Plato

“ For if in the beginning O Axiochus, thou didst not, thought indeed in vayne, ioyne sence and feeling to death, most vnwisely, thou shouldest neuer had cause to feare death. But now thou doest confound thy selfe, and speakest contrarie to thy selfe, oft fearing that thou shalt bee depriued of soule and sence together, and oft thinking, that with thy sence thou shalt feele that thing, whereof there is no sence nor feeling. And to this purpose do all those excellent and notable reasons of the soules immortalitie tend. ”

“ For beeing loosed and deliuered out of the darkesome dungeons of this body, thou shalt passe to that place where is no lacke nor complaint, but all things full of rest, and deuoid of euill. Moreouer there is calme and quiet liuing without all knowledge of vnrest, peaceable and still occupied in beholding the course & frame of Nature, and studying Philosophy, not to please the idle ignorant and common sort, but with vpright and vndeceiuable truth. ”

“ For we are a soule, that is to say, an immortall creature, beeing shut vp and inclosed in an earthly dungeon. VVherewithall nature hath clothed vs, and charged vs with many miseries, so that euen those things which seeme pleasant to vs and ioyfull, are indeed but vaine and shadowed, beeing mingled and wrapped in many thousand sorrowes, and those also which vse to breede vs sorrowe and heauines, are both sodaine, and therefore more hardely auoyded, and also perdurable, and therefore the more painefull and wearisome. ”

“ Such bee inward griefes and sickenesses, through which it cannot choose but that soule must been also diseased, since that beeing scattered and spread through the powres and passages of the body, it coueteth the vse of that open and kinde heauen out of which it was deriued, and thirsteth for the wonted company & surpassing delights of that æternall fellowship; whereby it is euident that the passage from life, is a change from much euill to great good. ”

“ For it is not the weake nature of mortall man, to raise himselfe to the fulfilling of such high and haughtye matters, as to despise the ramping rage of wide beasts, to ieopard himselfe in the wastefull sea, to builde Citties, and them with lawes and pollicie to establish: to looke vp into heauen, and marke the course of the Starres ”

“ VVherefore I beseech thee O Socrates, to go and comfort my father as you were wont to doo; for so the rather being strengthened with your good counsaile, he shall bee able without any grudging or fainting to passe through the way of all flesh, and I with the rest of his friends and kinsmen will maintaine the yearely memory of that his good end. ”

“ In the same Iland that his Grandfather learned out of certaine brasen Tables which Opis and Hecuergus had brought out of the Northerne Countries, That the soule after time it is dissolued from the body passeth into a certaine darkesome place, a Coast that lyeth vnder the earth wherein is Plutoes Pallace no lesse than Iupiters kingdome: For the earth being equally ballanced in the middest of the world, and the compasse thereof beeing round as a ball, that the one halfe Sphere thereof is allotted to the higher Gods, and the other halfe to the infernall powres ”

“ For the Inhabitants thereof are neither touched with force of cold, nor payned with excesse of heate, but the moderate Aire breatheth on them mildly and calmely, being, lightned with the gentle Sunnebeames. ”

“ But the losse of these worldly commodities, dooth not a little vexe and disquiet my minde; albeit these reasons, which now to my great good liking you haue alledged, seeme to mee much more allowable, than those which late you vsed; for my minde is not carryed away with error through the entisement of your words, but perceiueth them well, neither doe those things greatly mooue my minde, which onely haue a colour and shadowed showe of truth, being set out with slanting pride, and glory of words, but yet truth haue they none. ”

“ Thou art farre wide Axiochus, and reasonest vnskilfully, ioyning the feeling of euill, with the wante of good things, forgetting thy selfe that then thou shalt bee in the number of the sencelesse dead. For him indeed which is bereft of all good things, dooth the contrary force of euill things greatly vexe. But he which hath no being, can take nor feele nothing, in place of those things whereof he is despoiled. Then by what reason can any griefe bee conceyued of that thing, which breedeth no sence nor perseuerance of any thing which hurteth. ”

“ But the life of husbandmen will some say is pleasant, and so in deed it is: but haue they not a continuall ranckling gall, euer breeding new cause of greefe and disquiet, sometime by reason of drought, sometime because of raine, otherwhile for scortching, oft through blasting, which parcheth the vntimely eare oftentimes, because of importunate heate or snmeasurable colde, miserably weeping and complaining. ”

“ For thou speakest these things, as hauing out of some high loft onely ouerlooked the troubles and tempests of the common-wealth, but we know the same more assuredly, hauing made proofe therefore in ourselues, for the common people indeede our freends Socrates is vnthankefull, disdainefull, cruell, enuious, and vnlearned, as that is gathered together of the scumme and dregs of the rascall route, and a sorte of idle losels: whome hee that flattereth and feedeth is much worse himselfe than they. ”

“ Marrie I will tell you as they come to my minde. For what parcell (quod he) of our life is not full of wretchednes? dooth not the babie euen taken frō the mothers wombe, powre our plenty of teares, beginning the first step of life with griefe? ”

“ VVherefore shake off and cast away all these trifles and worldly baggage, thus waying in thy minde, that when the frame of this earthly building is dissolued, and the soule being singled, is restored to his naturall place: this bodye which is then left an earthly masse and an vnreasonable substance, is then no more a man. ”

“ Let vs els suruew the life of Marriners and Seafaring men, which make a hole through so many dangers, & which as Bias said, are neither in the number of the liuing nor yet of the dead, for man being borne to abide vpon the earth, dooth as it were a creature of a double kinde, thrust himselfe into the maine sea and wholy put his life into the hands of fortune. ”

“ But they which being wrapped in wickednes haue led an vngodly life, are snatched vp by the Furies, and by them carried through the lowest hell into deepe darkenes and vtter confusion, where the place and abode of the wicked is, and where the three score daughters of Danaus dwell, whose punishment is continually to fill a sort of bottomlesse vessels, where also is to bee seene the vnquencheable thirst of Tantalus, the gnawen Entrailes of Titius, and the endles stone of Sisiphus, whose end beginneth a newe labour. ”

“ Let vs ouerrunne the companies of Artificers & craftsmen, which continually labour from night to night, and yet hardly able to find them necessaries to liue, by bewayling theyr bare estate, & filling their nightwatchings with sorrow and teares. ”