Stephanus 71

71a so that it might deliberate there best, in quiet, about what is good for all in common and for each in particular—for this reason they gave it that station. Knowing, though, that it would never follow reason, and that even if it somehow took in some share of sensation, no care for reason would ever be born in it, while night and day it would be most of all beguiled by images and phantoms, god for its sake contrived the form of the liver 71b and set it in that creature's dwelling: he made it dense and smooth and bright and sweet, with a share of bitterness contrived within it, so that the power that travels from the mind through the thoughts, in this organ as in a mirror that receives impressions and lets it see the images, might frighten it—whenever, using its kindred part of bitterness, a grim threat sweeps in, steeping the whole liver sharply through with choleric colors, crumpling and roughening all of it, 71c bending down the lobe and coiling shut its channels and gates, blocking some and closing others, and so deal out pains and sicknesses; while when again gentler images are painted there by a breath of mildness from the thoughts, quieting the bitterness by refusing to move against or lay hold of the nature opposed to it, and using the sweetness native to it there, and setting everything in it 71d straight and smooth and free, it might make the soul's portion housed about the liver gracious and of good cheer, keeping in the night a moderate diversion, practicing divination in sleep, since it had no share in reason or understanding. For the framers of us, remembering the father's letter, when he sent forth the mortal kind with the charge to make it as excellent as they were able, so far succeeded that in this place they set the oracle even of our worse part, 71e that it might touch truth in some fashion. And here is proof enough that god gave prophecy to human folly: no one in his right senses touches inspired and true divination—but only when the power of understanding is fettered in sleep, or wasted by sickness, or thrown off key by some possession.

Timaeus: But it belongs to the sound-minded to see the meaning of what has been said, calling to mind the dream or the waking vision handed over by the prophetic and inspired nature, and whatever apparitions

71a The strongest part, so that it might be allowed to take counsel in quiet about what benefits all the parts together and each one apart—for these reasons they gave it its position here. But they knew it would never take part in reasoning. And they knew that even if it somehow got some share of the senses, it would not be born with any care for words and argument. Night and day, what would charm it most was images and phantoms. So the god made a plan for it. He built the form of the liver 71b and set it in that part's home. He made it dense and smooth and bright and sweet, and he gave it a share of bitterness too. His plan was this: the power that comes from the mind in its thoughts was to act on the liver like a mirror that takes impressions and shows figures for the mind to see, and so to frighten it. Whenever that power comes down hard with a stern threat, and uses the bitterness that is kin to it, it steeps its sharp taste through the whole liver at once. Sour, bile-like colors then show on it. The power draws the liver all into folds and makes it rough. 71c It bends the lobe, the chambers, and the gates out of their straight shape and cramps them; it stops some and shuts them, and this brings pains and sicknesses. But when in turn the mind breathes out some gentle thought and paints the opposite figures, the liver grows calm. The bitterness rests, because the mind neither moves it nor touches the nature that works against it. Instead the mind uses the sweetness that grows there beside it, and it sets all the parts of the liver right and smooth and free. 71d In this way it makes the share of the soul that lives around the liver mild and even in temper. At night that share has a moderate way of life, and it uses prophecy in sleep, since it has no share in reason and understanding. For the beings who put us together remembered the father's order. When he sent out the mortal kind, he told them to make it as good as they were able. They carried out that order so well that they set up in this part the seat of prophecy for the worse part of us, 71e so that it might in some way touch the truth. And there is sign enough that the god gave prophecy to human folly. No one in his right mind touches divine and true prophecy. He touches it only in sleep, with the power of his understanding chained, or when sickness has changed it, or when some divine possession has thrown it off course.

Timaeus: But for a person of sound mind to take in, and hold in memory, what was said—both in dreams and in waking sights—through the prophetic and inspired nature in us, and to take note of whatever images

71a concerning what benefits all, both individually and in the mass,—for these reasons they stationed it in that position. And inasmuch as they knew that it would not understand reason, and that, even if it did have some share in the perception of reasons, it would have no natural instinct to pay heed to any of them but would be bewitched for the most part both day and night by images and phantasms,—to guard against this God devised and constructed the form of the liver and placed it in that part’s abode; 71b and He fashioned it dense and smooth and bright and sweet, yet containing bitterness, that the power of thoughts which proceed from the mind, moving in the liver as in a mirror which receives impressions and provides visible images, should frighten this part of the soul; for when the mental power bears down upon it with stern threats, it uses a kindred portion of the liver’s bitterness and makes it swiftly suffuse the whole liver, so that it exhibits bilious colors, and by contraction makes it 71c all wrinkled and rough; moreover, as regards the lobe and passages and gates of the liver, the first of these it bends back from the straight and compresses, while it blocks the others and closes them up, and thus it produces pains and nausea. On the other hand, when a breath of mildless from the intellect paints on the liver appearances of the opposite kind, and calms down its bitterness by refusing to move or touch the nature opposite to itself, and using upon the liver the sweetness inherent therein 71d rectifies all its parts so as to make them straight and smooth and free, it causes the part of the soul planted round the liver to be cheerful and serene, so that in the night it passes its time sensibly, being occupied in its slumbers with divination, seeing that in reason and intelligence it has no share.

For they who constructed us, remembering the injunction of their Father, when He enjoined upon them to make the mortal kind 71e as good as they possibly could, rectified the vile part of us by thus establishing therein the organ of divination, that it might in some degree lay hold on truth. And that God gave unto man’s foolishness the gift of divination a sufficient token is this: no man achieves true and inspired divination when in his rational mind, but only when the power of his intelligence is fettered in sleep or when it is distraught by disease or by reason of some divine inspiration.

Timaeus: But it belongs to a man when in his right mind to recollect and ponder both the things spoken in dream or waking vision by the divining and inspired nature, and all the visionary forms that were seen, and by means of reasoning to discern about them all