Timaeus — Plato

p. 440

W/io can speak in a manner worthy of the theme ?

Tiinaeus. Socrates. equally incapable. The Sophists have no state of their own, and therefore are not politicians.

He turns to Timaeus, Critias, and Hermocrates.

when at war showed by the greatness of her actions and the magnanimity of her words in dealing with other cities a result worthy of her training and education.

Now I, Critias and Hermocrates, am conscious that I myself should never be able to celebrate the city and her citizens in a befitting manner, and I am not surprised at my own incapacity ; to me the wonder is rather that the poets present as well as past are no better — not that I mean to depreciate them ; but every one can see that they are a crowd of imitators, and will imitate best and most easily the life in which they have been brought up ; while that which is beyond the range of a man's education he finds hard to carry out in action, and still harder adequately to represent in language.

I am aware that the Sophists have plenty of brave words and fair conceits, but I am afraid that being only wanderers from one city to another, and having never had habitations of their own, they may fail in their conception of philosophers and statesmen, and may not know what they do and say in time of war, when they are fighting or holding parley with their enemies.

And thus people of your class are the only ones remaining who are fitted by nature and education to take part at once both in politics and philosophy.

Here is Timaeus, of Locris in Italy, a city which has admirable laws, and who is himself in wealth and rank the equal of any of his fellow-citizens ; he has- held the most important and honourable offices in his own state, and, as I believe, has scaled the heights of all philosophy ; and here is Critias, whom every Athenian knows to be no novice in the matters of which we are speaking ; and as to Hermocrates, I am assured by many witnesses that his genius and education qualify him to take part in any speculation of the kind.

And therefore yesterday when I saw that you wanted me to describe the formation of the State, I readily assented, being very well aware, that, if you only would, none were better qualified to carry the discussion further, and that when you had engaged our city in a suitable war, you of all men living could best exhibit her playing a fitting part. When I had completed my task, I in return imposed this other task upon you.

You. conferred together and agreed to entertain me to-day, as I had entertained you, with a feast of discourse. Here am I in festive

The 'vera historia' of ancient Athens. 441 array, and no man can be more ready for the promised Timaeus. banquet. Sockates, Her. And we too, Socrates, as Timaeus savs, will not be ^'"'^^^■=^» ' ' •' ' Hermowanting in enthusiasm ; and there is no excuse for not com- crates, plying with your request.

As soon as we arrived yesterday ^'*'"^^- at the guest-chamber of Critias, with whom we are staying, Hermocrates or rather on our way thither, we talked the matter over, and how cHtias he told us an ancient tradition, which I wish, Critias, that '^^'^ narrated a story which you would repeat to Socrates, so that he may help us to may satisfy judge whether it will satisfy his requirements or not. his demands. Grit.

I will, if Timaeus, who is our other partner, approves. Critias Tim. I quite approve. ^°"^"! '^ *■ ^ ^ repeat it. Crit. Then listen, Socrates, to a tale which, though strange, He had heard is certainly true, having been attested by Solon, who was the ^^^ ^^le from wisest of the seven sages.

He was a relative and a dear father, who friend of my great-grandfather, Dropides, as he himself says received it ... , , 111 irom Solon. m many passages of his poems; and he told the story to it told of the Critias, my grandfather, who .remembered and repeated it to g'o"es of . ancient us. There were of old, he said, great and marvellous actions Athens.

2 1 of the Athenian city, which have passed into oblivion through lapse of time and the destruction of mankind, and one in particular, greater than all the rest. This we will now rehearse. It w^ill be a fitting monument of our gratitude to you, and a hymn of praise true and worthy of the goddess, on this her day of festival. Soc. Very good.

And what is this ancient famous action of the Athenians ^, which Critias declared, on the authority of Solon, to be not a mere legend, but an actual fact^? Crit. I will tell an old-world story which I heard from an aged man ; for Critias, at the time of telling it, was, as he said, nearly ninety years of age, and I was about ten.

Now the day was that day of the Apaturia which is called the Registration of Youth, at which, according to custom, our parents gave prizes for recitations, and the poems of several poets were recited by us boys, and many of us sang the poems of Solon, which at that time had not gone out of fashion.

One of our tribe, either because he thought so or to please Critias, said that in his judgment Solon was not ' Or ' which, though unrecorded in history, Critias declared, on the authority of Solon, to be an actual fact? '