The Plato Papers

Peter Ackroyd
'A marvellou fable for our . . . times funny and wise' A.N. Wilson, Daily Mail
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The Great Fire of London
The Last Testament of Oscar Wilde
Hawksmoor
Chatterton
First Light
English Music
The House of Doctor Dee
Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem
Milton in merica
*")0RAP1+
T!"! Eliot
Dickens
#lake
The Life of Thomas More
P)TR+
The Di$ersions of %urley
Pe t e r Ac kr oyd
T1 P(AT) PAP R#
A Novel
,R"T","#2 &otes for a &ew Culture
! " N T A 0
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c! =<55 BCc! =55 BC$ The A3e of )rpheus
c. =55 BCc! AD 9<55$ The A3e of the Apostles
c. AD 9<55Gc! AD 4=55$ The A3e of 2ouldwarp
c! AD 4=55)c! AD =655$ The A3e of Witspell
c! AD =;55$ The Present
" often envisa3e, in this new a3e of universal and instantaneous communication, how our
planet mi3ht appear to distant observers. "t must seem to shimmer in a state of continual
eBcited activity, rather like a round diamond in the sky.
Ronald ,orvo, &ew Theory of the Earth* 45=5.
All fallen dark and @uiet, all 3one down. ,ollapsophe.
Foseph P., Diaries* ++,,!
We who survive, we scoured ones, in depths of dark dismay, call out of the ni3ht of our
world, 3one as we knew it, as we know it.
(ondon hymn, c! 4=54.
#livers of li3ht. #ilvers. (ittle horn&shaped li3hts, ridin3 the waves of darkness.
Foseph P., Diaries* 4=56.
2yander, a (ondoner, wrote the history of a chan3in3 world, be3innin3 at the moment
of transition, believin3 that it would mark a 3reat epoch, one more worthy of relation
than any that had come before. This belief was not without its 3rounds. The world of
science had collapsed, but the divine consciousness of humanity had not yet asserted
itself. All the labours of 2yander lay in recordin3 the manifest si3ns of dismay and
wonder. #ince the events of distant anti@uity, even those immediately precedin3 the 3reat
chan3e, cannot clearly be understood she believed it her duty to en@uire carefully into
immediate circumstances.
2yander, History* 4=95.
The holy city, restored. )urselves, revived.
Proclamation, 4=<5.
The components of the li3ht have been carefully studied. "n addition to manifold
influences on the human plane, such as will and desire, there are tokens of power from
the earth itself. The smallest territory can eBert its influence, movin3 those who come
within its boundaries. This city, for eBample, is not indifferent to the ?oys or sufferin3s of
its inhabitants.
The London -ntelligencer* 4::8.
" cannot pretend to have been present durin3 the 3lorious restoration of human li3ht, the
3reatest and perhaps most si3nificant scene in the narrative of humankind. +et " believe
that " am blessed in another sense, livin3 on the ver3e of a new a3e. All around me " am
be3innin3 to see 3reatness and munificence erected, while our citiHens with wonderful
Heal have tried to revive and emulate the labours of distant anti@uity. When asked why
they are en3a3ed in this pursuit, they reply 'Why notI What else is there to doI' This is
our new spiritJ
(etter from Popcorn to 2ellitus, ==::.
The city bears us. The city loves its burden. Nurture it in return. .o not leave its bounds.
Proclamation, =<57.
"n returnin3 to the ori3in of all thin3s, we meet our destiny. .o you see our doubles,
passin3 by us weepin3I This is the nature of our world.
Proverbs of Restituta, 3uardian of (ondon, =765.
"t is sometimes considered wayward or importunate to paint a portrait of one man, yet
we know from the pictures of parishioners lit upon the Wall of our 3reat and 3lorious
city that a sin3le feature or 3lance may embody a fateful moment or an eventful
transaction. #o " intend to con?ure up a likeness of Plato, the 3reat orator of (ondon, in a
similar fashion. " will practise the art of selectionK like the displays of our actors
continually before us, some events will be presented on a 3rand scale and others
diminished. The conventions of spherical drama will be preserved from the be3innin3 to
the endK the revelations and lamentations, for eBample, will be in strict keepin3 with
each other. *y these means we may see his unhappily brief life as a continual search
after truth. *ut it will also be my duty faithfully to record Plato's final days in the city
and to ascertain how a cruel superstition eBercised boundless dominion over the most
elevated and benevolent mind.
Anon., The %lato %a.ers* =;5<.
T1 (,TLR# AN. R2AR-# )/ P(AT)
)N T1 ,)N."T")N )/ PA#T A0#
I
".arkler/ Wait, #idonia, waitJ
"idonia/ 0ladly.
".arkler/ " ?ust saw you in the market. +ou were standin3 beneath the city wall, and
so " assumed that you were listenin3 to Plato's oration.
"idonia/ ,orrect in every respect, #parkler. *ut " eBpected to see you there, since you
always celebrate the feast of 0o3.
".arkler/ " was about to cross the /leet, and ?oin you, when 2adri3al stopped me.
"idonia/ What did he wantI
".arkler/ )nly somethin3 about a parish meetin3. *ut, as a result, " missed Plato's
openin3 remarks. " heard only his endin3, when he spoke of his sorrow at the darkness
of past a3es.
"idonia/ "t was all very interestin3. There was a period when our ancestors believed
that they inhabited a world which revolved around a sun.
".arkler/ ,an it be trueI
"idonia/ )h yes. They had been told that they lived upon a spherical planet, movin3
throu3h some kind of infinite space.
".arkler/ NoJ
"idonia/ That was their delusion. *ut it was the A3e of 2ouldwarp. Accordin3 to
Plato, the whole earth seemed to have been reduced and rolled into a ball until it was
small enou3h to fit their theories.
".arkler/ *ut surely they must have known M or feltI
"idonia/ They could not have known. /or them the sun was a very powerful 3od. )f
course we were all silent for a moment, after Plato had told us this, and then he lau3hed.
".arkler/ 1e lau3hedI
"idonia/ ven when he had taken off the orator's mask, he was still smilin3. Then he
be3an to @uestion us. '.o you consider me to be smallI " know that you do. ,ould you
ima3ine the people of 2ouldwarp to be much, much smallerI Their heads were tiny, and
their eyes like pinpoints. .o you know,' he said, 'that in the end they believed
themselves to be covered by a 3reat net or webI'
".arkler/ "mpossible. " never know when Plato is tellin3 the truth.
"idonia$ That is what he en?oys. The 3ame. That is why he is an orator.
".arkler/ We who have known him since childhoodG
"idonia$ Gnever cease to wonder.
".arkler/ *ut who could be convinced by such wild speculationsI
"idonia/ ,ome and decide for yourself. Walk with me to the white chapel, where he
is about to be3in his second oration.
4
" will speak of a novelist, ,harles .ickens, who flourished in a period somewhere
between the seventeenth and twentieth centuries of our earth. The titles of his works
have been retrieved but only one teBt survives, alas in an incomplete form. #even pa3es
have been removed, and the author's name partially defaced, for reasons which are
unknown to me. 2ost of the narrative remains, however, and it provides a uni@ue
opportunity to eBamine the nature of 2ouldwarp ima3ination. The novel is entitled On
the Origin of ".ecies (y Means of &atural "election* by ,harles .G. The rest of the
name has been 3ou3ed out by some crude tool, and the phrase '!ile stuffJ' written in a
dye&based substance. ,learly the reader did not approve of the fictionJ Perhaps it was
too melodramatic, or romantic, for her refined tasteJ .espite this erasure, we have no
cause to doubt that this novel was composed by the author of Great E0.ectations and
Hard Times!
"t opens with a statement by the hero of the narrative M 'When on board 12# #eagle*
as a naturalist, " was much struck with certain facts . . . ' M who then proceeds to tell his
remarkable story. *y observin3 bees, and pi3eons, and various other creatures around
him, he mana3es to create within his own mind an entire world of such compleBity that
eventually he believes it to be real. This is reminiscent of another fiction we have
recovered, Don 1ui0ote* in which the prota3onist is similarly deluded. The @uiBotic hero
of The Origin* however, is portrayed as bein3 obsessed by 'stru33le', 'competition', and
'death by natural selection', in a manner both morbid and ludicrous. 1e pretends to be
eBact in his calculations but then declares that '" have collected a lon3 list of such cases
but here, as before, " lie under a 3reat disadvanta3e in not bein3 able to 3ive them'. This
wonderfully comic remark is succeeded by one no less rich in inadvertent humour. '"t is
hopeless', he states, 'to attempt to convince anyone of the truth of this proposition
without 3ivin3 the lon3 array of facts " have collected, and which cannot possibly be
here introduced.' 1ere is a character who, if real, would not have been believedJ
The subtlety of ,harles .ickens's fiction now becomes apparent. "n the act of
inventin3 this absurd fellow, this 'naturalist' travellin3 upon the eBtraordinarily named
#eagle* he has mana3ed indirectly to parody his own society. The subtitle of the novel
itself su33ests one of the ob?ects of his satire M 'The Preservation of /avoured Races in
the #tru33le for (ife' refers to the 2ouldwarp delusion that all human bein3s could be
classified in terms of 'race', '3ender' or 'class'. We find interestin3 evidence of this in the
anecdotes of a comedian, *rother 2arB, of whom " will speak at a later date. +et
.ickens is able to mock this eccentric hypothesis throu3h the words of his hapless
narrator, who su33ests that 'widely ran3in3 species which have already triumphed over
many competitors . . . will have the best chance of seiHin3 on new places when they
spread into new countries'. "t should be recalled that in the middle period of 2ouldwarp
the separate nations fou3ht and colonised each otherK as our hero puts it in his usual
bland fashion, 'the northern forms were enabled to beat the less powerful southern forms'
with the purpose 'of bein3 victorious in distant lands in the stru33le for life with forei3n
associates'. "t is the final masterstroke of irony by ,harles .ickens that his character
solemnly maintains the pretence of discussin3 only birds and insects, while at the same
time providin3 a wonderfully succinct if brutal summary of the society from which he
cameJ
1is is a dark world indeed, dominated by the necessity of labour and the appetite for
power. ven the bees are 'anBious . . . to save time', and the prota3onist eBtols 'the more
efficient workshops of the north'K nature itself is described as fru3al or even miserly,
with a continual desire 'to economise'J +et, in a transitional chapter of this novel, the
hero ceases to be merely comic and reveals more mali3n or sinister characteristics. 1e
su33ests the need for 'heavy destruction' and announces, with no irony at all, 'let the
stron3est live and the weakest die'. "n one remarkable passa3e he celebrates the
spectacle of violent death M 'we ou3ht to admire', he informs us, 'the sava3e instinctive
hatred of the @ueen bee, which instantly ur3es her to destroy the youn3 @ueens, her
dau3hters'. We have come across fra3ments of writin3 M 'the death of @ueens', '@ueens
have died youn3 and fair' M which su33est that he is here alludin3 to a dramatic tradition
now lost to us. *ut nothin3 can dis3uise his own interest in carna3e.
