critias-第2章

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while　to　his　twin　brother；　Eumelus；　or　Gadeirus；　he　assigned　that　part　of



the　country　which　was　nearest　the　Straits。　　The　other　brothers　he　made



chiefs　over　the　rest　of　the　island。　　And　their　kingdom　extended　as　far　as



Egypt　and　Tyrrhenia。　　Now　Atlas　had　a　fair　posterity；　and　great　treasures



derived　from　minesamong　them　that　precious　metal　orichalcum；　and　there



was　abundance　of　wood；　and　herds　of　elephants；　and　pastures　for　animals　of



all　kinds；　and　fragrant　herbs；　and　grasses；　and　trees　bearing　fruit。　　These



they　used；　and　employed　themselves　in　constructing　their　temples；　and



palaces；　and　harbours；　and　docks；　in　the　following　manner：First；　they



bridged　over　the　zones　of　sea；　and　made　a　way　to　and　from　the　royal　palace



which　they　built　in　the　centre　island。　　This　ancient　palace　was　ornamented



by　successive　generations；　and　they　dug　a　canal　which　passed　through　the



zones　of　land　from　the　island　to　the　sea。　　The　zones　of　earth　were



surrounded　by　walls　made　of　stone　of　divers　colours；　black　and　white　and



red；　which　they　sometimes　intermingled　for　the　sake　of　ornament；　and　as



they　quarried　they　hollowed　out　beneath　the　edges　of　the　zones　double　docks



having　roofs　of　rock。　　The　outermost　of　the　walls　was　coated　with　brass；



the　second　with　tin；　and　the　third；　which　was　the　wall　of　the　citadel；



flashed　with　the　red　light　of　orichalcum。　　In　the　interior　of　the　citadel



was　a　holy　temple；　dedicated　to　Cleito　and　Poseidon；　and　surrounded　by　an



enclosure　of　gold；　and　there　was　Poseidon's　own　temple；　which　was　covered



with　silver；　and　the　pinnacles　with　gold。　　The　roof　was　of　ivory；　adorned



with　gold　and　silver　and　orichalcum；　and　the　rest　of　the　interior　was　lined



with　orichalcum。　　Within　was　an　image　of　the　god　standing　in　a　chariot



drawn　by　six　winged　horses；　and　touching　the　roof　with　his　head；　around　him



were　a　hundred　Nereids；　riding　on　dolphins。　　Outside　the　temple　were　placed



golden　statues　of　all　the　descendants　of　the　ten　kings　and　of　their　wives；



there　was　an　altar　too；　and　there　were　palaces；　corresponding　to　the



greatness　and　glory　both　of　the　kingdom　and　of　the　temple。







Also　there　were　fountains　of　hot　and　cold　water；　and　suitable　buildings



surrounding　them；　and　trees；　and　there　were　baths　both　of　the　kings　and　of



private　individuals；　and　separate　baths　for　women；　and　also　for　cattle。　



The　water　from　the　baths　was　carried　to　the　grove　of　Poseidon；　and　by



aqueducts　over　the　bridges　to　the　outer　circles。　　And　there　were　temples　in



the　zones；　and　in　the　larger　of　the　two　there　was　a　racecourse　for　horses；



which　ran　all　round　the　island。　　The　guards　were　distributed　in　the　zones



according　to　the　trust　reposed　in　them；　the　most　trusted　of　them　were



stationed　in　the　citadel。　　The　docks　were　full　of　triremes　and　stores。　The



land　between　the　harbour　and　the　sea　was　surrounded　by　a　wall；　and　was



crowded　with　dwellings；　and　the　harbour　and　canal　resounded　with　the　din　of



human　voices。







The　plain　around　the　city　was　highly　cultivated　and　sheltered　from　the



north　by　mountains；　it　was　oblong；　and　where　falling　out　of　the　straight



line　followed　the　circular　ditch；　which　was　of　an　incredible　depth。　　This



depth　received　the　streams　which　came　down　from　the　mountains；　as　well　as



the　canals　of　the　interior；　and　found　a　way　to　the　sea。　　The　entire　country



was　divided　into　sixty　thousand　lots；　each　of　which　was　a　square　of　ten



stadia；　and　the　owner　of　a　lot　was　bound　to　furnish　the　sixth　part　of　a



war…chariot；　so　as　to　make　up　ten　thousand　chariots；　two　horses　and　riders



upon　them；　a　pair　of　chariot…horses　without　a　seat；　and　an　attendant　and



charioteer；　two　hoplites；　two　archers；　two　slingers；　three　stone…shooters；



three　javelin…men；　and　four　sailors　to　make　up　the　complement　of　twelve



