Moreover, their seasons are so tempered that disease smiteth them not at all, and they live far beyond the measure of our days, and as touching eyesight, and hearing, and wisdom, and all such parts, are distant from us even as Air is distant from Water, and Aether is distant from Air in purity. Also they have groves of the Gods and temples wherein Gods verily are dwellers; into whose very presence men come, hearing their voices and their prophecies and seeing them face to face. Moreover, the sun and moon and stars are seen there as they are truly; and likewise in all things else the state of these men is blessed.

"The Earth itself, then, and the parts that encompass the Earth are thus fashioned. But the Tale also telleth that in the Earth are many hollow places round about her whole girth, whereof some are deeper and more open than this place we dwell in, and some are deeper with a narrower mouth, and some are shallower and broader: all these are joined together, having channels bored under the Earth from one to another in many places, some narrow and some wide, whereby passage is given so that much water floweth from one into another, as into bowls, and measureless floods of perennial rivers run under the Earth, and streams hot and cold; also much fire floweth, and there are great rivers of fire, and many rivers of running mud, some clearer, some thicker, even as in Sicily there run before the fiery flood rivers of mud, and then cometh the fiery flood. With these floods, therefore, each place is filled according as at each time the stream floweth round unto each. Now, all these waters are moved upward and downward by that in the Earth which swayeth like a swing. And it swayeth after this wise. There is a cavern in the Earth, which is the greatest of them all, and, moreover, pierceth right through the whole Earth, whereof Homer maketh mention, saying, 'Afar off, where deepest underground the Pit is digged,' which he in other places, and many of the other poets, call Tartarus. Now, into this cavern all the rivers flow, and from it flow out again, and each one becometh such as is that part of the Earth it floweth through. The cause of all streams flowing out and flowing in is that this flood hath no bottom or foundation. Wherefore it

ὑγρὸν τοῦτο. αἰωρεῖται δὴ καὶ κυμαίνει ἄνω καὶ κάτω, καὶ ὁ ἀὴρ καὶ τὸ πνεῦμα τὸ περὶ αὐτὸ ταὐτὸν ποιεῖ· ξυνέπεται γὰρ αὐτῷ καὶ ὅταν εἰς τὸ ἐπέκεινα τῆς γῆς ὁρμήσῃ καὶ ὅταν εἰς τὸ ἐπὶ τάδε, καὶ ὥσπερ τῶν ἀναπνεόντων ἀεὶ ἐκπνεῖ τε καὶ ἀναπνεῖ ῥέον τὸ πνεῦμα, οὕτω καὶ ἐκεῖ ξυναιωρούμενον τῷ ὑγρῷ τὸ πνεῦμα δεινούς τινας ἀνέμους καὶ ἀμηχάνους παρέχεται καὶ εἰσιὸν καὶ ἐξιόν. ὅταν τε οὖν C ὁρμῆσαν ὑποχωρήσῃ τὸ ὕδωρ εἰς τὸν τόπον τὸν δὴ κάτω καλούμενον, τοῖς κατ ̓ ἐκεῖνα τὰ ῥεύματα διὰ τῆς γῆς εἰσρεῖ τε καὶ πληροῖ αὐτὰ ὥσπερ οἱ ἐπαντλοῦντες· ὅταν τε αὖ ἐκεῖθεν μὲν ἀπολίπῃ, δεῦρο δὲ ὁρμήσῃ, τὰ ἐνθάδε πληροῖ αὖθις, τὰ δὲ πληρωθέντα ῥεῖ διὰ τῶν ὀχετῶν καὶ διὰ τῆς γῆς, καὶ εἰς τοὺς τόπους ἕκαστα ἀφικνούμενα, εἰς οὓς ἑκάστους ὁδοποιεῖται, θαλάττας τε καὶ λίμνας καὶ ποταμούς καὶ κρήνας ποιεῖ. ἐντεῦθεν δὲ πάλιν δυόμενα κατὰ τῆς γῆς, Ο τὰ μὲν μακροτέρους τόπους περιελθόντα καὶ πλείους, τὰ δὲ ἐλάττους καὶ βραχυτέρους, πάλιν εἰς τὸν Τάρταρον ἐμβάλλει, τὰ μὲν πολὺ κατωτέρω ἢ ἐπηντλεῖτο, τὰ δὲ ὀλίγον· πάντα δὲ ὑποκάτω εἰσρεῖ τῆς ἐκροῆς. καὶ ἔνια μὲν καταντικρὺ ἡ εἰσρεῖ ἐξέπεσεν, ἔνια δὲ κατὰ τὸ αὐτὸ μέρος· ἔστι δὲ καὶ ἃ παντάπασι κύκλῳ περιελθόντα, ἢ ἅπαξ ἢ καὶ πλεονάκις περιελιχθέντα περὶ τὴν γῆν ὥσπερ οἱ ὄφεις, εἰς τὸ δυνατὸν κάτω καθέντα πάλιν ἐμβάλλει. δυνατὸν δ ̓ Ε ἐστὶν ἑκατέρωσε μέχρι τοῦ μέσου καθιέναι, πέρα δ ̓ οὔ. ἄναντες γὰρ ἀμφοτέροις τοῖς ῥεύμασι τὸ ἑκατέρωθεν γίγνεται μέρος.

