ing the passages of the wings, watering them and inclining
them to grow, and filling the soul of the beloved also with love. And
thus he loves, but he knows not what; he does not understand and cannot
explain his own state; he appears to have caught the infection of
blindness from another; the lover is his mirror in whom he is beholding
himself, but he is not aware of this. When he is with the lover, both
cease from their pain, but when he is away then he longs as he is
longed for, and has love's image, love for love (Anteros) lodging in his
breast, which he calls and believes to be not love but friendship only,
and his desire is as the desire of the other, but weaker; he wants
to see him, touch him, kiss him, embrace him, and probably not long
afterwards his desire is accomplished. When they meet, the wanton steed
of the lover has a word to say to the charioteer; he would like to have
a little pleasure in return for many pains, but the wanton steed of
the beloved says not a word, for he is bursting with passion which he
understands not;--he throws his arms round the lover and embraces him
as his dearest friend; and, when they are side by side, he is not in a
state in which he can refuse the lover anything, if he ask him; although
his fellow-steed and the charioteer oppose him with the arguments
of shame and reason. After this their happiness depends upon their
self-control; if the better elements of the mind which lead to order
and philosophy prevail, then they pass their life here in happiness and
harmony--masters of themselves and orderly--enslaving the vicious and
emancipating the virtuous elements of the soul; and when the end comes,
they are light and winged for flight, having conquered in one of the
three heavenly or truly Olympian victories; nor can human discipline or
divine inspiration confer any greater blessing on man than this. If,
on the other hand, they leave philosophy and lead the lower life of
ambition, then probably, after wine or in some other careless hour, the
two wanton animals take the two souls when off their guard and bring
them together, and they accomplish that desire of their hearts which to
the many is bliss; and this having once enjoyed they continue to enjoy,
yet rarely because they have not the approval of the whole soul. They
too are dear, but not so dear to one another as the others, either at
the time of their love or afterwards. They consider that they have given
and taken from each ot