Well then, the result of my whole account of the fourth kind of madness is clear (E!sti dh\ ou]n deu=ro o9 pa=j h3kwn lo/goj peri\ th=j teta/rthj mani/aj) – the madness of the man who, on seeing beauty here on earth (h4n o3tan to\ th=|de tij o9rw~n ka/lloj), and being reminded of true beauty (tou= a0lhqou=j a0namimnh|sko/menoj), becomes winged (pterwtai/ te), and fluttering with eagerness to fly (kai\ a0napterou/menoj proqumou/menoj a0napte/sqai), but unable to leave the ground (a0dunatw~n de/), looking upwards like a bird (o1rniqoj di/khn ble/pwn a1nw), and taking no heed of the things below (tw~n ka/tw de\ a0melw~n), causes him to be regarded as mad (ai0ti/an e1xei w(j manikw~j diakei/menoj); my conclusion is (w(j a1ra) that this then reveals itself as the best of all kinds of divine possession and from the best of sources for the man who is subject to it and shares in it (au3th pasw~n tw~n e0nqousia/sewn a0ri/sth te kai\ e0c a0ri/stwn tw~| te e1xonti kai\ tw~| koinwnou=nti au0th=j gi/gnetai), and that it is when he partakes in this madness that the man who loves the beautiful is called a lover (kai\ o3ti tau/thj mete/xwn th=j mani/aj o9 e0rw~n tw~n kalw~n e0rasth=j kalei=tai). For as has been said (kaqa/per ga\r ei1rhtai), every human soul has by the law of its nature observed the things that are (pa=sa me\n a0nqrw&pou yuxh\ fu/sei teqe/atai ta\ o1nta), or else it would not have entered this creature, man (h2 ou0k a2n h]lqen ei0j to/de to\ zw|~on); but it is not easy for every soul to gain from things here a recollection of those other things (a0namimnh/skesqai e0k tw~nde e0kei=na ou0 ra|/dion a9pa/sh|), either for those which only briefly saw the things there at that earlier time (ou1te o3sai braxe/wj ei]don to/te t’a0kei=), or for those which fall to earth and have the misfortune (ou1q’ o3sai deu=ro pesou=sai e0dustu/xhsan) to be turned to injustice by keeping certain kinds of company (w#ste u9po/ tinwn o9miliw~n e0pi\ to\ a1dikon trapo/menai), and to forget the holy things they saw then (lh/qhn w{n to/te ei]don i9erw~n e1xein). Few souls are left who have sufficient memory (o0li/gai dh\ lei/pontai ai[j to\ th=j mnh/mhj i9kanw~j pa/restin); and these (au3tai de/), when they see some likeness of the things there (o3tan ti tw~n e0kei= o9moi/wma i1dwsin), are driven out of their wits with amazement and lose control of themselves (e0kplh/ttontai kai\ ou0ke/t’ au9tw~n gi/gnontai), though they do not know what has happened to them (o4 d’ e1sti to\ pa/qoj a0gnoou=si) for lack of clear perception (dia\ to\ mh\ i9kanw~j diaisqa/nesqai). Now in the earthly likenesses of justice and self-control and the other things which are of value to souls, there is no illumination (dikaiosu/nhj me\n ou]n kai\ swfrosu/nhj kai\ o3sa a1lla ti/mia yuxai=j ou0k e1nesti fe/ggoj ou0de\n e0n toi=j th=|de o9moiw&masin), but through dull organs (a0lla\ di’ a0mudrw~n o0rga/nwn) just a few approach their images and with difficulty observe (mo/gij au0tw~n kai\ o0li/goi e0pi\ ta\j ei0ko/naj i0o/ntej qew~ntai) the nature of what is imaged in them (to\ tou= ei0kasqe/ntoj ge/noj); but before it was possible to see beauty blazing out (ka/lloj de\ to/t’ h]n i0dei=n lampro/n), when with a blessed company (o3te su\n eu0dai/moni xorw|~) they saw a blessed sight before them – ourselves following with Zeus, others with different gods – and were initiated into what it is right to call most blessed of mysteries (maka/rian o1yin te kai\ qe/an, e9po/menoi meta\ me\n Dio\j h9mei=j, a1lloi de\ met’ a1llou qew~n, ei]do/n te kai\ e0telou=nto tw~n teletw~n h9n qe/mij le/gein makariwta/thn), which we celebrated (h3n w)rgia/zomen), whole in ourselves (o9lo/klhroi me\n au0toi\ o1ntej), and untouched by the evils which awaited us in a later time (kai\ a0paqei=j kakw~n o3sa h9ma=j e0n u9ste/rw| xro/nw| u9pe/menen), with our gaze turned in our final initiation towards whole, simple, unchanging and blissful revelations (o9lo/klhra de\ kai\ a9pla= kai\ a0tremh= kai\ eu0dai/mona fa/smata mu/oumenoi/ te kai\ e0popteu/ontej), in a pure light (e0n au0gh=| kaqara=|), pure ourselves (kaqaroi\ o1ntej) and not entombed in this thing (kai\ a0sh/mantoi tou/tou) which we now carry round with us and call body (o4 nu=n dh\ sw~ma perife/rontej o0noma/zomen), imprisoned like oysters (o0stre/ou di/khn dedesmeume/noi).
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