[30,15] τὸ δὲ σῶμα ἰλίγγους τε καὶ σπασμοὺς καὶ ἐπιληψίας καὶ τἄλλα νοσήματα, ὅσα {δὲ} οὐδὲ τῷ λόγῳ δυνατὸν διελθεῖν, ὡς ἂν αἵματος καὶ πνεύματος μεστόν, ἔτι δὲ ἐκ σαρκῶν τε καὶ νεύρων καὶ ὀστέων συγκείμενον, ἐκ μαλακῶν τε καὶ σκληρῶν καὶ ὑγρῶν καὶ ξηρῶν, {ἐκ} τῶν ἐναντιωτάτων. τά τε σιτία, ὅπερ εἶπον, μοχθηρὰ ὄντα καὶ τὸν ἀέρα ἀνώμαλον προσπίπτοντα τὰς μὲν ἐπιτείνειν τῶν νόσων, τὰς δὲ ἀνακινεῖν, οὐ δοκούσας μὲν εἶναι πρότερον, ἐνούσας δὲ ἐν τῇ φύσει (16) τῶν σωμάτων. καὶ ταῦτα μὲν ἔνδον ἐγκεῖσθαι τὰ κακὰ ἐν ἡμῖν αὐτοῖς, ἐλαφροτέρας δὲ τὰς ἔξωθεν κολάσεις, εἴ τις αὐτὰς παραβάλλοι ταῖς ἐκ τῆς φύσεως. ἡ γὰρ πυρός τε καὶ σιδήρου φύσις καὶ πληγῶν δὲ καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ὀξεῖα καὶ ταχὺ ἀπαλλάττει τῆς αἰσθήσεως, εἴ τις καὶ σμικρὸν ὑπερβάλοι· ἐν δὲ ταῖς νόσοις ἐνίοτε (17) παρατείνουσι καὶ πάνυ πολὺν χρόνον. τοιαῖσδε μὲν δὴ καὶ τοσαῖσδε βασάνοις ξυνεχομένους τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἐν τῇδε τῇ φρουρᾷ καὶ τῷδε τῷ δεσμωτηρίῳ μένειν τὸν τεταγμένον ἕκαστον χρόνον, καὶ μὴ πρὶν ἀπιέναι τοὺς πολλοὺς πρὶν ἂν ἐξ αὑτοῦ ποιησάμενος ἄλλον ἀνθ´ ἑαυτοῦ καταλίπῃ διάδοχον τῆς κολάσεως, οἱ μὲν ἕνα, οἱ δὲ καὶ πλείους. μένειν δὲ οὐχ ἑκόντας, ἀλλὰ μιᾷ πάντας ἁλύσει δεδέσθαι τά τε σώματα καὶ τὰς ψυχάς, {καθάπερ καὶ ἐφ´ ἡμῶν ἰδεῖν ἔστιν ἐν ἁλύσει μιᾷ δεδεμένους πολλοὺς ἐφεξῆς}, τοὺς μὲν αὐτῶν σμικρούς, τοὺς δὲ μεγάλους, καὶ τοὺς μὲν αἰσχρούς, τοὺς δ´ εὐπρεπεῖς, οὐδὲν δὲ ἧττον ἅπαντας ἐπ´ ἴσης ἐν τῇ αὐτῇ ἀνάγκῃ (18) ἔχεσθαι. ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ ταῖς τύχαις τε καὶ δόξαις καὶ τιμαῖς ἀλλήλων ὑπερέχειν, ὥσπερ τοῖς σώμασιν. εἶναι γὰρ τοὺς μὲν βασιλέας, τοὺς δὲ ἰδιώτας, καὶ τοὺς μὲν πλουσίους, τοὺς δὲ ἀπόρους. καὶ οὐδέν γε παρὰ τοῦτο ἔλαττον κακοπαθεῖν καὶ συνέχεσθαι τῷ αὐτῷ δεσμῷ τοὺς εὐδαίμονας καλουμένους τῶν πενήτων τε καὶ ἀδόξων, (19) ἀλλὰ μᾶλλον τούτων ἐκείνους. ἰσχνοτέροις γὰρ οὖσιν αὐτοῖς κεχαλάσθαι τὸν δεσμὸν καὶ λαγαρώτερον ἑκάστῳ περικεῖσθαι· τοῖς δὲ βασιλεῦσι καὶ τυράννοις, οἷα δὴ πεφυσημένοις τὴν ψυχὴν καὶ σφόδρα εὐεκτοῦσι, μᾶλλον ἐγκεῖσθαι καὶ θλίβειν· ὥσπερ ἐν τοῖς τὰ σώματα δεδεμένοις τοὺς παχεῖς τε καὶ ὀγκώδεις τῶν λεπτῶν τε καὶ ἀτρόφων μᾶλλον ὁ δεσμὸς πιέζει· τινὰς μέντοι καὶ λίαν ὀλίγους πάρεσίν τινα ἔχειν ἐκ τοῦ θεοῦ, καὶ δεδέσθαι μέν, ἐλαφρῶς δὲ πάνυ δι´ ἐπιείκειαν· ὑπὲρ ὧν αὖθις λέξομεν.

[30,15] Our body too is subject to vertigo, convulsions, epilepsy, and other diseases, so numerous that it is not even possible to enumerate them, since it is full of blood and air, and, further, is composed of flesh and sinews and bones, of both soft and hard things, of moist and dry things, complete opposites. Then our foods, as I said, being bad and the weather variable, aggravate some of our diseases and bring on others, which, though they do not seem to be there at first, yet are actually inherent in the nature of our bodies. These are the evils which lie within our own selves. The other chastisements, which come from without, are lighter in comparison with those that come from our own nature. For the effect of fire or steel, of blows, or of other things is sharp and quickly passes from consciousness even if it becomes at any time a Little excessive. But in the case of diseases sometimes the effects last for a very long time.' (17) " Such, then, are the tortures, and so numerous, by which men are afflicted while they remain in this prison and dungeon, each for his appointed time ; and the majority do not get out until they produce another person from their own loins and leave him to succeed to the punishment in their stead, some leaving one and others even more. They do not stay voluntarily, but are all bound fast by one chain, body and soul, just as you may see many persons bound by us by one chain in a row, some of them small, some large, some ugly and some good looking ; but none the less all of them are held on equal terms in the same constraint. (18) "And, likewise, men are superior one to the other in their fortunes, reputations, and honours, just as they are in their bodies. Some of them are kings, others are in private station, some are wealthy, and others are without means. Yet no whit less on this account do the fortunate, as they are called, suffer and are held fast in the same bondage, than do the poor and unknown, nay, they suffer more than the others. For since the poor are leaner, the bond which lies about each of them is looser and easier. But as for kings and tyrants, just because they are puffed up in soul and are in exceedingly good bodily condition, so the chains lie heavier upon them and gall them the more ; exactly as in the case of persons whose bodies are bound, the fetter pinches the stout and bulky more than it does the thin and undernourished. However, a very few enjoy some relief by the kindness of God ; and while they are indeed bound, yet the bond is very light on account of their goodness—a class of men concerning whom we shall speak again.