Ε"Αιδου τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον τιμωρουμένους, Τάνταλον καὶ Σίσυφον καὶ Τιτυόν. Θερσίτην δέ, καὶ εἴ τις ἄλλος πονηρὸς ἦν ἰδιώτης, οὐδεὶς πεποίηκε μεγάλαις τιμωρίαις συνεχόμενον ὡς ἀνίατον· οὐ γάρ, οἶμαι, ἐξῆν αὐτῷ· διὸ καὶ εὐδαιμονέστερος ἦν ἢ οἷς ἐξῆν. ἀλλὰ γάρ, ὦ Καλλίκλεις, ἐκ τῶν 526 δυναμένων εἰσὶ καὶ οἱ σφόδρα πονηροὶ γιγνόμενοι ἄνθρωποι· οὐδὲν μὴν κωλύει καὶ ἐν τούτοις ἀγαθοὺς ἄνδρας ἐγγίγνεσθαι, καὶ σφόδρα γε ἄξιον ἄγασθαι τῶν γιγνομένων· χαλεπὸν γάρ, ὦ Καλλίκλεις, καὶ πολλοῦ ἐπαίνου ἄξιον ἐν μεγάλῃ ἐξουσίᾳ τοῦ ἀδικεῖν γενόμενον δικαίως διαβιῶναι. ὀλίγοι δὲ γίγνονται οἱ τοιοῦτοι· ἐπεὶ καὶ ἐνθάδε καὶ ἄλλοθι γεγόνασιν, οἶμαι δὲ καὶ ἔσονται καλοὶ κἀγαθοὶ ταύτην Β τὴν ἀρετήν, τὴν τοῦ δικαίως διαχειρίζειν ἃ ἄν τις ἐπιτρέπῃ· εἰς δὲ καὶ πάνυ ἐλλόγιμος γέγονε καὶ εἰς τοὺς ἄλλους "Ελληνας, Αριστείδης ὁ Λυσιμάχου. οἱ δὲ πολλοί, ώ ἄριστε, κακοὶ γίγνονται τῶν δυναστῶν.

Ὅπερ οὖν ἔλεγον, ἐπειδὰν ὁ Ραδάμανθυς ἐκεῖνος τοιοῦτόν τινα λάβῃ, ἄλλο μὲν περὶ αὐτοῦ οὐκ οἶδεν οὐδέν, οὔθ ̓ ὅστις οὔθ ̓ ὧντινων, ὅτι δὲ πονηρός τις· καὶ τοῦτο κατιδὼν ἀπέπεμψεν εἰς τάρταρον ἐπισημηνάμενος, ἐάν τε Ο ἰάσιμος ἐάν τε ἀνίατος δοκῇ εἶναι· ὁ δὲ ἐκεῖσε ἀφικόμενος τὰ προσήκοντα πάσχει. ἐνίοτε δ ̓ ἄλλην εἰσιδὼν ὁσίως βεβιωκυίαν καὶ μετ ̓ ἀληθείας, ἀνδρὸς ἰδιώτου ἢ ἄλλου τινός, μάλιστα μέν, ἔγωγέ φημι, ὦ Καλλίκλεις, φιλοσόφου τὰ αὑτοῦ πράξαντος καὶ οὐ πολυπραγμονήσαντος ἐν τῷ βίῳ, ἠγάσθη τε καὶ ἐς μακάρων νήσους ἀπέπεμψε. ταὐτὰ ταῦτα καὶ ὁ Αἰακός. ἑκάτερος δὲ τούτων ῥάβδον ἔχων δικάζει. ὁ δὲ Μίνως ἐπισκοπῶν κάθηται, μόνος ἔχων Ο χρυσοῦν σκήπτρον, ὥς φησιν Ὀδυσσεὺς ὁ Ὁμήρου ἰδεῖν αὐτὸν

χρύσεον σκῆπτρον ἔχοντα, θεμιστεύοντα νέκυσσιν.

