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they　intimated　in　a　figure　long　ago　that　he　who　passes　unsanctified



and　uninitiated　into　the　world　below　will　live　in　a　slough；　but　that



he　who　arrives　there　after　initiation　and　purification　will　dwell　with



the　gods。　For　〃many；〃　as　they　say　in　the　mysteries；　〃are　the　thyrsus



bearers；　but　few　are　the　mystics；〃…meaning；　as　I　interpret　the



words；　the　true　philosophers。　In　the　number　of　whom　I　have　been



seeking；　according　to　my　ability；　to　find　a　place　during　my　whole



life；　whether　I　have　sought　in　a　right　way　or　not；　and　whether　I



have　succeeded　or　not；　I　shall　truly　know　in　a　little　while；　if　God



will；　when　I　myself　arrive　in　the　other　world：　that　is　my　belief。



And　now；　Simmias　and　Cebes；　I　have　answered　those　who　charge　me　with



not　grieving　or　repining　at　parting　from　you　and　my　masters　in　this



world；　and　I　am　right　in　not　repining；　for　I　believe　that　I　shall　find



other　masters　and　friends　who　are　as　good　in　the　world　below。　But



all　men　cannot　believe　this；　and　I　shall　be　glad　if　my　words　have



any　more　success　with　you　than　with　the　judges　of　the　Athenians。



　　Cebes　answered：　I　agree；　Socrates；　in　the　greater　part　of　what　you



say。　But　in　what　relates　to　the　soul；　men　are　apt　to　be　incredulous；



they　fear　that　when　she　leaves　the　body　her　place　may　be　nowhere；



and　that　on　the　very　day　of　death　she　may　be　destroyed　and



perish…immediately　on　her　release　from　the　body；　issuing　forth　like



smoke　or　air　and　vanishing　away　into　nothingness。　For　if　she　could



only　hold　together　and　be　herself　after　she　was　released　from　the



evils　of　the　body；　there　would　be　good　reason　to　hope；　Socrates；



that　what　you　say　is　true。　But　much　persuasion　and　many　arguments



are　required　in　order　to　prove　that　when　the　man　is　dead　the　soul



yet　exists；　and　has　any　force　of　intelligence。



　　True；　Cebes；　said　Socrates；　and　shall　I　suggest　that　we　talk　a



little　of　the　probabilities　of　these　things？



　　I　am　sure；　said　Cebes；　that　I　should　gready　like　to　know　your



opinion　about　them。



　　I　reckon；　said　Socrates；　that　no　one　who　heard　me　now；　not　even　if



he　were　one　of　my　old　enemies；　the　comic　poets；　could　accuse　me　of



idle　talking　about　matters　in　which　I　have　no　concern。　Let　us；　then；



if　you　please；　proceed　with　the　inquiry。



　　Whether　the　souls　of　men　after　death　are　or　are　not　in　the　world



below；　is　a　question　which　may　be　argued　in　this　manner：　The　ancient



doctrine　of　which　I　have　been　speaking　affirms　that　they　go　from



this　into　the　other　world；　and　return　hither；　and　are　born　from　the



dead。　Now　if　this　be　true；　and　the　living　come　from　the　dead；　then　our



souls　must　be　in　the　other　world；　for　if　not；　how　could　they　be　born



again？　And　this　would　be　conclusive；　if　there　were　any　real　evidence



that　the　living　are　only　born　from　the　dead；　but　if　there　is　no



evidence　of　this；　then　other　arguments　will　have　to　be　adduced。



　　That　is　very　true；　replied　Cebes。



　　Then　let　us　consider　this　question；　not　in　relation　to　man　only；　but



in　relation　to　animals　generally；　and　to　plants；　and　to　everything



of　which　there　is　generation；　and　the　proof　will　be　easier。　Are　not



all　things　which　have　opposites　generated　out　of　their　opposites？　I



