translatedbyBenjaminJowett
TIMAEUSPERSONSOFTHEDIALOGUE：SOCRATES；CRITIAS；TIMAEUS；HERMOCRATES
Socrates。One，two，three；butwhere，mydearTimaeus，isthefourth
ofthosewhowereyesterdaymyguestsandaretobemyentertainers
to—day？
Timaeus。Hehasbeentakenill，Socrates；forhewouldnotwillingly
havebeenabsentfromthisgathering。
Soc。Then，ifheisnotcoming，youandthetwoothersmustsupply
hisplace。
Tim。Certainly，andwewilldoallthatwecan；havingbeen
handsomelyentertainedbyyouyesterday，thoseofuswhoremainshould
beonlytoogladtoreturnyourhospitality。
Soc。DoyourememberwhatwerethepointsofwhichIrequiredyouto
speak？
Tim。Weremembersomeofthem，andyouwillbeheretoremindus
ofanythingwhichwehaveforgotten：orrather，ifwearenot
troublingyou，willyoubrieflyrecapitulatethewhole，andthenthe
particularswillbemorefirmlyfixedinourmemories？
Soc。TobesureIwill：thechiefthemeofmyyesterday’s
discoursewastheState—howconstitutedandofwhatcitizens
composeditwouldseemlikelytobemostperfect。
Tim。Yes，Socrates；andwhatyousaidofitwasverymuchtoour
mind。
Soc。Didwenotbeginbyseparatingthehusbandmenandthe
artisansfromtheclassofdefendersoftheState？
Tim。Yes。
Soc。Andwhenwehadgiventoeachonethatsingleemploymentand
particularartwhichwassuitedtohisnature，wespokeofthosewho
wereintendedtobeourwarriors，andsaidthattheyweretobe
guardiansofthecityagainstattacksfromwithinaswellasfrom
without，andtohavenootheremployment；theyweretobemerciful
injudgingtheirsubjects，ofwhomtheywerebynaturefriends，but
fiercetotheirenemies，whentheycameacrosstheminbattle。
Tim。Exactly。
Soc。Wesaid，ifIamnotmistaken，thattheguardiansshouldbe
giftedwithatemperamentinahighdegreebothpassionateand
philosophical；andthatthentheywouldbeastheyoughttobe，gentle
totheirfriendsandfiercewiththeirenemies。
Tim。Certainly。
Soc。Andwhatdidwesayoftheireducation？Weretheynottobe
trainedingymnastic，andmusic，andallothersortsofknowledge
whichwereproperforthem？
Tim。Verytrue。
Soc。Andbeingthustrainedtheywerenottoconsidergoldorsilver
oranythingelsetobetheirownprivateproperty；theyweretobe
likehiredtroops，receivingpayforkeepingguardfromthosewhowere
protectedbythem—thepaywastobenomorethanwouldsufficeformen
ofsimplelife；andtheyweretospendincommon，andtolivetogether
inthecontinualpracticeofvirtue，whichwastobetheirsole
pursuit。
Tim。Thatwasalsosaid。
Soc。Neitherdidweforgetthewomen；ofwhomwedeclared，that
theirnaturesshouldbeassimilatedandbroughtintoharmonywith
thoseofthemen，andthatcommonpursuitsshouldbeassignedto
thembothintimeofwarandintheirordinarylife。
Tim。That，again，wasasyousay。
Soc。Andwhatabouttheprocreationofchildren？Orrathernotthe
proposaltoosingulartobeforgotten？forallwivesandchildrenwere
tobeincommon，totheintentthatnooneshouldeverknowhisown
child，buttheyweretoimaginethattheywereallonefamily；those
whowerewithinasuitablelimitofageweretobebrothersand
sisters，thosewhowereofaneldergenerationparentsand
grandparents，andthoseofayoungerchildrenandgrandchildren。
Tim。Yes，andtheproposaliseasytoremember，asyousay。
Soc。Anddoyoualsorememberhow，withaviewofsecuringasfaras
wecouldthebestbreed，wesaidthatthechiefmagistrates，male
andfemale，shouldcontrivesecretly，bytheuseofcertainlots，so
toarrangethenuptialmeeting，thatthebadofeithersexandthe
goodofeithersexmightpairwiththeirlike；andtherewastobe
noquarrellingonthisaccount，fortheywouldimaginethatthe
unionwasamereaccident，andwastobeattributedtothelot？
Tim。Iremember。
Soc。Andyourememberhowwesaidthatthechildrenofthegood
parentsweretobeeducated，andthechildrenofthebadsecretly
dispersedamongtheinferiorcitizens；andwhiletheywereallgrowing
uptherulersweretobeonthelook—out，andtobringupfrombelow
intheirturnthosewhowereworthy，andthoseamongthemselveswho
wereunworthyweretotaketheplacesofthosewhocameup？
Tim。True。
Soc。ThenhaveInowgivenyoualltheheadsofouryesterday’s
discussion？Oristhereanythingmore，mydearTimaeus，whichhasbeen
omitted？
Tim。Nothing，Socrates；itwasjustasyouhavesaid。
Soc。Ishouldlike，beforeproceedingfurther，totellyouhowI
feelabouttheStatewhichwehavedescribed。Imightcomparemyself
toapersonwho，onbeholdingbeautifulanimalseithercreatedby
thepainter’sart，or，betterstill，alivebutatrest，isseizedwith
adesireofseeingtheminmotionorengagedinsomestruggleor
conflicttowhichtheirformsappearsuited；thisismyfeeling
abouttheStatewhichwehavebeendescribing。Thereareconflicts
whichallcitiesundergo，andIshouldliketohearsomeonetellof
ourowncitycarryingonastruggleagainstherneighbours，andhow
shewentouttowarinabecomingmanner，andwhenatwarshowedby
thegreatnessofheractionsandthemagnanimityofherwordsin
dealingwithothercitiesaresultworthyofhertrainingand
education。NowI，CritiasandHermocrates，amconsciousthatI
