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  | title = An Oriental Trance Medium
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I will tell you the story of a brave man (Erus), the son of Armenius, by descent a Pamphylian, who happening on a time to die in battle, when the dead were on the tenth day carried off, already corrupted, was taken up sound ; and being carried home, as he was about to be buried on the twelfth day, when laid on the funeral pile, revived ; and being revived he told what he saw in the other state, and said, after the soul left the body, it went with many others, and that they came to a certain mysterious, hallowed place, where there were two chasms in the earth, near to each other, and two other openings in the heavens opposite to them, and that the judges sat between these; that when they gave judgment they commanded the just to go on the right hand and upwards through the heaven, having fitted marks on the front of those that had been judged; but the unjust they commanded to the left, and downwards, and these likewise had behind them marks of all that they had done. But when he came before the judges, they said he ought to be a messenger to men concerning things there, and they commanded him to hear and contemplate everything therein; and that he saw there through two openings, one of the heaven and one of the earth the souls departing, after they were there judged; and through the other two openings he saw, rising through the one out of the earth, souls full of squalidness and dust; and through the other, be saw other souls descending pure from, heaven; and that on their arrival from time to time they seemed as if they came from a long journey, and that they gladly went to rest themselves in the meadow, as in a public assembly, and such as were acquainted saluted one another, and those who rose out of the earth asked the others concerning the things above, and those from heaven asked them concerning the things below, and that they told one another, — those wailing and weeping, while they called to mind what and how many things they suffered and saw in their journey under the earth (for it was a journey of a thousand years); and that these, again, from heaven explained their enjoyments, and spectacles of amazing beauty.
I will tell you the story of a brave man (Erus), the son of Armenius, by descent a Pamphylian, who happening on a time to die in battle, when the dead were on the tenth day carried off, already corrupted, was taken up sound ; and being carried home, as he was about to be buried on the twelfth day, when laid on the funeral pile, revived ; and being revived he told what he saw in the other state, and said, after the soul left the body, it went with many others, and that they came to a certain mysterious, hallowed place, where there were two chasms in the earth, near to each other, and two other openings in the heavens opposite to them, and that the judges sat between these; that when they gave judgment they commanded the just to go on the right hand and upwards through the heaven, having fitted marks on the front of those that had been judged; but the unjust they commanded to the left, and downwards, and these likewise had behind them marks of all that they had done. But when he came before the judges, they said he ought to be a messenger to men concerning things there, and they commanded him to hear and contemplate everything therein; and that he saw there through two openings, one of the heaven and one of the earth the souls departing, after they were there judged; and through the other two openings he saw, rising through the one out of the earth, souls full of squalidness and dust; and through the other, be saw other souls descending pure from, heaven; and that on their arrival from time to time they seemed as if they came from a long journey, and that they gladly went to rest themselves in the meadow, as in a public assembly, and such as were acquainted saluted one another, and those who rose out of the earth asked the others concerning the things above, and those from heaven asked them concerning the things below, and that they told one another, — those wailing and weeping, while they called to mind what and how many things they suffered and saw in their journey under the earth (for it was a journey of a thousand years); and that these, again, from heaven explained their enjoyments, and spectacles of amazing beauty.


To narrate many of them, Glaucon, would occupy much time; but this, he said, was the same, that whatever just actions a man had committed, and whatever injuries a man had committed, they were punished for all these separately tenfold ; and that it was in each, according to the rate of a hundred years— the life of man being considered as so long—that they might suffer tenfold punishment for the injustice they had done ; so that if any had been the cause of many deaths, either by betraying cities or armies, or bringing men into slavery, or being confederates in any other wickedness for each of all these they reaped tenfold sufferings; and if  
To narrate many of them, Glaucon, would occupy much time; but this, he said, was the same, that whatever just actions a man had committed, and whatever injuries a man had committed, they were punished for all these separately tenfold ; and that it was in each, according to the rate of a hundred years— the life of man being considered as so long—that they might suffer tenfold punishment for the injustice they had done ; so that if any had been the cause of many deaths, either by betraying cities or armies, or bringing men into slavery, or being confederates in any other wickedness for each of all these they reaped tenfold sufferings; and if {{Style S-HPB SB. Continues on |3-176}}
 
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again, they had benefited any by good deeds, and had been just and holy, they were rewarded according to their deserts. Of those who died very young, and lived but a little time, he related other things not worth mentioning; but of impiety and piety towards the gods and parents, and of suicide, he told the more remarkable retributions. . . . . . . .
 
After they arrive here it is necessary for them to go direct to Lachesis. Then a certain prophet first of all ranges them in order, and afterwards taking the lots, and the models of lives, from the knees of Lachesis, and ascending a lofty tribunal, he says :— “ The speech of the Virgin Lachesis, the daughter of Necessity : Souls of a day ! The beginning of another period of men of mortal race. The demon shall not receive you as his lot, but you shall choose the demon ; he who draws the first, let him first make choice of a life, to which he must of necessity adhere. Virtue is independent, of which everyone shall partake, more or less, according as he honors or dishonors her : the cause is in him who makes the choice, and the Deity is blameless.” When he had said these things, he threw the lots on all of them, and each took up the one which fell beside him, except himself, for he was not permitted ; and when each had taken it, he knew what number he had drawn. After this he placed on the ground before them the models of lives, many more than those we see at present: and they were all various, for there was lives of all sorts of animals, and human lives of every kind : and among these there were tyrannies also, some of them perpetual, and others destroyed in the midst of their greatness, and ending in poverty, banishment, and want. There were also lives of renowned men, some for their appearance as to beauty, strength and agility ; and others for their descent, and the virtues of their ancestors. There were the lives of renowned women in the same manner. But there was no disposition of soul among these models, because of necessity, on choosing a different life, it becomes different itself. As to other things, riches and poverty, sickness and health, they are mixed with one another, and some were in a middle station between these.
 
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At that time, therefore, the messenger from the other world further told how that the prophet spoke thus :— “ Even to him who comes last, if he chooses with judgment, and lives consistently, there is prepared a desirable life, and by no means bad. Let neither him who is first be negligent in his choice, nor let him that is last, despair.”
 
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Of the water of Lethe all of them must necessarily drink a certain quantity, and such as are not kept by prudence drink more than they ought, and he who from time to time drinks forgets everything. And, after they were laid asleep, and midnight was approaching, there was thunder and an earthquake, and they were thence on a sudden carried upwards, some one way and some another, approaching to generation like stars. And he himself was forbidden to drink of the water. Where, however, and in what manner he came into his body, he was entirely ignorant, but suddenly looking up in the morning, he saw himself already laid on the funeral pile.


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