,ombat and slau3hter, in fact, become the principal components of the unreal world
which he has created. 1e ima3ines all life on earth to be derived from one 'common
parent' or 'primordial form'K the offsprin3 of this 'prototype' then develop into various
species of animal or plant, which in turn fi3ht amon3 themselves in order to 'pro3ress
towards perfection'. 1e calls it 'evolution'. No lau3hter, please. 1e is only the
prota3onist of a novelJ Well, lau3h if you must. *ut remember that ,harles .ickens
himself is satirisin3 the blind pretensions of his era. Remember, too, that no one from
this dark past could have known that all aspects of the world chan3e suddenly and that
new or3anic life appears when the earth demands it. )nly in the A3e of Witspell, for
eBample, was it realised that the petrified shapes found in rock or ice were created to
mock or mimic their or3anic counterparts. "n the same period it was also reco3nised that
each portion of the earth produces its own creatures spontaneously.
" will conclude this oration with a theme introduced by the novel itself. ven as the
prota3onist concludes his false and ramblin3 description of the natural world, he reflects
upon his own eBperience in lu3ubrious terms. '1ow fleetin3 are the wishes and efforts of
man,' he complains, 'how short his timeJ' These are typical 2ouldwarp sentiments but,
on this occasion, they come from a deluded scholar who claimed to understand the
motive power behind such 3eneral 'wishes and efforts'J 2ay " recommend The Origin of
".ecies to you, then, as a comic masterpieceI
=
Madrigal/ .id you en?oy the orationI
Ornatus/ "mmensely. ven the an3els seemed interested, especially when Plato
mentioned that theory M that thin3 M what was itI
Madrigal/ ,onvolutionI
Ornatus/ Precisely. ,onvolutions. " had to lau3h.
Madrigal/ We all did. *ut why are the beliefs of our ancestors so ridiculousI " am
sure that they were sincerely held.
Ornatus/ No doubt.
Madrigal/ Perhaps, in the future, someone mi3ht lau3h at M well M you and me.
Ornatus/ There is nothin3 funny about us.
Madrigal/ As far as we know.
Ornatus/ A 3ood point. We must ask Plato about this as soon as possible. To think
that in our schooldays we were all in the same parish M you, me, Plato.
Madrigal/ And #parkler. 1ow could you for3et #parklerI With his lon3 robe and
white hair.
Ornatus/ And #idonia, too, with her red hair and the blue li3ht shinin3 from her.
Madrigal/ " have known them so lon3 that sometimes they seem very close, and
sometimes in the far distance.
Ornatus/ All human perception is a dream. )r so Plato tells us. And there he is by the
clerk's well. 1e seems to be talkin3 to himself.
Madrigal/ "mpossible. 1e must be practisin3 his neBt oration.
6
%lato/ 1ow do " know that you are my soulI
"oul/ 1ow do you know that " am notI
%lato/ " have been tau3ht that our souls eBist, of course, but this is the first time you
have decided to appear.
"oul/ "t is unusual, " admit, but not wholly unprecedented. " can prove that " am your
soul, by the way. (ook at this.
%lato/ "s it trulyI )h, my mother. ,an " touchGI
"oul/ No. "t is not allowed. Now look what you have done. #he has faded.
%lato/ 1ow is it possibleI 1ow did you summon herI
"oul/ 1er own soul was a close companion of mine. We used to talk and sin3, when
you and your mother were sittin3 to3ether.
%lato/ #he was always wreathed in white.
"oul/ That was the colour of the city in those days.
%lato/ We had an old house, built of li3ht and not of stone.
"oul/ " remember it well. That was where it all be3an, " suppose.
%lato/ *e3anI
"oul/ .o you always ask @uestionsI "t may become irritatin3. #he used to tell you
stories. /ables and le3ends of the old time.
%lato/ #o " became aware of the city and its history.
"oul/ #o you did.
%lato/ And so " studied.
"oul/ #o&so. +ou were chosen as orator, at least.
%lato/ No other citiHen desired the office. "t is not considered @uite proper to dwell
upon the past, as " do. "t is not appropriate. +et they attend the orations, and listen
politely.
"oul/ )r lau3h.
%lato/ " en?oy their lau3hter. " am their clown. " protect them from doubt about
themselves. ven when " speak the truth, " am so small that they do not consider my
words of much importance.
"oul/ +ou always speak the truth, as far as you understand it.
%lato/ And, presumably, that is not very far.
"oul/ " am not permitted to dwell upon such thin3s. +ou are becomin3. " am bein3.
There is a difference. " wish that " could help you with your 3lossary of ancient terms,
for instance, but it is forbidden. " cannot intervene.
%lato/ 1ow did you know aboutGI
"oul/ +ou must have realised by now that we have a very intimate relationship. Well,
if you will eBcuse me, " think " ou3ht to rest for a while. 2ay " ?ust slip away @uietlyI
%lato/ .o you think anyone has noticed youI
"oul/ )f course not. +ou have been starin3 into space, and talkin3 to yourself. That is
all.
<
anti(iotic/ a death ray of the 2ouldwarp era.
(iogra.her/ from bio&3raphy, the readin3 of a life by means of lines. A fortune&teller
or palmist.
(rainstorm/ on certain occasions the amount of an3er or anBiety in the brain was
believed to cause a violent chan3e in the weather.
CD/ an abbreviation of 'cold dir3e', a form of music desi3ned to calm or deaden
human faculties.
common sense/ a theory that all human bein3s mi3ht be able to share one another's
thou3hts, so that there would in reality be only one person upon the earth.
cost of li$ing/ a phrase used to denote si3ns of weariness or debilityK thus ',an you
calculate her cost of livin3I'
daylight sa$ing/ a techni@ue by which li3ht was stored in 3reat containers and then
taken throu3h under3round pipes to the residences of 2ouldwarp.
dead end/ a place where corpses were taken. )ne such site has been located at
#hadow&well or #hadewell in the east of the old city. Another has been found at
2ortlake. Those who chose to inhabit these areas apparently suffered from a 'death
wish'.
decadence/ a belief in the recurrence of the decades so that, for eBample, the 45:5s
resembled the 9::5s, which in turn recalled the 98:5s. "t is a theory that has never been
wholly disproved and it retained certain adherents even in the A3e of Witspell.
echology/ the practice of listenin3 to the sound of one's own voice, as if it then
became of 3reater importance.
economics/ an ancient science, devoted to reducin3 all phenomena to their smallest
and most ni33ardly point. 1ence 'to practise economy' was synonymous with
'miserliness'.
electricity/ a doubtful term but one 3enerally thou3ht to represent the element of fire
or heat, as distin3uished from moisture and cold. "t was, therefore, a debased version of
astral ma3ic. "n the earlier A3e of )rpheus it was supposed that celestial bodies
emanated a 'spiritual and divine li3ht' which took 'a 3racious passa3e throu3h all thin3s'
with 'a reception by each, accordin3 to each one's capacity'. The nature of electricity
su33ests that this belief was somehow inherited by the people of 2ouldwarp in a less
holy and reverent form.
fi(re o.tic/ a coarse material woven out of eyes, worn by the hi3h priests of the
mechanical a3e in order to instil terror amon3 the populace.
firewater/ an unknown compound, perhaps related to the primitive superstition that
there was a fire at the centre of all thin3s. #ee 'electricity'.
flying saucers/ a 3ame for children. #ee also 'fast food'.
free will/ a term of some si3nificance in the A3e of 2ouldwarp, connected with the
belief that individual choice or 'will' was of no value in a commercial marketK it was
therefore supplied free of char3e.
glo(e/ for many centuries the earth was perceived as a flattened disc at the centre of
the universeK at a later date it was considered to be a spherical or rounded ob?ect
circulatin3 throu3h space. A 3lobe was a model desi3ned to represent this last concept,
althou3h its proportions were evidently taken from the laws of 3eometrical harmony.
Thus it resembled the ma3ical orbus of the astrolo3er.
GMT/ a hiero3lyph discovered on several artefacts. "t is believed to encode the
ritualised worship of the 3od of mathematics and technolo3y. #ee below.
god/ in the A3e of the Apostles, considered to be the supreme ruler of the universe. "n
the A3e of 2ouldwarp, a mechanical and scientific 3enius. "n the A3e of Witspell, the
principle of life reachin3 beyond its own limits.
half time/ the circumstance or condition in which events seem to unfold very slowly,
believed to represent a concerted effort of the 2ouldwarp world to stop before it was too
late.
ideology/ the process of makin3 ideas. The work was 3enerally performed in silence
and solitude, since 3reat care was needed in their manufacture. ,ertain artisans were
chosen for this occupation at an early a3e and were trained in mental workhouses or
asylums. They were known as idealists, and were eBpected to provide a fiBed number of
ideas to be eBhibited or dramatised for the benefit of the public.
ill wind/ a wind that was sick, havin3 been created by human perception.
information/
7
"idoma/ " believe that you were about to describe 'information'. 2ay " sit with you,
Plato, and discuss the sub?ectI
%lato/ *y all means. 1ere in the cool and even li3ht " feel sure that we will reach
interestin3 conclusions. We sat here when we were children, debatin3 the eBistence of
li3ht and the eternity of trian3les.
"idonia/ +ou knew all the answers.
%lato/ No. " knew the @uestions. " always wanted to catch your attention.
"idonia/ That was lon3 a3o.