myselfshouldneverbeabletocelebratethecityandhercitizens
inabefittingmanner，andIamnotsurprisedatmyownincapacity；to
methewonderisratherthatthepoetspresentaswellaspastare
nobetter—notthatImeantodepreciatethem；buteveryonecansee
thattheyareatribeofimitators，andwillimitatebestandmost
easilythelifeinwhichtheyhavebeenbroughtup；whilethatwhich
isbeyondtherangeofaman’seducationhefindshardtocarryoutin
action，andstillharderadequatelytorepresentinlanguage。Iam
awarethattheSophistshaveplentyofbravewordsandfair
conceits，butIamafraidthatbeingonlywanderersfromonecityto
another，andhavingneverhadhabitationsoftheirown，theymay
failintheirconceptionofphilosophersandstatesmen，andmaynot
knowwhattheydoandsayintimeofwar，whentheyarefightingor
holdingparleywiththeirenemies。Andthuspeopleofyourclassare
theonlyonesremainingwhoarefittedbynatureandeducationtotake
partatoncebothinpoliticsandphilosophy。HereisTimaeus，of
LocrisinItaly，acitywhichhasadmirablelaws，andwhoishimself
inwealthandranktheequalofanyofhisfellow—citizens；hehas
heldthemostimportantandhonourableofficesinhisownstate，
and，asIbelieve，hasscaledtheheightsofallphilosophy；and
hereisCritias，whomeveryAthenianknowstobenonoviceinthe
mattersofwhichwearespeaking；andasto，Hermocrates，Iamassured
bymanywitnessesthathisgeniusandeducationqualifyhimtotake
partinanyspeculationofthekind。AndthereforeyesterdaywhenI
sawthatyouwantedmetodescribetheformationoftheState，I
readilyassented，beingverywellaware，that，ifyouonlywould，none
werebetterqualifiedtocarrythediscussionfurther，andthatwhen
youhadengagedourcityinasuitablewar，youofallmenliving
couldbestexhibitherplayingafittingpart。WhenIhadcompletedmy
task，Iinreturnimposedthisothertaskuponyou。Youconferred
togetherandagreedtoentertainmeto—day，asIhadentertained
you，withafeastofdiscourse。HereamIinfestivearray，andnoman
canbemorereadyforthepromisedbanquet。
Her。Andwetoo，Socrates，asTimaeussays，willnotbewantingin
enthusiasm；andthereisnoexcusefornotcomplyingwithyour
request。Assoonaswearrivedyesterdayattheguest—chamberof
Critias，withwhomwearestaying，orratheronourwaythither，we
talkedthematterover，andhetoldusanancienttradition，whichI
wish，Critias，thatyouwouldrepeattoSocrates，sothathemay
helpustojudgewhetheritwillsatisfyhisrequirementsornot。
Crit。Iwill，ifTimaeus，whoisourotherpartner，approves。
Tim。Iquiteapprove。
Crit。Thenlisten，Socrates，toatalewhich，thoughstrange，is
certainlytrue，havingbeenattestedbySolon，whowasthewisestof
thesevensages。Hewasarelativeandadearfriendofmy
great—grandfather，Dropides，ashehimselfsaysinmanypassagesof
hispoems；andhetoldthestorytoCritias，mygrandfather，who
rememberedandrepeatedittous。Therewereofold，hesaid，great
andmarvellousactionsoftheAtheniancity，whichhavepassedinto
oblivionthroughlapseoftimeandthedestructionofmankind，andone
inparticular，greaterthanalltherest。Thiswewillnowrehearse。
Itwillbeafittingmonumentofourgratitudetoyou，andahymnof
praisetrueandworthyofthegoddess，onthisherdayoffestival。
Soc。Verygood。Andwhatisthisancientfamousactionofthe
Athenians，whichCritiasdeclared，ontheauthorityofSolon，tobe
notamerelegend，butanactualfact？
Crit。Iwilltellanold—worldstorywhichIheardfromanagedman；
forCritias，atthetimeoftellingit，wasashesaid，nearly
ninetyyearsofage，andIwasaboutten。Nowthedaywasthatday
oftheApaturiawhichiscalledtheRegistrationofYouth，atwhich，
accordingtocustom，ourparentsgaveprizesforrecitations，and
thepoemsofseveralpoetswererecitedbyusboys，andmanyofus
sangthepoemsofSolon，whichatthattimehadnotgoneoutof
fashion。Oneofourtribe，eitherbecausehethoughtsoortoplease
Critias，saidthatinhisjudgmentSolonwasnotonlythewisestof
men，butalsothenoblestofpoets。Theoldman，asIverywell
remember，brightenedupathearingthisandsaid，smiling：Yes，
Amynander，ifSolonhadonly，likeotherpoets，madepoetrythe
businessofhislife，andhadcompletedthetalewhichhebroughtwith
himfromEgypt，andhadnotbeencompelled，byreasonofthe
factionsandtroubleswhichhefoundstirringinhisowncountry
whenhecamehome，toattendtoothermatters，inmyopinionhe
wouldhavebeenasfamousasHomerorHesiod，oranypoet。
Andwhatwasthetaleabout，Critias？saidAmynander。
AboutthegreatestactionwhichtheAthenianseverdid，andwhich
oughttohavebeenthemostfamous，but，throughthelapseoftimeand
thedestructionoftheactors，ithasnotcomedowntous。
Tellus，saidtheother，thewholestory，andhowandfromwhom
Solonheardthisveritabletradition。
Hereplied：—IntheEgyptianDelta，attheheadofwhichtheriver
Niledivides，thereisacertaindistrictwhichiscalledthedistrict
ofSais，andthegreatcityofthedistrictisalsocalledSais，and
isthecityfromwhichKingAmasiscame。Thecitizenshaveadeityfor
theirfoundress；sheiscalledintheEgyptiantongueNeith，andis
