贝壳电子书 > 英文原著电子书 > critias >

第4章

critias-第4章

小说: critias 字数: 每页4000字

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!






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 to support a



vast army; raised from the surrounding people。  Even the remnant of Attica



which now exists may compare with any region in the world for the variety



and excellence of its fruits and the suitableness of its pastures to every



sort of animal; which proves what I am saying; but in those days the



country was fair as now and yielded far more abundant produce。  How shall I



establish my words? and what part of it can be truly called a remnant of



the land that then was?  The whole country is only a long promontory



extending far into the sea away from the rest of the continent; while the



surrounding basin of the sea is everywhere deep in the neighbourhood of the



shore。  Many great deluges have taken place during the nine thousand years;



for that is the number of years which have elapsed since the time of which



I am speaking; and during all this time and through so many changes; there



has never been any considerable accumulation of the soil coming down from



the mountains; as in other places; but the earth has fallen away all round



and sunk out of sight。  The consequence is; that in comparison of what then



was; there are remaining only the bones of the wasted body; as they may be



called; as in the case of small islands; all the richer and softer parts of



the soil having fallen away; and the mere skeleton of the land being left。 



But in the primitive state of the country; its mountains were high hills



covered with soil; and the plains; as they are termed by us; of Phelleus



were full of rich earth; and there was abundance of wood in the mountains。 



Of this last the traces still remain; for although some of the mountains



now only afford sustenance to bees; not so very long ago there were still



to be seen roofs of timber cut from trees growing there; which were of a



size sufficient to cover the largest houses; and there were many other

返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0

你可能喜欢的