§10.904ΑΘ. ἧιπερ ἂν ἔχοι ῥᾳστώνης ἐπιμελείας θεοῖς τῶν πάντων, ταύτῃ μοι δοκῶ φράζειν.
**ATH.**: "In what way there would be the greatest ease of care for the gods of all things, in this way I think I can explain.
εἰ μὲν γὰρ πρὸς τὸ ὅλον ἀεὶ βλέπων πλάττοι τις μετασχηματίζων τὰ πάντα, οἷον ἐκ πυρὸς ὕδωρ ἔμψυχον, καὶ μὴ σύμπολλα ἐξ ἑνὸς ἢ ἐκ πολλῶν ἕν, πρώτης ἢ δευτέρας ἢ καὶ τρίτης γενέσεως μετειληφότα πλήθεσιν ἄπειρʼ ἂν εἴη τῆς μετατιθεμένης κοσμήσεως· νῦν δʼ ἔστι θαυμαστὴ ῥᾳστώνη τῷ τοῦ παντὸς ἐπιμελουμένῳ.
For if indeed one, looking always toward the whole, were to fashion and transform all things—such as living water out of fire, and not many things out of one or one out of many, which have partaken of a first or second or even third generation—the tasks of the rearrangement would be infinite in number; but as it is, there is a wonderful ease for the one who cares for the universe." **CL.**: "How do you mean this, in turn?" **ATH.**: "In this way.
ΚΛ. πῶς αὖ λέγεις; ΑΘ. ὧδε. ἐπειδὴ κατεῖδεν ἡμῶν ὁ βασιλεὺς ἐμψύχους οὔσας τὰς πράξεις ἁπάσας καὶ πολλὴν μὲν ἀρετὴν ἐν αὐταῖς οὖσαν, πολλὴν δὲ κακίαν, ἀνώλεθρον δὲ ὂν γενόμενον, ἀλλʼ οὐκ αἰώνιον, ψυχὴν καὶ σῶμα, καθάπερ οἱ κατὰ νόμον ὄντες θεοί—γένεσις γὰρ οὐκ ἄν ποτε ἦν ζῴων ἀπολομένου τούτοιν θατέρου—καὶ τὸ μὲν ὠφελεῖν ἀεὶ πεφυκός, ὅσον ἀγαθὸν ψυχῆς, διενοήθη, τὸ δὲ κακὸν βλάπτειν· ταῦτα πάντα συνιδών, ἐμηχανήσατο ποῦ κείμενον ἕκαστον τῶν μερῶν νικῶσαν ἀρετήν, ἡττωμένην δὲ κακίαν, ἐν τῷ παντὶ παρέχοι μάλιστʼ ἂν καὶ ῥᾷστα καὶ ἄριστα.
Since our king saw that all actions are animate, and that there is much virtue in them and much vice, and that what has come to be is indestructible, though not eternal, namely soul and body, just like the gods who exist according to law—for generation of animals would never have been if either of these two had perished—and he thought that what is beneficial is always of a nature to do good, so far as it is the good of the soul, and the bad to do harm; having seen all these things, he devised where each of the parts should be placed so that it might render virtue victorious and vice defeated in the whole, in the easiest and best way.
μεμηχάνηται δὴ πρὸς πᾶν τοῦτο τὸ ποῖόν τι γιγνόμενον ἀεὶ ποίαν ἕδραν δεῖ μεταλαμβάνον οἰκίζεσθαι καὶ τίνας ποτὲ τόπους· τῆς δὲ γενέσεως τοῦ ποίου τινὸς ἀφῆκε ταῖς βουλήσεσιν ἑκάστων ἡμῶν τὰς αἰτίας.
He has indeed devised for this whole end: what kind of character, as it always comes to be, should change its seat and settle in what kind of abode and what places; but the causes of the generation of what kind of character one becomes, he left to the wills of each of us.
ὅπῃ γὰρ ἂν ἐπιθυμῇ καὶ ὁποῖός τις ὢν τὴν ψυχήν, ταύτῃ σχεδὸν ἑκάστοτε καὶ τοιοῦτος γίγνεται ἅπας ἡμῶν ὡς τὸ πολύ. ΚΛ. τὸ γοῦν εἰκός. ΑΘ. μεταβάλλει μὲν τοίνυν πάνθʼ ὅσα μέτοχά ἐστιν ψυχῆς, ἐν ἑαυτοῖς κεκτημένα τὴν τῆς μεταβολῆς αἰτίαν, μεταβάλλοντα δὲ φέρεται κατὰ τὴν τῆς εἱμαρμένης τάξιν καὶ νόμον·
For in whatever way one desires, and whatever kind of soul one has, in that way almost each time and as such each of us becomes, for the most part." **CL.**: "That is likely, at least." **ATH.**: "Therefore, all things that partake of soul change, possessing within themselves the cause of change, and in changing they are carried according to the order and law of destiny.
