Taylor - Eleusianian and Bacchic Mysteries.pdf - Platonic Philosophy

"78 Eleusinian andless impressive and profound, as the following extract from the manuscript commentaryof Olympiodorus on the Gorgias of Plato willabundantly affirm ": Ulysses," says he,descending into Hades, saw, among others,Sisyphus, and Tityus, and Tantalus. Tityushe saw lying on the earth, and a vulture devouring his liver; the liver signifying thathe lived solely according to the principle ofcupidity in his nature, and through this wasindeed internally prudent ;but the earthsignifies that his disposition was sordid.ButSisyphus, living under the dominion of ambition and anger, was employed in continuallyrolling a stoneperpetually descended again ;up an eminence, because itits descent implying the vicious government of himself ;and his rolling the stone, the hard, refractory,and, as it were, rebounding condition of hislife. And, lastly,bythe side ofhe saw Tantalus extendeda lake, and that there was atree before him, with abundance of fruit onits branches, which he desired to gather, butit vanished from his view ;and this indeedindicates, that he lived under the dominion