%lato/ )r a lon3 way forward. 1ave you noticed how before and after have become
stran3ely min3ledI *ut this is idle chatter. +ou were askin3 me, were you not, about
'information'I *y all accounts it was a very ancient deity. "t conferred power upon those
who worshipped it and was thou3ht to have an invisible presence everywhere.
"idonia/ *ut what was the purpose of this 3od or spiritI
%lato/ Apparently it had none. ven its devotees did not believe that they could
become wiser, or happier, throu3h its ministrations. "n many respects it resembled the
cults of Witspell which were performed only for the sake of the ceremonies themselves.
"nformation simply 3ranted its practitioners words and ima3es.
"idonia/ )f whatI
%lato/ "n that period it was believed that people should know of events far away,
whether real or ima3ined.
"idonia/ Presumably this afforded them 3reat benefits.
%lato/ )n the contrary. None at all. "n fact it led to anBiety and bewilderment. *ut
they persisted in the belief that it was necessary for them to suffer in these ways. They
had been tau3ht that they were the 'consumers' of the world.
"idonia/ *ut surely a consumer is one who eatsI
%lato/ Who devours. ,onsumers, as we know, are those who see this earth merely in
relation to themselvesK it only eBists in the act of bein3 in3ested or en?oyed. )f course
we have one or two consumers in the city, and they are kept apart from us, but can you
ima3ine a whole society composed of these ravenin3 creatures who thou3ht of nothin3
but self&3ratificationI
"idonia/ A consumer societyI "t is impossible to ima3ine.
%lato/ +et they were never content, never fulfilled. ven as they were en3a3ed in
their ceaseless activity, they knew that it was futile.
"idonia/ *ut what was the nature of the events related to themI
%lato/ "t will be hard for you to accept what " am about to say.
"idonia/ "n talkin3 of ancient days, Plato, " have already learned to believe the
impossible.
%lato/ "t appears likely, from all the available evidence, that the people of 2ouldwarp
loved chaos and disaster.
"idonia/ NoJ
%lato/ "t seems that they wished to learn of wars and murdersK every kind of violation
or despoliation deli3hted them. "nformation tau3ht them to dissemble their pleasure,
however, and in its service to retain an en@uirin3 or sober countenance. Nevertheless
they dwelled lovin3ly upon death and sufferin3. We believe that there were also 'papers'
which chronicled all the worst incidents of the period and were distributed without
char3e to the populace.
"idonia/ .id everybody read this thin3 called papersI
%lato/ "t is hard to be sure. )f course no one derived any knowled3e or wisdom from
the activity. .ifficult as it is for us to understand, they simply seemed to amuse
themselves by readin3 about the misfortunes of others. This was the essential principle
of information.
"idonia/ Would you suppose, then, that its worship was one of the reasons for the
demise of the A3e of 2ouldwarpI
%lato/ There can be little doubt of that. The dimmin3 of the stars and the burnin3 of
instruments had many compleB causes, but there is every reason to believe that the
sacred cult of information was at least one of the symptoms of decline. .ark ceremonies
and slavish pieties are characteristic of a decayin3 or diseased civilisation, and this
reli3ion of death may have rehearsed a more 3eneral dissolution. Now, if you will
eBcuse me, #idonia, " must return to my 3lossary.
;
iron age/ the a3e of the machine. -nown collo@uially as the 'dark a3e', which in the end
it became.
language la(oratory/ a sterile area where lan3ua3e was created under strict
eBperimental conditions. New compleB words or phrases were bred from eBistin3
phonetic and semantic systems before bein3 tested upon a 3roup of volunteers. There
was of course always a dan3er of contamination or leaka3eK we believe that there were
occasions when ro3ue words were accidentally released into the community, sometimes
causin3 hysteria or fever.
literature/ a word of unknown provenance, 3enerally attributed to 'litter' or waste.
logic/ a wooden ob?ect, as in lo3 table.
ner$ous system/ the system of 2ouldwarp, in a state of continual anBiety. #ee
'nervous breakdown' for its eventual collapse.
old flame/ it was once believed that the kindlin3 of seasoned wood or the burnin3 of
an ancient house would inevitably produce old flames. *ut later research has su33ested
that the locality, rather than the material, is responsible for this phenomenon. That is
why the citiHens of Witspell noticed that fires started in familiar placesK there were
certain streets around the hall of the 3uilds, for eBample, where old flames periodically
burst forth.
o.ening night/ a reference to the creation myth of 2ouldwarp, in which the universe
is believed to have emer3ed from darkness and chaosK it was of course a theory that
reflected the shadowy violence of the civilisation itself. The alternative, propounded by
those few poets and prophets who re?ected the culture of their period, seems to have
been known as 'open day'. The phrase has been reco3nised in two or three fra3ments
concerned with the education of the youn3.
organ grinder/ a kind of butcher. #ee 'or3anism'.
.astoral/ the reverence for the past, eBpressed by word of mouth.
.edestrian/ one who ?ourneyed on foot. Lsed as a term of abuse, as in 'this is a very
pedestrian plot'. "t is possible, therefore, that in ancient days walkin3 was considered to
be an i3noble or unnatural activityK this would eBplain the endless varieties of transport
used to convey people for very short distances.
.sychotic/ a person in communion with his psyche or spirit, who sometimes spoke as
if by inspiration.
2uestion master/ a 3rand official, or even leader. 1is role as interro3ation master is
not entirely clear, but it seems likely that he issued one or two @uestions a year to the
3eneral populace. The citiHens would be eBpected to publish their answers, but he
himself offered none.
recreation ground/ an area of the city selected for the restoration of past life. #ee
'reco3nition' for the skills of those who performed this difficult procedure.
8
"idonia/ This is perhaps what Plato means by a recreation 3round. Are you comfortable
hereI (et me raise an umbrella to protect you from the 3lare.
Ornatus/ The sea is very troubled. " had not eBpected so many 3limmers and flashes
of li3ht.
"idonia/ They are moments reappearin3, little 3leams of time in the 3eneral sea as
countless as the 3rains of sand upon the beach. #hield your eyes and look over there.
What is that emer3in3 in the distanceI
Ornatus/ "t must be some cloud of li3ht, with its form chan3in3. "t seems to take the
shape of a face. No. "t has become too wide. "t is a ma3nificent buildin3. Now it is
breakin3 up into words.
"idonia/ "t will chan3e continually until it is drawn back into the sea. We believe that
these confi3urations represent some 3reat epoch, or century, stru33lin3 to re3ain
eBistence. #heaths of bri3htness have been observed, risin3 up from the sea with 3reat
rapidity before subsidin3 once more beneath the waves. These are the tokens of events,
perhaps many thousands of years old, which have returned for an instant to the world's
memory. There was the occasion when one 3reat li3ht left the people of this re3ion
daHed and bewildered. #ome were reported to have spoken in stran3e lan3ua3es and to
have lau3hed or cried for no reason. Nei3hbours no lon3er reco3nised one another and
members of the same family seemed stran3ers. *ut the anBiety passed. "t was part of the
process.
Ornatus/ #urely the people of 2ouldwarp also knew of this placeI They 3ave it such
a remarkable name.
"idonia/ 0ravesend. *ut, accordin3 to Plato, it lay beneath their field of vision. This
sea did not appear until Witspell, when the sun went out and the stars were dimmed. #o
many wonderful re3ions of the earth emer3ed in that period. There was one called den
G )h, look, your umbrella is fallin3 down. (et me help you with it. .o you remember
when we took part in the parish 3amesI " helped you to find the li3ht.
Ornatus/ When we were smallI
"idonia/ We had to 3o throu3h the maHe of 3lassG
Ornatus/ And even thou3h we could see perfectly, we were still lostJ
"idonia/ Plato always held back, " think. .id he not run away before the danceI
Ornatus/ 1e was afraid that he would break the 3lass.
"idonia/ *ut it cannot be broken. "t is made from the tears of an3els.
Ornatus/ And as bri3ht as the sea itself. Tell me, #idonia. 1as anyone entered this
seaI
"idonia/ (et me put it this way$ no one has ever returned.
Ornatus/ *ut surely there was curiosity, as well as wonderI What if " were to throw
my birth&plate into the waterI
"idonia/ +ou are bein3 facetious, " know, but it would also be very unwise. (et me
tell you of one case. There was a youn3 man from the villa3e of Romford, not so far
from here, who believed that the sea was an illusion and decided to test its powers. 1e
walked down to the shore and looked at his reflection in the water.
Ornatus/ 2any of us do that. "t is a @uestion of achievin3 harmony for ?ust one
moment. " have seen 2adri3al, for eBample, lookin3 into the (ea with wonderful
concentration.
"idonia/ Perhaps the reflection is our second self, as some people believe, but this is
not the (ea. This is the sea of time. The villa3er stepped back and stood upon the sands,
darin3 the waves to en3ulf him. When they refused the challen3e, he ran towards them.
Ornatus/ What happenedI
"idonia/ 1e was seen to walk a short distance on the water and then to make 3reat
bounds, leapin3 hi3h into the air.
Ornatus/ 1ow eBtraordinaryJ
"idonia/ )n the first bound he turned into an oB, on the second into a swanK then he
became in turn a snake, a lion and many other creatures, until he vanished from si3ht
alto3ether.
Ornatus/ All this is trueI
"idonia/ All is true. Perhaps he is chan3in3 still, althou3h what formG " see that
your li3ht is chan3in3.
Ornatus/ /or some reason " find the story disturbin3. "t is as if M well, it doesn't
matter.
"idonia/ As if the city could no lon3er protect usI
Ornatus/ That would be blasphemy.
"idonia/ No. After all, we are some distance away. *ut we should 3o back. " can see
that you are anBious.
Ornatus/ +es. We ou3ht to return.
"idonia/ And then Plato can entertain us with some more of his ancient words.