assertedbythemtobethesamewhomtheHellenescallAthene；they
aregreatloversoftheAthenians，andsaythattheyareinsomeway
relatedtothem。TothiscitycameSolon，andwasreceivedthere
withgreathonour；heaskedthepriestswhoweremostskilfulin
suchmatters，aboutantiquity，andmadethediscoverythatneither
henoranyotherHelleneknewanythingworthmentioningaboutthe
timesofold。Ononeoccasion，wishingtodrawthemontospeakof
antiquity，hebegantotellaboutthemostancientthingsinour
partoftheworld—aboutPhoroneus，whoiscalled\"thefirstman，\"
andaboutNiobe；andaftertheDeluge，ofthesurvivalofDeucalion
andPyrrha；andhetracedthegenealogyoftheirdescendants，and
reckoningupthedates，triedtocomputehowmanyyearsagotheevents
ofwhichhewasspeakinghappened。Thereupononeofthepriests，who
wasofaverygreatage，said：OSolon，Solon，youHellenesare
neveranythingbutchildren，andthereisnotanoldmanamongyou。
Soloninreturnaskedhimwhathemeant。Imeantosay，hereplied，
thatinmindyouareallyoung；thereisnooldopinionhandeddown
amongyoubyancienttradition，noranysciencewhichishoarywith
age。AndIwilltellyouwhy。Therehavebeen，andwillbeagain，many
destructionsofmankindarisingoutofmanycauses；thegreatest
havebeenbroughtaboutbytheagenciesoffireandwater，andother
lesseronesbyinnumerableothercauses。Thereisastory，which
evenyouhavepreserved，thatonceuponatimePaethon，thesonof
Helios，havingyokedthesteedsinhisfather’schariot，becausehe
wasnotabletodrivetheminthepathofhisfather，burntupall
thatwasupontheearth，andwashimselfdestroyedbyathunderbolt。
Nowthishastheformofamyth，butreallysignifiesadeclinationof
thebodiesmovingintheheavensaroundtheearth，andagreat
conflagrationofthingsupontheearth，whichrecursafterlong
intervals；atsuchtimesthosewholiveuponthemountainsandin
dryandloftyplacesaremoreliabletodestructionthanthosewho
dwellbyriversorontheseashore。AndfromthiscalamitytheNile，
whoisournever—failingsaviour，deliversandpreservesus。When，
ontheotherhand，thegodspurgetheearthwithadelugeofwater，
thesurvivorsinyourcountryareherdsmenandshepherdswhodwell
onthemountains，butthosewho，likeyou，liveincitiesare
carriedbytheriversintothesea。Whereasinthisland，neitherthen
noratanyothertime，doesthewatercomedownfromaboveonthe
fields，havingalwaysatendencytocomeupfrombelow；forwhich
reasonthetraditionspreservedherearethemostancient。
Thefactis，thatwherevertheextremityofwinterfrostorof
summerdoesnotprevent，mankindexist，sometimesingreater，
sometimesinlessernumbers。Andwhateverhappenedeitherinyour
countryorinours，orinanyotherregionofwhichweareinformed—if
therewereanyactionsnobleorgreatorinanyotherway
remarkable，theyhaveallbeenwrittendownbyusofold，andare
preservedinourtemples。Whereasjustwhenyouandothernations
arebeginningtobeprovidedwithlettersandtheotherrequisites
ofcivilizedlife，aftertheusualinterval，thestreamfromheaven，
likeapestilence，comespouringdown，andleavesonlythoseofyou
whoaredestituteoflettersandeducation；andsoyouhavetobegin
alloveragainlikechildren，andknownothingofwhathappenedin
ancienttimes，eitheramongusoramongyourselves。Asforthose
genealogiesofyourswhichyoujustnowrecountedtous，Solon，they
arenobetterthanthetalesofchildren。Inthefirstplaceyou
rememberasingledelugeonly，butthereweremanypreviousones；in
thenextplace，youdonotknowthatthereformerlydweltinyourland
thefairestandnoblestraceofmenwhicheverlived，andthatyouand
yourwholecityaredescendedfromasmallseedorremnantofthem
whichsurvived。Andthiswasunknowntoyou，because，formany
generations，thesurvivorsofthatdestructiondied，leavingno
writtenword。Fortherewasatime，Solon，beforethegreatdeluge
ofall，whenthecitywhichnowisAthenswasfirstinwarandin
everywaythebestgovernedofallcities，issaidtohaveperformed
thenoblestdeedsandtohavehadthefairestconstitutionofanyof
whichtraditiontells，underthefaceofheaven。
Solonmarvelledathiswords，andearnestlyrequestedtheprieststo
informhimexactlyandinorderabouttheseformercitizens。Youare
welcometohearaboutthem，Solon，saidthepriest，bothforyour
ownsakeandforthatofyourcity，andaboveall，forthesakeofthe
goddesswhoisthecommonpatronandparentandeducatorofbothour
cities。Shefoundedyourcityathousandyearsbeforeours，
receivingfromtheEarthandHephaestustheseedofyourrace，and
afterwardsshefoundedours，ofwhichtheconstitutionisrecorded
inoursacredregisterstobeeightthousandyearsold。Astouching
yourcitizensofninethousandyearsago，Iwillbrieflyinformyouof
theirlawsandoftheirmostfamousaction；theexactparticularsof
thewholewewillhereaftergothroughatourleisureinthesacred
registersthemselves。Ifyoucomparetheseverylawswithoursyou
willfindthatmanyofoursarethecounterpartofyoursasthey
wereintheoldentime。Inthefirstplace，thereisthecasteof