Τὰ μὲν οὖν δὴ ἄλλα πολλά ΤΕ καὶ μεγάλα καὶ παντοδαπὰ ῥεύματά ἐστι· τυγχάνει δ ̓ ἄρα ὄντα ἐν τούτοις τοῖς πολλοῖς τέτταρ ̓ ἄττα ρεύματα, ὧν τὸ μὲν μέγιστον καὶ ἐξωτάτω ῥέον περὶ κύκλῳ ὁ καλούμενος Ωκεανός ἐστι, τούτου δὲ καταντικρὺ καὶ ἐναντίως ῥέων ̓Αχέρων, ὃς δι ̓ 113 ἐρήμων τε τόπων ῥεῖ ἄλλων καὶ δὴ καὶ ὑπὸ γῆν ῥέων εἰς τὴν λίμνην ἀφικνεῖται τὴν ̓Αχερουσιάδα, οὗ αἱ τῶν τετελευτηκότων ψυχαὶ τῶν πολλῶν ἀφικνοῦνται καί τινας εἱμαρμένους χρόνους μείνασαι, αἱ μὲν μακροτέρους, αἱ δὲ βραχυτέρους, πάλιν ἐκπέμπονται εἰς τὰς τῶν ζώων γενέσεις. τρίτος δὲ ποταμὸς τούτων κατὰ μέσον ἐκβάλλει, καὶ ἐγγὺς τῆς ἐκβολῆς ἐκπίπτει εἰς τόπον μέγαν πυρὶ πολλῷ καόμενον,

swingeth and surgeth up and down, and the air and wind surge with it; for the wind goeth with it when it rusheth to the further side of the Earth, and with it returneth hitherward; and even as the breath of living creatures is driven forth and drawn in as a stream continually, so there also the wind, swinging with the flood, cometh in and goeth out, and causeth terrible, mighty tempests. Now, when the water rusheth back into the place "beneath," as men speak, coming unto the region of the streams which run through that part of the Earth, it floweth into them and filleth them, as men fill reservoirs with pumps; but when it ebbs again from thence and rusheth hither, it filleth again the streams here, which, being full, run through their conduits and through the Earth, coming severally to those places whither they are bound, and make seas and lakes and rivers and fountains. Thence they sink under the Earth again, and some, having fetched a longer compass and some a shorter, fall again into Tartarus, some far beneath the channel into which they were pumped up, and some a little way beneath; but all flow into Tartarus again beneath the places of their outflowing. Some waters there be that, coming forth out of the Earth at one side thereof, flow in at the contrary side; and some that go in and come out on the same side; and some there be that go round the whole Earth and are wound about it once-yea, perchance, many times, like serpents. These rivers pour their waters back into Tartarus as low down as water can fall. Now, it can fall as far as the centre in each way, but no further: each half of the Earth is a hill against the stream that floweth from the side of the other half.

