what the effect
of beauty is when combined with poverty or wealth in a particular soul,
and what are the good and evil consequences of noble and humble birth,
of private and public station, of strength and weakness, of cleverness
and dullness, and of all the natural and acquired gifts of the soul, and
the operation of them when conjoined; he will then look at the nature of
the soul, and from the consideration of all these qualities he will be
able to determine which is the better and which is the worse; and so
he will choose, giving the name of evil to the life which will make his
soul more unjust, and good to the life which will make his soul more
just; all else he will disregard. For we have seen and know that this is
the best choice both in life and after death. A man must take with him
into the world below an adamantine faith in truth and right, that there
too he may be undazzled by the desire of wealth or the other allurements
of evil, lest, coming upon tyrannies and similar villainies, he do
irremediable wrongs to others and suffer yet worse himself; but let him
know how to choose the mean and avoid the extremes on either side, as
far as possible, not only in this life but in all that which is to come.
For this is the way of happiness.

And according to the report of the messenger from the other world this
was what the prophet said at the time: 'Even for the last comer, if he
chooses wisely and will live diligently, there is appointed a happy and
not undesirable existence. Let not him who chooses first be careless,
and let not the last despair.' And when he had spoken, he who had the
first choice came forward and in a moment chose the greatest tyranny;
his mind having been darkened by folly and sensuality, he had not
thought out the whole matter before he chose, and did not at first
sight perceive that he was fated, among other evils, to devour his own
children. But when he had time to reflect, and saw what was in the lot,
he began to beat his breast and lament over his choice, forgetting the
proclamation of the prophet; for, instead of throwing the blame of his
misfortune on himself, he accused chance and the gods, and everything
rather than himself. Now he was one of those who came from heaven, and
in a former life had dwelt in a well-ordered State, but his virtue was
a matter of habit only, and he had no philosophy. And it was true of
others who were similarly overtaken, that the greater number of them
came fr