give you not only the general heads, but the
particulars, as they were told to me. The city and citizens, which you
yesterday described to us in fiction, we will now transfer to the world
of reality. It shall be the ancient city of Athens, and we will suppose
that the citizens whom you imagined, were our veritable ancestors, of
whom the priest spoke; they will perfectly harmonize, and there will be
no inconsistency in saying that the citizens of your republic are these
ancient Athenians. Let us divide the subject among us, and all endeavour
according to our ability gracefully to execute the task which you have
imposed upon us. Consider then, Socrates, if this narrative is suited to
the purpose, or whether we should seek for some other instead.

SOCRATES: And what other, Critias, can we find that will be better than
this, which is natural and suitable to the festival of the goddess, and
has the very great advantage of being a fact and not a fiction? How or
where shall we find another if we abandon this? We cannot, and therefore
you must tell the tale, and good luck to you; and I in return for my
yesterday's discourse will now rest and be a listener.

CRITIAS: Let me proceed to explain to you, Socrates, the order in which
we have arranged our entertainment. Our intention is, that Timaeus, who
is the most of an astronomer amongst us, and has made the nature of
the universe his special study, should speak first, beginning with the
generation of the world and going down to the creation of man; next, I
am to receive the men whom he has created, and of whom some will have
profited by the excellent education which you have given them; and then,
in accordance with the tale of Solon, and equally with his law, we will
bring them into court and make them citizens, as if they were those very
Athenians whom the sacred Egyptian record has recovered from
oblivion, and thenceforward we will speak of them as Athenians and
fellow-citizens.

SOCRATES: I see that I shall receive in my turn a perfect and splendid
feast of reason. And now, Timaeus, you, I suppose, should speak next,
after duly calling upon the Gods.

TIMAEUS: All men, Socrates, who have any degree of right feeling, at the
beginning of every enterprise, whether small or great, always call
upon God. And we, too, who are going to discourse of the nature of the
universe, how created or how existing without creation, if we be not
altogether out of our wits, must invoke the aid