Pagina 439 van 1391

And a man must take with him an iron sense of truth and right

into the world below, that there too he may remain undazzled by

wealth or the allurements of evil, and be determined to avoid the

extremes and choose the mean. For this, as the messenger reported

the interpreter to have said, is the true happiness of man; and

any one, as he proclaimed, may, if he choose with understanding,

have a good lot, even though he come last. 'Let not the first be

careless in his choice, nor the last despair.' He spoke; and when

he had spoken, he who had drawn the first lot chose a tyranny: he

did not see that he was fated to devour his own children-and when

he discovered his mistake, he wept and beat his breast, blaming

chance and the Gods and anybody rather than himself. He was one

of those who had come from heaven, and in his previous life had

been a citizen of a well-ordered State, but he had only habit and

no philosophy.