Of the other souls (Ai9 de\ a1lai yuxai/), the one which follows a god best (h9 me\n a1rista qew~| e9pome/nh) and has come to resemble him most (kai\ ei0kasme/nh) raises the head of its charioteer into the region outside (u9perh=ren ei0j to\n e1cw to/pon th\n tou= h9nio/xou kefalh/n), and is carried round with the revolution (kai\ sumperiene/xqh th\n perifora/n), disturbed by its horses (qoruboume/nh u9po\ tw~n i3ppwn) and scarcely catching the sight of the things that are (kai\ mo/gij kaqorw~sa ta o1nta); while another now rises (h9 de\ to/te me\n h]ren), now sinks (tote\ d’ e1du), and because of the force exerted by its horses (biazome/nwn de\ tw~n i3ppwn) sees some things (ta\ me\n ei]den) but not others (ta\ d’ ou1). The remaining souls follow after them, all of them eager to rise up (ai9 de\ dh\ a1llai glixo/menai me\n a3pasaitou= a1nw e3pontai), but unable to do so (a0dunatou=sai de/), and are carried round together under the surface (u9pobru/xiai sumperife/rontai), trampling and jostling one another (patou=sai a0llh/laj kai\ e0piba/llousai), each trying to overtake the next (e9te/ra pro\ th=j e9te/raj peirwme/nh gene/sqai). So there ensues the greatest confusion, competition and sweated exertion (qo/ruboj ou]n kai\ a3milla kai\ i9drw_j e1sxatoj gi/gnetai), in which through incompetent driving (ou[ dh\ kaki/a| h9nio/xwn) many souls are maimed (pollai\ me\n xwleu/ontai), and many have their wings all broken (pollai\ de\ polla\ ptera\ qrau/ontai); and all of them having had much trouble (pa=sai de\ polu\n e1xousai po/non) depart without achieving a sight of what is (a0telei=j th=j tou= o1ntoj qe/aj a0pe/rxontai), and afterwards feed on what only appears to nourish them (kai\ a0pelqou=sai trofh=| doca/sth| xrw~ntai). The cause of their great eagerness to see the plain of truth where it lies (ou[ d’ e3nek’ h9 pollh\ spoudh\ to\ d’ a0lhqei=aj i0dei=n pedi/on ou[ e0stin) is that the pasturage which is fitting for the best part of the soul comes from the meadow there (h9 te\ dh\ prosh/kousa yuxh=j tw~| a0ri/stw| nomh\ e0k tou= e0kei= leimw&noj tugxa/nei ou]sa), and that the nature of the wing which lifts up the soul is nourished by this (h4 te tou= pterou= fu/sij, w{| yuxh\ koufi/zetai, tou/tw| tre/fetai). And this is the ordinance of Necessity (qesmo/j te A0drastei=aj o3de): that whichever soul follows in the train of a god and catches sight of part of what is true (h3tij a2n yuxh= sunopado\j qew|~ genome/nh kati/dh| ti tw~n a0lhqw~n) shall remain free from sorrow until the next circuit (me/xri te th=j e9te/raj perio/dou ei]nai a0ph/mona), and if it is able to do this (ka2n a0ei\ tou=to du/natai poiei=n), it shall always remain free from harm (a0ei\ a0blabh= ei]nai); but whenever through inability to follow it fails to see (o3tan de\ a0dunath/sasa e0pispe/sqai mh\ i1dh), and through some mischance is weighed down by being filled with forgetfulness and incompetence (kai/ tini suntuxi/a| xrhsame/nh lh/qhj te kai\ kaki/aj plhsqei=sa barunqh=|), and because of the weight loses its wings (barunqei=sa de\ pterorruh/sh| te) and falls to the earth (kai\ e0pi\ th\n gh=n pe/sh|), then it is the law (to/te no/moj) that this soul shall not be planted in any wild creature at its first birth (tau/thn mh\ futeu=sai ei0j mhdemi/an qh/reion fu/sin e0n th=| prw~th| gene/sei); rather the one which saw most (a1lla\ th\n me\n plei=sta i0dou=san) shall be planted in a seed from which will grow a man who will become a lover of wisdom or of beauty, or devoted to the Muses and to love (ei0j gonh\n a0ndro\j filoso/fou h2 filoka/lou h2 mousikou= tinoj kai\ e0rwtikou=); the second in the seed of a law-abiding king, or someone fit for generalship and ruling (th\n de\ deute/ran ei0j basile/w e0nno/mou h2 polemikou= kai\ a0rxikou=); the third in that of a man who devotes himself to the affairs of the city, or perhaps to those of a household or to business (tri/thn ei0j politikou= h2 tinoj oi0konomiku= h2 xrhmatistikou=); the fourth in that of an exercise-loving trainer in the gymnasium (teta/rthn ei0j filopo/nou gumnastikou=), or of someone who will be concerned with healing the body (h2 peri\\ sw~matoj i0asi\n tinoj e0some/nou); the fifth will have a life of a seer or of an expert in some mystic rites (pe/mpthn mantiko\n bi/on h1 tina telestiko\n e3cousan); for the sixth (e3kth=|), the fitting life will be that of a poet or some other life from