Timaeus — Plato

The order of the entertainment. 447 panions as I remembered it ; and after I left them, during the rimaeus. night by thinking I recovered nearly the whole of it.

Truly, Socrates. as is often said, the lessons of our childhood make a wonder- ^'"''"''^'^• ful impression on our memories ; for I am not sure that I could remember all the discourse of yesterday, but I should be much surprised if I forgot any of these things which I have heard very long ago.

I listened at the time with childlike interest to the old man's narrative ; he was very ready to teach me, and I asked him again and again to repeat his words, so that like an indelible picture they were branded into my mind. As soon as the day broke, I rehearsed them as he spoke them to my companions, that they, as well as myself, might have something to say. And now, Socrates, to make an end of my preface, I am ready to tell you the whole tale.

I will 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. Soc, And what other, Critias, can we find that will be Socrates is better than this, which is natural and suitable to the festival ^T^'^f' ^^^* ' the rehearsal of the goddess, and has the very great advantage of being a ofthisnan-afact and not a fiction? How or where shall we find another ^"tK,' ^^ suitable conif we abandon this?

We cannot, and therefore you must tell tinuationof 27 the tale, and good luck to you; and I in return for my yesterday's discourse will now rest and be a listener. Crit. Let me proceed to explain to you, Socrates, the order Rut Timaeus in which we have arranged our entertainment.

Our in- ^^'J^'^b^'" ^^^ tention is, that Timaeus, who is the most of an astronomer describing amongst us, and has made the nature of the universe his I'^^T.r^ o ' tion of the special study, should speak first, beginning with the generation of the world and going down to the creation of man ;

p. 448

The prelude.

Timaeus. Socrates, Timaeus. Universe down to the creation of man: Critias will follow him.

At the commencement Timaeus invokes the gods.

The world was created, and is therefore apprehended by sense.

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. Soc.

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 caUing upon the Gods. Titii. 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 w^its, must invoke the aid of Gods and Goddesses and pray that our words may be acceptable to them and consistent with themselves.

Let this, then, be our invocation of the Gods, to which I add an exhortation of myself to speak in such manner as will be most intelligible to you, and will most accord with my own intent. First then, in my judgment, we must make a distinction and ask. What is that which always is and has no becoming ; and what is that which is always becoming and never is?

That which is apprehended by intelligence and reason is always in the same state ; but that which is conceived by opinion with the help of sensation and without reason, is always in a process of becoming and perishing and never really is. Now everything that becomes or is created must of necessity be created by some cause, for without a cause nothing can be created.

The work of the creator, whenever he looks to the unchangeable and fashions the form and nature of his work after an unchangeable pattern, must necessarily be made fair and perfect ; but when he looks to the created only, and uses a created pattern, it is not fair or perfect.

Was the heaven then or the world, whether called by this or by any other more appropriate name — assuming the name, I am asking a question which has to be asked at the beginning of an enquiry about anything — was the world.