Pagina 943 di 1391

Well, I said, there is a story which I remember to have heard,

and in which I put faith. The story is, that Leontius, the son of

Aglaion, coming up one day from the Piraeus, under the north wall

on the outside, observed some dead bodies lying on the ground at

the place of execution. He felt a desire to see them, and also a

dread and abhorrence of them; for a time he struggled and covered

his eyes, but at length the desire got the better of him; and

forcing them open, he ran up to the dead bodies, saying, Look, ye

wretches, take your fill of the fair sight.

I have heard the story myself, he said.

The moral of the tale is, that anger at times goes to war with

desire, as though they were two distinct things.

Yes; that is the meaning, he said.