priests，whichisseparatedfromalltheothers；next，therearethe
artificers，whoplytheirseveralcraftsbythemselvesanddonot
intermix；andalsothereistheclassofshepherdsandofhunters，
aswellasthatofhusbandmen；andyouwillobserve，too，thatthe
warriorsinEgyptaredistinctfromalltheotherclasses，andare
commandedbythelawtodevotethemselvessolelytomilitarypursuits；
moreover，theweaponswhichtheycarryareshieldsandspears，astyle
ofequipmentwhichthegoddesstaughtofAsiaticsfirsttous，asin
yourpartoftheworldfirsttoyou。Thenastowisdom，doyouobserve
howourlawfromtheveryfirstmadeastudyofthewholeorderof
things，extendingeventoprophecyandmedicinewhichgiveshealth，
outofthesedivineelementsderivingwhatwasneedfulforhumanlife，
andaddingeverysortofknowledgewhichwasakintothem。Allthis
orderandarrangementthegoddessfirstimpartedtoyouwhen
establishingyourcity；andshechosethespotofearthinwhichyou
wereborn，becauseshesawthatthehappytemperamentoftheseasons
inthatlandwouldproducethewisestofmen。Whereforethegoddess，
whowasaloverbothofwarandofwisdom，selectedandfirstofall
settledthatspotwhichwasthemostlikelytoproducemenlikest
herself。Andthereyoudwelt，havingsuchlawsastheseandstill
betterones，andexcelledallmankindinallvirtue，asbecamethe
childrenanddisciplesofthegods。
Manygreatandwonderfuldeedsarerecordedofyourstateinour
histories。Butoneofthemexceedsalltherestingreatnessand
valour。Forthesehistoriestellofamightypowerwhichunprovoked
madeanexpeditionagainstthewholeofEuropeandAsia，andto
whichyourcityputanend。Thispowercameforthoutofthe
AtlanticOcean，forinthosedaystheAtlanticwasnavigable；and
therewasanislandsituatedinfrontofthestraitswhichareby
youcalledthePillarsofHeracles；theislandwaslargerthanLibya
andAsiaputtogether，andwasthewaytootherislands，andfrom
theseyoumightpasstothewholeoftheoppositecontinentwhich
surroundedthetrueocean；forthisseawhichiswithintheStraitsof
Heraclesisonlyaharbour，havinganarrowentrance，butthatother
isarealsea，andthesurroundinglandmaybemosttrulycalleda
boundlesscontinent。NowinthisislandofAtlantistherewasa
greatandwonderfulempirewhichhadruleoverthewholeislandand
severalothers，andoverpartsofthecontinent，and，furthermore，the
menofAtlantishadsubjectedthepartsofLibyawithinthecolumnsof
HeraclesasfarasEgypt，andofEuropeasfarasTyrrhenia。Thisvast
power，gatheredintoone，endeavouredtosubdueatablowour
countryandyoursandthewholeoftheregionwithinthestraits；
andthen，Solon，yourcountryshoneforth，intheexcellenceofher
virtueandstrength，amongallmankind。Shewaspre—eminentincourage
andmilitaryskill，andwastheleaderoftheHellenes。Andwhenthe
restfellofffromher，beingcompelledtostandalone，afterhaving
undergonetheveryextremityofdanger，shedefeatedandtriumphed
overtheinvaders，andpreservedfromslaverythosewhowerenotyet
subjugated，andgenerouslyliberatedalltherestofuswhodwell
withinthepillars。Butafterwardsthereoccurredviolent
earthquakesandfloods；andinasingledayandnightofmisfortune
allyourwarlikemeninabodysankintotheearth，andtheisland
ofAtlantisinlikemannerdisappearedinthedepthsofthesea。For
whichreasontheseainthosepartsisimpassableandimpenetrable，
becausethereisashoalofmudintheway；andthiswascausedbythe
subsidenceoftheisland。
Ihavetoldyoubriefly，Socrates，whattheagedCritiasheard
fromSolonandrelatedtous。Andwhenyouwerespeakingyesterday
aboutyourcityandcitizens，thetalewhichIhavejustbeen
repeatingtoyoucameintomymind，andIremarkedwithastonishment
how，bysomemysteriouscoincidence，youagreedinalmostevery
particularwiththenarrativeofSolon；butIdidnotliketospeakat
themoment。Foralongtimehadelapsed，andIhadforgottentoomuch；
IthoughtthatImustfirstofallrunoverthenarrativeinmyown
mind，andthenIwouldspeak。AndsoIreadilyassentedtoyour
requestyesterday，consideringthatinallsuchcasesthechief
difficultyistofindatalesuitabletoourpurpose，andthatwith
suchataleweshouldbefairlywellprovided。
Andtherefore，asHermocrateshastoldyou，onmywayhomeyesterday
IatoncecommunicatedthetaletomycompanionsasIrememberedit；
andafterIleftthem，duringthenightbythinkingIrecoverednearly
thewholeit。Truly，asisoftensaid，thelessonsofourchildhood
makewonderfulimpressiononourmemories；forIamnotsurethatI
couldrememberallthediscourseofyesterday，butIshouldbemuch
surprisedifIforgotanyofthesethingswhichIhaveheardverylong
ago。Ilistenedatthetimewithchildlikeinteresttotheoldman’s
narrative；hewasveryreadytoteachme，andIaskedhimagainand
againtorepeathiswords，sothatlikeanindeliblepicturetheywere
brandedintomymind。Assoonasthedaybroke，Irehearsedthemashe
spokethemtomycompanions，thatthey，aswellasmyself，might
havesomethingtosay。Andnow，Socrates，tomakeanendmypreface，I
amreadytotellyouthewholetale。Iwillgiveyounotonlythe
