52 2 
the offspring of the fun, on a certain 
time, attempted to drive the chariot of 
- his father, and not being able to keep the 
track obferved by his parent, burned up 
the natures belonging to the earth, and 
perifhed himfelf, blafted by thunder—is, 
“ndeed, confidered as fabulous, yet “is in 
reality true *, For it expreffes the mu- 
tation of the bodies revolving in the hea- 
vens about the earth ; and indicates that 
through long periods of time,sa deftruc- 
tion of terreftrial natures enfues from 
the devaftations of fire. Hence thofe 
who either dwell on mountains, or in 
lofty and dry places, perifh more abun- 
dantly than thofe who dwell near rivers, 
or on the borders of the fea. Tous, in- 
deed, the Nile is both falutary in other 
- refpeéts, and liberates us from the fear of 
fuch like depredations. But when the 
gods, purifying the earth by waters, de- 
juge its furface, then the herd{men and 
thepherds inhabiting the mountains, are 
preferved, while the inhabitants of your 
cities are huriied away to the fea, by the 
impetuous inundation of the rivers. On 
the contrary, in our region, neither then 
nor at_any other time, did the waters, 
defcending from on high, pour with de- 
‘folation on the plains, but they are na- 
turally impelled upwards from the bo- 
fom of the earth. Aird from thefe caufes 

* The following explanation is given by the 
Platonic philofophy of the well-known fable of 
Phaeton :—-Phaeton fignifics a comet, by which 
confiderable parts of the earth are at times de- 
firoyed. But he is faid to be the offspring of 
the fun, becaufe a comet, according to the Pla- 
tonifts. is a fublunary body. confifting of a col- 
Ye€tion of dry vapours, raife‘ and fet on fire by 
the fun. _ He is likewiie faid to have defired the 
government of his father’s chariot, becaufe a 
comet {trives to imitate the circular motion of 
the fun. He did not keep the track obierved 
by his. parent, becaufe a comet does not move 
in a direction parallel to that of the fun. He 
was blafied by thunder, through the anger of 
Peplters ‘ecauie this comet was extinguifhed 
y moift vapours. Qn this account, he is faid to 
have. fallen iato the river Eridanus, becaufe the 
comet was extinguifhed through moifture. He 
was lamented by the Heliades. becaufe the va- 
pour proceeding from the <diffolution of the 
comet flowed downwards, being of a watery na- 
ture, and in this. refpect. core ponding to tears, 
The Helades were changed into popiar-trees, 
~ becaufe a juice diftus trom the, poplar-trée fimi- 
lar to amber; and amber has a golden {plendour ; 
and gold 1s dedicated to the fun. The fable 
therefore .obfcurely Ggnifies that the juice of the 
poplar-tree is produced by moifture, fimilar to 
that which was .produced by the diflolution of 
the comet, aA a 
Complete Tranflation of the Atlantic Hi/tory of Plato. 
‘[Sur. 
the moft ancient traditions are preferved 
in our country. For, indeed, it may be 
truly afferted, that in thofe places where 
neither intenfe cold nor immoderare heat 
prevails, the race of mankind is. always 
preferved, though fometimes the number 
of individuals is increafed, and fometim. s 
fuffers a confiderable diminution. But 
wharever has been tranfaéted, cither by us 
or by you, or‘in any other place, beauti- 
ful or great, or containing any thing un- 
common, of which ‘we have heard the 
report, every thingof this kind is to be 
found deferibed in our temples, and 
preferved to the prefentday. While, on 
the contrary, you and other uations com- 
mit only recenr tranfactions to writing, 
and to other inventions which fociety has 
employed for tran{mitting information to 
potterity ; and fo again, at ftated pericds 
of time, a certain celeftial defluxion rufhes 
on tlrem like adifeafe, from whence thofe 
among you who furvive, are both defli- 
tute of literary acquifitions and the ine 
fpiration of the mufes. Hence you be- 
come juvenile again, and ignorant of the 
eyents which happened im ancient timcs, 
as well among us as in the regions which 
you mhabit. 
* The tranfaétions, therefore, O Solon, 
which you relate from your-antiquitics, 
differ very little from puerile fables. Far, 
in the fir ft place, you only mention one de- 
luge of the earth, when, at the fame time, 
many have happened © And, in the next 
place, you are igncrant of a moft il- 
luftricus and exce}lent race of men, who 
once inhabited your country; from 
Whence you and your whole city de- 
feended, though a {mall feed only of this 
admirable people once remained. But 
your ignorance in this affair is owing to 
the p fterity of this people, who were 
for many ages deprived of the ufe of 
letters, and became, as it were, dumb, 
For prior, O Solon, to that mighty de- 
luge which we have juft mentioned, a 
city of Athenians exifted, informed ac- 
cording to the beft laws, both in military 
concerns and every other dury of life; and 
whofe illuftricus aétions and civil. inftitu- 
tions are celehrated by us as the moft 
excelent of all that have exifted under 
the ample circumference “of the hea- 
vens.”’ 
‘Solon therefore, upon hearing this, 
faid that he was aftonifhed ; and, burn 
ing with a moft ardent defire, entreated 
the prietts to relate accurately all the ac- 
tions of his ancient fellow-citizens: that 
afterwards one of the priefts replied :—~ 
* Nothing of envy, Q Solon, — us 
rom 
