[1,75] ἐκ δὲ τοῦ ἐπὶ θάτερα μέρους γυνὴ σφόδρα ὡραία καὶ ἁβρῶς ἐσταλμένη καὶ μειδιῶσα ἀλύπως· Εἰρήνην καλοῦσιν αὐτήν· ὁ δ´ ἐγγὺς οὗτος ἑστηκὼς τῆς Βασιλείας παρ´ αὐτὸ τὸ σκῆπτρον ἔμπροσθεν ἰσχυρὸς ἀνήρ, πολιὸς καὶ μεγαλόφρων, οὗτος δὴ {καλεῖται} Νόμος, ὁ δὲ αὐτὸς καὶ λόγος ὀρθὸς κέκληται, σύμβουλος καὶ πάρεδρος, οὗ χωρὶς οὐδὲν ἐκείναις πρᾶξαι θέμις οὐδὲ διανοηθῆναι. (76) ταῦτα μὲν οὖν ἀκούων καὶ ὁρῶν ἐτέρπετο καὶ προσεῖχε τὸν νοῦν, ὡς οὐδέποτε αὐτῶν ἐπιλησόμενος. ἐντεῦθεν δὴ ἐπεὶ κατιόντες ἐγένοντο κατὰ τὴν τυραννικὴν εἴσοδον, Δεῦρο, ἔφη, θέασαι καὶ τὴν ἑτέραν, ἧς ἐρῶσιν οἱ πολλοὶ καὶ περὶ ἧς πολλὰ καὶ παντοδαπὰ πράγματα ἔχουσι, φονεύοντες οἱ ταλαίπωροι, παῖδές τε γονεῦσι πολλάκις ἐπιβουλεύοντες καὶ γονεῖς παισὶ καὶ ἀδελφοὶ ἀδελφοῖς, τὸ μέγιστον κακὸν ἐπιποθοῦντες καὶ μακαρίζοντες, ἐξουσίαν μετὰ ἀνοίας. (77) καὶ δὴ πρῶτον μὲν αὐτῷ τὰ περὶ τὴν εἴσοδον ἐδείκνυεν, ὡς μία μὲν ἐφαίνετο πρόδηλος, καὶ αὐτὴ σχεδὸν, ὁποίαν πρότερον εἶπον, ἐπισφαλὴς καὶ παρ´ αὐτὸν φέρουσα τὸν κρημνόν, πολλαὶ δὲ ἄδηλοι καὶ ἀφανεῖς διαδύσεις, καὶ κύκλῳ πᾶς ὑπόνομος ὁ τόπος καὶ διατετμημένος ὑπ´ αὐτὸν οἶμαι τὸν θρόνον, αἱ δὲ πάροδοι καὶ ἀτραποὶ πᾶσαι πεφυρμέναι αἵματι καὶ μεσταὶ νεκρῶν. διὰ δὲ τούτων οὐδεμιᾶς ἦγεν αὐτόν, ἀλλ´ ἔξωθεν καθαρωτέραν, ἅτε οἶμαι θεατὴν ἐσόμενον. (78) ἐπεὶ δὲ εἰσῆλθον, καταλαμβάνουσι τὴν Τυραννίδα καθημένην ὑψηλὴν ἐξεπίτηδες, προσποιουμένην καὶ ἀφομοιοῦσαν αὑτὴν τῇ Βασιλείᾳ, πολὺ δέ, ὡς ἐνόμιζεν, ὑψηλοτέρῳ καὶ κρείττονι τῷ θρόνῳ, μυρίας ἄλλας τινὰς ἔχοντι γλυφάς, καὶ διαθέσει χρυσοῦ καὶ ἐλέφαντος καὶ ἠλέκτρου καὶ ἐβένου καὶ παντοδαπῶν χρωμάτων πεποικιλμένῳ. τὴν δὲ βάσιν οὐκ ἦν ἀσφαλὴς ὁ θρόνος οὐδὲ ἡδρασμένος, ἀλλὰ κινούμενός τε καὶ ὀκλάζων. (79) ἦν δὲ οὐδ´ ἄλλο οὐδὲν ἐν κόσμῳ διακείμενον, ἀλλὰ πρὸς δόξαν ἅπαντα καὶ ἀλαζονείαν καὶ τρυφήν, πολλὰ μὲν σκῆπτρα, πολλαὶ δὲ τιᾶραι καὶ διαδήματα ἐπὶ τῆς κεφαλῆς. καὶ δὴ μιμουμένη τὸ ἐκείνης ἦθος ἀντὶ μὲν τοῦ προσφιλοῦς μειδιάματος ταπεινὸν ἐσεσήρει καὶ ὕπουλον, ἀντὶ δὲ τοῦ σεμνοῦ βλέμματος σκυθρωπὸν ὑφεωρᾶτο καὶ ἄγριον.

[1,75] On the other sicle is a woman exceeding beautiful, daintily attired, and smiling benignly; they call her Peace. But he who stands near Royalty, just beside the sceptre and somewhat in front of it, a strong man, grey-haired and proud, has the name of Law; but he has also been called Right Reason, Counsellor, Coadjutor, without whom these women are not permitted to take any action or even to purpose one.' (76) " With all that he heard and saw Heracles was delighted, and he paid close attention, determined never to forget it. But when they had come down from the higher peak and were at the entrance to Tyranny, Hermes said, ` Look this way and behold the other woman. It is with her that the majority of men are infatuated and to win her they give themselves much trouble of every kind, committing murder, wretches that they are, son often conspiring against father, father against son, and brother against brother, since they covet and count as felicity that which is the greatest evil—power conjoined with folly.' He then began by showing Heracles the nature of the entrance, explaining that whereas only one pathway appeared to view, that being about as described above—perilous and skirting the very edge of the precipice—yet there were many unseen and hidden corridors, and that the entire region was undermined on every side and tunnelled, no doubt up to the very throne, and that all the passages and bypaths were smeared with blood and strewn with corpses. Through none, however, of these passages did Hermes lead him, but along the outside one that was less befouled, because, I think, Heracles was to be a mere observer. (78) " When they entered, they discovered Tyranny seated aloft, of set purpose counterfeiting and making herself like to Royalty, but, as she imagined, on a far loftier and more splendid throne, since it was not only adorned with innumerable carvings, but embellished besides with inlaid patterns of gold, ivory, amber, ebony, and substances of every colour. Her throne, however, was not secure upon its foundation nor firmly settled, but shook and slouched upon its legs. And in general things were in disorder. everything suggesting vainglory, ostentation, and luxury—many sceptres, many tiaras and diadems for the head. Furthermore, in her zeal to imitate the character of the other woman, instead of the friendly smile Tyranny wore a leer of false humility, and instead of a glance of dignity she had an ugly and forbidding scowl.