Letter 805

To Chrysippus the Curator. [curator: a civic financial administrator] It is necessary to know that you are about to stand before a fearful tribunal, where no one appears who is able to render aid, or to snatch you out of the hand of the Judge; where no skillful cleverness will be able to avail anything at all; where there is no one who will plead as advocate, or who will beg you off. Since, therefore, your soul is about to pass through that fearful and eternal fire, do not be negligent, nor hold it in contempt, but repent, while you have the time and the appointed term of life. Come to the recognition of the things you have sinned; weep for yourself as one already dead and buried in a tomb; send dew ahead into that flame; set moving the springs of tears; grieve yourself with a good and saving grief; let the tear be brought forth in proportion to the offenses you have committed.

Ἀναγκαῖον εἰδέναι, ὅτι μέλλεις βήματι παρίστα- σθαι φοβερῷ, ἔνθα μηδεὶς ἐπιφαίνεται ἐπικουρῆσαι δυνάμενος, ἢ ἐξελέσθαι τῆς χειρὸς τοῦ δικαστοῦ· ἔνθα δεινότητος οὐδὲν τελείως ἰσγῦσαι δυνήσεται· ἔνθα μηδεὶς ὑπάρχει συνηγορήσων, ἢ παραιτησό- μενος. Ὡς οὖν διὰ τοῦ φοβεροῦ ἐκείνου καὶ αἰωνίου ἀ πυρὸς μελλούσης διελθεῖν τῆς ψυχῆς σου, μὴ ἀμελήσῃς, μηδὲ καταφρονήσῃς, ἀλλὰ μετανόησον, ὡς ἔχεις καιρὸν καὶ προθεσμίαν ζωῆς. Ἐλθὲ εἰς ἐπίγνωσιν τῶν ἡμαρτημένων σοι· κλαῦσον σαυτόν, ὡς ἤδη τεθνηκότα, καὶ ἐν μνημείῳ ταφέντα· πρόπεμψον δρόσον εἰς ἐκείνην τὴν φλόγα· κίνησον δακρύων πηγάς· λύπησον σεαυτὸν λύπην καλὴν καὶ σωτήριον· κατὰ ἀναλογίαν τῶν ἐπταισμένων σοι τὸ δάκρυον φερέσθω.