Ἐγὼ μὲν οὖν, ὦ Καλλίκλεις, ὑπὸ τούτων τῶν λόγων πέπεισμαι, καὶ σκοπῶ, ὅπως ἀποφανοῦμαι τῷ κριτῇ ὡς ὑγιεστάτην τὴν ψυχήν. χαίρειν οὖν ἐάσας τὰς τιμὰς τὰς

are Kings and Rulers, to wit, Tantalus, and Sisyphus, and Tityus. But of Thersites, or any other Commoner which was an evildoer, no poet hath told that he is held in great torments as being beyond cure: nay, methinks, such an one had not the opportunity to sin greatly. Wherefore also he was happier than those who had opportunity. Verily, O Callicles, 'tis from among those who have power that the greatest sinners come, notwithstanding even among these may good men arise; whom, when they are found, it is most meet to reverence, for 'tis a hard thing, O Callicles, and worthy of all praise, for a man, who hath great opportunity to do injustice, to live justly all his days. Few such are found; yet are some found; for both here and elsewhere have there arisen, and, methinks, will arise again, men of a noble virtue and just conduct in those matters whereof charge at any time is given unto them: of whom was Aristides, the son of Lysimachus, a man famous throughout all Greece: but I tell thee, Sir, of them that have power in cities the most part are alway evil.

When one of these evil men, therefore, standeth, as I told, before Rhadamanthys the Judge, he knoweth nought else concerning him, neither who he is nor whose son, but only this, that he is one of the wicked; and perceiving this, sendeth him away unto Tartarus, having put a mark upon him to signify whether he can be cured or no: and he, coming to that place, there suffereth that which is due.

But perchance the Judge seeth a Soul that hath lived in holiness and truth; it may be, the Soul of a Common Man or of some other; but in most likelihood, say I, of a Philosopher, Callicles, who hath minded his own matters and been no busybody in his life. That Soul pleaseth the eye of Rhadamanthys, and he sendeth it away to the Islands of the Blessed.

In like manner Aeacus also judgeth. And each of these sitteth in judgment holding a rod in his hand. But Minos is seated as president over them; and he alone hath a golden sceptre, as Homer his Odysseus telleth, that he saw him "with a golden sceptre in his hand giving laws unto the Dead."

I am persuaded, O Callicles, that these things that are told are true. Wherefore I consider how I shall show my Soul most faultless before the Judge. I will take my farewell

τῶν πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων, τὴν ἀλήθειαν σκοπῶν πειράσομαι τῷ ὄντι ὡς ἂν δύνωμαι βέλτιστος ὢν καὶ ζῆν καί, ἐπειδὰν Ε ἀποθνήσκω, ἀποθνήσκειν. παρακαλῶ δὲ καὶ τοὺς ἄλλους πάντας ἀνθρώπους, καθ ̓ ὅσον δύναμαι, καὶ δὴ καὶ σὲ ἀντιπαρακαλῶ ἐπὶ τοῦτον τὸν βίον καὶ τὸν ἀγῶνα τοῦτον, ὃν ἐγώ φημι ἀντὶ πάντων τῶν ἐνθάδε ἀγώνων εἶναι, καὶ ὀνειδίζω σοι, ὅτι οὐχ οἷός τ ̓ ἔσει σαυτῷ βοηθῆσαι, ὅταν ἡ δίκη σοι ᾖ καὶ ἡ κρίσις ἣν νῦν δὴ ἐγὼ ἔλεγον, ἀλλὰ ἐλθὼν παρὰ τὸν δικαστὴν τὸν τῆς Αἰγίνης υἱόν, ἐπειδάν 527 σου ἐπιλαβόμενος ἄγῃ, χασμήσει καὶ ιλιγγιάσεις οὐδὲν ἧττον ἢ ἐγὼ ἐνθάδε σὺ ἐκεῖ, καὶ σε ἴσως τυπτήσει τις καὶ ἐπὶ κόρρης ἀτίμως καὶ πάντως προπηλακιεῖ. Τάχα δ ̓ οὖν ταῦτα μυθός σοι δοκεῖ λέγεσθαι, ὥσπερ γραός, καὶ καταφρονεῖς αὐτῶν. καὶ οὐδέν γ ̓ ἂν ἦν θαυμαστὸν καταφρονεῖν τούτων, εἴ πῃ ζητοῦντες εἴχομεν αὐτῶν βελτίω καὶ ἀληθέστερα εὑρεῖν· νῦν δὲ ὁρᾷς, ὅτι τρεῖς ὄντες ὑμεῖς, οἵπερ σοφώτατοί ἐστε τῶν νῦν Ἑλλήνων, σύ τε καὶ Πῶλος Β καὶ Γοργίας, οὐκ ἔχετε ἀποδεῖξαι, ὡς δεῖ ἄλλον τινὰ βίον ζῆν ἢ τοῦτον, ὅσπερ καὶ ἐκεῖσε φαίνεται συμφέρων, ἀλλ ̓ ἐν τοσούτοις λόγοις τῶν ἄλλων ἐλεγχομένων μόνος οὗτος ἠρεμεῖ ὁ λόγος, ὡς εὐλαβητέον ἐστὶ τὸ ἀδικεῖν μᾶλλον ἢ τὸ ἀδικεῖσθαι, καὶ παντὸς μᾶλλον ἀνδρὶ μελετητέον οὐ τὸ δοκεῖν εἶναι ἀγαθόν, ἀλλὰ τὸ εἶναι καὶ ἰδίᾳ καὶ δημοσίᾳ· ἐὰν δέ τις κατά τι κακὸς γίγνηται, κολαστέος ἐστί, καὶ τοῦτο δεύτερον ἀγαθὸν μετὰ τὸ εἶναι δίκαιον, τὸ γίγνεσθαι καὶ κολαζόμενον διδόναι δίκην· καὶ πᾶσαν κολακείαν καὶ τὴν περὶ ἑαυτὸν καὶ τὴν περὶ τοὺς ἄλλους, καὶ περὶ ὀλίγους καὶ περὶ πολλούς, φευκτέον· καὶ τῇ ῥητορικῇ οὕτω χρηστέον, ἐπὶ τὸ δίκαιον ἀεί, καὶ τῇ ἄλλῃ πάσῃ πράξει.

