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is　to　speak　next　according　to　our　agreement。　　（Tim。）







CRITIAS：　　And　I；　Timaeus；　accept　the　trust；　and　as　you　at　first　said　that



you　were　going　to　speak　of　high　matters；　and　begged　that　some　forbearance



might　be　shown　to　you；　I　too　ask　the　same　or　greater　forbearance　for　what　I



am　about　to　say。　　And　although　I　very　well　know　that　my　request　may　appear



to　be　somewhat　ambitious　and　discourteous；　I　must　make　it　nevertheless。　



For　will　any　man　of　sense　deny　that　you　have　spoken　well？　　I　can　only



attempt　to　show　that　I　ought　to　have　more　indulgence　than　you；　because　my



theme　is　more　difficult；　and　I　shall　argue　that　to　seem　to　speak　well　of



the　gods　to　men　is　far　easier　than　to　speak　well　of　men　to　men：　　for　the



inexperience　and　utter　ignorance　of　his　hearers　about　any　subject　is　a



great　assistance　to　him　who　has　to　speak　of　it；　and　we　know　how　ignorant　we



are　concerning　the　gods。　　But　I　should　like　to　make　my　meaning　clearer；　if



you　will　follow　me。　　All　that　is　said　by　any　of　us　can　only　be　imitation



and　representation。　　For　if　we　consider　the　likenesses　which　painters　make



of　bodies　divine　and　heavenly；　and　the　different　degrees　of　gratification



with　which　the　eye　of　the　spectator　receives　them；　we　shall　see　that　we　are



satisfied　with　the　artist　who　is　able　in　any　degree　to　imitate　the　earth



and　its　mountains；　and　the　rivers；　and　the　woods；　and　the　universe；　and　the



things　that　are　and　move　therein；　and　further；　that　knowing　nothing　precise



about　such　matters；　we　do　not　examine　or　analyze　the　painting；　all　that　is



required　is　a　sort　of　indistinct　and　deceptive　mode　of　shadowing　them



forth。　　But　when　a　person　endeavours　to　paint　the　human　form　we　are　quick



at　finding　out　defects；　and　our　familiar　knowledge　makes　us　severe　judges



of　any　one　who　does　not　render　every　point　of　similarity。　　And　we　may



observe　the　same　thing　to　happen　in　discourse；　we　are　satisfied　with　a



picture　of　divine　and　heavenly　things　which　has　very　little　likeness　to



them；　but　we　are　more　precise　in　our　criticism　of　mortal　and　human　things。　



Wherefore　if　at　the　moment　of　speaking　I　cannot　suitably　express　my



meaning；　you　must　excuse　me；　considering　that　to　form　approved　likenesses



of　human　things　is　the　reverse　of　easy。　　This　is　what　I　want　to　suggest　to



you；　and　at　the　same　time　to　beg；　Socrates；　that　I　may　have　not　less；　but



more　indulgence　conceded　to　me　in　what　I　am　about　to　say。　　Which　favour；　if



I　am　right　in　asking；　I　hope　that　you　will　be　ready　to　grant。







SOCRATES：　　Certainly；　Critias；　we　will　grant　your　request；　and　we　will



grant　the　same　by　anticipation　to　Hermocrates；　as　well　as　to　you　and



Timaeus；　for　I　have　no　doubt　that　when　his　turn　comes　a　little　while　hence；



he　will　make　the　same　request　which　you　have　made。　　In　order；　then；　that　he



may　provide　himself　with　a　fresh　beginning；　and　not　be　compelled　to　say　the



same　things　over　again；　let　him　understand　that　the　indulgence　is　already



extended　by　anticipation　to　him。　　And　now；　friend　Critias；　I　will　announce



to　you　the　judgment　of　the　theatre。　　They　are　of　opinion　that　the　last



performer　was　wonderfully　successful；　and　that　you　will　need　a　great　deal



of　indulgence　before　you　will　be　able　to　take　his　place。







HERMOCRATES：　　The　warning；　Socrates；　which　you　have　addressed　to　him；　I



must　also　take　to　myself。　　But　remember；　Critias；　that　faint　heart　never



yet　raised　a　trophy；　and　therefore　you　must　go　and　attack　the　argument　like



a　man。　　First　invoke　Apollo　and　the　Muses；　and　then　let　us　hear　you　sound



the　praises　and　show　forth　the　virtues　of　your　ancient　citizens。







CRITIAS：　　Friend　Hermocrates；　you；　who　are　stationed　last　and　have　another



in　front　of　you；　have　not　lost　heart　as　yet；　the　gravity　of　the　situation



will　soon　be　revealed　to　you；　meanwhile　I　accept　your　exhortations　and



encouragements。　　But　besides　the　gods　and　goddesses　whom　you　have



mentioned；　I　would　specially　invoke　Mnemosyne；　for　all　the　important　part



of　my　discourse　is　dependent　on　her　favour；　and　if　I　can　recollect　and



recite　enough　of　what　was　said　by　the　priests　and　brought　hither　by　Solon；



I　doubt　not　that　I　shall　satisfy　the　requirements　of　this　theatre。　　And



now；　making　no　more　excuses；　I　will　proceed。







Let　me　begin　by　observing　first　of　all；　that　nine　thousand　was　the　sum　of



years　which　had　elapsed　since　the　war　which　was　said　to　have　taken　place



between　those　who　dwelt　outside　the　pillars　of　Heracles　and　all　who　dwelt



within　them；　this　war　I　am　going　to　describe。　　Of　the　combatants　on　the　one



side；　the　city　of　Athens　was　reported　to　have　been　the　leader　and　to　have



fought　out　the　war；　the　combatants　on　the　other　side　were　commanded　by　the



