λέγεται δὲ οὕτως, ὡς ἄρα τελευτήσαντα ἕκαστον ὁ ἑκάστου δαίμων, ὅσπερ ζῶντα εἰλήχει, οὗτος ἄγειν ἐπιχειρεῖ εἰς δή τινα τόπον, οἷ δεῖ τοὺς συλλεγέντας διαδικασαμένους εἰς Ἅιδου (107e) πορεύεσθαι μετὰ ἡγεμόνος ἐκείνου ᾧ δὴ προστέτακται τοὺς ἐνθένδε ἐκεῖσε πορεῦσαι·
τυχόντας δὲ ἐκεῖ ὧν δὴ τυχεῖν καὶ μείναντας ὃν χρὴ χρόνον ἄλλος δεῦρο πάλιν ἡγεμὼν κομίζει ἐν πολλαῖς χρόνου καὶ μακραῖς περιόδοις.
ἔστι δὲ ἄρα ἡ πορεία οὐχ ὡς ὁ Αἰσχύλου Τήλεφος λέγει·
ἐκεῖνος (108a) μὲν γὰρ ἁπλῆν οἶμόν φησιν εἰς Ἅιδου φέρειν, ἡ δ᾽ οὔτε ἁπλῆ οὔτε μία φαίνεταί μοι εἶναι.
οὐδὲ γὰρ ἂν ἡγεμόνων ἔδει·
οὐ γάρ πού τις ἂν διαμάρτοι οὐδαμόσε μιᾶς ὁδοῦ οὔσης.
νῦν δὲ ἔοικε σχίσεις τε καὶ τριόδους πολλὰς ἔχειν·
ἀπὸ τῶν θυσιῶν τε καὶ νομίμων τῶν ἐνθάδε τεκμαιρόμενος λέγω.
ἡ μὲν οὖν κοσμία τε καὶ φρόνιμος ψυχὴ ἕπεταί τε καὶ οὐκ ἀγνοεῖ τὰ παρόντα·
ἡ δ᾽ ἐπιθυμητικῶς τοῦ σώματος ἔχουσα, ὅπερ ἐν τῷ ἔμπροσθεν εἶπον, περὶ ἐκεῖνο πολὺν (108b) χρόνον ἐπτοημένη καὶ περὶ τὸν ὁρατὸν τόπον, πολλὰ ἀντιτείνασα καὶ πολλὰ παθοῦσα, βίᾳ καὶ μόγις ὑπὸ τοῦ προστεταγμένου δαίμονος οἴχεται ἀγομένη.
ἀφικομένην δὲ ὅθιπερ αἱ ἄλλαι, τὴν μὲν ἀκάθαρτον καί τι πεποιηκυῖαν τοιοῦτον, ἢ φόνων ἀδίκων ἡμμένην ἢ ἄλλ᾽ ἄττα τοιαῦτα εἰργασμένην, ἃ τούτων ἀδελφά τε καὶ ἀδελφῶν ψυχῶν ἔργα τυγχάνει ὄντα,
ταύτην μὲν ἅπας φεύγει τε καὶ ὑπεκτρέπεται καὶ οὔτε συνέμπορος οὔτε ἡγεμὼν ἐθέλει γίγνεσθαι,
αὐτὴ (108c) δὲ πλανᾶται ἐν πάσῃ ἐχομένη ἀπορίᾳ ἕως ἂν δή τινες χρόνοι γένωνται,
ὧν ἐλθόντων ὑπ᾽ ἀνάγκης φέρεται εἰς τὴν αὐτῇ πρέπουσαν οἴκησιν·
ἡ δὲ καθαρῶς τε καὶ μετρίως τὸν βίον διεξελθοῦσα, καὶ συνεμπόρων καὶ ἡγεμόνων θεῶν τυχοῦσα, ᾤκησεν τὸν αὐτῇ ἑκάστη τόπον προσήκοντα.
Fertur autem ita, quoniam igitur obeuntem quemque cuiusque demon, quemadmodum viventem sortitus est, iste agere satagit in quemdam locum, ubi decet congregatos post quam iudicati fuerint in Avernum ire, et cum duce illo cui preordinatum est eos qui hinc sunt illuc iter agere;
et sortitos illa que decet sortiri et manentes quo necesse est tempore alius hue rursum dux advehit in multis temporis et productis periodis.
Estque igitur via non velut Eschili Telefus ait;
ille namque simplicem stratam dicit in Avernum ferre, que neque simplex neque una michi videtur esse.