among those concerned with imitation (poihtiko\j h2 tw~n peri\ mi/mhsi/n tij a1lloj a9rmo/sei); for the seventh that of a craftsman or farmer (e9bdo/mh| dhmiourgiko\j h2 gewrgiko/j); for the eighth that of sophist or demagogue (o0gdo/h| sfistiko\j h2 dh/mokopiko/j); for the ninth that of a tyrant (e0na/th| turanniko/j). Among all these kinds of life (e0n dh\ tou/toij a3pasin), the man who lives justly (o4j me\n a2n dikai/wj diaga/gh|) receives a better portion (a0mei/nonoj moi/raj metalamba/nei), while the man who lives unjustly (o4j d’ a2n a0di/kwj) receives a worse (xei/ronoj). For each soul only returns to the place from which it has come after ten thousand years (ei0j me\n ga\r to\ au0to\ o3qen h3kei h9 yuxh\ e9ka/sth ou0k a0fiknei=tai e0tw~n muri/wn); for it does not become winged before then (ou0 ga\r pterou=tai pro\ tosou/tou xro/nou), except for the man who has lived the philosophical life without guile (plh\n h9 tou= filosofh/santoj a0do/lwj) or who has united his love for his boy with philosophy (h2 paiderasth/santoj meta\ filosofi/aj); and these souls (au[tai de/), with the third circuit of a thousand years (tri/th| perio/dw| th|= xilietei=), if they choose this life three times in succession (e0a\n e3lwntai tri\j e0fech\j to\n bi/on tou=ton), on that condition (ou3tw) they become winged and depart, in the three-thousandth year (pterwqei=sai trisxiliostw|~ e1tei a0pe/rxontai). But the rest (ai9 de\ a1llai), when they finish their first life (o3tan to\n prw~ton bi/on teleuth/swsin), undergo judgement (kri/sewj e1tuxon), and after judgement (kriqei=sai de/) some of them go to the places of correction under the earth (ai9 de\ ei0j ta\ u9po\ gh=j dikasth/ria e0lqou=sai) and pay full penalty (di/khn e0kti/nousin), while others are lifted up by Justice into some region of the heavens (ai9 d’ ei0j tou0ranou= tina to/pon u9po\ th=j Di/khj koufisqei=sai) and live a life of a kind merited by their life in human form (dia/gousi a0ci/wj ou[ e0n a0nqrw&pou ei1dei e0bi/wsan bi/ou). In the thousandth year (tw~| de\ xiliostw~|), both sorts come to the allotment and choice of their second life (a0mfo/terai a0fiknou/menai e0pi\ klhrwsi/n te kai\ ai3resin tou= deute/rou bi/ou), and each chooses whichever it wishes (ai9rou=ntai o4n a2n qe/lh| e9ka/sth): then a human soul may pass into the life of a wild animal (e1nqa kai\ ei0j qhri/ou bi/on a0nqrwpi/nh yuxh\ a0fiknei=tai), and what was once a man back into a man from an animal (kai\ e0k qhri/ou o3j pote a1nqrwpoj h]n pa/lin ei0j a1nqrwpon). For a soul which has never seen the truth will not enter this shape (ou0 ga\r h3 ge mh/pote i0dou=sa th\n a=lh/qeian ei0j to/de h3cei to\ sxh=ma). A man must comprehend what is said universally (dei= ga\r a1nqrwpon sunie/nai kat’ ei]doj lego/menon), arising from many sensations and being collected together into one through reasoning (e0k pollw~n i0o\n ai0sqh/sewn ei0j e4n logsmw~| sunairou/menon); and this is a recollection of those things (tou=to d’ e0stin a0na/mnhsij e0kei/nwn) which our soul once saw (a3 pot’ ei]den h9mw~n h9 yuxh/) when it travelled in a company of a god (sumporeuqei=sa qew~|) and treated with contempt (kai\ u9peridou=sa) the things we now say are (a4 nu=n ei]nai/ famen), and when it rose up into what really is (kai\ a0naku/yasa ei0j to o2n o1ntwj). Hence it is with justice (dio\ dh\ dikai/wj) that only the mind of the philosopher becomes winged (mo/nh pterou=tai h9 tou= filoso/fou dia/noia): for so far as it can it is close, through memory (pro\j ga\r e0kei/noij a0ei/ e0stin mnh/mh| kata\ du/namin), to those things his closeness to which gives a god his divinity (pro\j oi3sper qeo_j w@n qeio/j e0stin). Thus if a man uses such reminders rightly (toi=j de dh\ toiou/toij a0nh\r u9pomnh/masin o0rqw~j xrw&menoj), being continuously initiated in perfect mysteries (tele/ouj a0ei\ tele/taj telou/menoj), he alone through that initiation achieves real perfection (te/leoj o1ntwj mo/noj gi/gnetai); and standing aside from human concerns (e0cista/menoj de\ tw~n a0nqrwpi/nwn spoudasma/twn), and coming close to the divine (kai\ pro\j tw~| qei/w| gigno/menoj), he is admonished by many (nouqetei=tai me\n u9po\ tw~n pollw~n) for being disturbed (w(j parakinw~n), when his real state is one of possession (e0nqousia/zwn de/), which goes unrecognised by the many (le/lhqen tou\j pollou/j).
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