Stephanus 90

90a and therefore we must take care that they keep their motions proportionate to one another. As for the most sovereign kind of soul in us, we must think this about it: that a god has given it to each one as a daimon—that which we say dwells at the crown of the body, and, because of its kinship with what is in heaven, lifts us from the earth, our nature being a plant not of earth but of heaven; and this is said most truly: for from that place, where the soul's first growth took root, the divine, hanging our head and root 90b above, keeps the whole body upright. Now whoever has given himself to the appetites, or to rivalry, and toiled hard at all such beliefs, is bound to have his convictions mortal bred into him, and to become mortal through and through, so far as it is at all possible, falling short of it by not even a little, because he has nurtured that part; while whoever has labored at the love of learning and at true understanding, and exercised that part of himself above all, 90c must, if he touches truth, of necessity think immortal and divine thoughts, and, so far as human nature can partake of immortality, fall short in no part of it; and because he constantly tends the divine within him and keeps the daimon that dwells with him well ordered, he is happy above all men. And the tending of anything whatsoever is one and the same: to give each the nourishments and the motions proper to it. To the divine in us the kindred motions are the thinkings 90d and revolutions of the universe; these, then, everyone must follow, setting right the revolutions in our heads that were twisted awry at our birth, by learning the harmonies and revolutions of the universe, and so making the one who understands like the thing understood, according to its ancient nature; and having made it like, he will have reached the end of the best life set before humans by the gods, both for the time now and for the time to come. 90e

And now, indeed, the task laid upon us at the beginning—to go through the universe, down to the birth of humankind—seems very nearly to have its end. For the other living things, how they came to be, we must recall in few words, unless some necessity forces the account longer; that way one would seem to keep better measure with oneself in these discourses. So let what follows be the telling of it.

Timaeus: Of the men that came to be, all who were cowards and lived lives of injustice were, by the likely account, changed and planted as women in the second

90a so we must see to it that they keep their motions in balance with one another. We must think about the ruling kind of soul in us in this way: God has given each of us a guiding spirit; this is what we say lives at the top of our body and lifts us up from the earth toward our kinship with the heaven, since we are a plant not of the earth but of the heaven, and we are quite right to say so. For from there, where the first coming-to-be of the soul sprang, the divine part, hanging our head and root 90b from above, keeps the whole body upright. So the person who has given himself over to desires or to love of winning, and works hard at these, must have all his convictions mortal; and since he has grown that part of himself, he must in no way fall short of becoming as fully mortal as it is possible for a mortal to be. But the person who is eager for the love of learning and for true understanding, and has trained this part of himself most of all, 90c must surely, if he lays hold of truth, think immortal and divine thoughts—every necessity brings this about—and as far as human nature can share in immortality, he must leave no part of that undone; and since he always cares for the divine part and has the spirit within him well ordered and living with him, he must be exceptionally happy. There is one care for everything and for everyone: to give to each the nourishments and the motions that belong to it. To the divine part in us, the thoughts and revolutions of the universe 90d are kin; and each of us must follow these, setting right the revolutions in our head that were thrown off course at our birth, by learning the harmonies and revolutions of the universe, and making the thinking part like the thing thought about, in accord with its ancient nature. Once it has been made like, it reaches the end of the best life set before humans by the gods, both for the present time and for the time to come. 90e

And so what we were told from the beginning to go through—the account of the whole up to the coming-to-be of humans—now seems almost to have reached its end. The other living things, and how they came to be in turn, we must touch on briefly, since there is no need to draw it out; that way one will seem to keep better measure in the accounts of these things. Let this sort of thing, then, be told in this way.

Timaeus: Of the men who were born, those who were cowards and lived unjust lives were changed, by the likely account, into women in the second

90a wherefore care must be taken that they have their motions relatively to one another in due proportion. And as regards the most lordly kind of our soul, we must conceive of it in this wise: we declare that God has given to each of us, as his daemon, that kind of soul which is housed in the top of our body and which raises us—seeing that we are not an earthly but a heavenly plant up from earth towards our kindred in the heaven. And herein we speak most truly; for it is by suspending our head and root from that region whence the substance of our soul first came that the Divine Power 90b keeps upright our whole body.

Whoso, then, indulges in lusts or in contentions and devotes himself overmuch thereto must of necessity be filled with opinions that are wholly mortal, and altogether, so far as it is possible to become mortal, fall not short of this in even a small degree, inasmuch as he has made great his mortal part. But he who has seriously devoted himself to learning and to true thoughts, and has exercised these qualities above all his others, 90c must necessarily and inevitably think thoughts that are immortal and divine, if so be that he lays hold on truth, and in so far as it is possible for human nature to partake of immortality, he must fall short thereof in no degree; and inasmuch as he is for ever tending his divine part and duly magnifying that daemon who dwells along with him, he must be supremely blessed. And the way of tendance of every part by every man is one—namely, to supply each with its own congenial food and motion; and for the divine part within us the congenial motions 90d are the intellections and revolutions of the Universe. These each one of us should follow, rectifying the revolutions within our head, which were distorted at our birth, by learning the harmonies and revolutions of the Universe, and thereby making the part that thinks like unto the object of its thought, in accordance with its original nature, and having achieved this likeness attain finally to that goal of life which is set before men by the gods as the most good both for the present and for the time to come. 90e

And now the task prescribed for us at the beginning to give a description of the Universe up to the production of mankind, would appear to be wellnigh completed. For as regards the mode in which the rest of living creatures have been produced we must make but a brief statement, seeing that there is no need to speak at length; for by such brevity we will feel ourselves to be preserving a right proportion in our handling of these subjects. Wherefore let this matter be treated as follows.

Timaeus: According to the probable account, all those creatures generated as men who proved themselves cowardly and spent their lives in wrong-doing were transformed,