151

HE CONFESSES WHAT WE ALSO BELIEVE; FROM THE GORGIAS "Listen then, they say, to a very beautiful story, which you will regard as a myth, I imagine, but I as a story; for what I am about to tell you I will tell you as being true." 12.6.2 And a little later: "He who has lived his life justly and piously, when he dies, goes to the Isles of the Blessed to dwell in all happiness free from evils, but he who has lived unjustly and godlessly goes to the prison of retribution and justice, which they call Tartarus." 12.6.3 And again a little later: "Then they must be judged naked of all these things; for they must be judged when they are dead. And the judge must also be naked, dead, with his soul itself contemplating the soul itself of each one who has just died, bereft of all his kin and having left behind on earth all that adornment, in order that the judgment may be just." 12.6.4 And he adds in order: "These are the things, Callicles, which I have heard and believe to be true, and from these stories I reckon that this is what happens: death, as it seems to me, is nothing other than the separation of two things, the soul and the body, from each other. 12.6.5 And when they are separated, each of them has its own condition no less than when the man was alive, the body its own nature and its treatments and its affections, all evident. For example, if someone's body was large by nature or by nurture or both while he was alive, his corpse is also large when he dies; and if fat, fat also when dead, and so on for the other things. 12.6.6 And if in turn he made it a practice to wear long hair, his corpse too wears long hair; or if someone was a scoundrel and bore the marks of blows as scars on his body, either from whips or other wounds while living, his dead body can also be seen to have these. 12.6.7 Or if his limbs were broken or distorted while alive, they are so also when he is dead. And in a word, whatever condition the body was prepared to be in while living, these things are also evident when he has died, all or most of them for a certain time. And the same thing, it seems to me, is true also of the soul, Callicles; all things are evident in the soul, when it is stripped of the body, both those of its nature and the affections which the man acquired in his soul through the pursuit of each practice. 