critias-第1章

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Critias







by　Plato







Translated　by　Benjamin　Jowett











INTRODUCTION　AND　ANALYSIS。







The　Critias　is　a　fragment　which　breaks　off　in　the　middle　of　a　sentence。　　It



was　designed　to　be　the　second　part　of　a　trilogy；　which；　like　the　other



great　Platonic　trilogy　of　the　Sophist；　Statesman；　Philosopher；　was　never



completed。　　Timaeus　had　brought　down　the　origin　of　the　world　to　the



creation　of　man；　and　the　dawn　of　history　was　now　to　succeed　the　philosophy



of　nature。　　The　Critias　is　also　connected　with　the　Republic。　　Plato；　as　he



has　already　told　us　（Tim。）；　intended　to　represent　the　ideal　state　engaged



in　a　patriotic　conflict。　　This　mythical　conflict　is　prophetic　or　symbolical



of　the　struggle　of　Athens　and　Persia；　perhaps　in　some　degree　also　of　the



wars　of　the　Greeks　and　Carthaginians；　in　the　same　way　that　the　Persian　is



prefigured　by　the　Trojan　war　to　the　mind　of　Herodotus；　or　as　the　narrative



of　the　first　part　of　the　Aeneid　is　intended　by　Virgil　to　foreshadow　the



wars　of　Carthage　and　Rome。　　The　small　number　of　the　primitive　Athenian



citizens　（20；000）；　'which　is　about　their　present　number'　（Crit。）；　is



evidently　designed　to　contrast　with　the　myriads　and　barbaric　array　of　the



Atlantic　hosts。　　The　passing　remark　in　the　Timaeus　that　Athens　was　left



alone　in　the　struggle；　in　which　she　conquered　and　became　the　liberator　of



Greece；　is　also　an　allusion　to　the　later　history。　　Hence　we　may　safely



conclude　that　the　entire　narrative　is　due　to　the　imagination　of　Plato；　who



has　used　the　name　of　Solon　and　introduced　the　Egyptian　priests　to　give



verisimilitude　to　his　story。　　To　the　Greek　such　a　tale；　like　that　of　the



earth…born　men；　would　have　seemed　perfectly　accordant　with　the　character　of



his　mythology；　and　not　more　marvellous　than　the　wonders　of　the　East



narrated　by　Herodotus　and　others：　　he　might　have　been　deceived　into



believing　it。　　But　it　appears　strange　that　later　ages　should　have　been



imposed　upon　by　the　fiction。　　As　many　attempts　have　been　made　to　find　the



great　island　of　Atlantis；　as　to　discover　the　country　of　the　lost　tribes。　



Without　regard　to　the　description　of　Plato；　and　without　a　suspicion　that



the　whole　narrative　is　a　fabrication；　interpreters　have　looked　for　the　spot



in　every　part　of　the　globe；　America；　Arabia　Felix；　Ceylon；　Palestine；



Sardinia；　Sweden。







Timaeus　concludes　with　a　prayer　that　his　words　may　be　acceptable　to　the　God



whom　he　has　revealed；　and　Critias；　whose　turn　follows；　begs　that　a　larger



measure　of　indulgence　may　be　conceded　to　him；　because　he　has　to　speak　of



men　whom　we　know　and　not　of　gods　whom　we　do　not　know。　　Socrates　readily



grants　his　request；　and　anticipating　that　Hermocrates　will　make　a　similar



petition；　extends　by　anticipation　a　like　indulgence　to　him。







Critias　returns　to　his　story；　professing　only　to　repeat　what　Solon　was　told



by　the　priests。　　The　war　of　which　he　was　about　to　speak　had　occurred　9000



years　ago。　　One　of　the　combatants　was　the　city　of　Athens；　the　other　was　the



great　island　of　Atlantis。　　Critias　proposes　to　speak　of　these　rival　powers



first　of　all；　giving　to　Athens　the　precedence；　the　various　tribes　of　Greeks



and　barbarians　who　took　part　in　the　war　will　be　dealt　with　as　they



successively　appear　on　the　scene。







In　the　beginning　the　gods　agreed　to　divide　the　earth　by　lot　in　a　friendly



manner；　and　when　they　had　made　the　allotment　they　settled　their　several



countries；　and　were　the　shepherds　or　rather　the　pilots　of　mankind；　whom



they　guided　by　persuasion；　and　not　by　force。　　Hephaestus　and　Athena；



brother　and　sister　deities；　in　mind　and　art　united；　obtained　as　their　lot



the　land　of　Attica；　a　land　suited　to　the　growth　of　virtue　and　wisdom；　and



there　they　settled　a　brave　race　of　children　of　the　soil；　and　taught　them