"Now there are many great rivers of divers sorts, but amongst these there are four chiefest: whereof that one which is greatest, and floweth round the outermost, is that which is called Ocean, and over against him is Acheron, which floweth the contrary way, and flowing through desert places and also under the Earth, cometh to the Acherusian Lake, whither the Souls of the most part of the dead do come, and having sojourned there certain appointed times, some longer, some shorter, are again led forth to be born in the flesh. third river issues forth betwixt these, and, near unto the part whence it issues forth, falleth into a great place burning

The

καὶ λίμνην ποιεῖ μείζω τῆς παρ' ἡμῖν θαλάττης, ζέουσαν ὕδατος καὶ πηλοῦ· ἐντεῦθεν δὲ χωρεῖ κύκλῳ θολερὸς καὶ Β πηλώδης, περιελιττόμενος δὲ [τῇ γῇ] ἄλλοσέ τε ἀφικνεῖται καὶ παρ' ἔσχατα τῆς ̓Αχερουσιάδος λίμνης, οὐ ξυμμι γνύμενος τῷ ὕδατι· περιελιχθεὶς δὲ πολλάκις ὑπὸ γῆς ἐμβάλλει κατωτέρω τοῦ Ταρτάρου. οὗτος δ ̓ ἐστὶν ὃν ἐπονομάζουσι Πυριφλεγέθοντα, οὗ καὶ οἱ ῥύακες ἀποσπάσματα ἀναφυσῶσιν, ὅπῃ ἂν τύχωσι τῆς γῆς. τούτου δὲ αὖ καταντικρὺ ὁ τέταρτος ἐκπίπτει εἰς τόπον πρῶτον δεινόν τε καὶ ἄγριον, ὡς λέγεται, χρῶμα δὲ ἔχοντα ὅλον οἷον ὁ Ο κυανός, ὃν δὴ ἐπονομάζουσι Στύγιον, καὶ τὴν λίμνην, ἣν ποιεῖ ὁ ποταμὸς ἐμβάλλων, Στύγα. ὁ δ ̓ ἐμπεσὼν ἐνταῦθα καὶ δεινὰς δυνάμεις λαβὼν ἐν τῷ ὕδατι, δὺς κατὰ τῆς γῆς, περιελιττόμενος χωρεῖ ἐναντίος τῷ Πυριφλεγέθοντι καὶ ἀπαντᾶ ἐν τῇ ̓Αχερουσιάδι λίμνῃ ἐξ ἐναντίας· καὶ οὐδὲ τὸ τούτου ὕδωρ οὐδενὶ μίγνυται, ἀλλὰ καὶ οὗτος κύκλῳ περιελθὼν ἐμβάλλει εἰς τὸν Τάρταρον ἐναντίως τῷ Πυριφλεγέθοντι· ὄνομα δὲ τούτῳ ἐστίν, ὡς οἱ ποιηταὶ λέγουσι, Κωκυτός.