generalheads，buttheparticulars，astheyweretoldtome。The
cityandcitizens，whichyouyesterdaydescribedtousinfiction，
wewillnowtransfertotheworldofreality。Itshallbethe
ancientcityofAthens，andwewillsupposethatthecitizenswhomyou
imagined，wereourveritableancestors，ofwhomthepriestspoke；they
willperfectlyharmonise，andtherewillbenoinconsistencyinsaying
thatthecitizensofyourrepublicaretheseancientAthenians。Letus
dividethesubjectamongus，andallendeavouraccordingtoour
abilitygracefullytoexecutethetaskwhichyouhaveimposeduponus。
Considerthen，Socrates，ifthisnarrativeissuitedtothepurpose，
orwhetherweshouldseekforsomeotherinstead。
Soc。Andwhatother，Critias，canwefindthatwillbebetterthan
this，whichisnaturalandsuitabletothefestivalofthegoddess，
andhastheverygreatadvantageofbeingafactandnotafiction？
Howorwhereshallwefindanotherifweabandonthis？Wecannot，
andthereforeyoumusttellthetale，andgoodlucktoyou；andIin
returnformyyesterday’sdiscoursewillnowrestandbealistener。
Crit。Letmeproceedtoexplaintoyou，Socrates，theorderinwhich
wehavearrangedourentertainment。Ourintentionis，thatTimaeus，
whoisthemostofanastronomeramongstus，andhasmadethenature
oftheuniversehisspecialstudy，shouldspeakfirst，beginning
withthegenerationoftheworldandgoingdowntothecreationof
man；next，Iamtoreceivethemenwhomhehascreatedofwhomsome
willhaveprofitedbytheexcellenteducationwhichyouhavegiven
them；andthen，inaccordancewiththetaleofSolon，andequallywith
hislaw，wewillbringthemintocourtandmakethemcitizens，asif
theywerethoseveryAthenianswhomthesacredEgyptianrecordhas
recoveredfromoblivion，andthenceforwardwewillspeakofthemas
Atheniansandfellow—citizens。
Soc。IseethatIshallreceiveinmyturnaperfectandsplendid
feastofreason。Andnow，Timaeus，you，Isuppose，shouldspeak
next，afterdulycallingupontheGods。
Tim。Allmen，Socrates，whohaveanydegreeofrightfeeling，atthe
beginningofeveryenterprise，whethersmallorgreat，alwayscall
uponGod。Andwe，too，whoaregoingtodiscourseofthenatureofthe
universe，howcreatedorhowexistingwithoutcreation，ifwebenot
altogetheroutofourwits，mustinvoketheaidofGodsand
Goddessesandpraythatourwordsmaybeacceptabletothemand
consistentwiththemselves。Letthis，then，beourinvocationofthe
Gods，towhichIaddanexhortationofmyselftospeakinsuch
manneraswillbemostintelligibletoyou，andwillmostaccord
withmyownintent。
Firstthen，inmyjudgment，wemustmakeadistinctionandask，What
isthatwhichalwaysisandhasnobecoming；andwhatisthatwhichis
alwaysbecomingandneveris？Thatwhichisapprehendedby
intelligenceandreasonisalwaysinthesamestate；butthatwhichis
conceivedbyopinionwiththehelpofsensationandwithoutreason，is
alwaysinaprocessofbecomingandperishingandneverreallyis。Now
everythingthatbecomesoriscreatedmustofnecessitybecreated
bysomecause，forwithoutacausenothingcanbecreated。Theworkof
thecreator，wheneverhelookstotheunchangeableandfashionsthe
formandnatureofhisworkafteranunchangeablepattern，must
necessarilybemadefairandperfect；butwhenhelookstothecreated
only，andusesacreatedpattern，itisnotfairorperfect。Wasthe
heaventhenortheworld，whethercalledbythisorbyanyother
moreappropriatename—assumingthename，Iamaskingaquestion
whichhastobeaskedatthebeginningofanenquiryabout
anything—wastheworld，Isay，alwaysinexistenceandwithout
beginning？orcreated，andhaditabeginning？Created，Ireply，being
visibleandtangibleandhavingabody，andthereforesensible；and
allsensiblethingsareapprehendedbyopinionandsenseandarein
aprocessofcreationandcreated。Nowthatwhichiscreatedmust，
asweaffirm，ofnecessitybecreatedbyacause。Butthefatherand
makerofallthisuniverseispastfindingout；andevenifwefound
him，totellofhimtoallmenwouldbeimpossible。Andthereisstill
aquestiontobeaskedabouthim：Whichofthepatternshadthe
artificerinviewwhenhemadetheworld—thepatternofthe
unchangeable，orofthatwhichiscreated？Iftheworldbeindeedfair
andtheartificergood，itismanifestthathemusthavelookedto
thatwhichiseternal；butifwhatcannotbesaidwithoutblasphemyis
true，thentothecreatedpattern。Everyonewillseethathemust
havelookedto，theeternal；fortheworldisthefairestofcreations
andheisthebestofcauses。Andhavingbeencreatedinthisway，the
worldhasbeenframedinthelikenessofthatwhichisapprehended
byreasonandmindandisunchangeable，andmustthereforeof
necessity，ifthisisadmitted，beacopyofsomething。Nowitis
all—importantthatthebeginningofeverythingshouldbeaccording
tonature。Andinspeakingofthecopyandtheoriginalwemay
assumethatwordsareakintothematterwhichtheydescribe；when
theyrelatetothelastingandpermanentandintelligible，they
oughttobelastingandunalterable，and，asfarastheirnature
allows，irrefutableandimmovable—nothingless。Butwhenthey
expressonlythecopyorlikenessandnottheeternalthings