kings　of　Atlantis；　which；　as　I　was　saying；　was　an　island　greater　in　extent



than　Libya　and　Asia；　and　when　afterwards　sunk　by　an　earthquake；　became　an



impassable　barrier　of　mud　to　voyagers　sailing　from　hence　to　any　part　of　the



ocean。　　The　progress　of　the　history　will　unfold　the　various　nations　of



barbarians　and　families　of　Hellenes　which　then　existed；　as　they



successively　appear　on　the　scene；　but　I　must　describe　first　of　all　the



Athenians　of　that　day；　and　their　enemies　who　fought　with　them；　and　then　the



respective　powers　and　governments　of　the　two　kingdoms。　　Let　us　give　the



precedence　to　Athens。







In　the　days　of　old；　the　gods　had　the　whole　earth　distributed　among　them　by



allotment　（Cp。　Polit。）　　There　was　no　quarrelling；　for　you　cannot　rightly



suppose　that　the　gods　did　not　know　what　was　proper　for　each　of　them　to



have；　or；　knowing　this；　that　they　would　seek　to　procure　for　themselves　by



contention　that　which　more　properly　belonged　to　others。　　They　all　of　them



by　just　apportionment　obtained　what　they　wanted；　and　peopled　their　own



districts；　and　when　they　had　peopled　them　they　tended　us；　their　nurselings



and　possessions；　as　shepherds　tend　their　flocks；　excepting　only　that　they



did　not　use　blows　or　bodily　force；　as　shepherds　do；　but　governed　us　like



pilots　from　the　stern　of　the　vessel；　which　is　an　easy　way　of　guiding



animals；　holding　our　souls　by　the　rudder　of　persuasion　according　to　their



own　pleasure；thus　did　they　guide　all　mortal　creatures。　　Now　different



gods　had　their　allotments　in　different　places　which　they　set　in　order。　



Hephaestus　and　Athene；　who　were　brother　and　sister；　and　sprang　from　the



same　father；　having　a　common　nature；　and　being　united　also　in　the　love　of



philosophy　and　art；　both　obtained　as　their　common　portion　this　land；　which



was　naturally　adapted　for　wisdom　and　virtue；　and　there　they　implanted　brave



children　of　the　soil；　and　put　into　their　minds　the　order　of　government；



their　names　are　preserved；　but　their　actions　have　disappeared　by　reason　of



the　destruction　of　those　who　received　the　tradition；　and　the　lapse　of　ages。　



For　when　there　were　any　survivors；　as　I　have　already　said；　they　were　men



who　dwelt　in　the　mountains；　and　they　were　ignorant　of　the　art　of　writing；



and　had　heard　only　the　names　of　the　chiefs　of　the　land；　but　very　little



about　their　actions。　　The　names　they　were　willing　enough　to　give　to　their



children；　but　the　virtues　and　the　laws　of　their　predecessors；　they　knew



only　by　obscure　traditions；　and　as　they　themselves　and　their　children



lacked　for　many　generations　the　necessaries　of　life；　they　directed　their



attention　to　the　supply　of　their　wants；　and　of　them　they　conversed；　to　the



neglect　of　events　that　had　happened　in　times　long　past；　for　mythology　and



the　enquiry　into　antiquity　are　first　introduced　into　cities　when　they　begin



to　have　leisure　（Cp。　Arist。　Metaphys。）；　and　when　they　see　that　the



necessaries　of　life　have　already　been　provided；　but　not　before。　　And　this



is　the　reason　why　the　names　of　the　ancients　have　been　preserved　to　us　and



not　their　actions。　　This　I　infer　because　Solon　said　that　the　priests　in



their　narrative　of　that　war　mentioned　most　of　the　names　which　are　recorded



prior　to　the　time　of　Theseus；　such　as　Cecrops；　and　Erechtheus；　and



Erichthonius；　and　Erysichthon；　and　the　names　of　the　women　in　like　manner。　



Moreover；　since　military　pursuits　were　then　common　to　men　and　women；　the



men　of　those　days　in　accordance　with　the　custom　of　the　time　set　up　a　figure



and　image　of　the　goddess　in　full　armour；　to　be　a　testimony　that　all　animals



which　associate　together；　male　as　well　as　female；　may；　if　they　please；



practise　in　common　the　virtue　which　belongs　to　them　without　distinction　of



sex。







Now　the　country　was　inhabited　in　those　days　by　various　classes　of



citizens；there　were　artisans；　and　there　were　husbandmen；　and　there　was



also　a　warrior　class　originally　set　apart　by　divine　men。　　The　latter　dwelt



by　themselves；　and　had　all　things　suitable　for　nurture　and　education；



neither　had　any　of　them　anything　of　their　own；　but　they　regarded　all　that



they　had　as　common　property；　nor　did　they　claim　to　receive　of　the　other



citizens　anything　more　than　their　necessary　food。　　And　they　practised　all



the　pursuits　which　we　yesterday　described　as　those　of　our　imaginary



guardians。　　Concerning　the　country　the　Egyptian　priests　said　what　is　not



only　probable　but　manifestly　true；　that　the　boundaries　were　in　those　days



fixed　by　the　Isthmus；　and　that　in　the　direction　of　the　continent　they



extended　as　far　as　the　heights　of　Cithaeron　and　Parnes；　the　boundary　line



came　down　in　the　direction　of　the　sea；　having　the　district　of　Oropus　on　the



right；　and　with　the　river　Asopus　as　the　limit　on　the　left。　　The　land　was



the　best　in　the　world；　and　was　therefore　able　in　those　days