σμικρότερα μὲν τῶν ἠθῶν μεταβάλλοντα ἐλάττω κατὰ τὸ τῆς χώρας ἐπίπεδον μεταπορεύεται, πλείω δὲ καὶ ἀδικώτερα μεταπεσόντα, εἰς βάθος τά τε κάτω λεγόμενα τῶν τόπων, ὅσα Ἅιδην τε καὶ τὰ τούτων ἐχόμενα τῶν ὀνομάτων ἐπονομάζοντες σφόδρα φοβοῦνται καὶ ὀνειροπολοῦσιν ζῶντες διαλυθέντες τε τῶν σωμάτων.
Those that undergo smaller changes of character move less over the level plane of space, but those that fall more and become more unjust move into the depth and the places called below, all those which they name Hades and other such names, fearing them greatly and dreaming of them both while alive and when separated from their bodies.
μείζω δὲ δὴ ψυχὴ κακίας ἢ ἀρετῆς ὁπόταν μεταλάβῃ διὰ τὴν αὑτῆς βούλησίν τε καὶ ὁμιλίαν γενομένην ἰσχυράν, ὁπόταν μὲν ἀρετῇ θείᾳ προσμείξασα γίγνηται διαφερόντως τοιαύτη, διαφέροντα καὶ μετέβαλεν τόπον ἅγιον ὅλον, μετακομισθεῖσα εἰς ἀμείνω τινὰ τόπον ἕτερον· ὅταν δὲ τἀναντία, ἐπὶ τἀναντία μεθιδρύσασα τὸν αὑτῆς βίον. §10.905ΑΘ.
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αὕτη τοι δίκη ἐστὶ θεῶν οἳ Ὄλυμπον ἔχουσιν,
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ὦ παῖ καὶ νεανίσκε ἀμελεῖσθαι δοκῶν ὑπὸ θεῶν, κακίω μὲν γιγνόμενον πρὸς τὰς κακίους ψυχάς, ἀμείνω δὲ πρὸς τὰς ἀμείνους πορευόμενον, ἔν τε ζωῇ καὶ ἐν πᾶσι θανάτοις πάσχειν τε ἃ προσῆκον δρᾶν ἐστι τοῖς προσφερέσι τοὺς προσφερεῖς καὶ ποιεῖν.
And whenever a soul partakes of a greater degree of vice or virtue, because of its own will and strong association, whenever, having associated with divine virtue, it becomes exceptionally like it, it changes to an exceptionally different place which is entirely holy, being transported to some other better place; but when the opposite happens, it resettles its life in the opposite direction." **ATH.**: "'This is the justice of the gods who hold Olympus,' O child and youth who think you are neglected by the gods, that you, becoming worse, go to the worse souls, and becoming better, go to the better souls, and in life and in all deaths suffer and do what is fitting for like to do and suffer from like and do.
ταύτης τῆς δίκης οὔτε σὺ μή ποτε οὔτε εἰ ἄλλος ἀτυχὴς γενόμενος ἐπεύξηται περιγενέσθαι θεῶν· ἣν πασῶν δικῶν διαφερόντως ἔταξάν τε οἱ τάξαντες χρεών τε ἐξευλαβεῖσθαι τὸ παράπαν.
From this justice, neither you nor any other who has become unfortunate will ever boast of having escaped the gods; which the ordainers ordained exceptionally above all other forms of justice, and which it is necessary to revere entirely.
οὐ γὰρ ἀμεληθήσῃ ποτὲ ὑπʼ αὐτῆς· οὐχ οὕτω σμικρὸς ὢν δύσῃ κατὰ τὸ τῆς γῆς βάθος, οὐδʼ ὑψηλὸς γενόμενος εἰς τὸν οὐρανὸν ἀναπτήσῃ, τείσεις δὲ αὐτῶν τὴν προσήκουσαν τιμωρίαν εἴτʼ ἐνθάδε μένων εἴτε καὶ ἐν Ἅιδου διαπορευθεὶς εἴτε καὶ τούτων εἰς ἀγριώτερον ἔτι διακομισθεὶς τόπον.