:
remote control/ a form of worship conducted by the people of 2ouldwarp, in the belief
that they mi3ht manipulate distant events with certain ritualised ceremonies. Tribal
dancin3 may have been part of these rites, but it is also likely that letters or numbers
were chanted as a way of summonin3 the mechanical spirits of the earth.
rock music/ the sound of old stones. This is a condition not previously ascribed to
2ouldwarp, but the phrase itself is evidence that some connection was made between
ancient ob?ects and musical harmony.
second in command/ the belief in the supremacy of time. All aspects of eBistence
were once 3overned by this concept, as in second si3ht, second thou3hts and second
childhood.
see red/ to see into the fire at the heart of all thin3s.
se0ist/ a proponent of the notion that there were only two or, at most, three seBes.
slee.ing car/ an eBample of the belief that inanimate ob?ects, when not bein3
employed or eBploited, reverted to a dormant state. #ee 'sleepin3 ba3' and 'sleepin3
tablet'.
solitary confinement/ a state of mind, much encoura3ed in the 2ouldwarp period.
s.ace age/ the space between ob?ects was believed to 3row old and dieK it was a way
of assi3nin3 mortality, and fatality, to the entire universe.
sto.watch/ a 3roup of trained observers chosen to measure the pace of human affairs
and to intervene if there were any si3ns of delay. There seems to have been a 3eneral
deli3ht in speed and efficiency for their own sake, with the attendant fear that the world
mi3ht lose its velocity or even stop alto3ether.
sunstroke/ the death of the sun.
tele.athy/ the sufferin3 caused by 'television'. "t seems likely that television enlar3ed
the or3ans of vision beyond their natural ran3e and as a result caused mental distress.
fforts were continually bein3 made to increase human perception by artificial means,
without any understandin3 that the conditions of 2ouldwarp were still in place M the
3reater the enlar3ement, in fact, the more obvious the constriction. The practitioners of
television received ma3nified ima3es of their own shrunken si3ht and lived in perpetual
sorrow.
third world/ unknown. The home of the third personI 1ence the location known as
the third de3reeI .oubtful.
time (om(/ the eBplosion of the 2ouldwarp world.
tin god/ an ob?ect of their worship.
town crier/ an official who took on the woes of a town, or district, and en3a3ed in
ritual, weepin3 to ensure the maintenance of harmony.
transcendence or trans3end3dance/ the ability to move beyond the end, otherwise
called the dance of death. The fear of death, in the 2ouldwarp period, was part of a
3reater fear of life.
tra$el sickness/ the fever which prevented certain people from leavin3 the sites of
their birth or upbrin3in3. "t is now known to be a sacred condition created by the earth
itself, but in ancient times it was classified as an illness to be pur3ed with dru3s.
underground/ the title of a paintin3 of 3reat beauty. "t is before you now. Notice how
the blue and red lines of li3ht reach out in wonderful curves and ovals, while a 3reat
yellow circle completes the desi3n. "t is a masterpiece of formal fluency and, althou3h
the people of 2ouldwarp are considered to be devoid of spiritual 3enius, there are some
who believe this to be their sacred symbol of harmony. "t is true that certain spirit names
have been deciphered M an3el, temple, white city, 3ospel oak and the le3endary seven
sisters M but the central purpose of the paintin3 is still disputed.
wisdom teeth/ it was believed that the source of human characteristics or behaviour
could be found in various or3ans of the body. ,oura3e was identified with the heart, for
eBample, and memory with the brain. "t would seem, then, that wisdom was located in
the teeth.
word .rocessor/ in the old machine culture words were seen as commodities, or items
in a line of production. They became a form of manufacture and were, therefore,
increasin3ly standardisedK they took on mechanical rather than livin3 proportions, so that
they could be widely distributed over the world.
words3worth/ the patronymic of writers who had earned their hi3h position. "n a
similar conteBt we have ,hatter&ton. 2any 2ouldwarp writers were compared to
inor3anic substances, such as )re&well, ,ole&rid3e and 0old&smith. #ome writers were
considered sacred, as in Pope and Priestley. #ome were feared as Wilde or #ava3e while
others were celebrated for their mournful or @uerulous style, amon3 them 0raves,
*ellow and /rost. Lnfortunately, no specimens of their work have survived.
43ray/ a ray that has dissolved or has been terminated. N, also known as 'the cross',
was a symbol of 3reat power in the A3e of 2ouldwarpK it was widely used to indicate
death, as in N&am or N&it.
yellow fe$er/ the fear of colour.
'ero tolerance/ the ability to eBist in a world without numbers. #ince in this period
there was no reality beyond the numerical system, it was re3arded as an infinitely
remote theoretical possibility.
'oolog/
" am bein3 interrupted.
95
.ologies* %lato! We ha$e reco$ered some images from the marshland of the "a$oy/
.owder u.on a face* a glass of li2uid* a child* a white (ar of cleansing ointment* a
$ehicle u.on wheels* a .erfume for the hair* a shirt for the male* a (asin! We cannot (e
certain how these details are related!
Thank you. " will consider these matters before my neBt oration.
99
!ery little is known of that ancient race, the American people. Their territory is now a
vast and featureless desert, accordin3 to the latest report, swept by 3ales of hot air. +et
we have discovered evidence that, beneath the surface of this wasteland, there may
remain the vesti3es of a 3reat empire. A sealed casket was removed from the ruined
circus of ros, outside our own wallsK it was of course considered to be a sacred ob?ect,
and lay untouched for several hundred years. *ut then, after the inau3uration of our own
Academy of Past A3es, it was removed for eBamination. The casket itself had been
fashioned from some unknown metallic substance, and on its side it bore the still faintly
discernible le3end '. A. Poe. American. 985:M986:'K when it was opened it was found
to contain a teBt of black type inscribed 'Tales and 1istories'. "t was a wonderful
revelation, since it was the first relic of that unknown civilisationK unfortunately it is also
likely to be the last. "f all the earth were 3lass, as the sayin3 3oes, we would still look in
vain. The si3nificance of 'Tales and 1istories' is immense, therefore, as the uni@ue
record of a lost race.
The eminence and status of the author are not in doubt. The name, for eBample, was
not difficult to interpret. Poe is an abbreviation of Poet, and by common consent the rest
was deciphered$ . A. Poe O minent American Poet. "t seems clear enou3h that the
writers of America en?oyed a blessed anonymity, even in the A3e of 2ouldwarp. The
word 'poet' is known to all of us, but as there are no chants or hymns in 'Tales and
1istories' we believe the term was applied indiscriminately to all writers of that
civilisation. This particular teBt has been preserved because of its historical content, not
because it was the material for son3 and dance.
,ertainly . A. Poet has described the characteristics of the American empire with
3reat precision. "ts inhabitants dwelled in very lar3e and very old houses which, perhaps
because of climatic conditions, were often covered with lichen or ivy. "n many respects
the architecture of these ancient mansions conformed to the same patternK they contained
libraries and 3alleries, chambers of anti@ue paintin3 and lon3 corridors leadin3 in
serpentine fashion to 3reat bolted doors. Their rooms were characteristically lar3e and
lofty, with narrow pointed windows and dark floors of the wood named 'oak'. They also
included innumerable staircases and cellarsK the passa3es were lit by candelabra,
althou3h it was customary for the owner of the house to carry a flamin3 torch when
walkin3 upstairs. )ne eminent family, the Lshers, were fortunate enou3h to possess
vaults in which they could bury their dead without the inconvenience of a church
service. "ndeed from the evidence of the Poet, the American people had no established or
or3anised reli3ionK they seem to have possessed a 3reat terror of the ni3ht and darkness,
like many primitive races, but there was an evil deity which they chose to propitiate with
elaborate ceremonies and rituals. "n one of the Poet's historical accounts we find a
reference to the 'palace of the fiend, 0in'K this of course is related to "?in, who, in the
stories of the eastern earth, is an imp or demon. We have discovered the name of an
essay by the Poet, 'The "mp of the Perverse', which was no doubt a catechism or
devotional study. )n occasions such as this we reco3nise, with some distress, how much
has been lost to us.
The 3reatest fear of the Americans, however, seems to have been that of premature
burial. This anBiety was related to the superstition, known as ,ry&o&3ene, which tau3ht
that the soul could be trapped within the confines of its body by lowerin3 its
temperatureK it was believed that the froHen spirit could not fly out of its nest. No. There
is no cause for lau3hter. The landscape of America was monotonous and forbiddin3K its
seasons of cold were prolon3ed beyond endurance and there was more 'ni3ht' than 'day'.
This may account, in certain respects, for the strikin3 appearance of its inhabitants.
The Americans had pale countenances, with thin lips and lar3e eyesK their hair was
3enerally lon3 and silken. "t seems likely, from the evidence of this history, that they
were all of distant aristocratic linea3eK one of our readers has su33ested that they were
descended from some ori3inal clan or household, which mi3ht account for their marked
and peculiar characteristics. We are informed by the learned Poet that they were a hi3hly
nervous people, who suffered from a morbid acuteness of their faculties. They
eBperienced continually 'a va3ue feelin3 of terror and despair'. They were prone to the
most eBtreme sensations of wonder or hilarity and there seems to have been an unusual
amount of lunacy amon3 the youn3.
Their fear of premature burial has already been discussed, but it was accompanied by
a sense of sin and evil so stron3 that many believed that they were already damned. All
the thou3hts of Americans were upon death. Why such a wealthy and aristocratic people
should have been so susceptible to morbid dread, and why they chose to live amon3 so
many intimations of 3loom and decay, are still @uestions to be resolved. "t has been
su33ested that they suffered from some 3eneral and inherited disease that caused them to
shrink from bri3ht li3ht, for eBample, and that kept them enclosed within their mansions.
*ut there may be another eBplanation.
2ay " @uote from the Poet's own wordsI 'And then, after the lapse of siBty minutes
Cwhich embrace three thousand and siB hundred seconds of the Time that fliesD, there
came yet another chimin3 of the clock and then were the same disconcert and
tremulousness and meditation as before.' #ome of you are bewildered. A 'clock' was a
mechanical system that manufactured this 'Time'. There may ori3inally have been
covered markets from which Time was distributed to the people but, in the period when
the Poet wrote his history, the mechanisms were so compact that it could be produced by
means of various wheels and dials. There is also mentioned, within the same account,
the ob?ect known as a 'pendulum' attached to this clock. There is even a 'pit' where Time
itself was stored.
