Stephanus 42

42a to grow into the most god-fearing of living creatures; and since human nature is twofold, the better kind was to be that which would hereafter be called man.

Timaeus: And when they were implanted of necessity in bodies, and things kept coming into their bodies and going out of them, first of all there would be born in every one a sensation, one and the same for all, innate, forced upon them by violent affections; second, love, mingled of pleasure and pain; and besides these, fear and spirit, and all 42b that attend upon them, and all that grow and stand opposed to them by nature. If they mastered these, they would live in justice; mastered by them, in injustice. And whoever lived well through his appointed time would journey back to the dwelling place of his kindred star and have a blessed life lived in its companionship; but whoever failed of this would pass, in the 42c second birth, into the nature of a woman. And if the wickedness in him did not cease even then, he would keep changing, according to the likeness of the character his way of living had bred in him, into one bestial nature after another of that kind, and he would not be done with changing and his toils until he had drawn into the revolution of the same and like within himself that great mob of things grown up later in him from fire and water and air 42d and earth, turbulent and irrational, and had mastered them by reason, coming back to the form of the first and best condition. And when he had laid down all these laws for them, that he might be blameless of whatever wickedness should afterward be in each, he sowed some into the earth, some into the moon, and some into the other instruments of time; and after the sowing he handed over to the younger gods the work of molding mortal bodies, and of fashioning what was left over of human soul, as much as still had 42e to be added, and all that follows from it—and he charged them to rule over it, and to steer the mortal creature as beautifully and as well as their power allowed, save that it must not itself become the cause of evils to itself.

And he, having ordered all these things, abode in his own accustomed character.

Timaeus: And while he abode, his children took note of his ordinance and obeyed it; and receiving the immortal principle of a mortal creature, in imitation of their own maker, they borrowed from the cosmos fire and earth and water and air,

42a there to grow into the most god-fearing kind of living thing. Human nature is double. The better part should be the kind that would later be called "man."

Timaeus: And whenever they were necessarily planted in bodies—one thing of their body coming on, and another going—first, sensation necessarily grew up in all of them, one kind, born in them, out of the violent impacts. Second, love, mixed with pleasure and pain. Besides these, fear and anger, and whatever follows those two, and whatever is by nature set against them. 42b If they mastered these, they would live with justice; if they were mastered by them, with injustice. Whoever lived well for the time given to him went back again to the home of the star he was born with, and he lived a blessed life in his familiar ways. But whoever failed in this changed at his second birth into a woman's nature. 42c And if he still did not stop doing evil there, he changed again, in keeping with the likeness of his own bad habit, into some beast-like nature, and kept changing. He did not rest from his toils until he had mastered with reason the great crowd within him—the later growth, fastened on from fire and water and air and earth, noisy and without reason—and, drawing it along by the circle of the same and the like within him, he had come to the form of the first and best state. 42d And when he had laid down all these laws for them, so that he would be without blame for any evil of theirs afterward, he sowed some of them into the earth, some into the moon, and some into the other instruments of time. After the sowing he handed the rest over to the younger gods: to mold mortal bodies; to shape what was left over of the human soul that still had to be added, 42e and all the things that follow from that; and to rule over these; and to steer the mortal creature as beautifully and as well as they could—so long as it did not itself become the cause of evils to itself.

And having set all these things in order, he stayed in his own usual state.

Timaeus: And while he stayed so, his children took note of their father's order and obeyed it. Taking the immortal beginning of a mortal creature, and imitating their maker, they borrowed fire and earth and water and air from the universe

42a and that, since human nature is two-fold, the superior sex is that which hereafter should be designated man.

Timaeus: And when, by virtue of Necessity, they should be implanted in bodies, and their bodies are subject to influx and efflux, these results would necessarily follow,—firstly, sensation that is innate and common to all proceeding from violent affections; secondly, desire mingled with pleasure and pain; and besides these, fear and anger 42b and all such emotions as are naturally allied thereto, and all such as are of a different and opposite character. And if they shall master these they will live justly, but if they are mastered, unjustly. And he that has lived his appointed time well shall return again to his abode in his native star, and shall gain a life that is blessed and congenial but whoso has failed therein shall be changed into woman’s nature at the second birth; and if, in that shape, he still refraineth not from wickedness 42c he shall be changed every time, according to the nature of his wickedness, into some bestial form after the similitude of his own nature; nor in his changings shall he cease from woes until he yields himself to the revolution of the Same and Similar that is within him, and dominating by force of reason that burdensome mass which afterwards adhered to him of fire and water 42d and earth and air, a mass tumultuous and irrational, returns again to the semblance of his first and best state.

When He had fully declared unto them all these ordinances, to the end that He might be blameless in respect of the future wickedness of any one of them, He proceeded to sow them, some in the Earth, some in the Moon, others in the rest of the organs of Time. Following upon this sowing, He delivered over to the young gods the task of molding mortal bodies, and of framing and controlling all the rest of the human soul which it was still necessary to add, together with all that belonged thereto, 42e and of governing this mortal creature in the fairest and best way possible, to the utmost of their power, except in so far as it might itself become the cause of its own evils.

So He, then, having given all these commands, was abiding in His own proper and wonted state.

And as He thus abode, His children gave heed to their Father’s command and obeyed it. They took the immortal principle of the mortal living creature, and imitating their own Maker, they borrowed from the Cosmos portions of fire and earth and water and air,