For you will never be neglected by it; not being so small will you sink into the depth of the earth, nor having become high will you fly up to heaven, but you will pay the fitting penalty to them, whether remaining here, or having traversed in Hades, or having been transported to an even wilder place than these.
ὁ αὐτὸς δὲ λόγος σοι καὶ περὶ ἐκείνων ἂν εἴη, τῶν οὓς σὺ κατιδὼν ἐκ σμικρῶν μεγάλους γεγονότας ἀνοσιουργήσαντας ἤ τι τοιοῦτον πράξαντας ᾠήθης ἐξ ἀθλίων εὐδαίμονας γεγονέναι, κᾆτα ὡς ἐν κατόπτροις αὐτῶν ταῖς πράξεσιν ἡγήσω καθεωρακέναι τὴν πάντων ἀμέλειαν θεῶν, οὐκ εἰδὼς αὐτῶν τὴν συντέλειαν ὅπῃ ποτὲ τῷ παντὶ συμβάλλεται.
The same argument would also apply to you concerning those whom you, having seen them become great from small beginnings by doing unholy deeds or performing some such action, thought had become happy from being wretched, and then, as if in mirrors, you thought you had observed in their actions the total neglect of the gods, not knowing how their consummation contributes to the whole.
γιγνώσκειν δὲ αὐτήν, ὦ πάντων ἀνδρειότατε, πῶς οὐ δεῖν δοκεῖς;
And how, O most courageous of all men, do you not think it is necessary to know this?
ἥν τις μὴ γιγνώσκων οὐδʼ ἂν τύπον ἴδοι ποτέ, οὐδὲ λόγον συμβάλλεσθαι περὶ βίου δυνατὸς ἂν γένοιτο εἰς εὐδαιμονίαν τε καὶ δυσδαίμονα τύχην.
He who does not know it would never see even a pattern, nor would he be able to contribute an argument about life with respect to happiness and unhappy fortune.
ταῦτα εἰ μέν σε πείθει Κλεινίας ὅδε καὶ σύμπασα ἡμῶν ἥδε ἡ γερουσία, περὶ θεῶν ὡς οὐκ οἶσθα ὅτι λέγεις, καλῶς ἄν σοι θεὸς αὐτὸς συλλαμβάνοι· εἰ δʼ ἐπιδεὴς ἔτι λόγου τινὸς ἂν εἴης, λεγόντων ἡμῶν πρὸς τὸν τρίτον ἐπάκουε, εἰ νοῦν καὶ ὁπωσοῦν ἔχεις.
If this present Cleinias and all this assembly of elders of ours convince you of these things, that you do not know what you are saying about the gods, a god himself would well assist you; but if you should still be in need of some argument, listen as we speak to the third point, if you have any mind at all.
ὅτι μὲν γὰρ θεοί τʼ εἰσὶν καὶ ἀνθρώπων ἐπιμελοῦνται, ἔγωγε οὐ παντάπασιν φαύλως ἂν φαίην ἡμῖν ἀποδεδεῖχθαι· τὸ δὲ παραιτητοὺς αὖ θεοὺς εἶναι τοῖσιν ἀδικοῦσι, δεχομένους δῶρα, οὔτε τινὶ συγχωρητέον παντί τʼ αὖ κατὰ δύναμιν τρόπῳ ἐλεγκτέον. ΚΛ. κάλλιστʼ εἶπες, ποιῶμέν τε ὡς λέγεις. ΑΘ. φέρε δὴ πρὸς θεῶν αὐτῶν, τίνα τρόπον παραιτητοὶ γίγνοιντʼ ἂν ἡμῖν, εἰ γίγνοιντο αὖ;
For that there are gods and that they care for human beings, I for my part would say has been demonstrated by us not altogether poorly; but that the gods can be bought off by those who do wrong, by accepting gifts, is something that must not be conceded to anyone, and must be refuted in every possible way to the utmost of our power." **CL.**: "Most excellently spoken, and let us do as you say." **ATH.**: "Come then, by the gods themselves, in what way would they become placable to us, if indeed they were to become so?
καὶ τίνες ἢ ποῖοί τινες ὄντες;
And who and what kind of beings would they be?
ἄρχοντας μὲν ἀναγκαῖόν που γίγνεσθαι τούς γε διοικήσοντας τὸν ἅπαντα ἐντελεχῶς οὐρανόν. ΚΛ. οὕτως.
It is necessary, I suppose, that those who are to administer the entire heaven continuously should become rulers." **CL.**: "Quite so."