Between Heathenism and Christianity - College of Stoic Philosophers

The Delay of the Deity
distances from one another, and a
radiance proceed
ing from them, surprising in its brilliancy
and color,
in which his soul moved about with facility just as a
man in a calm moves a ship in any direction, easily
and quickly. Though he omitted most of what he
saw, he said that the souls of the dead, rising from
below, made flame4ike bubbles as they displaced the
air before them ; then, as each bubble noiselessly burst,
the souls came forth, human in form but of a smaller
size. Their movements, however, were not alike,
for some started forth with surprising fleetness and
darted straight up, while others whirled round in a
circle just like spindles, and whisking, now upward,
now downward, with a kind of confused and aimless
motion, they came to rest only after a long
time and
with great difficulty. Respecting most of the souls,
however, he was in ignorance as to who they were; but
recognizing two or three of his acquaintances, he tried
to approach and address them, yet they neither heard
him nor were in their right mind, but beside them
selves and dazed, trying to avoid all notice and in
tercourse, moving aimlessly about, at first alone by
themselves, then encountering many who were in a
like condition, they joined themselves to
tossed about in a disorderly manner in all
they uttered unintelligible
these, and,
directions,
cries that sounded like
mingled screams of lamentation and fear. Others,
again, were seen at the very summit of the upper air,
radiant with joy, frequently approaching each
other
with signs of affection, but avoiding the disorderly
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