All the evidence, therefore, su33ests that the Americans considered Time to be an
indispensable element of their eBistence. There is in the teBt a toast or homa3e to this
deity, with the refrain 'Time, 3entlemen, please'. "t was also, perhaps, a visible bein3. "
have already mentioned that the Poet writes of 'the Time that flies', which su33ests that
they saw win3ed or hastenin3 fi3uresK this may also eBplain the references, on several
occasions, to 'muffled' or 'low indefinite sounds', which we interpret as the noise of
footsteps or of beatin3 win3s. *ut at this point we confess ourselves to be intri3ued by
that passa3e describin3 the 'disconcert and tremulousness and meditation' which Time
instilled within the people. They trembled in its presence and as it 'flew' it 3ave them
cause for anBious contemplation. *ut even thou3h it was by no means a beneficent
a3ency, they believed that it was in some obscure sense part of their own bodies. The
beatin3 of the human heart, for eBample, is compared to such sounds as 'a watch makes
when enveloped in cotton'. A 'watch' was that part of the clock which stared at its owner,
and was sometimes known as its 'face'.
Another para3raph in 'Tales and 1istories' anticipates the discoveries of a much later
period. After the mansions of the American people have been described, it is su33ested
that these splendid houses 'moulded the destinies' of those who inhabited themK they
contained 'an atmosphere peculiar to themselves' which wielded 'an importunate and
terrible influence' upon those who dwelled in them. ,urious, is it notI This historian of
ancient days mi3ht easily be mistaken for a prophetJ *ut then we read this$ '" am heartily
sick of this life and of the nineteenth century in 3eneral. " am convinced that everythin3
is 3oin3 wron3.' Ponder these words, which manifest such a 3reat sense of woe and loss.
The conclusion is more poi3nant still. '" will 3et embalmed for a couple of hundred
years.' There of course is the pathos and also the irony. "f the Poet were indeed revived,
two hundred years later, the A3e of 2ouldwarp would still be in eBistence with all its
de3raded power. *ut althou3h it was a barren and oppressive epoch, the work before us
confirms that even then there were intimations and 3leams of another life which would
eventually emer3e within the 3reat bri3htness of Witspell. Thank you.
94
%lato/ Thank you. #omethin3 of a success, " think.
"oul/ "t was a fine performance.
%lato/ *ut was it accurateI
"oul/ As far as anyone knows. " particularly en?oyed your dis@uisition on time. "t
always interested me, at least when it eBisted. +ou were very convincin3, too. And "
must say that your 3estures have improved.
%lato/ " was tau3ht in the Academy how to summon up the ima3es, but " was a poor
student.
"oul/ No. +ou were different. " noticed it from the be3innin3. ven as a child you
were unlike the others. +ou preferred solitude. +ou refused to play with the broken
mirrors.
%lato/ " was so u3lyG
"oul/ No. +ou were so afraid. When you were supposed to dance in the maHe with the
other children, you screamed and ran away.
%lato/ " didI
"oul/ " was always with you. When you used to hide in the ruins of the elephantine
castle. When you wept at the death of your teacher.
%lato/ uphrene. #he brou3ht me into the Academy. #he showed me the books.
"oul/ .o you remember weepin3I
%lato/ " remember that " visited the 1ouse of the .ead.
9=
Welcome, little Plato. Welcome to the 1ouse of the .ead. When your teacher
approached her end, she came here. #ome citiHens 3ently and @uietly disappear, while
others will lie within their shells for many centuries before fadin3 away. We had once
thou3ht that, at the moment of death, all memory and ima3ination left the bodyK but
recently we have found evidence that there is dreamin3 amon3 the dead. They lie here
and dream of their past lives. We know this because we have listened to their dreams.
Why are you weepin3, little PlatoI
96
"oul/ +et you stayed at the Academy.
%lato/ "t was my duty. No. "t was my choice. " wanted to read all the old books. " was
no lon3er here. " was there, within them.
"oul/ "t was a comfortable position.
%lato/ WhyI
"oul/ "t was a place where you could conceal yourself.
%lato/ +ou're wron3.
"oul/ " ou3ht to know.
%lato/ " wanted to find myself.
"oul/ +ou wanted to find a voice.
%lato/ No. " wanted to find a faith.
"oul/ "t was all very distressin3. +ou were certain that you were ri3ht and the other
citiHens wron3. +ou believed in the importance of the past.
%lato/ )f course. *ut surely it was you who convinced me that the books were
worthy of eBaminationI
"oul/ " may have done. " cannot remember.
%lato/ #ouls do not need memory. They are eternal.
"oul/ 2y apolo3ies. " stand corrected. *ut when they asked you to take on the robe of
orator, " remained silent.
%lato/ That was my choice. " did it because " was afraid.
"oul/ )f whatI
%lato/ )f them.
9<
%lato of %ie Corner* you ha$e assumed the ro(e and mask of the orator! 5ou will s.eak
at each of the gates of the city! What is your theme6
" will discuss the first a3es of the earth.
97
The A3e of )rpheus is the name we have 3iven to the first epoch, when it was truly the
sprin3time of this world. These were the centuries when statues were coaBed into life
and walked from their stone plinths, when the spirits of streams could be chan3ed into
trees or 3lades and when flowers spran3 from the blood of wounded heroes. The 3ods
themselves took the shape of swans or bulls from the simple deli3ht in transformation.
)rpheus has become the symbol of this enchanted time because it was he who
discovered the powers of musical harmony and, by means of his melodies, made the
trees dance and the mountains speak. +et his deli3ht in the plaintive notes of the lute was
far eBceeded by his love for a woman, urydice, who was the dau3hter of a river nymphK
we have found the nests of nymphs even here, by the Tyburn and the (ea. urydice was
stun3 by a serpent of the field while conversin3 with a flowerK she died at once, her eyes
closed upon the world, and )rpheus was afflicted with a 3rief which no music could
alleviate. We mi3ht say that he 'descended' into 3rief, since the notion of descent is
central to the vision of this a3e.
#he herself had been transformed into a shade and taken to the place known as
1ades, a dark subterranean city of which certain ruined fra3ments have already been
found. "ts ruler was Thanatos, the son of ,hronos, which is to say that death is the child
of time. 1e wore a black 3own upon which were woven 3olden stars, as a si3n that the
heavens themselves were in turn the creation of time and death.
#o piercin3 was )rpheus's sorrow at the loss of urydice that he approached the 3ods
of 2ount )lympus, situated in Asia 2inor, and implored them to 3rant his wish. ,ould
he travel to the underworld and see her once moreI 1e was warned that any ?ourney
beneath the earth would be perilous indeed but, after some discussion over bowls of
ambrosia, the 3ods allowed him to venture below. Almost at once he was transported to
the mouth of the cavernK he was about to enter, when a ferocious three&headed do3 came
towards him out of the darkness. CThe bones of a 3rotes@ue animal have indeed been
found near the site of the ruined city.D )rpheus had no sense of fear, however, and be3an
to play upon his luteK the monstrous do3 stopped, licked its paws with its three ton3ues
and settled comfortably upon the floor of the cave. Then it fell asleep. As soon as he
heard it snorin3 and whimperin3, )rpheus slipped past and entered the domain of
1ades.
"n fact the echo of his music had preceded his arrival, and it is said that the shadowy
inhabitants of this place had suspended their labours in order to listen to the stran3e
sweetness of the sounds. #o he was 3reeted with soft si3hs before bein3 taken to the
palace of Thanatos himself. 1e was escorted throu3h various rooms hun3 with dismal
tapestries until he reached a dark and secluded chamber, where the ruler reclined on a
couch of black marble. )rpheus knelt before him and, havin3 announced his mission,
a3ain played upon his lute. Thanatos was ravished by the music and, wipin3 away his
ruby tears, 3raciously a3reed that )rpheus mi3ht reclaim urydice and lead her
upwards.
*efore this reunion, however, he decided that his 3uest must see the wonders of the
city. 1e showed him a wheel of fire, always turnin3, and a 3reat stone that rolled
backwards and forwards alon3 the same course. There was also a river of salt water,
encirclin3 the re3ion, that forever turned upon itself. These were of course the old
emblems of time. Thanatos imposed one condition upon the release of urydice$
)rpheus was not to look upon her until they had left 1ades and reached the outer air.
The reasons for his decision are unclear and no state papers have yet been recovered, but
it is likely that the sudden immersion within the realm of time had somehow disfi3ured
or even transformed her.
#o )rpheus turned his back and, stayin3 true to his oath, be3an walkin3 ahead of
urydice towards the li3htK he stayed upon the strai3ht path, between vast walls of dark
rock and played upon his lute in order to encoura3e her falterin3 steps. *ut there came a
moment when he could not resist the comfort of her face and, without thou3ht, he turned
his head and 3aHed upon her. "t was already too late. #he cried aloud, and fell back in a
faint. )rpheus ran towards her, but she had faded away before he could reach her
outstretched arms. 1e heard only the faintest echo of '/arewell' before he found himself
alone upon the stony path. Alone he reached the territory of li3ht.
"t has been said that urydice did not wish to leave the world of time and deliberately
called out to him so that he would look at herK she had 3rown old, perhaps, and did not
believe that he would love her in her altered state. The truth has yet to be discovered.
)rpheus himself wandered amon3 the fields and meadows of his native land, always
lamentin3, until the 3ods took pity on him. 1e was lifted into the heavens, where his lute
was chan3ed into a constellationK from that period onward, the people of the earth could
hear the music of the spheres.
"t is in many respects a poi3nant story, but there is no reason to doubt its 3eneral
truth. Althou3h certain details have yet to be authenticated the eBistence of 1ades and
2ount )lympus, as well as the star cluster of (yra, has already been proved. "n the sad
fate of )rpheus, then, we have a central and 3enuine event of ancient history. +ou may
now enter the observation chamber, where the three&headed do3 has been reconstructed,
before " be3in a brief eBe@uy on the second a3e of the earth.
9;
The A3e of the Apostles was an a3e of sufferin3 and lamentation, when the earth itself
was considered to be evil and all those upon it were condemned as sinners. The 3ods had
departed and it was believed that the natural world had betrayed its spiritual inheritance.
The apostles propa3ated a doctrine that the human race had committed some terrible
offence, of unknown ori3in, which could only be eBpiated by prayer and penanceK it was
not lon3, in fact, before pain was valued for its own sake. They also insisted that the
various 3ods had become one deity, which hid itself in a cloud or, on occasions, in a
bri3ht li3ht. This 3od, accordin3 to the testimony of the apostles, had already consi3ned
some of its creatures to everlastin3 torment in a re3ion known as hellK its location has
not yet been found, but we believe it to lie in a territory ad?acent to 1ades. We are
certain, however, that the reli3ion of the apostles was indeed one of blood and sorrow.
