οὐκ ἐξάξεις, ἵνα μὴ ἐξίῃ [ἔχουσά τι]· ἐξελεύσεται γὰρ ἔχουσά τι, ἵνα καὶ ἐξέλθῃ, τό τε ἐξελθεῖν ἐστι μεταβῆναι εἰς ἄλλον τόπον· ἀλλὰ μενεῖ τὸ σῶμα ἀποστῆναι πᾶν αὐτῆς, ὅτε μὴ δεῖται μετελθεῖν, ἀλλ’ ἔστι πάντη ἔξω. πῶς οὖν ἀφίσταται τὸ σῶμα; ὅταν μηδὲν ἔτι δεδεμένον ᾖ τῆς ψυχῆς ἀδυνατοῦντος τοῦ σώματος ἐνδεῖν τῆς ἁρμονίας αὐτοῦ οὐκέτι οὔσης, ἣν ἔχον εἶχε τὴν ψυχήν. τί οὖν, εἰ μηχανήσαιτό τις λυθῆναι τὸ σῶμα; ἢ ἐβιάσατο καὶ ἀπέστη αὐτός, οὐκ ἐκεῖνο ἀφῆκε· καὶ ὅτε λύει οὐκ ἀπαθής, ἀλλ’ ἢ δυσχέρανσις ἢ λύπη ἢ θυμός· δεῖ δὲ μηδὲν πράττειν. εἰ οὖν ἀρχὴν αἴσθοιτο τοῦ ληρεῖν; ἢ τάχα μὲν οὐ περὶ σπουδαῖον· εἰ δὲ καὶ γένοιτο, τάττοιτο ἂν ἐν τοῖς ἀναγκαίοις τοῦτο καὶ ἐκ περιστάσεως αἱρετοῖς, οὐχ ἁπλῶς αἱρετοῖς.
You shall not take it out, so that it does not go out [having something]. For it will go out having something, in order that it may go out at all; and going out means moving to another place. Rather, it will wait for the body to depart from it entirely, when it does not need to move out but is wholly outside. How, then, does the body depart? When nothing of the soul is bound to it any longer, since the body can no longer bind it, its harmony, by having which it had the soul, being gone. What then, if someone contrived to have the body dissolved? Then he has used force and departed himself; he has not let the body go. And when he dissolves it he is not free of passion: there is disgust, or grief, or anger. But one must do nothing. What, then, if he perceives the onset of madness? Perhaps this does not happen to a good man. But if it did happen, it would be ranked among things that are necessary and chosen because of circumstances, not chosen absolutely.
καὶ γὰρ ἡ τῶν φαρμάκων προσαγωγὴ πρὸς ἔξοδον ψυχῆς τάχα ἂν ψυχῇ οὐ πρόσφορος. καὶ εἰ εἱμαρμένος χρόνος ὁ δοθεὶς ἑκάστῳ, πρὸ τούτου οὐκ εὐτυχές, εἰ μή, ὥσπερ φαμέν, ἀναγκαῖον. εἰ δέ, οἷος ἕκαστος ἔξεισι, τοιαύτην ἴσχει ἐκεῖ τάξιν, εἰς τὸ προκόπτειν οὔσης ἐπιδόσεως οὐκ ἐξακτέον.
Indeed, giving oneself drugs to bring about the soul’s departure is perhaps not fitting for the soul either. And if the time given to each of us is fated, it is not a happy thing to go before it, unless, as we say, it is necessary. And if each person holds a rank there corresponding to the state in which he leaves, then while progress is still possible, one should not take the soul out.