mean　such　things　as　good　and　evil；　just　and　unjust…and　there　are



innumerable　other　opposites　which　are　generated　out　of　opposites。



And　I　want　to　show　that　this　holds　universally　of　all　opposites；　I



mean　to　say；　for　example；　that　anything　which　becomes　greater　must



become　greater　after　being　less。



　　True。



　　And　that　which　becomes　less　must　have　been　once　greater　and　then



become　less。



　　Yes。



　　And　the　weaker　is　generated　from　the　stronger；　and　the　swifter



from　the　slower。



　　Very　true。



　　And　the　worse　is　from　the　better；　and　the　more　just　is　from　the　more



unjust。



　　Of　course。



　　And　is　this　true　of　all　opposites？　and　are　we　convinced　that　all



of　them　are　generated　out　of　opposites？



　　Yes。



　　And　in　this　universal　opposition　of　all　things；　are　there　not　also



two　intermediate　processes　which　are　ever　going　on；　from　one　to　the



other；　and　back　again；　where　there　is　a　greater　and　a　less　there　is



also　an　intermediate　process　of　increase　and　diminution；　and　that



which　grows　is　said　to　wax；　and　that　which　decays　to　wane？



　　Yes；　he　said。



　　And　there　are　many　other　processes；　such　as　division　and



composition；　cooling　and　heating；　which　equally　involve　a　passage　into



and　out　of　one　another。　And　this　holds　of　all　opposites；　even　though



not　always　expressed　in　words…they　are　generated　out　of　one　another；



and　there　is　a　passing　or　process　from　one　to　the　other　of　them？



　　Very　true；　he　replied。



　　Well；　and　is　there　not　an　opposite　of　life；　as　sleep　is　the　opposite



of　waking？



　　True；　he　said。



　　And　what　is　that？



　　Death；　he　answered。



　　And　these；　then；　are　generated；　if　they　are　opposites；　the　one



from　the　other；　and　have　there　their　two　intermediate　processes　also？



　　Of　course。



　　Now；　said　Socrates；　I　will　analyze　one　of　the　two　pairs　of　opposites



which　I　have　mentioned　to　you；　and　also　its　intermediate　processes；



and　you　shall　analyze　the　other　to　me。　The　state　of　sleep　is　opposed



to　the　state　of　waking；　and　out　of　sleeping　waking　is　generated；　and



out　of　waking；　sleeping；　and　the　process　of　generation　is　in　the　one



case　falling　asleep；　and　in　the　other　waking　up。　Are　you　agreed



about　that？



　　Quite　agreed。



　　Then　suppose　that　you　analyze　life　and　death　to　me　in　the　same



manner。　Is　not　death　opposed　to　life？



　　Yes。



　　And　they　are　generated　one　from　the　other？



　　Yes。



　　What　is　generated　from　life？



　　Death。



　　And　what　from　death？



　　I　can　only　say　in　answer…life。



　　Then　the　living；　whether　things　or　persons；　Cebes；　are　generated



from　the　dead？



　　That　is　clear；　he　replied。



　　Then　the　inference　is；　that　our　souls　are　in　the　world　below？



　　That　is　true。



　　And　one　of　the　two　processes　or　generations　is　visible…for　surely



the　act　of　dying　is　visible？



　　Surely；　he　said。



　　And　may　not　the　other　be　inferred　as　the　complement　of　nature；　who



is　not　to　be　supposed　to　go　on　one　leg　only？　And　if　not；　a



corresponding　process　of　generation　in　death　must　also　be　assigned



to　her？



　　Certainly；　he　replied。



　　And　what　is　that　process？



　　Revival。



　　And　revival；　if　there　be　such　a　thing；　is　the　birth　of　the　dead　into



the　world　of　the　living？



　　Quite　true。



　　Then　there　is　a　new　way　in　which　we　arrive　at　the　inference　that　the