That is why, in this ancient period, the an3els rarely visited the earthK if they ali3hted
here they stayed only for a moment since, as 0abriel himself has told us, there was no
chance of intelli3ent conversation.
The reasons for the eventual collapse of the reli3ion are unknown, althou3h it is
likely that certain internal contradictions rendered it unstable. "t affirmed the values of
compassion and sympathy, for eBample, while persecutin3 those who refused to accept
its authorityK it worshipped an omnipotent deity, while insistin3 upon the individual's
free choice of salvation or damnation. These paradoBes were maintained for many
centuries but in the end the faith collapsed and 3ave way to the apparently more
plausible eBplanations of 2ouldwarp.
98
%lato/ " was so deli3hted that " could speak without falterin3.
"oul/ As " was sayin3 before you interrupted me, you had found your voice.
%lato/ And the citiHens have been pleased by it. "t is almost as if " am protectin3 them
at the same time as " am protectin3 myself. As lon3 as " study and interpret the past, they
are able to i3nore it. " 3ive them certainty and that is enou3h.
"oul/ *ut they listen very intently.
%lato/ And they lau3h.
"oul/ No. +ou misunderstand them. They are simply admirin3 your skills as an orator.
.o you recall your description of the last days of 2ouldwarpI That was a 3rand
performance.
9:
The last centuries of 2ouldwarp furnish perhaps the most solemn and awful scenes in
the entire history of the earth. Who can properly depict, for eBample, the despair
en3endered by the cult of webs and nets which spread amon3 the people in these final
yearsI They seem to have worn these dismal 3arments as a form of enslavement as well
as worship, as if their own darkness mi3ht thereby be covered and concealed. They had
inherited the superstition of pro3ress from their credulous ancestors but in their
eBtremity they had no notion of what, if anythin3, they were pro3ressin3 towards.
Nothin3 could have prepared them, however, for the horror of the end.
The priests of this a3e had lost their visionary powers and had become techniciansK so
restricted was the ran3e of their knowled3e that their principal activity lay in the
computation of fi3ures and numbers within the material world. )ne 3roup of this
priestly caste had been trained to observe the heavens Caccordin3 to the ancient teBts
they were known as astronomads or, perhaps, astronumberersD in order to confirm the
re3ularity and predictability of its movements. We believe this to have been known as
science. +et there came a moment when one observer noticed that certain faint sources
of li3ht had somehow disappeared. An observer in a different re3ion confirmed that
other remote areas of bri3htness had also vanished. "n their anBiety and alarm the
astronumberers consulted to3ether, only to realise that these stars and nebulae had
disappeared simply because no one had been lookin3 at them. With increasin3
desperation the technicians consulted their maps and their models in order to compile a
list of celestial ob?ects that had not been under continuous observation. )f course these
ob?ects had also 3one. The leaders of 2ouldwarp were suddenly confronted by the
knowled3e that the components of their universe ceased to eBist when they were not
actively sou3ht or studied. Within a 3eneration there emer3ed a common belief that the
ni3ht sky, and all of its properties, had been created by human perception.
very 3alaBy and every constellation then became the ob?ect of continual attention,
as if it were still possible to keep this universe to3ether by an act of concerted will. *ut
it was already too late. They had be3un to doubt. Then all the stars, @uadrant by
@uadrant, were 3radually eBtin3uished. )nce the process had be3un, it could not be
haltedK the onset of decay in one section of the heavens spread across the entire ni3ht
sky. #ince the astronomads now believed that they were responsible for what they
observed, they could no lon3er define their ob?ectives with any confidence or certainty.
And so the darkness spread.
The populace had not been informed of these events and had not noticed the
disappearance of a few distant stars. *ut when the most prominent patterns of the ni3ht
sky were slowly eroded, there emer3ed a 3reat and consumin3 fear. "t was su33ested that
they should pray. PrayI To whatI (on3 a3o they had forsaken any idea of divinity
within, or beyond, themselves. Who can ima3ine the scenes of fury and despair when
the work of 2ouldwarp be3an to unravel after ei3ht hundred yearsI The an3er of the
people was first directed a3ainst the priests who had apparently deceived and
manipulated themK they turned upon those who had created reason and abstraction and
the encroachin3 darkness. *ut the practitioners of science were themselves horrified and
bewildered by the events unfoldin3 above them. They had never understood that they
were en3a3ed in acts of ma3ic, and that their universe was an emanation of the human
mind. Then the sun went out.
The ensuin3 period of an3er and fear has often been chronicled. The people of
2ouldwarp did not, or could not, reco3nise the li3ht within themselvesK so they ra3ed
a3ainst the dark and the false reality that had been constructed around them. #ome
wondered how they still lived and breathed, but most of the inhabitants of this lost
civilisation were provoked into bouts of violence and destruction. They turned first
a3ainst the en3ines of their masters and, accordin3 to our historians, be3an the burnin3
of the machines. "n the 3eneral confla3ration they set ali3ht the nets and webs which had
been the 3arments of their superstitious cult, and broke apart all the screens and si3ns by
which it had been or3anised. )nce they had lost control of their universe, they lost faith
in the civilisation that had created it. Their computational tools, their forms of
communication, their modes of transport, all seemed irrelevant and inconse@uential in
the ni3ht that now enshrouded their world. #o they finished with them. They destroyed
them. They burned them to the 3round. )nly then, in the eBhaustion and silent despair
which marked the demise of 2ouldwarp, did the li3ht of humankind be3in its ministry.
#oon after the 3eneral confla3ration, when the fires subsided, a subdued and dusky
li3ht seemed to emer3e from the earth itself and 3rew in stren3th as it enveloped the
people. ventually there was broad day, without that ni3ht sky which had for so lon3
deluded and controlled themK they re?oiced, but then became afraid when they realised
that the li3ht also came from within themselves. This was the moment when we can,
with some certainty, date the openin3 of Witspell.
45
%lato/ " offered the citiHens such certainty that they had no need to en@uire for
themselves. ", too, was so certain. Was " ri3htI
"oul/ " cannot say.
%lato/ What if the past is all invention or le3endI
"oul/ "t is unlikely.
%lato/ (et me put it differently, then. What if my interpretation of the books is false
or mis3uidedI
"oul/ Who would ever knowI
%lato/ +ou would.
"oul/ " know what you know.
%lato/ /or an immortal bein3, you are very modest. +ou understand the past, after all,
and you can see into the future.
"oul/ Perhaps they are the same thin3.
%lato/ "n the A3e of Witspell the people were informed that future events affected
every aspect of their present.
"oul/ #o you believe.
%lato/ #o " believed. .id " mention it in my orationI
49
The A3e of Witspell emer3ed when human li3ht be3an to appear upon the earth. The
darkness of 2ouldwarp was dispersed and the citiHens reco3nised one another without
fear or dissemblin3. *ut if this early time was filled with eBhilaration and awakenin3, it
was also marked by unhappiness and difficulty for those who were afraid of their own
freedom. There were some who believed that this new world eBisted only within their
own minds, for eBample, and they fled from each other, howlin3. )thers closed their
eyes upon it and slept for ever.
*ut the a3e of anBiety passed, to3ether with the illusions of abstract law and uniform
dimensions. The first evidence of chan3e came when it was reported that a centaur had
been seen 3allopin3 across the meadows of 0reece. This was followed by the news that
a phoeniB had been observed risin3 from its ashes somewhere in northern /ranceK it was
approBimately the siHe of an ea3le, with feathers of purple and 3old. When sirens were
heard off the coast of Asia 2inor, as well as banshee keenin3 outside .ublin, it became
clear that the manifold spirits of the earth had crept from their confinement of almost a
thousand years. There were stories of elves and kraken, sylphs and valkyries, unicorns
and salamandersK the fabric of the old reality had dissolved or, rather, it had become
interwoven with so many others that it could only rarely be 3limpsed.
1ow otherwise can we understand the le3ends of early WitspellI We read of 3reat
3olden ships sailin3 from l .orado with car3oes of 3olden fruit and monkeys with
3old&flecked fur, and of envoys from Ltopia who had been wanderin3 for many
centuries before findin3 harbour in (ondon. This was the period when Atlantis,
otherwise known as Avalon or ,ockai3ne or the "sle of the *lessed, emer3ed from the
oceanK it had always lain beneath the surface of 2ouldwarp vision, but now it rose in
3lory. There were less consolin3 prospects, however, when the pit of 2alebor3e was
discovered in #umatra and a #lou3h of .espond located on the border of Wales.
*ut nothin3 could affect the enthusiasm of our ancestors when they discovered the
history of their own city. /rom the writin3s of that 3reat scholar and historian 0eoffrey
of 2onmouth they learned that (ondon had been founded by *rutus of Troy at the time
when 'the Ark of the ,ovenant was taken by the Philistines'. )ther writers of record have
been discovered M the names of 2acaulay and Trevelyan are amon3 them M but they are
of a later date and therefore less reliable. /rom 2onmouth the citiHens of Witspell
discovered that, after the fall of Troy, *rutus was 3reeted in vision by the 3oddess
.ianaK she commanded him to sail to an island beyond the settin3 of his sun, and
establish a city which would become the wonder of the world. This island was known as
Albion and after *rutus had landed upon its white shore he encountered a race of 3iants
whom eventually he overcame in battle. We have found evidence for those 3iants, of
course, in the 3reat hills that still surround usK the remains of their burial chambers can
be seen in the museum of silence. After his victory *rutus established the city of New
Troy, later known as (ud's Town or (ondon, and be@ueathed to it a code of spiritual law
which continued throu3h the rei3ns of (ear, ,ordelia and (ud himself. No other
monarchs are known to us, althou3h 2acaulay and Trevelyan have created fanciful
dynasties which can safely be consi3ned to the dark world of 2ouldwarp theory from
which they came.
