Stephanus 87

87a mingling the vapor rising from them with the motion of the soul, and so blended into it, they engender diseases of the soul of every kind, now more intense and now milder, now fewer and now more; and as they are carried to the three regions of the soul and strike now this one, now that, they diversify the forms of peevishness and despondency beyond count, and of rashness and of cowardice, and with them of forgetfulness and slow learning. And further, when 87b constitutions have been set up so badly, and evil discourses, private and public, have been spoken in the cities, and besides this the things learned from youth up hold in no way any healing for these ills, that is how all of us who are bad become bad, through two causes wholly involuntary. Of these, the planters must be called to account rather than the planted, and the rearers rather than the reared; still, one must strive in whatever way one can—through nurture, through pursuits, and through studies—to flee wickedness and to lay hold of its opposite. This, however, is another manner of discourse. 87c

But the converse of this—the care of bodies and of minds, and the causes by which they are preserved—it is fitting and proper in turn to render again; for it is more just to hold discourse about goods than about evils. All that is good is beautiful, and the beautiful is never without measure; so the living thing that is to be of such a kind must be set down as proportioned. Of the proportionings, we take in the small ones and reason about them, but of the greatest and most sovereign we are 87d without any reckoning. For nothing of health and disease, of virtue and vice, has a proportion or disproportion greater than that of the soul itself to the body itself; and of this we take no thought at all: that when a form weaker and smaller bears a soul strong and great in every way, and when again the contrary of these two is joined together, the whole living creature is not beautiful—for it is out of proportion in its greatest measures—while the fitting arrangement is the most beautiful and most lovable of all sights to one able to see it whole. 87e So too a body over-long in the legs, or with any other unmeasured excess over itself, is at once ugly, and in the partnership of toil it causes many wearinesses, many strains and, through its lopsidedness, many falls, the cause to itself of ten thousand ills,

Timaeus: The same must then be thought of the whole compound, the living creature we speak of: that when the soul in it, being stronger

87a they mix their vapor with the flow of the soul and blend with it, and they cause all kinds of diseases of the soul, in greater or less degree, few or many; and being carried to the three places of the soul, whichever of them each falls upon, they produce all kinds of bad temper and gloom, they produce rashness and cowardice, and also forgetfulness and difficulty in learning. On top of these, when people are so badly 87b put together that bad policies and bad arguments are spoken in the cities, in private and in public, and when from youth no studies that can cure these are learned, in this way we all become bad—the bad among us—through two things that are entirely against our will. Of these we must blame the ones who plant more than what is planted, and the ones who feed more than what is fed; but everyone must strive in whatever way he can, through upbringing, practices, and studies, to run from badness and to win its opposite. This much, then, is one branch of our account. 87c

The counterpart of this, again—the care of bodies and minds, and the causes by which they are kept well—it is right and proper to give in return; for it is more just to give an account of good things than of bad ones. Everything good is fine, and what is fine is not without measure; so a living thing of this sort we must count well proportioned. Of proportions, we notice the small ones and reason about them, but the most important and the greatest ones 87d we take no account of. For with regard to health and disease, virtue and badness, no proportion or disproportion is greater than that of the soul itself to the body itself; and none of this do we consider or take thought of: that when a strong and in every way great soul carries a weaker and smaller body, or again when the two are put together the other way round, the whole living thing is not fine—for it is out of proportion in the greatest proportions—while the one arranged the opposite way is, for anyone able to see it, the most beautiful and the most lovable of all sights. 87e Just as a body with legs too long, or some other excess out of measure with itself, is at once ugly, and in sharing the work causes many strains, many cramps, and, because it is unbalanced, many falls, making countless troubles for itself,

Timaeus: We must think the same about the two together, the living thing we speak of: when in it the soul is stronger

87a but are confined within, and mingle their vapor with the movement of the soul and are blended therewith, they implant diseases of the soul of all kinds, varying in intensity and in extent; and as these humors penetrate to the three regions of the Soul, according to the region which they severally attack, they give rise to all varieties of bad temper and bad spirits, and they give rise to all manner of rashness and cowardice, and of forgetfulness also, as well as of stupidity. Furthermore, when, with men in such an evil condition, 87b the political administration also is evil, and the speech in the cities, both public and private, is evil; and when, moreover, no lessons that would cure these evils are anywhere learnt from childhood,—thus it comes to pass that all of us who are wicked become wicked owing to two quite involuntary causes. And for these we must always blame the begetters more than the begotten, and the nurses more than the nurslings; yet each man must endeavor, as best he can, by means of nurture and by his pursuits and studies to flee the evil and to pursue the good. This, however, forms a separate subject of discussion. 87c

Again, it is reasonable and proper to set forth in turn the subject complementary to the foregoing, namely the remedial treatment of body and mind, and the causes which conserve this. For what is good merits description more than what is evil. All that is good is fair, and the fair is not void of due measure; wherefore also the living creature that is to be fair must be symmetrical. Of symmetries we distinguish and reason about such as are small, but of the most important and the greatest we have no rational comprehension. For with respect to health and disease, 87d virtue and vice, there is no symmetry or want of symmetry greater than that which exists between the soul itself and the body itself. But as regards these, we wholly fail to perceive or reflect that, whenever a weaker and inferior type of body is the vehicle of a soul that is strong and in all ways great,—or conversely, when each of these two is of the opposite kind,—then the creature as a whole is not fair, seeing that it is unsymmetrical in respect of the greatest of symmetries; whereas a creature in the opposite condition is of all sights, for him who has eyes to see, 87e the fairest and most admirable. A body, for example, which is too long in the legs, or otherwise disproportioned owing to some excess, is not only ugly, but, when joint effort is required, it is also the source of much fatigue and many sprains and falls by reason of its clumsy motion, whereby it causes itself countless evils.

Timaeus: So likewise we must conceive of that compound of soul and body which we call the living creature. Whenever the soul within it is stronger than the body