12.6.8 When, therefore, they come before the judge, those from Asia, I suppose, before Rhadamanthus, Rhadamanthus stops them and examines the soul of each, not knowing whose it is, but often, laying hold of the great king or any other king or potentate, he has perceived that there is nothing sound in the soul, but that it is thoroughly scourged and full of scars from perjuries and injustice, which each of his actions has imprinted on the soul, and all is crooked from falsehood and imposture, and nothing is straight because it has been nurtured without truth. And he has seen the soul full of disproportion and ugliness due to power and luxury and insolence and incontinence of actions; and having seen it, he sends it away dishonored straight to the prison, where it is to go and endure its fitting sufferings. 12.6.9 Now it is fitting for everyone who is under punishment, being rightly punished by another, either to become better and profit, or to become an example for others, so that others seeing him suffer what he suffers may become better through fear. 12.6.10 Now those who are benefited and pay the penalty at the hands of gods and men are those who commit curable sins; still, their benefit comes to them through pains and sufferings both here and in Hades; for it is not possible to be rid of injustice in any other way. 12.6.11 But those who commit the ultimate injustices and through such injustices become incurable, from these the examples are made; and these themselves are no longer benefited at all, since they are incurable, but others are benefited who see them suffering for all time the greatest and most painful and most terrible sufferings for their sins, literally hung up as examples

151

ΩΜΟΛΟΓΕΙ ΟΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΗΜΕΙΣ ΠΙΣΤΕΥΟΜΕΝ· ΑΠΟ ΤΟΥ ΓΟΡΓΙΟΥ «Ἄκουε δή, φασί, μάλα καλοῦ λόγου, ὃν σὺ μὲν ἡγήσῃ μῦθον, ὡς ἐγῷμαι, ἐγὼ δὲ λόγον· ὡς ἀληθῆ γὰρ ὄντα σοι λέξω ἃ μέλλω λέγειν.» 12.6.2 Καὶ μετ' ὀλίγα· «Τὸν μὲν δικαίως τὸν βίον διελθόντα καὶ ὁσίως, ἐπειδὰν τελευτήσῃ, εἰς μακάρων νήσους ἀπιόντα οἰκεῖν ἐν πάσῃ εὐδαιμονίᾳ ἐκτὸς κακῶν, τὸν δὲ ἀδί κως καὶ ἀθέως εἰς τὸ τῆς τίσεώς τε καὶ δίκης δεσμωτήριον, ὃ δὴ Τάρταρον καλοῦσιν, ἰέναι.» 12.6.3 Καὶ αὖθις μετ' ὀλίγα· «Ἔπειτα γυμνοὺς κριτέον ἁπάντων τούτων· τεθνεῶτας γὰρ δεῖ κρίνεσθαι. καὶ τὸν κριτὴν δεῖ γυμνὸν εἶναι, τεθνεῶτα αὐτῇ τῇ ψυχῇ αὐτὴν τὴν ψυχὴν θεωροῦντα ἐξαίφνης ἀποθανόντος ἑκάστου, ἔρημον πάντων τῶν συγγενῶν καὶ καταλιπόντα ἐπὶ γῆς πάντα ἐκεῖνον τὸν κόσμον, ἵνα δὴ δικαία ἡ κρίσις ᾖ.» 12.6.4 Καὶ ἑξῆς ἐπιφέρει· «Ταῦτ' ἔστιν, ὦ Καλλίκλεις, ἃ ἐγὼ ἀκηκοὼς πιστεύω ἀληθῆ εἶναι, καὶ ἐκ τούτων τῶν λόγων τοιόνδε λογίζομαι συμβαίνειν· ὁ θάνατος τυγχάνει, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖ, οὐδὲν ἄλλο ἢ δυοῖν πραγμάτοιν διάλυσις, τῆς ψυχῆς καὶ τοῦ σώ12.6.5 ματος, ἀπ' ἀλλήλοιν. ἐπειδὰν