themselves，theyneedonlybelikelyandanalogoustothereal
words。Asbeingistobecoming，soistruthtobelief。Ifthen，
Socrates，amidthemanyopinionsaboutthegodsandthegeneration
oftheuniverse，wearenotabletogivenotionswhichare
altogetherandineveryrespectexactandconsistentwithoneanother，
donotbesurprised。Enough，ifweadduceprobabilitiesaslikelyas
anyothers；forwemustrememberthatIwhoamthespeaker，andyou
whoarethejudges，areonlymortalmen，andweoughttoacceptthe
talewhichisprobableandenquirenofurther。
Soc。Excellent，Timaeus；andwewilldopreciselyasyoubidus。The
preludeischarming，andisalreadyacceptedbyus—maywebegofyou
toproceedtothestrain？
Tim。Letmetellyouthenwhythecreatormadethisworldof
generation。Hewasgood，andthegoodcanneverhaveanyjealousyof
anything。Andbeingfreefromjealousy，hedesiredthatallthings
shouldbeaslikehimselfastheycouldbe。Thisisinthetruest
sensetheoriginofcreationandoftheworld，asweshalldowell
inbelievingonthetestimonyofwisemen：Goddesiredthatallthings
shouldbegoodandnothingbad，sofarasthiswasattainable。
Whereforealsofindingthewholevisiblespherenotatrest，but
movinginanirregularanddisorderlyfashion，outofdisorderhe
broughtorder，consideringthatthiswasineverywaybetterthan
theother。Nowthedeedsofthebestcouldneverbeorhavebeenother
thanthefairest；andthecreator，reflectingonthethingswhich
arebynaturevisible，foundthatnounintelligentcreaturetakenasa
wholewasfairerthantheintelligenttakenasawhole；andthat
intelligencecouldnotbepresentinanythingwhichwasdevoidof
soul。Forwhichreason，whenhewasframingtheuniverse，heput
intelligenceinsoul，andsoulinbody，thathemightbethecreator
ofaworkwhichwasbynaturefairestandbest。Wherefore，usingthe
languageofprobability，wemaysaythattheworldbecamealiving
creaturetrulyendowedwithsoulandintelligencebytheprovidenceof
God。
Thisbeingsupposed，letusproceedtothenextstage：Inthe
likenessofwhatanimaldidtheCreatormaketheworld？Itwouldbean
unworthythingtolikenittoanynaturewhichexistsasapart
only；fornothingcanbebeautifulwhichislikeanyimperfect
thing；butletussupposetheworldtobetheveryimageofthatwhole
ofwhichallotheranimalsbothindividuallyandintheirtribesare
portions。Fortheoriginaloftheuniversecontainsinitselfall
intelligiblebeings，justasthisworldcomprehendsusandallother
visiblecreatures。FortheDeity，intendingtomakethisworldlike
thefairestandmostperfectofintelligiblebeings，framedone
visibleanimalcomprehendingwithinitselfallotheranimalsofa
kindrednature。Arewerightinsayingthatthereisoneworld，or
thattheyaremanyandinfinite？Theremustbeoneonly，ifthe
createdcopyistoaccordwiththeoriginal。Forthatwhichincludes
allotherintelligiblecreaturescannothaveasecondorcompanion；in
thatcasetherewouldbeneedofanotherlivingbeingwhichwould
includeboth，andofwhichtheywouldbeparts，andthelikenesswould
bemoretrulysaidtoresemblenotthem，butthatotherwhichincluded
them。Inorderthenthattheworldmightbesolitary，liketheperfect
animal，thecreatormadenottwoworldsoraninfinitenumberofthem；
butthereisandeverwillbeoneonly—begottenandcreatedheaven。
Nowthatwhichiscreatedisofnecessitycorporeal，andalso
visibleandtangible。Andnothingisvisiblewherethereisnofire，
ortangiblewhichhasnosolidity，andnothingissolidwithoutearth。
WhereforealsoGodinthebeginningofcreationmadethebodyofthe
universetoconsistoffireandearth。Buttwothingscannotbe
rightlyputtogetherwithoutathird；theremustbesomebondofunion
betweenthem。Andthefairestbondisthatwhichmakesthemost
completefusionofitselfandthethingswhichitcombines；and
proportionisbestadaptedtoeffectsuchaunion。Forwheneverinany
threenumbers，whethercubeorsquare，thereisamean，whichisto
thelasttermwhatthefirsttermistoit；andagain，whenthemean
istothefirsttermasthelasttermistothemean—thenthemean
becomingfirstandlast，andthefirstandlastbothbecomingmeans，
theywillallofthemofnecessitycometobethesame，andhaving
becomethesamewithoneanotherwillbeallone。Iftheuniversal
framehadbeencreatedasurfaceonlyandhavingnodepth，asingle
meanwouldhavesufficedtobindtogetheritselfandtheother
terms；butnow，astheworldmustbesolid，andsolidbodiesare
alwayscompactednotbyonemeanbutbytwo，Godplacedwaterand
airinthemeanbetweenfireandearth，andmadethemtohavethesame
proportionsofaraswaspossible（asfireistoairsoisairto
water，andasairistowatersoiswatertoearth）；andthushebound
andputtogetheravisibleandtangibleheaven。Andforthesereasons，
andoutofsuchelementswhichareinnumberfour，thebodyofthe
worldwascreated，anditwasharmonisedbyproportion，and
thereforehasthespiritoffriendship；andhavingbeenreconciled
toitself，itwasindissolublebythehandofanyotherthanthe
framer。
Nowthecreationtookupthewholeofeachofthefourelements；for
theCreatorcompoundedtheworldoutofallthefireandallthewater
