νυκτὸς ἀιδνᾶς ἀεργηλοῖὸ θ᾽ ὕπνου κοίρανον.οἶμαι δὲ καὶ τὸν ἄνθρωπον αὐτὸν οὑτωσὶ φῶτα καλεῖν τοὺς παλαιούς, ὅτι τοῦ γιγνώσκεσθαι καὶ γιγνώσκειν ἑκάστῳ διὰ συγγένειαν ἔρως ἰσχυρὸς ἐμπέφυκεν. αὐτήν τε τὴν ψυχὴν ἔνιοι τῶν [p. 485] φιλοσόφων φῶς εἶναι τῇ οὐσίᾳ νομίζουσιν, ἄλλοις τε, χρώμενοι τεκμηρίοις καὶ ὅτι τῶν ὄντων μάλιστα τὴν μὲν ἄγνοιαν ἡ ψυχὴ δυσανασχετεῖ καὶ πᾶν τὸ ἀφεγγὲς ἐξαιρεῖ καὶ ταράττεται πρὸς τὰ σκοτεινά, φόβου καὶ ὑποψίας ὄντα πλήρη πρὸς αὐτήν ἡδὺ δ᾽ αὐτῇ καὶ ποθεινὸν οὕτω τὸ φῶς ἐστιν, ὥστε μηδ᾽ ἄλλῳ τινὶ τῶν φύσει τερπνῶν ἄνευ φωτὸς ὑπὸ σκότους χαίρειν, ἀλλὰ τοῦτο πᾶσαν ἡδονὴν καὶ πᾶσαν διατριβὴν καὶ ἀπόλαυσιν, ὥσπερ τι κοινὸν ἥδυσμα καταμιγνύμενον, ἱλαρὰν ποιεῖ καὶ φιλάνθρωπον. ὁ δ᾽ εἰς τὴν ἄγνοιαν αὑτὸν ἐμβαλὼν καὶ σκότος περιαμπισχόμενος καὶ κενοταφῶν τὸν βίον ἔοικεν αὐτὴν βαρύνεσθαι τὴν γένεσιν καὶ ἀπαυδᾶν πρὸς τὸ εἶναι.
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δοκῶ δ᾽ ἐγὼ καὶ τὸ ζῆν αὐτὸ καὶ ὅλως τὸ
φῦναι καὶ μετασχεῖν ἀνθρώπῳ γενέσεως εἰς γνῶσιν ὑπὸ θεοῦ δοθῆναι: ἔστι δ᾽ ἄδηλος καὶ ἄγνωστος ἐν τῷ παντὶ πόλῳ καὶ κατὰ μικρὰ καὶ σποράδην φερόμενος: ὅταν δὲ γένηται, συνερχόμενος αὑτῷ καὶ λαμβάνων μέγεθος ἐκλάμπει καὶ καθίσταται δῆλος ἐξ
ἀδήλου καὶ φανερὸς ἐξ ἀφανοῦς. οὐ γὰρ εἰς οὐσίαν
ὁδὸς ἡ γνῶσις ὡς ἔνιοι λέγουσιν, ἀλλ᾽ οὐσίας εἰς γνῶσιν: οὐ γὰρ ποιεῖ τῶν γιγνομένων ἕκαστον ἀλλὰ
δείκνυσιν: ὥσπερ οὐδ᾽ ἡ φθορὰ τοῦ ὄντος ἄρσις εἰς
τὸ μὴ ὄν ἐστιν, ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον εἰς τὸ ἄδηλον ἀπαγωγὴ
τοῦ διαλυθέντος. ὅθεν δὴ τὸν μὲν ἣλιον Ἀπόλλωνα κατὰ τοὺς πατρίους καὶ παλαιοὺς θεσμοὺς νομίζοντες Δήλιον καὶ Πύθιον προσαγορεύουσι: τὸν
δὲ τῆς ἐναντίας κύριον μοίρας, εἴτε θεὸς εἴτε δαίμων ἐστίν, Ἅιδην ὀνομάζουσιν, ὡς ἂν εἰς ἀειδὲς
καὶ ἀόρατον ἡμῶν, ὅταν διαλυθῶμεν, βαδιζόντων
Plutarch. Moralia. Gregorius N. Bernardakis. Leipzig. Teubner. 1895. 6.
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