hundred　ships。







Each　of　the　ten　kings　was　absolute　in　his　own　city　and　kingdom。　　The



relations　of　the　different　governments　to　one　another　were　determined　by



the　injunctions　of　Poseidon；　which　had　been　inscribed　by　the　first　kings　on



a　column　of　orichalcum　in　the　temple　of　Poseidon；　at　which　the　kings　and



princes　gathered　together　and　held　a　festival　every　fifth　and　every　sixth



year　alternately。　　Around　the　temple　ranged　the　bulls　of　Poseidon；　one　of



which　the　ten　kings　caught　and　sacrificed；　shedding　the　blood　of　the　victim



over　the　inscription；　and　vowing　not　to　transgress　the　laws　of　their　father



Poseidon。　　When　night　came；　they　put　on　azure　robes　and　gave　judgment



against　offenders。　　The　most　important　of　their　laws　related　to　their



dealings　with　one　another。　　They　were　not　to　take　up　arms　against　one



another；　and　were　to　come　to　the　rescue　if　any　of　their　brethren　were



attacked。　　They　were　to　deliberate　in　common　about　war；　and　the　king　was



not　to　have　the　power　of　life　and　death　over　his　kinsmen；　unless　he　had　the



assent　of　the　majority。







For　many　generations；　as　tradition　tells；　the　people　of　Atlantis　were



obedient　to　the　laws　and　to　the　gods；　and　practised　gentleness　and　wisdom



in　their　intercourse　with　one　another。　　They　knew　that　they　could　only　have



the　true　use　of　riches　by　not　caring　about　them。　　But　gradually　the　divine



portion　of　their　souls　became　diluted　with　too　much　of　the　mortal



admixture；　and　they　began　to　degenerate；　though　to　the　outward　eye　they



appeared　glorious　as　ever　at　the　very　time　when　they　were　filled　with　all



iniquity。　　The　all…seeing　Zeus；　wanting　to　punish　them；　held　a　council　of



the　gods；　and　when　he　had　called　them　together；　he　spoke　as　follows：







No　one　knew　better　than　Plato　how　to　invent　'a　noble　lie。'　　Observe　（1）　the



innocent　declaration　of　Socrates；　that　the　truth　of　the　story　is　a　great



advantage：　　（2）　the　manner　in　which　traditional　names　and　indications　of



geography　are　intermingled　（'Why；　here　be　truths！'）：　　（3）　the　extreme



minuteness　with　which　the　numbers　are　given；　as　in　the　Old　Epic　poetry：　



（4）　the　ingenious　reason　assigned　for　the　Greek　names　occurring　in　the



Egyptian　tale：　　（5）　the　remark　that　the　armed　statue　of　Athena　indicated



the　common　warrior　life　of　men　and　women：　　（6）　the　particularity　with　which



the　third　deluge　before　that　of　Deucalion　is　affirmed　to　have　been　the



great　destruction：　　（7）　the　happy　guess　that　great　geological　changes　have



been　effected　by　water：　　（8）　the　indulgence　of　the　prejudice　against



sailing　beyond　the　Columns；　and　the　popular　belief　of　the　shallowness　of



the　ocean　in　that　part：　　（9）　the　confession　that　the　depth　of　the　ditch　in



the　Island　of　Atlantis　was　not　to　be　believed；　and　'yet　he　could　only



repeat　what　he　had　heard'；　compared　with　the　statement　made　in　an　earlier



passage　that　Poseidon；　being　a　God；　found　no　difficulty　in　contriving　the



water…supply　of　the　centre　island：　　（10）　the　mention　of　the　old　rivalry　of



Poseidon　and　Athene；　and　the　creation　of　the　first　inhabitants　out　of　the



soil。　　Plato　here；　as　elsewhere；　ingeniously　gives　the　impression　that　he



is　telling　the　truth　which　mythology　had　corrupted。







The　world；　like　a　child；　has　readily；　and　for　the　most　part　unhesitatingly；



accepted　the　tale　of　the　Island　of　Atlantis。　　In　modern　times　we　hardly



seek　for　traces　of　the　submerged　continent；　but　even　Mr。　Grote　is　inclined



to　believe　in　the　Egyptian　poem　of　Solon　of　which　there　is　no　evidence　in



antiquity；　while　others；　like　Martin；　discuss　the　Egyptian　origin　of　the



legend；　or　like　M。　de　Humboldt；　whom　he　quotes；　are　disposed　to　find　in　it



a　vestige　of　a　widely…spread　tradition。　　Others；　adopting　a　different　vein



of　reflection；　regard　the　Island　of　Atlantis　as　the　anticipation　of　a　still



greater　islandthe　Con