Phaedo.
Socrates, Cebes.you to be that which naturally orders and rules, and the mortal to be that which is subject and servant?

True.

And which does the soul resemble ?

The soul resembles the divine, and the body the mortal — there can be no doubt of that, Socrates. Then reflect, Cebes : of all which has been said is not this the conclusion ? — that the soul is in the very likeness of the divine, and immortal, and intellectual, and uniform, and indissoluble, and unchangeable ; and that the body is in the very likeness of the human, and mortal, and unintellectual, and multiform, and dissoluble, and changeable. Can this, my dear Cebes, be denied ? It cannot. But if it be true, then is not the body liable to speedy dissolution ? and is not the soul almost or altogether in- dissoluble ? Certainly.

Even from the body something may be learned about the soul; for the corpse of a man lasts for some time, and when embalmed, in a manner for ever. And do }-ou further observe, that after a man is dead, the body, or visible part of him, which is lying in the visible "'sbody -^ ^ ^ ' ^ o something world, and is called a corpse, and would naturally be dis- maybe solved and decomposed and dissipated, is not dissolved or iea™ed about the decomposed at once, but may remam for some time, nay soul ; for even for a long time, if the constitution be sound at the '^"^ corpse time of death, and the season of the year favourable ? For i^sts for the body when shrunk and embalmed, as the manner is in sometime, Egypt, may remain almost entire through infinite ages ; and embalmed, even in decay, there are still some portions, such as the in a manner bones and ligaments, which are practically indestructible : — Do you agree ?

Yes.

How unlikely then that the soul should at once pass away! And is it likely that the soul, which is invisible, in passing How un- to the place of the true Hades, which like her is invisible, kely then ^ ' that the and pure, and noble, and on her way to the good and wise soul should God, whither, if God will, my soul is also soon to go, — that at once pass the soul, I repeat, if this be her nature and origin, will be blown away and destroyed immediately on quitting the body, as the many say? That can never be, my dear Simmias and Cebes. The truth rather is, that the soul which is pure at departing and draws after her no bodily