andalltheairandalltheearth，leavingnopartofanyofthem
noranypowerofthemoutside。Hisintentionwas，inthefirst
place，thattheanimalshouldbeasfaraspossibleaperfectwhole
andofperfectparts：secondly，thatitshouldbeone，leavingno
remnantsoutofwhichanothersuchworldmightbecreated：andalso
thatitshouldbefreefromoldageandunaffectedbydisease。
Consideringthatifheatandcoldandotherpowerfulforceswhich
unitebodiessurroundandattackthemfromwithoutwhentheyare
unprepared，theydecomposethem，andbybringingdiseasesandold
ageuponthem，makethemwasteaway—forthiscauseandonthese
groundshemadetheworldonewhole，havingeverypartentire，and
beingthereforeperfectandnotliabletooldageanddisease。And
hegavetotheworldthefigurewhichwassuitableandalsonatural。
Nowtotheanimalwhichwastocomprehendallanimals，thatfigurewas
suitablewhichcomprehendswithinitselfallotherfigures。
Whereforehemadetheworldintheformofaglobe，roundasfroma
lathe，havingitsextremesineverydirectionequidistantfromthe
centre，themostperfectandthemostlikeitselfofallfigures；
forheconsideredthatthelikeisinfinitelyfairerthanthe
unlike。Thishefinishedoff，makingthesurfacesmoothallaroundfor
manyreasons；inthefirstplace，becausethelivingbeinghadnoneed
ofeyeswhentherewasnothingremainingoutsidehimtobeseen；nor
ofearswhentherewasnothingtobeheard；andtherewasno
surroundingatmospheretobebreathed；norwouldtherehavebeenany
useoforgansbythehelpofwhichhemightreceivehisfoodorget
ridofwhathehadalreadydigested，sincetherewasnothingwhich
wentfromhimorcameintohim：fortherewasnothingbesidehim。Of
designhewascreatedthus，hisownwasteprovidinghisownfood，
andallthathedidorsufferedtakingplaceinandbyhimself。For
theCreatorconceivedthatabeingwhichwasself—sufficientwould
befarmoreexcellentthanonewhichlackedanything；and，ashehad
noneedtotakeanythingordefendhimselfagainstanyone，the
Creatordidnotthinkitnecessarytobestowuponhimhands：norhad
heanyneedoffeet，norofthewholeapparatusofwalking；butthe
movementsuitedtohissphericalformwasassignedtohim，beingof
alltheseventhatwhichismostappropriatetomindandintelligence；
andhewasmadetomoveinthesamemannerandonthesamespot，
withinhisownlimitsrevolvinginacircle。Alltheothersixmotions
weretakenawayfromhim，andhewasmadenottopartakeoftheir
deviations。Andasthiscircularmovementrequirednofeet，the
universewascreatedwithoutlegsandwithoutfeet。
SuchwasthewholeplanoftheeternalGodaboutthegodthatwasto
be，towhomforthisreasonhegaveabody，smoothandeven，having
asurfaceineverydirectionequidistantfromthecentre，abody
entireandperfect，andformedoutofperfectbodies。Andinthe
centreheputthesoul，whichhediffusedthroughoutthebody，
makingitalsotobetheexteriorenvironmentofit；andhemadethe
universeacirclemovinginacircle，oneandsolitary，yetby
reasonofitsexcellenceabletoconversewithitself，andneeding
nootherfriendshiporacquaintance。Havingthesepurposesinview
hecreatedtheworldablessedgod。
NowGoddidnotmakethesoulafterthebody，althoughweare
speakingoftheminthisorder；forhavingbroughtthemtogetherhe
wouldneverhaveallowedthattheeldershouldberuledbythe
younger；butthisisarandommannerofspeakingwhichwehave，
becausesomehowweourselvestooareverymuchunderthedominionof
chance。Whereashemadethesoulinoriginandexcellencepriortoand
olderthanthebody，tobetherulerandmistress，ofwhomthebody
wastobethesubject。Andhemadeheroutofthefollowingelements
andonthiswise：Outoftheindivisibleandunchangeable，andalso
outofthatwhichisdivisibleandhastodowithmaterialbodies，
hecompoundedathirdandintermediatekindofessence，partakingof
thenatureofthesameandoftheother，andthiscompoundheplaced
accordinglyinameanbetweentheindivisible，andthedivisibleand
material。Hetookthethreeelementsofthesame，theother，andthe
essence，andmingledthemintooneform，compressingbyforcethe
reluctantandunsociablenatureoftheotherintothesame。Whenhe
hadmingledthemwiththeessenceandoutofthreemadeone，he
againdividedthiswholeintoasmanyportionsaswasfitting，each
portionbeingacompoundofthesame，theother，andtheessence。
Andheproceededtodivideafterthismanner：—Firstofall，hetook
awayonepartofthewhole[1]，andthenheseparatedasecondpart
whichwasdoublethefirst[2]，andthenhetookawayathirdpart
whichwashalfasmuchagainasthesecondandthreetimesasmuch
asthefirst[3]，andthenhetookafourthpartwhichwastwiceas
muchasthesecond[4]，andafifthpartwhichwasthreetimesthe
third[9]，andasixthpartwhichwaseighttimesthefirst[8]，anda
seventhpartwhichwastwenty—seventimesthefirst[27]。Afterthis
hefilledupthedoubleintervals[i。e。between1，2，4，8]andthe
triple[i。e。between1，3，9，27]cuttingoffyetotherportions
fromthemixtureandplacingthemintheintervals，sothatineach
intervalthereweretwokindsofmeans，theoneexceedingandexceeded