D Τούτων δὲ οὕτω πεφυκότων, ἐπειδὰν ἀφίκωνται οἱ τετελευτηκότες εἰς τὸν τόπον, οἱ ὁ δαίμων ἕκαστον κομίζει, πρῶτον μὲν διεδικάσαντο οἵ τε καλῶς καὶ ὁσίως βιώσαντες καὶ οἱ μή. καὶ οἱ μὲν ἂν δόξωσι μέσως βεβιωκέναι, πορευθέντες ἐπὶ τὸν ̓Αχέροντα, ἀναβάντες ἃ δὴ αὐτοῖς ὀχήματά ἐστιν, ἐπὶ τούτων ἀφικνοῦνται εἰς τὴν λίμνην, καὶ ἐκεῖ οἰκοῦσί τε καὶ καθαιρόμενοι τῶν τε ἀδικημάτων διδόντες δίκας ἀπολύονται, εἴ τίς τι ἠδίκηκε, τῶν ΤΕ Ε εὐεργεσιῶν τιμὰς φέρονται κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν ἕκαστος· οἳ δ ̓ ἂν δόξωσιν ἀνιάτως ἔχειν διὰ τὰ μεγέθη τῶν ἁμαρτημάτων, ἢ ἱεροσυλίας πολλὰς καὶ μεγάλας ή φόνους ἀδίκους καὶ παρανόμους πολλοὺς ἐξειργασμένοι, ἢ ἄλλα ὅσα τοιαῦτα τυγχάνει ὄντα, τούτους δὲ ἡ προσήκουσα μοῖρα ῥίπτει εἰς τὸν Τάρταρον, ὅθεν οὔποτε ἐκβαίνουσιν. οἳ δ ̓ ἂν ἰάσιμα μέν, μεγάλα δὲ δόξωσιν ἡμαρτηκέναι ἁμαρτήματα, οἷον πρὸς πατέρα ή μητέρα ὑπ ̓ ὀργῆς βίαιόν τι πράξαντες, καί, 114 μεταμέλον αὐτοῖς, τὸν ἄλλον βίον βιῶσιν, ἢ ἀνδροφόνοι τοιούτῳ τινὶ ἄλλῳ τρόπῳ γένωνται, τούτους δὲ ἐμπεσεῖν μὲν εἰς τὸν Τάρταρον ἀνάγκη, ἐμπεσόντας δὲ αὐτοὺς καὶ ἐνιαυτὸν ἐκεῖ γενομένους ἐκβάλλει τὸ ἐκβάλλει τὸ κῦμα, τοὺς μὲν

with much fire, and maketh a lake greater than our Sea, seething with water and mud: thence it fetcheth a compass, and going thick and muddy, and winding round the Earth, cometh at last unto the coasts of the Acherusian Lake, mixing not with the water thereof. Then after many windings under the Earth it poureth itself into a lower part of Tartarus. This is the river which they name Pyriphlegethon, whereof also the fiery floods which boil up in divers places of the Earth are derivations. Over against him the fourth river issues forth, first into a fearful savage place, they tell, which hath wholly the colour of blue steel; and they call it the Stygian place, and the Lake which the river maketh with his flood they call Styx; whereinto this river falling conceiveth mighty virtues in his water, and afterward sinketh under the Earth, and windeth round, going contrary to Pyriphlegethon, and cometh to the Acherusian Lake from the contrary side: neither doth his water mix with any; but he also goeth round about, and falleth into Tartarus over against Pyriphlegethon. The name of this river, the poets tell, is Cocytus.

"When the dead are come unto the place whither his Familiar bringeth each, first are they judged, and according as they have lived righteous and godly lives, or lived unrighteously, are they divided. Thereafter all those who are deemed to have lived indifferently well journey unto Acheron, and go on board the vessels which are prepared for them, and so come to the Lake; and abiding there, get themselves cleansed, and paying the price of their evil deeds, are acquitted from the guilt thereof; and for their good deeds. receive each the reward that is meet. But whoso are deemed incurable by reason of the greatness of their sins, robbers of temples, and those who have oftentimes shed blood unlawfully, or wrought other iniquities that are great, them the appointed Angel doth cast into Tartarus, and thence they come not out at all: and whoso are deemed to have committed sins great but curable, who in wrath have violently entreated father or mother and have repented them thereof all the days of their lives thereafter, or who in like manner are manslayers, they must needs fall into Tartarus, but when they have been there one year, the surge casts them forth, the