living　come　from　the　dead；　just　as　the　dead　come　from　the　living；



and　if　this　is　true；　then　the　souls　of　the　dead　must　be　in　some



place　out　of　which　they　come　again。　And　this；　as　I　think；　has　been



satisfactorily　proved。



　　Yes；　Socrates；　he　said；　all　this　seems　to　flow　necessarily　out　of



our　previous　admissions。



　　And　that　these　admissions　are　not　unfair；　Cebes；　he　said；　may　be



shown；　as　I　think；　in　this　way：　If　generation　were　in　a　straight



line　only；　and　there　were　no　compensation　or　circle　in　nature；　no　turn



or　return　into　one　another；　then　you　know　that　all　things　would　at



last　have　the　same　form　and　pass　into　the　same　state；　and　there



would　be　no　more　generation　of　them。



　　What　do　you　mean？　he　said。



　　A　simple　thing　enough；　which　I　will　illustrate　by　the　case　of　sleep；



he　replied。　You　know　that　if　there　were　no　compensation　of　sleeping



and　waking；　the　story　of　the　sleeping　Endymion　would　in　the　end　have



no　meaning；　because　all　other　things　would　be　asleep；　too；　and　he



would　not　be　thought　of。　Or　if　there　were　composition　only；　and　no



division　of　substances；　then　the　chaos　of　Anaxagoras　would　come　again。



And　in　like　manner；　my　dear　Cebes；　if　all　things　which　partook　of　life



were　to　die；　and　after　they　were　dead　remained　in　the　form　of　death；



and　did　not　come　to　life　again；　all　would　at　last　die；　and　nothing



would　be　alive…how　could　this　be　otherwise？　For　if　the　living　spring



from　any　others　who　are　not　the　dead；　and　they　die；　must　not　all



things　at　last　be　swallowed　up　in　death？



　　There　is　no　escape　from　that；　Socrates；　said　Cebes；　and　I　think　that



what　you　say　is　entirely　true。



　　Yes；　he　said；　Cebes；　I　entirely　think　so；　too；　and　we　are　not



walking　in　a　vain　imagination；　but　I　am　confident　in　the　belief　that



there　truly　is　such　a　thing　as　living　again；　and　that　the　living



spring　from　the　dead；　and　that　the　souls　of　the　dead　are　in　existence；



and　that　the　good　souls　have　a　better　portion　than　the　evil。



　　Cebes　added：　Your　favorite　doctrine；　Socrates；　that　knowledge　is



simply　recollection；　if　true；　also　necessarily　implies　a　previous　time



in　which　we　learned　that　which　we　now　recollect。　But　this　would　be



impossible　unless　our　soul　was　in　some　place　before　existing　in　the



human　form；　here；　then；　is　another　argument　of　the　soul's　immortality。



　　But　tell　me；　Cebes；　said　Simmias；　interposing；　what　proofs　are　given



of　this　doctrine　of　recollection？　I　am　not　very　sure　at　this　moment



that　I　remember　them。



　　One　excellent　proof；　said　Cebes；　is　afforded　by　questions。　If　you



put　a　question　to　a　person　in　a　right　way；　he　will　give　a　true



answer　of　himself；　but　how　could　he　do　this　unless　there　were



knowledge　and　right　reason　already　in　him？　And　this　is　most　clearly



shown　when　he　is　taken　to　a　diagram　or　to　anything　of　that　sort。



　　But　if；　said　Socrates；　you　are　still　incredulous；　Simmias；　I　would



ask　you　whether　you　may　not　agree　with　me　when　you　look　at　the



matter　in　another　way；　I　mean；　if　you　are　still　incredulous　as　to



whether　knowledge　is　recollection。



　　Incredulous；　I　am　not；　said　Simmias；　but　I　want　to　have　this



doctrine　of　recollection　brought　to　my　own　recollection；　and；　from



what　Cebes　has　said；　I　am　beginning　to　recollect　and　be　co