Taylor - Eleusianian and Bacchic Mysteries.pdf - Platonic Philosophy

Bacchic Mysteries. 65characters, who, though not apparently deserving of punishment, are yeteach of themsimilarly immerged in matter, and consequently require a similar degree of purification. The persons described are, as is wellknown, first, the souls of infants snatchedaway by untimely ends; secondly,such asare condemned to death unjustly ;ly, those who, weary of their lives, becomeguilty of suicide. And with respect to thefirst of these, or infants, their connectionwith a material nature is obvious.ond sort, too, who are condemned toand, thirdThe secdeathunjustly, must be supposed to represent thesouls of men who, though innocent ofonecrime for which they were wrongfully punished, have, notwithstanding, been guilty ofmany crimes, for which they are receivingproper chastisement in Hades, i. e. througha profound union with a material nature.*And the third sort, or suicides, though ap-*Hades, the Underworld, supposed by classical students to bethe region or estate of departed souls, it will have been noticed, isregarded by Mr. Taylor and other Platonists, as the human body,which they consider to be the grave and place of punishment ofthe soul. A. W.