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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　high



trees；　cultivated　by　man　and　bearing　abundance　of　food　for　cattle。　



Moreover；　the　land　reaped　the　benefit　of　the　annual　rainfall；　not　as　now



losing　the　water　which　flows　off　the　bare　earth　into　the　sea；　but；　having



an　abundant　supply　in　all　places；　and　receiving　it　into　herself　and



treasuring　it　up　in　the　close　clay　soil；　it　let　off　into　the　hollows　the



streams　which　it　absorbed　from　the　heights；　providing　everywhere　abundant



fountains　and　rivers；　of　which　there　may　still　be　observed　sacred　memorials



in　places　where　fountains　once　existed；　and　this　proves　the　truth　of　what　I



am　saying。







Such　was　the　natural　state　of　the　country；　which　was　cultivated；　as　we　may



well　believe；　by　true　husbandmen；　who　made　husbandry　their　business；　and



were　lovers　of　honour；　and　of　a　noble　nature；　and　had　a　soil　the　best　in



the　world；　and　abundance　of　water；　and　in　the　heaven　above　an　excellently



attempered　climate。　　Now　the　city　in　those　days　was　arranged　on　this　wise。　



In　the　first　place　the　Acropolis　was　not　as　now。　　For　the　fact　is　that　a



single　night　of　excessive　rain　washed　away　the　earth　and　laid　bare　the



rock；　at　the　same　time　there　were　earthquakes；　and　then　occurred　the



extraordinary　inundation；　which　was　the　third　before　the　great　destruction



of　Deucalion。　　But　in　primitive　times　the　hill　of　the　Acropolis　extended　to



the　Eridanus　and　Ilissus；　and　included　the　Pnyx　on　one　side；　and　the



Lycabettus　as　a　boundary　on　the　opposite　side　to　the　Pnyx；　and　was　all　well



covered　with　soil；　and　level　at　the　top；　except　in　one　or　two　places。　



Outside　the　Acropolis　and　under　the　sides　of　the　hill　there　dwelt　artisans；



and　such　of　the　husbandmen　as　were　tilling　the　ground　near；　the　warrior



class　dwelt　by　themselves　around　the　temples　of　Athene　and　Hephaestus　at



the　summit；　which　moreover　they　had　enclosed　with　a　single　fence　like　the



garden　of　a　single　house。　　On　the　north　side　they　had　dwellings　in　common



and　had　erected　halls　for　dining　in　winter；　and　had　all　the　buildings　which



they　needed　for　their　common　life；　besides　temples；　but　there　was　no



adorning　of　them　with　gold　and　silver；　for　they　made　no　use　of　these　for



any　purpose；　they　took　a　middle　course　between　meanness　and　ostentation；



and　built　modest　houses　in　which　they　and　their　children's　children　grew



old；　and　they　handed　them　down　to　others　who　were　like　themselves；　always



the　same。　　But　in　summer…time　they　left　their　gardens　and　gymnasia　and



dining　halls；　and　then　the　southern　side　of　the　hill　was　made　use　of　by



them　for　the　same　purpose。　　Where　the　Acropolis　now　is　there　was　a



fountain；　which　was　choked　by　the　earthquake；　and　has　left　only　the　few



small　streams　which　still　exist　in　the　vicinity；　but　in　those　days　the



fountain　gave　an　abundant　supply　of　water　for　all　and　of　suitable



temperature　in　summer　and　in　winter。　　This　is　how　they　dwelt；　being　the



guardians　of　their　own　citizens　and　the　leaders　of　the　Hellenes；　who　were



their　willing　followers。　　And　they　took　care　to　preserve　the　same　number　of



men　and　women　through　all　time；　being　so　many　as　were　required　for　warlike



purposes；　then　as　nowthat　is　to　say；　about　twenty　thousand。　　Such　were



the　ancient　Athenians；　and　after　this　manner　they　righteously　administered



their　own　land　and　the　rest　of　Hellas；　they　were　renowned　all　over　Europe



and　Asia　for　the　beauty　of　their　persons　and　for　the　many　virtues　of　their



souls；　and　of　all　men　who　lived　in　those　days　they　were　the　most



illustrious。　　And　next；　if　I　have　not　forgotten　what　I　heard　when　I　was　a



child；　I　will　impart　to　you　the　character　and　origin　of　their　adversaries。　



For　friends　should　not　keep　their　stories　to　themselves；　but　have　them　in



common。







Yet；　before　proceeding　further　in　the　narrative；　I　ought　to　warn　you；　that



you　must　not　be　surpr