how　to　order　the　state。　　Some　of　their　names；　such　as　Cecrops；　Erechtheus；



Erichthonius；　and　Erysichthon；　were　preserved　and　adopted　in　later　times；



but　the　memory　of　their　deeds　has　passed　away；　for　there　have　since　been



many　deluges；　and　the　remnant　who　survived　in　the　mountains　were　ignorant



of　the　art　of　writing；　and　during　many　generations　were　wholly　devoted　to



acquiring　the　means　of　life。。。And　the　armed　image　of　the　goddess　which　was



dedicated　by　the　ancient　Athenians　is　an　evidence　to　other　ages　that　men



and　women　had　in　those　days；　as　they　ought　always　to　have；　common　virtues



and　pursuits。　　There　were　various　classes　of　citizens；　including



handicraftsmen　and　husbandmen　and　a　superior　class　of　warriors　who　dwelt



apart；　and　were　educated；　and　had　all　things　in　common；　like　our　guardians。



Attica　in　those　days　extended　southwards　to　the　Isthmus；　and　inland　to　the



heights　of　Parnes　and　Cithaeron；　and　between　them　and　the　sea　included　the



district　of　Oropus。　　The　country　was　then；　as　what　remains　of　it　still　is；



the　most　fertile　in　the　world；　and　abounded　in　rich　plains　and　pastures。　



But　in　the　course　of　ages　much　of　the　soil　was　washed　away　and　disappeared



in　the　deep　sea。　　And　the　inhabitants　of　this　fair　land　were　endowed　with



intelligence　and　the　love　of　beauty。







The　Acropolis　of　the　ancient　Athens　extended　to　the　Ilissus　and　Eridanus；



and　included　the　Pnyx；　and　the　Lycabettus　on　the　opposite　side　to　the　Pnyx；



having　a　level　surface　and　deep　soil。　　The　side　of　the　hill　was　inhabited



by　craftsmen　and　husbandmen；　and　the　warriors　dwelt　by　themselves　on　the



summit；　around　the　temples　of　Hephaestus　and　Athene；　in　an　enclosure　which



was　like　the　garden　of　a　single　house。　　In　winter　they　retired　into　houses



on　the　north　of　the　hill；　in　which　they　held　their　syssitia。　　These　were



modest　dwellings；　which　they　bequeathed　unaltered　to　their　children's



children。　　In　summer　time　the　south　side　was　inhabited　by　them；　and　then



they　left　their　gardens　and　dining…halls。　　In　the　midst　of　the　Acropolis



was　a　fountain；　which　gave　an　abundant　supply　of　cool　water　in　summer　and



warm　in　winter；　of　this　there　are　still　some　traces。　　They　were　careful　to



preserve　the　number　of　fighting　men　and　women　at　20；000；　which　is　equal　to



that　of　the　present　military　force。　　And　so　they　passed　their　lives　as



guardians　of　the　citizens　and　leaders　of　the　Hellenes。　　They　were　a　just



and　famous　race；　celebrated　for　their　beauty　and　virtue　all　over　Europe　and



Asia。







And　now　I　will　speak　to　you　of　their　adversaries；　but　first　I　ought　to



explain　that　the　Greek　names　were　given　to　Solon　in　an　Egyptian　form；　and



he　enquired　their　meaning　and　translated　them。　　His　manuscript　was　left



with　my　grandfather　Dropides；　and　is　now　in　my　possession。。。In　the　division



of　the　earth　Poseidon　obtained　as　his　portion　the　island　of　Atlantis；　and



there　he　begat　children　whose　mother　was　a　mortal。　　Towards　the　sea　and　in



the　centre　of　the　island　there　was　a　very　fair　and　fertile　plain；　and　near



the　centre；　about　fifty　stadia　from　the　plain；　there　was　a　low　mountain　in



which　dwelt　a　man　named　Evenor　and　his　wife　Leucippe；　and　their　daughter



Cleito；　of　whom　Poseidon　became　enamoured。　　He　to　secure　his　love　enclosed



the　mountain　with　rings　or　zones　varying　in　size；　two　of　land　and　three　of



sea；　which　his　divine　power　readily　enabled　him　to　excavate　and　fashion；



and；　as　there　was　no　shipping　in　those　days；　no　man　could　get　into　the



place。　　To　the　interior　island　he　conveyed　under　the　earth　springs　of　water



hot　and　cold；　and　supplied　the　land　with　all　things　needed　for　the　life　of



man。　　Here　he　begat　a　family　consisting　of　five　pairs　of　twin　male



children。　　The　eldest　was　Atlas；　and　him　he　made　king　of　the　centre　island；



while　to　his　twin　brother；　Eumelus；　or