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offer ourselves, neither lamenting overmuch, nor fearing overmuch, if we are
to die at this time. And we entreat our fathers and mothers to retain these
feelings throughout their future life, and to be assured that they will not please
us by sorrowing and lamenting over us. But, if the dead have any knowledge
of the living, they will displease us most by making themselves miserable and
by taking their misfortunes too much to heart, and they will please us best if
they bear their loss lightly and temperately. For our life will have the noblest
end which is vouchsafed to man, and should be glorified rather than lamented.
And if they will direct their minds to the care and nurture of our wives and
children, they will soonest forget their misfortunes, and live in a better and
nobler way, and be dearer to us.
‘This is all that we have to say to our families: and to the state we would
say—Take care of our parents and of our sons: let her worthily cherish the old
age of our parents, and bring up our sons in the right way. But we know that
she will of her own accord take care of them, and does not need any
exhortation of ours.’
This, O ye children and parents of the dead, is the message which they bid
us deliver to you, and which I do deliver with the utmost seriousness. And in
their name I beseech you, the children, to imitate your fathers, and you,
parents, to be of good cheer about yourselves; for we will nourish your age,
and take care of you both publicly and privately in any place in which one of
us may meet one of you who are the parents of the dead. And the care of you
which the city shows, you know yourselves; for she has made provision by
law concerning the parents and children of those who die in war; the highest
authority is specially entrusted with the duty of watching over them above all
other citizens, and they will see that your fathers and mothers have no wrong
done to them. The city herself shares in the education of the children, desiring
as far as it is possible that their orphanhood may not be felt by them; while
they are children she is a parent to them, and when they have arrived at man’s
estate she sends them to their several duties, in full armour clad; and bringing
freshly to their minds the ways of their fathers, she places in their hands the
instruments of their fathers’ virtues; for the sake of the omen, she would have
them from the first begin to rule over their own houses arrayed in the strength
and arms of their fathers. And as for the dead, she never ceases honouring
them, celebrating in common for all rites which become the property of each;
and in addition to this, holding gymnastic and equestrian contests, and
musical festivals of every sort. She is to the dead in the place of a son and
heir, and to their sons in the place of a father, and to their parents and elder
kindred in the place of a guardian—ever and always caring for them.
Considering this, you ought to bear your calamity the more gently; for thus
you will be most endeared to the dead and to the living, and your sorrows will
142
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book The Complete Plato"
The Complete Plato
- Title
- The Complete Plato
- Author
- Plato
- Date
- ~347 B.C.
- Language
- English
- License
- PD
- Size
- 21.0 x 29.7 cm
- Pages
- 1612
- Keywords
- Philosophy, Antique, Philosophie, Antike, Dialogues, Metaphysik, Metaphysics, Ideologie, Ideology, Englisch
- Categories
- Geisteswissenschaften
- International