A 3reat fi3ure has been raised from the fields of /insbury, where it had lain unknown
for many centuriesK the @uality of its stonework places it in the middle period of
Witspell, and there is evidence of a ritual avenue or cursus encirclin3 it. #amples of the
3round have been eBamined, from which we conclude that this statue was surrounded by
monumental candles that rose into the upper airK they were set afire, perhaps, with
li3htnin3 created by some unknown a3ency. The arms of the fi3ure are raised, as if in
3reetin3 or celebration, while between her breasts are inscribed the letters ()K a more
remarkable device is to be found on her stomach, however, where a lar3e circle has been
carved. Within this circle are patterns of intricate lines, which on closer inspection reveal
themselves to be the avenues and dwellin3s of (ondonK one 3entle curve imitates that of
the Thames. The si3nificance of () then became obvious to us. This eBalted, even
sublime, fi3ure was a sacred representation of the city itselfJ We su33est, therefore, that
the citiHens venerated (ondon as a livin3 3od. "t is possible that they also offered
sacrifices to it, but of this we cannot be certain.
The worship of (ondon would, in turn, account for certain other su33estive aspects of
Witspell. The ancient tribal trackways around the city were restored or, as our ancestors
put it, 'reawakened'. We read that buildin3s became flowers, and flowers buildin3s, but
the meanin3 is unclear. The burial rites are also si3nificant, since the citiHens were
interred in precisely the same attitude as the monumental statue M arms held aloft, with
the letters () and the ima3e of (ondon painted upon the bodies. ,ould it be that in
death they had become part of the divine city, or did (ondon itself manifest the 3eneral
spiritual will and bein3 of its inhabitantsI The odour of sweet herbs and incense was
always noticeable when the tombs were opened, and each body had a 3olden band
around its forehead. Those who had survived the catastrophe of 2ouldwarp, and had
first created human li3ht, knew that they were blessed. #o, as a historian of the period
has remarked, when the people of Witspell buried one of their number they believed that
they were buryin3 a 3od.
44
".arkler/ The children are always ea3er to listen to him. .o you see the way they flock
towards him when he appearsI
Madrigal/ )nly because he is as small as they are. +et soon enou3h they will reach
the a3e when they must paint their features upon the Wall. .o you recall when you and "
and Plato took our sticks of coloured li3ht and traced our outlines upon the stonesI
".arkler/ .id #idonia paint herself holdin3 a lampI
Madrigal/ " cannot remember. *ut " do recall that she erased some of her face. +et,
even so, everyone could tell by her features from what parish she came.
".arkler/ And then Plato depicted himself wearin3 the cap of feathersG
Madrigal/ The cap of the city fool.
".arkler/ And holdin3 out a script of 3lass.
Madrigal/ 1e mi3ht have been anticipatin3 his own fate.
".arkler/ )r, as he would say, his fate had happened already.
Madrigal/ That is precisely the kind of thin3 he tells the children. )h, there is the
dau3hter of )rnatus. (ook. #he is lau3hin3. No doubt Plato is talkin3 once more about
2ouldwarp.
".arkler/ *ut where is the humour in these ancient practicesI Truly, they make me
shudder.
Madrigal/ +ou have to admit that they have their funny side. Who would have
thou3ht, for eBample, that our ancestors would look upwards for 3uidanceI
".arkler/ Ridiculous. Was that in 2ouldwarp or in WitspellI
Madrigal/ 2ouldwarp, " think. "t is all rather confusin3.
Ornatus/ #parkler and 2adri3al, hail and farewell.
Madrigal/ Where are you 3oin3 in such a hurryI To meet your dau3hterI
Ornatus/ Plato has chosen a new theme. 1e is about to be3in at the clerk's well.
".arkler/ Lnfortunately, )rnatus, we are both a little tired. We will have to rely upon
you for a report.
4=
We have ac@uired some information about the actors and comedians of past a3es, but our
knowled3e has been 3reatly increased by the chance survival of a comic handbook
entitled 7okes and their 8elation to the 9nconscious! The meanin3 of 'unconscious' is by
no means clear, but it may be related to the idea of drunkenness, which even in our own
time is the ob?ect of lau3hter. The ?oke book itself is the work of a clown or buffoon who
was billed as #i3mund /reud M no doubt pronounced '/raud' to add pi@uancy to his sta3e
character. "n this volume he has compiled eBamples of what he calls 'si3nificant
nonsense', with comic routines concernin3 people who for3et names or misread words,
who use the wron3 set of keys or knock over pots of black dye. ,learly /reud himself
was an incomparable 3amester, and it is easy to ima3ine him recitin3 these absurd
misadventures with a serious face.
1is act would have been described as 'smutty' or 'brin3in3 out the blue ba3' and, with
its emphasis upon seB, it was a well&known aspect of the primitive theatre. 1is 'lin3o'
was in turn based upon the confrontation between audience and performer, with the
continual use of /reud's famous catchphrase M '" think " should be the ?ud3e of thatJ' M as
the si3nal for more lau3hter.
*ut the most hilarious eBamples of /reudian repartee took place when his partner,
)edipus, appeared on the sta3e. This 'fall 3uy' or 'strai3ht man' may have been some
relic of the old pantomimic tradition, since he wore loose white robes and displayed that
3lum eBpression characteristic of the pantaloon. 1e also adopted a peculiarly rapid and
slidin3 walk known to devotees as 'the /reudian slip'. 1e would try unsuccessfully to use
it every time /reud be3an to @uestion or 'analyse' him with a number of deli3htfully
absurd @uestions.
'Are you repressin3 somethin3, )edipusI'
')f course not. " am standin3 very upri3ht, as the soldier said to the nursemaid.'
'Now now, Pussy. None of your nonsense here. Tell me, what is your opinion of chair
le3s and train tunnelsI'
'Rather out than in, as the bishopG'
'" think, Puss, you are be3innin3 to prove my point.'
'.on't talk to me about points. Not after last ni3ht.'
'1ow do you feel about lon3 nosesI'
'"'ve never felt one in my lifeJ'
',ome now. That's no answer to one of my famous analytical @uestions.'
'Well then, #i3mund, " will tell you the honest truth. " think that they should be
blown.'
')edipus, you must have been a very funny child.'
'/unnyI " had them screamin3. specially mother.'
This dialo3ue known as 'chaff or 'patter' must have reduced the 2ouldwarp audience
to tears of lau3hter, especially when /reud steps forward to inform them that 'it is all the
fault of my friend's unconscious' M i.e. that he is drunk.
"t has often been noted that the people of 2ouldwarp were preoccupied with seBual
activity at the eBpense of all other principles of lifeK there is even some evidence to
su33est that they identified themselves in terms of their seBual orientation. No. There is
no cause for embarrassment. )ur purpose is to understand, not to lay blame.
Nevertheless, despite M or even because of M their obsession with seBual practice it is
likely that they lau3hed as heartily at /reud's antics as we do. We salute him, therefore,
as a 3reat comic 3enius of his a3e.
46
"idonia/ 1ave " interrupted your recital, PlatoI
%lato/ No. Not at all. " have ended with a flourish.
"idonia/ " wanted you to be the first to hear the wonderful news.
%lato/ )hI What is itI
"idonia/ A 3reat pole has been found at the corner of (ime #treet and (eadenhall. "t
came out of the earth so @uietly and @uickly that it mi3ht not have been buried at all.
%lato/ "f it was found at the corner of (eadenhall, then it must be the 3reat maypole
that stood on the site for many hundreds of years. "t was the centre of our city's festivity
and celebration.
"idonia/ And there are words upon it, partly defaced but still visible. " noted them
down.
%lato/ What is thisI ')ve Arup and Partners. /or the (loyd's *uildin3.'
"idonia/ " admit that " was puHHled. That is why " came to you.
%lato/ "f it is in the same location, then it must be the maypole. verythin3 in our
city's history tells us that the first and ori3inal shape never dies.
"idonia/ #oI
%lato/ The (loyd's *uildin3 must have been the name 3iven to the maypole. )ve and
Arup and Partners were the deities 3uardin3 it.
"idonia/ ,an that be trueI
%lato/ There can be no doubt.
4<
%lato/ There can be no doubt. ,an thereI
"oul/ "t's no 3ood askin3 me. " have nothin3 to do with knowled3e, certain or
uncertain. " am all love and intuition.
%lato/ "f you love me, then you will tell me. ,an " be sure of what " sayI #ometimes "
feel that it is all pretence, and that " should take doubt like a da33er and plun3e it into
me. When " am wounded, then " mi3ht speak the truth.
"oul/ )uch.
%lato/ +ou think " am bein3 eBtrava3antI
"oul/ " take the lon3 view in such matters. Whatever is 3ood for you is ri3ht.
%lato/ *ut surely you understandI +ou are the one who 3ave me my restlessness. 2y
nervous fear.
"oul/ Why should " be blamedI +ou are what you are. " am part of you, " admit it, but
" really cannot bear all the responsibility.
%lato/ #o you are ashamed of me.
"oul/ Not at all. " do not always en?oy your ar3uments, but " find them necessary.
When you 3ive eBpression to your thou3hts, you help to define me. "s that selfishI
%lato/ We were tau3ht that the pattern of birds in fli3ht was also an ima3e of their
soul. " suppose that you and " bear the same relationship.
"oul/ And we, too, are part of the soul of the world. Then beyond that M well, it
becomes more mysterious.
%lato/ #o you will never leave meI
"oul/ A body without a soul is an impossibility, althou3h " admit that there are times
when " lon3 to 'sup above'. *ut of course " would never deprive you of your M how shall
" put itI M your spirit.
%lato/ Thank you. +ou lend me coura3e.
"oul/ "t is not a loan. "t is a 3ift. +ou may need it soon.
%lato/ +ou intri3ue me.
"oul/ 1ush. (ook into your heart now and speak to the citiHens about the wonders of
creation.
47
The ancient myths of creation are of the utmost interest to those of us who study the
poetry of past a3es. "t was believed, for eBample, that a 3od called -hnumu fashioned a
3reat e33 in which all of creation residedK another deity, Ptal, then broke the e33 with a
hammer and life spilled out. This was known as the 'bi3 ban3', from which the universe
was supposed continually to eBpand. )f course the poets of creation did not realise that
what they considered to be flyin3 outwards was, in reality, the retreat or recession of
their own divine ener3y. They had, as it were, taken a hammer to their own brains.