δὲ διαλυθῆτον, οὐδὲν ἧττον ἑκάτερον αὐτοῖν ἔχει τὴν ἕξιν τὴν αὑτοῦ, ἥνπερ καὶ ὅτε ἔζη ὁ ἄνθρωπος, τό τε σῶμα τὴν φύσιν αὐτοῦ καὶ τὰ θεραπεύματα καὶ τὰ παθήματα ἔνδηλα πάντα· οἷον, εἴ τινος ἦν μέγα τὸ σῶμα φύσει ἢ τροφῇ ἢ ἀμφότερα ζῶντος, τούτου καὶ ἐπειδὰν ἀποθάνῃ ὁ νεκρὸς μέγας· καὶ εἰ παχύς, παχὺς καὶ ἀποθανόντος καὶ τἄλλα 12.6.6 οὕτως· καὶ εἰ αὖ ἐπετήδευε κομᾶν, κομήτης τούτου καὶ ὁ νεκρός· ἢ μαστιγίας εἴ τις ἦν καὶ ἴχνη εἶχε τῶν πληγῶν οὐλὰς ἐν τῷ σώματι ἢ ὑπὸ μαστίγων ἢ ἄλλων τραυμάτων ζῶν, καὶ τεθνεῶτος τὸ σῶμα ἔστιν ἰδεῖν ταῦτα ἔχον· 12.6.7 ἢ κατεαγότα εἴ του ἦν μέλη ἢ διεστραμμένα ζῶντος, καὶ τεθνεῶτος· καὶ ἑνὶ λόγῳ, οἷος εἶναι παρεσκεύαστο τὸ σῶμα ζῶν, ἔνδηλα ταῦτα καὶ τελευτήσαντος ἦν πάντα ἢ τὰ πολλὰ ἐπί τινα χρόνον. ταὐτὸν δή μοι δοκεῖ τοῦτ' ἄρα καὶ περὶ τὴν ψυχὴν εἶναι, ὦ Καλλίκλεις· ἔνδηλα πάντα ἐστὶν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ, ἐπειδὰν γυμνωθῇ τοῦ σώματος, τά τε τῆς φύσεως καὶ τὰ παθήματα τὰ διὰ 12.6.8 τὴν ἐπιτήδευσιν ἑκάστου πράγματος, ἣν ἔσχεν ἐν τῇ ψυχῇ ἅνθρωπος. ἐπει δὰν οὖν ἀφίκωνται παρὰ τὸν δικαστήν, οἶμαι ἐκ τῆς Ἀσίας παρὰ τὸν Ῥαδάμανθυν, ὁ Ῥαδάμανθυς ἐκείνους ἐπιστήσας θεᾶται ἑκάστου τὴν ψυχήν, οὐκ εἰδὼς ὅτου ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ πολλάκις τοῦ μεγάλου βασιλέως ἐπιλαβόμενος ἢ ἄλλου ὁτουοῦν βασιλέως ἢ δυνάστου κατεῖδεν οὐδὲν ὑγιὲς ὂν τῆς ψυχῆς, ἀλλὰ διαμεμαστιγωμένην καὶ οὐλῶν μεστὴν ὑπὸ ἐπιορκιῶν καὶ ἀδικίας, ἃ ἑκάστη πρᾶξις αὐτοῦ ἐξωμόρξατο εἰς τὴν ψυχήν, καὶ πάντα σκολιὰ ὑπὸ ψεύδους καὶ ἀλαζονείας καὶ οὐδὲν εὐθὺ διὰ τὸ ἄνευ ἀληθείας τετράφθαι. καὶ ὑπὸ ἐξουσίας καὶ τρυφῆς καὶ ὕβρεως καὶ ἀκρατείας τῶν πράξεων ἀσυμμετρίας τε καὶ αἰσχρότητος γέμουσαν τὴν ψυχὴν εἶδεν· ἰδὼν δὲ ἀτίμως αὐτὴν ἀπέπεμψεν εὐθὺ 12.6.9 τῆς φρουρᾶς, οἷ μέλλει ἐλθοῦσα ἀνατλῆναι τὰ προσήκοντα πάθη. προσήκει δὲ παντὶ τῷ ἐν τιμωρίᾳ ὄντι ὑπὸ ἄλλου ὀρθῶς τιμωρουμένῳ ἢ βελτίονι γίγνεσθαι καὶ ὀνίνασθαι ἢ παράδειγμα ἄλλοις γίγνεσθαι, ἵνα ἄλλοι ὁρῶντες 12.6.10 πάσχοντα ἃ ἂν πάσχῃ φοβούμενοι βελτίους γίνωνται. εἰσὶ δὲ οἱ μὲν ὠφελούμενοί τε καὶ δίκην διδόντες ὑπὸ θεῶν τε καὶ ἀνθρώπων οὗτοι οἳ ἂν ἰάσιμα ἁμαρτήματα ἁμαρτάνωσιν, ὅμως δὲ δι' ἀλγηδόνων καὶ ὀδυνῶν γίγνεται αὐτοῖς ἡ ὠφέλεια καὶ ἐνθάδε καὶ ἐν Ἅιδου· οὐδὲ γὰρ οἷόν τε ἄλλως ἀδι12.6.11 κίας ἀπαλλάττεσθαι. οἳ δ' ἂν τὰ ἔσχατα ἀδικήσωσι καὶ διὰ τὰ τοιαῦτα ἀδικήματα ἀνίατοι γένωνται, ἐκ τούτων τὰ παραδείγματα γίγνεται· καὶ οὗτοι αὐτοὶ μὲν οὐκέτι ὀνίνανται οὐδέν, ἅτε ἀνίατοι ὄντες, ἄλλοι δὲ ὀνίνανται οἱ τούτους ὁρῶντες διὰ τὰς ἁμαρτίας τὰς μεγίστας καὶ ὀδυνηρότατα καὶ φοβερώτατα πάθη πάσχοντας τὸν ἀεὶ χρόνον, ἀτεχνῶς παραδείγματα ἀνηρτημένους