Neque enim ductorum opus esset;
neque enim quilibet erraret aliquatenus una via cum esset.
Nunc autem videtur scissionesque et periodos non paucas habere;
ab immolacionibus et legitimis que hic fiunt coniectans dico.
Itaque honesta et prudens anima sequiturque et non ignorat presencia;
concupiscibiliter profecto a corpore habita, quod in priori dicebam, circa illud multo tempore attonita et circa visibilem locum, multa quidem renitens atque multa passa, violencia et vix a preordinato demone asportatur acta.
Advenientemque ubi alie, porro immundam et que quid patraverit huiuscemodi, seu cedibus iniustis contactam sive alia quedam talia operatam que hiis sororiaque et sororiarum animarum opera contingunt esse,
hanc equidem omnis fugitque et avertitur et neque comitator neque ductor vult fieri,
ipsaque errat vagabunda in omni tenta ambiguitate, donec quedam tempora compleantur,
quibus advenientibus ex necessitate fertur in sibi convenientem habitacionem,
que vero sincere et modeste vitam transegit, et comites atque duces deos sortita, habitavit sibi unicuique locum congruentem.
Ferunt enim (24) quemlibet hinc illuc emigrantem ab eo daemone quem vivens sortitus fuerat in locum (25) quendam duci, ubi oporteat omnes una collectos iudicari, ac deinde ad inferos profici(26)sci eo duce, cui mandatum erat ut hinc decedentes ad illa loca traducat.
Sortitos vero il(27)lic quae oportebat sortiri, tempusque debitum commoratos, ab alio quodam duce rursus (28) huc reduci post multos temporis longosque circuitus.
Est autem iter non tale quale ait Te(29)lephus apud Aeschylum.
Ille siquidem simplicem inquit viam ad inferos ferre. Ego ve(30)ro neque simplicem neque unam esse puto.
Alioquin nullis ducibus opus esset,
quippe (31) cum unica via aberrare possit nemo.
Quinimmo multos tramites multosque anfractus ha(32)bere.
Quod quidem ex sacrificijs et ritibus coniectare licet.
Animus ergo moderatus et (33) prudens ducem sponte sequitur neque ignorat praesentia.
Sed qui cupiditate corporis (34) est infectus, quemadmodum supra dixi, per multum tempus ad ipsam ardenter affici(35)tur et circa locum visibilem multis reluctatus modis multaque perpessus, vix tandem ab (36) eo adducitur daemone, cui eius cura erat iniuncta.
Cum vero ad ea loca ubi alij quoque (37) animi sunt pervenerit, quisquis admodum immundus est et huiusmodi obnoxius crimi(38)ni qui vel iniustis se contaminaverit caedibus vel alia his similia similiumque animorum (39) opera perpetraverit,
hunc quidem animum omnes fugiunt atque declinant, nec reperi(40)tur ullus qui vel socius vel dux eius fieri velit.
Itaque omni auxilio destitutus eo usque per(41)errat, quoad certa temporum curricula impleantur.
Quibus tandem impletis in habita(42)tionem sibi convenientem ab ipsa necessitate transfertur.
Qui vero puram moderatamque (43) transegerit vitam, deos socios ducesque nactus ibi habitat, ubi unicuique convenit.
For after death, as they say, the genius of each individual, to whom he belonged in life, leads him to a certain place in which the dead are gathered together, whence after judgment has been given they pass into the world below, following the guide, who is appointed to conduct them from this world to the other:
and when they have there received their due and remained their time, another guide brings them back again after many revolutions of ages.
Now this way to the other world is not, as Aeschylus says in the Telephus, a single and straight path
--if that were so no guide would be needed,
for no one could miss it;
but there are many partings of the road, and windings,
as I infer from the rites and sacrifices which are offered to the gods below in places where three ways meet on earth.
The wise and orderly soul follows in the straight path and is conscious of her surroundings;
but the soul which desires the body, and which, as I was relating before, has long been fluttering about the lifeless frame and the world of sight, is after many struggles and many sufferings hardly and with violence carried away by her attendant genius,
and when she arrives at the place where the other souls are gathered, if she be impure and have done impure deeds, whether foul murders or other crimes which are the brothers of these, and the works of brothers in crime
--from that soul every one flees and turns away; no one will be her companion, no one her guide,
but alone she wanders in extremity of evil until certain times are fulfilled,
and when they are fulfilled, she is borne irresistibly to her own fitting habitation;
as every pure and just soul which has passed through life in the company and under the guidance of the gods has also her own proper home.