116 HISTORY Of 



he heard of. Thus Pausanias* tells us of ait 

 island, called Chryses, that was sunk near Lem- 

 nos. Pliny mentions several ; among others, the 

 island Cea, for thirty miles, having been washed 

 away, with several thousands of its inhabitants. 

 But of all the noted devastations of this kind, 

 the total submersion of the island of Atalantis, 

 as mentioned by Plato, has been most the sub- 

 ject of speculation. Mankind, in general, now 

 consider the whole of his description as an inge- 

 nious fable ; but when fables are grown famous 

 by time and authority, they become an agree- 

 able, if not a necessary part of literary informa- 

 tion. 



" About nine thousand years are passed," says 

 Plato, t " since the island of Atalantis was in be- 

 ing. The priests of /Egypt were well acquainted 

 with it; and the first heroes of Athens gained 

 much glory in their wars with the inhabitants. 

 This island was as large as Asia Minor and Syria 

 united; and was situated beyond the pillars of 

 Hercules, in the Atlantic Ocean. The beauty of 

 the buildings, and the fertility of the soil, were 

 far beyond any thing a modern imagination can 

 conceive ; gold and ivory were every where 

 common, and the fruits of the earth offered 

 themselves without cultivation. The arts and 

 courage of the inhabitants were not inferior to 

 the happiness of their situation ; and they were 

 frequently known to make conquests, and over- 

 run the continents of Europe and Asia." The 



Pausanias, 1, 8. in Arcad. p. 509. f Plato in Critia. 