And

of the honours that are among men; and, considering Truth, will strive earnestly after Righteousness, both to live therein so far as I am able, and when I die, therein also to die. I exhort all men, so far as I am able, and thee more especially do I exhort and entreat, to enter into this life and run this race, which, I say unto thee, is above all the races wherein men strive; and I tell thee, to thy shame, that thou shalt not be able to help thyself, when the Day of Judgment whereof I spake cometh unto thee, but when thou dost appear before the Judge, the son of Aegina, and he hath gotten hold of thee to take thee, thou shalt gape and become dizzy there, even as I do here; yea and perchance some one will smite thee on the cheek to dishonour thee, and will utterly put thee to despite.

Perchance this shall seem to thee as an old wife's fable, and thou wilt despise it well mightest thou despise it, if by searching we could find out aught better and truer. But as the matter standeth, thou seest that ye are three, the wisest men of Greece living at this day, thou and Polus and Gorgias, and ye cannot show any other life that a man must live save this whereof I have spoken, which is plainly expedient also for that other life; nay, of all sayings this saying alone is not confuted, but abideth sure:-That a man must shun the doing of wrong more than the receiving, and study above all things not to seem, but to be, righteous in the doing of his own business and the business of the city; and that if any man be found evil in anything, he is to be corrected; and that the next good thing after being righteous is to become righteous through correction and just retribution; and that all flattery of himself and of other men, be they few or many, he must eschew; and that he must use Oratory and all other Instruments of Doing, for the sake of Justice alway.

OBSERVATIONS ON THE GORGIAS MYTH

I

Here, again, as in the Phaedo Myth, it is Responsibility which Plato represents in a picture-a picture portraying the continuity of the Self through the series of its life-stages. It is in the consciousness of Responsibility-of being the cause of actions for which he takes praise and blamethat man first becomes conscious of Self as a constant in experience. Consciousness of an active-a responsible, or moral Self, is formally prior to consciousness of a passive, sensitive, Self realised as the one mirror in which senseimpressions are successively reflected. Thus, the Gorgias Myth gives a strictly natural representation of the Idea of Soul, when it sets forth, in a vision of Judgment, Penance, and Purification, the continuity and sameness of the active, as distinguished from the passive of the responsible or moral, as distinguished from the sensitive Self. It is only in vision -in Myth-and not scientifically, that the Idea of Soul, or Subject, can be represented, or held up to contemplation as an Object at all; and it is best represented, that is, in the manner most suitable, not only to our consciousness of responsibility, but to our hope and fear, if it is represented in a vision of Judgment and Penance and Purification, where the departed are not the passive victims of vengeance, Tiμwpía, but actively develop their native powers under the discipline of correction, xóλaois.1 In such a vision it is consciousness of wrong done and fear (that fear mentioned by Cephalus in the Republic)2 which conjure up the spectacle of punishment; but hope, springing from the sense of personal endeavour after the good, speaks comfortably to the heart, and says, “If only

Easter hymn quoted by Leibniz, Théodicée, p. 507, ed. Erdmann.

2 380 E.