Stephanus 72

72a appear: to divide everything by reason—what it signifies, and for whom, of evil or good still to come, already past, or now present. For the seer, while he remains in that state, to pass judgment on the things seen and spoken through himself is no part of his work; but the good old saying holds, that to do one's own, and to know one's own and oneself, belongs to the sound-minded alone. Hence too the law sets judges over 72b the inspired oracles. Some, wholly in the dark, call these judges seers themselves, not grasping that they are proclaimers of a riddling voice and vision, and no seers at all: prophets of the things divined is the name they would bear most rightly.

Such, then, is the nature of the liver, and such the place where, as we say, it grew—for the sake of divination; and while each creature still lives, it yields its signs more plainly, but robbed of life it has gone blind, and its oracles too faint 72c to show anything clearly. And the frame and seat of its neighbor, the spleen, came to be on the left for the liver's sake, to keep it always bright and clean—a tablet, as it were, made ready like a mirror and lying forever beside it. Hence, too, whenever impurities gather about the liver through bodily diseases, the spleen, cleansing them all away, takes them into its own frenzy, being woven hollow and bloodless; 72d and so, filled with what is purged off, it swells great and humped, and then, when the body is cleansed, sinks low and settles back into its place.

Of the soul, then—what in it is mortal, what divine, and where, and with what, and for what reasons it was housed apart—as to the truth of what has been said, we could insist on it alone and absolutely then, if god himself gave his nod; but the likely account is what we have, and we must run the risk of saying so now, and say it all the more boldly as we look at it again, and let it be said and stand. 72e What follows next must be pursued on the same plan: what remained over of the body, and the way it came to be. Out of reasoning of this kind, it would best become it to have been put together.

Timaeus: The framers of our kind knew the unmeasured appetite there would be in us for drink and food, and that through greed we would spend ourselves on far more than the moderate and the necessary; so that ruin should not come swiftly by diseases, and the race die off at once unfinished,

72a appear, and to sort them all out by reasoning: what each one means, and to whom it points—evil or good, yet to come, past, or present. And while the person is still in that inspired state, it is not his task to judge the visions and the words that came from him. Rather, it is well said, and was said long ago, that to do one's own work, and to know what belongs to oneself and to know oneself, belongs to the sane person alone. That is why the law sets judges over the 72b divine prophecies. Some people call those judges "seers," and they are wholly mistaken. Those men are only spokesmen for a riddling message and a vision; they are not seers at all. It is most correct to call them prophets of the things that are being divined.

The liver, then, has this nature, and it grew in the place we named, for the sake of prophecy. While each creature is still alive, such a sign gives much clearer signs. But when the liver is robbed of life, it has become blind, and its prophecies grow too faint 72c to show anything plainly. The frame and seat of its neighbor, the spleen, was set on the left side for its sake. The spleen keeps the liver bright and clean at all times, like a mirror kept in readiness, and like a smooth wax tablet that always lies beside it. That is why, when unclean matter gathers around the liver because of diseases of the body, the spleen washes it all away and takes it into its own hollowness, for it is hollow and woven without blood. 72d Filled with what is washed away, it swells and grows big and bloated. And when the body is cleansed again, it sinks down and settles back to its usual size.

So much, then, about the soul: how much of it is mortal and how much divine, and in what place, with what companions, and for what reasons it was settled apart. We could press the claim that this account is true only if the god agreed to it at the time. But we do claim this much: it is a likely account, both now and still more when you look into it again. Let us run the risk of saying it, and let it stand as said. 72e What comes next after these things we must hunt down in the same way. What was left over was the body, as it came to be. And of all things, it would best fit the body to be put together by reasoning of this kind.

Timaeus: The beings who put our kind together knew of the uncontrolled greed for drink and food that would grow up in us, and they knew that in our greed we would use far more than the moderate amount, more than we need. So that ruin might not come from sharp diseases, and so that our mortal kind might not right away

72a wherein they are significant and for whom they portend evil or good in the future, the past, or the present. But it is not the task of him who has been in a state of frenzy, and still continues therein, to judge the apparitions and voices seen or uttered by himself; for it was well said of old that to do and to know one’s own and oneself belongs only to him who is sound of mind. Wherefore also it is customary to set the tribe of prophets to pass judgement 72b upon these inspired divinations; and they, indeed, themselves are named diviners by certain who are wholly ignorant of the truth that they are not diviners but interpreters of the mysterious voice and apparition, for whom the most fitting name would be prophets of things divined.

For these reasons, then, the nature of the liver is such as we have stated and situated in the region we have described, for the sake of divination. Moreover, when the individual creature is alive this organ affords signs that are fairly manifest, but when deprived of life it becomes blind and the divinations it presents are too much obscured to have any 72c clear significance.

The structure of the organ which adjoins it, with its seat on the left, is for the sake of the liver, to keep it always bright and clean, as a wiper that is laid beside a mirror always prepared and ready to hand. Wherefore also, whenever any impurities due to ailments of the body occur round about the liver, the loose texture of the spleen cleanses and absorbs them all, seeing that it is woven of a stuff that is porous and bloodless: hence, when it is filled with the offscourings, the spleen grows to be large and festered; 72d and conversely, when the body is cleansed, it is reduced and shrinks back to its primal state.

Concerning the soul, then, what part of it is mortal, what part immortal, and where and with what companions and for what reasons these have been housed apart, only if God concurred could we dare to affirm that our account is true; but that our account is probable we must dare to affirm now, and to affirm still more positively as our inquiry proceeds: affirmed, therefore, let it be. 72e

The subject which comes next to this we must investigate on the same lines; and that subject is the way in which the remainder of the body has been generated. Its construction would most fittingly be ascribed to reasoning such as this.

Timaeus: Those who were constructing our kind were aware of the incontinence that would reside in us in respect of drinks and meats, and how that because of our greed we would consume far more than what was moderate and necessary; wherefore, lest owing to maladies swift destruction should overtake them,