byequalpartsofitsextremes[asforexample1，4/3，2，inwhichthe
mean4/3isone—thirdof1morethan1，andone—thirdof2lessthan
2]，theotherbeingthatkindofmeanwhichexceedsandisexceededby
anequalnumber。Wheretherewereintervalsof3/2andof4/3andof
9/8，madebytheconnectingtermsintheformerintervals，hefilled
upalltheintervalsof4/3withtheintervalof9/8，leavinga
fractionover；andtheintervalwhichthisfractionexpressedwasin
theratioof256to243。Andthusthewholemixtureoutofwhichhe
cuttheseportionswasallexhaustedbyhim。Thisentirecompoundhe
dividedlengthwaysintotwoparts，whichhejoinedtooneanotherat
thecentreliketheletterX，andbentthemintoacircularform，
connectingthemwiththemselvesandeachotheratthepointopposite
totheiroriginalmeeting—point；and，comprehendingthemina
uniformrevolutionuponthesameaxis，hemadetheonetheouterand
theothertheinnercircle。Nowthemotionoftheoutercirclehe
calledthemotionofthesame，andthemotionoftheinnercircle
themotionoftheotherordiverse。Themotionofthesamehe
carriedroundbythesidetotheright，andthemotionofthe
diversediagonallytotheleft。Andhegavedominiontothemotion
ofthesameandlike，forthatheleftsingleandundivided；butthe
innermotionhedividedinsixplacesandmadesevenunequalcircles
havingtheirintervalsinratiosoftwo—andthree，threeofeach，
andbadetheorbitsproceedinadirectionoppositetooneanother；
andthree[Sun，Mercury，Venus]hemadetomovewithequal
swiftness，andtheremainingfour[Moon，Saturn，Mars，Jupiter]to
movewithunequalswiftnesstothethreeandtooneanother，butin
dueproportion。
NowwhentheCreatorhadframedthesoulaccordingtohiswill，he
formedwithinherthecorporealuniverse，andbroughtthetwo
together，andunitedthemcentretocentre。Thesoul，interfused
everywherefromthecentretothecircumferenceofheaven，ofwhich
alsosheistheexternalenvelopment，herselfturninginherself，
beganadivinebeginningofneverceasingandrationallifeenduring
throughoutalltime。Thebodyofheavenisvisible，butthesoulis
invisible，andpartakesofreasonandharmony，andbeingmadebythe
bestofintellectualandeverlastingnatures，isthebestofthings
created。Andbecausesheiscomposedofthesameandoftheother
andoftheessence，thesethree，andisdividedandunitedindue
proportion，andinherrevolutionsreturnsuponherself，thesoul，
whentouchinganythingwhichhasessence，whetherdispersedinparts
orundivided，isstirredthroughallherpowers，todeclarethe
samenessordifferenceofthatthingandsomeother；andtowhat
individualsarerelated，andbywhataffected，andinwhatwayandhow
andwhen，bothintheworldofgenerationandintheworldof
immutablebeing。Andwhenreason，whichworkswithequaltruth，
whethershebeinthecircleofthediverseorofthesame—in
voicelesssilenceholdingheronwardcourseinthesphereofthe
self—moved—whenreason，Isay，ishoveringaroundthesensibleworld
andwhenthecircleofthediversealsomovingtrulyimpartsthe
intimationsofsensetothewholesoul，thenariseopinionsand
beliefssureandcertain。Butwhenreasonisconcernedwiththe
rational，andthecircleofthesamemovingsmoothlydeclaresit，then
intelligenceandknowledgearenecessarilyperfected。Andifanyone
affirmsthatinwhichthesetwoarefoundtobeotherthanthesoul，
hewillsaytheveryoppositeofthetruth。
Whenthefathercreatorsawthecreaturewhichhehadmademoving
andliving，thecreatedimageoftheeternalgods，herejoiced，andin
hisjoydeterminedtomakethecopystillmoreliketheoriginal；
andasthiswaseternal，hesoughttomaketheuniverseeternal，so
farasmightbe。Nowthenatureoftheidealbeingwaseverlasting，
buttobestowthisattributeinitsfulnessuponacreaturewas
impossible。Whereforeheresolvedtohaveamovingimageof
eternity，andwhenhesetinordertheheaven，hemadethisimage
eternalbutmovingaccordingtonumber，whileeternityitselfrestsin
unity；andthisimagewecalltime。Fortherewerenodaysand
nightsandmonthsandyearsbeforetheheavenwascreated，butwhenhe
constructedtheheavenhecreatedthemalso。Theyareallpartsof
time，andthepastandfuturearecreatedspeciesoftime，whichwe
unconsciouslybutwronglytransfertotheeternalessence；forwe
saythathe\"was，\"he\"is，\"he\"willbe，\"butthetruthisthat\"is\"
aloneisproperlyattributedtohim，andthat\"was\"and\"willbe\"only
tobespokenofbecomingintime，fortheyaremotions，butthatwhich
isimmovablythesamecannotbecomeolderoryoungerbytime，norever
didorhasbecome，orhereafterwillbe，olderoryounger，noris
subjectatalltoanyofthosestateswhichaffectmovingandsensible
thingsandofwhichgenerationisthecause。Thesearetheformsof
time，whichimitateseternityandrevolvesaccordingtoalawof
number。Moreover，whenwesaythatwhathasbecomeisbecomeand
whatbecomesisbecoming，andthatwhatwillbecomeisabouttobecome
andthatthenon—existentisnon—existent—alltheseareinaccurate
modesofexpression。Butperhapsthiswholesubjectwillbemore
suitablydiscussedonsomeotheroccasion。
