斯的模样出现在竞技场，从皇室包厢手持弓箭射击鸵鸟。
And just what was one of Rome's leading citizens to do if they were summoned by the emperor and commanded from now on to address him as Hercules?
并且如果罗马的高等公民受皇帝召见，被命令从现在起要称呼他为赫尔克里斯，他们会怎么做呢？
Say hello Hercules! All it took to set the age of the five good emperors on its ear was one wackjob.
当然会说：“您好，赫尔克里斯了！”五贤帝的时代就此终结。
Back in one second.
稍事休息 很快回来。
