Between Heathenism and Christianity - College of Stoic Philosophers

The Delay of the Deity
with dissolve into nothing, like clouds or srnoke, as
soon as they leave the body, he would have instituted so
many ceremonies for the dead, and would still require
large gifts and honors for the deceased, merely to
impose upon and delude the credulous. For im
part, I could never give up (my faith in) the
immortality of the soul unless some one should again,
like another Herakles, take away the tripod of the
Pythia. and eradicate and destroy the oracle. So long
as even in our day many such oracular responses are
rendered, as they say were given to Korax the Naxian.
it is impious to assert that the soul can die." Here
Patrocleas asked,
What was the response and who
was this Korax? for to me both the name and the
circumstance are unknown." "Not at all,"
said I,
"but I am to blame for using a cognomen instead
of a name. The man who slew Archilochus in battle
was called Kalondas, as you know; but he bore the
eponym, Korax. Repelled at first by the Pythia for
killing a devotee of the Muses, he next had recourse
in order to secure
to prayers and humble supplications
his restoration to favor, then was commanded to repair
to the habitation of Tettix, in order to appease the
soul of Archilochus. This was at Taenarus. for
thither, they say,
Tettix the Cretan came with his
fleet, founded a city and settled near an oracle of the
dead. In like manner, also, an oracle came to the
Spartans, bidding them conciliate the soul of Pausanias,
persons who could evoke the dead having been
^ent for to Italy; these, after offering sacrifice.
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