Critias | Page 7

in some other cases, Plato's
characters have no reference to the actual facts. The desire to do honour to his own
family, and the connection with Solon, may have suggested the introduction of his name.
Why the Critias was never completed, whether from accident, or from advancing age, or
from a sense of the artistic difficulty of the design, cannot be determined.

CRITIAS.
PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE: Critias, Hermocrates, Timaeus, Socrates.
TIMAEUS: How thankful I am, Socrates, that I have arrived at last, and, like a weary
traveller after a long journey, may be at rest! And I pray the being who always was of old,
and has now been by me revealed, to grant that my words may endure in so far as they
have been spoken truly and acceptably to him; but if unintentionally I have said anything
wrong, I pray that he will impose upon me a just retribution, and the just retribution of
him who errs is that he should be set right. Wishing, then, to speak truly in future
concerning the generation of the gods, I pray him to give me knowledge, which of all
medicines is the most perfect and best. And now having offered my prayer I deliver up
the argument to Critias, who is to speak next according to our agreement. (Tim.)
CRITIAS: And I, Timaeus, accept the trust, and as you at first said that you were going to
speak of high matters, and begged that some forbearance might be shown to you, I too
ask the same or greater forbearance for what I am about to say. And although I very well
know that my request may appear to be somewhat ambitious and discourteous, I must
make it nevertheless. For will any man of sense deny that you have spoken well? I can
only attempt to show that I ought to have more indulgence than you, because my theme is
more difficult; and I shall argue that to seem to speak well of the gods to men is far easier
than to speak well of men to men: for the inexperience and utter ignorance of his hearers
about any subject is a great assistance to him who has to speak of it, and we know how
ignorant we are concerning the gods. But I should like to make my meaning clearer, if
you will follow me. All that is said by any of us can only be imitation and representation.
For if we consider the likenesses which painters make of bodies divine and heavenly, and
the different degrees of gratification with which the eye of the spectator receives them,
we shall see that we are satisfied with the artist who is able in any degree to imitate the
earth and its mountains, and the rivers, and the woods, and the universe, and the things

that are and move therein, and further, that knowing nothing precise about such matters,
we do not examine or analyze the painting; all that is required is a sort of indistinct and
deceptive mode of shadowing them forth. But when a person endeavours to paint the
human form we are quick at finding out defects, and our familiar knowledge makes us
severe judges of any one who does not render every point of similarity. And we may
observe the same thing to happen in discourse; we are satisfied with a picture of divine
and heavenly things which has very little likeness to them; but we are more precise in our
criticism of mortal and human things. Wherefore if at the moment of speaking I cannot
suitably express my meaning, you must excuse me, considering that to form approved
likenesses of human things is the reverse of easy. This is what I want to suggest to you,
and at the same time to beg, Socrates, that I may have not less, but more indulgence
conceded to me in what I am about to say. Which favour, if I am right in asking, I hope
that you will be ready to grant.
SOCRATES: Certainly, Critias, we will grant your request, and we will grant the same
by anticipation to Hermocrates, as well as to you and Timaeus; for I have no doubt that
when his turn comes a little while hence, he will make the same request which you have
made. In order, then, that he may provide himself with a fresh beginning, and not be
compelled to say the same things over again, let him understand that the indulgence is
already extended by anticipation to him. And now, friend Critias, I will announce to you
the judgment of the theatre. They are of opinion that the last performer was wonderfully
successful, and that you will need a great deal of indulgence before you will be able to