/rom an ancient city named *abylon we have evidence of a creation son3 which is
alto3ether more convincin3. The two forces of li3ht and darkness, otherwise called 3od
and dra3on, fi3ht for masteryK 3od slays the dra3on, but even in his death a3onies
darkness is able to sow the seeds of confusion in an otherwise enli3htened universe. This
was 'chaos theory', in which the dra3on's mouth became known as a black hole or, in
another myth, dark matter. #uch le3endary creatures as the white dwarf and the brown
dwarf also appear in these wonderful sa3as. Their central purpose has, perhaps, become
clear to youI The sin3ers and prophets of anti@uity had such little faith in their own
powers that they felt compelled to invoke some 3reat and distant source from which they
had come. The knowled3e that everythin3, past and future alike, eBists eternally M this
was not 3iven to them.
That very interestin3 mytho3rapher, 2ennocchio, su33ested that the four elements of
the early myths M earth, air, fire and water M were once con3ealed to3ether in a mass of
putrefactionK that the worms who burrowed throu3h it were the an3els, and that one of
those an3els became 0od. This became known as the 'wormhole theory', which
prompted much elaborate speculation. "t was eBceeded in inventiveness only by the
story of 'superstrin3s', which can be tentatively dated to the civilisation that first
propounded the music of the spheres. These 'strin3s' also appeared in other myths which
emphasised the role of harmony and symmetry in the creation of the universe. When
such fables were recited to the populace, we may ima3ine the ritual accompaniment of
many instruments. "t may seem peculiar to us that our earliest ancestors always looked
back to some mythical point of ori3in, but no doubt our own speculations would have
puHHled them. We now realise that creation occurs continually. We are creation. We are
the music.
4;
Waiter/ Welcome to the museum of noise, sirs. What do you lackI
Madrigal/ What do " lack I
".arkler/ That was the way people talked. 1e is askin3 whether you would prefer
wine or coffee.
Madrigal/ Why does he want to 3ive me wine and coffeeI
".arkler/ This is meant to be a coffee&house. "t is the custom. )f course you are
eBpected to pay for it.
Madrigal/ Who does he think he isI
Waiter/ Please, citiHens, what is it that you lackI
Madrigal/ +es. " lack a sense of place. Where are we supposed to beI
Waiter/ )n the corner of (ombard #treet. Fust before the 2ansion 1ouse.
Madrigal/ There is no noise at all. We mi3ht as well be in the museum of silence.
".arkler/ 1ush. ,an you hear that footstepI (ike a heartbeatI Now you can sense the
sound of more steps a3ainst the stone. )thers are ?oinin3 them.
Madrigal/ They are becomin3 too loud.
".arkler/ They are the steps of countless 3enerations.
Madrigal/ Now they 3row low and remote.
".arkler/ "t is evenin3 time. ,an you hear lau3hter and conversation at the other
tablesI And the noises from the kitchen belowI
Madrigal/ "s it all realI
".arkler/ That is not a @uestion anyone can answer. Madrigal/ " believe that " will
have wine, after all. What do you call the youn3 attendantI
".arkler/ Waiter.
Madrigal/ WaiterJ " will pay for wineJ
".arkler/ 0ood. And now you can tell me about Plato's oration on Penton 1ill.
Madrigal/ Were you not thereI
".arkler/ No. " had been chosen to work.
Madrigal/ ,on3ratulationsJ
".arkler/ " was fortunate. *ut " was sorry to have missed the performance. 1ow did
it be3inI
Madrigal/ This seat of wood is very hard.
".arkler/ "t will help you to concentrate. Tell me what Plato said.
48
ApproBimately siB hundred years a3o a lon3 strip of ima3es, embossed upon some
pliable material, was discovered amon3 the ruins of the south bankK they became visible
when held in the li3ht, which caused some historians to su33est that they were a form of
palpable or concentrated luminescence. Two words have been reconstructed, '1itchcock'
and '/renHy', but the nature and purpose of the strip are still unclear. We have lit the
ima3es in various waysK we have moved them in several directions, and at different
speeds, but their meanin3 remains mysterious.
ven in its incomplete state, however, '1itchcock /renHy' is a ma3nificent discovery,
since we soon reco3nised that the ima3es themselves were representations of
2ouldwarp (ondon. "ma3ine our surprise when we saw the ancient people hastenin3
down their li3hted pathways and en3a3ed in ritual actionJ The first picture was of a
stone brid3e with a dark tower upon each bank. #urely the river beneath it was too
narrow and turbulent to be the beloved ThamesI *ut then her familiar tidal pattern was
noticed. This was our river, after all, yet one filled with shadows and pools of darkness.
There are even more eBtraordinary scenes when it becomes clear that a creature or
person is divin3 and swoopin3 above the river. "t cannot be seen, but it sees all. "t sees
tall buildin3s and li3hted roomsK it sees streets and facesK it sees stran3e 3rey birds and
small boats upon the water. "t rises and falls, 3lidin3 invisibly throu3h the (ondon air.
,ould it be some hi3h priestess, called 1itchcock /renHyI We have no knowled3e,
however, of astral ma3ic in the A3e of 2ouldwarp. "t has been su33ested that it is the
work of an an3el, who eBcreted the material strip of li3ht while flyin3 over the city, but
there has been no confirmation of this interestin3 hypothesis.
We remain perpleBed, therefore, and can only look with wonder upon these ima3es of
ancient (ondon. The first of them depicts a 3roup of people 3athered beside the ThamesK
they seem to be en3a3ed in some tribal rite, durin3 which they clap their hands and
smile at one another. Perhaps they intend to worship the river, or to offer a sacrifice to
the city, since the neBt scenes are those of a naked woman, with a band of striped linen
around her neck, floatin3 upon the water. "t is possible that this body was part of an
elaborate ceremony desi3ned to summon up the dead from the depths of the river, but
the very teBture of 2ouldwarp life is too rapid and discontinuous to allow any certain
?ud3ement.
The neBt representations, for eBample, are taken within some interior space where a
male human is wrappin3 the same band of striped linen around his own neck. "s he one
of the dead who has been rebornI )r is he about to become a willin3 sacrificeI There are
no others in his presence, which su33ests that he has been eBiled from the city. Then he
walks down to the 3round by means of wooden steps or stairs and somehow reappears in
a room filled with 3lass bottles. The nature of 2ouldwarp life is disconcertin3 indeed,
with sudden leaps of time and space which do not seem to affect the inhabitants of this
continually evolvin3 world. The eBile pours li@uid into a 3lass and swallows it in one
3esture. This may be a form of awakenin3. 1e then places a tube of paper or cloth into
his mouth and li3hts itK here we notice the worship of fire as well as water. 1e must be
the only inhabitant of this bottle&chamber, since his name is inscribed upon a frosted
3lass eBteriorK he is called Nell 0wyn. "mmediately opposite him dwells 1enrietta
#treet, who cannot be seen.
)nce a3ain, in one of those eBtraordinary transitions of ancient city life, Nell 0wyn
has suddenly passed throu3h a doorway into the thorou3hfare beyond. 1ere, then, was
our first si3ht of the primitive city. "t has been a constant source of eBcitement and
surprise to us, sometimes overwhelmin3 to those observin3 it for the first time. We
3limpse doors and stairways, which seem to lead into unseen interior spaces, and we are
almost afraid that we will fall into the depths of the stran3e worldJ The narrow path
itself is filled with human fi3ures en3a3ed in harmonious movement, as if bein3 directed
by some unseen powerK there are many ob?ects piled hi3h behind 3lass windows, and in
certain places people 3ive notes or coins in eBchan3e for these ob?ects. Then, in a
moment, all this has been transformed into a 3reat courtyard where wooden containers
are piled with variously coloured fruits. The name of ',ovent 0arden' can be seen M it is
likely that there were many such 3ardens throu3hout the old city. "n the neBt ima3e Nell
0wyn is bein3 3iven a selection of 3reen and oran3e fruits by a red&headed priest or
servant, while behind them are posters encoura3in3 the citiHens to further efforts M
',oura3e' can be seen as Nell 0wyn leaves the 3arden. No history of 2ouldwarp had
mentioned this, which serves to emphasise that our knowled3e of the past is con?ectural
at best. *y careful interpretation of these ima3es, however, we have devised a model of
ancient (ondon in which every four thorou3hfares meet in a 3arden, where food was
freely distributed. /rom the evidence of 1itchcock /renHy we have also concluded that
each ob?ect in the 2ouldwarp world was painted, and that the citiHens coloured their
own bodies. "t is worth remarkin3 that the paths and thorou3hfares of (ondon differ in
siHe and len3th. The fact that some are wide and others narrow seems to have
determined the nature of the people who inhabited them as well as the events which
occurred there.
Nell 0wyn has once more moved instantaneously to @uite another dwellin3. "t has the
characteristic frosted window with the name of the owner, Pi3 and Whistle, inscribed
upon it. Pi3 and Whistle's friends can be seen drinkin3 from 3lass vessels and, like Nell
0wyn, they place li3hted paper in their mouthsK it is probable that this form of fire
worship also provided food and ener3y to its devotees. Two citiHens enter, takin3
coverin3s from their headsK perhaps the eBternal air is harmful to them, or they need to
be protected from its wei3ht. Nell 0wyn has put a lar3e piece of paper before his face, as
if he were tryin3 to conceal himselfK yet perhaps the paper is speakin3 to him, since
numbers appear before us$ 6.=5, 45M9. "n this mathematical world, perhaps they
conversed only in fi3uresJ Nell 0wyn salutes Pi3 and Whistle, and is seen walkin3 down
a stone thorou3hfare. The 3rey birds cluster around him, but he alarms them with a
sudden movementK it has been su33ested that these flyin3 creatures are the ancestors of
our an3els, subdued and darkened by the conditions of 2ouldwarp, but at best this is
con?ecture. #uddenly it is ni3ht. We know this because the sky has 3one, the colours
have faded, and small li3hts have appeared in various dwellin3s. 1itchcock /renHy also
now fades into darkness, since the strip of ima3es is broken at this point.
4:
%lato/ 2ay " ask a favour of youI
"oul/ Whatever " have is yours.
%lato/ Tell me about the people of 2ouldwarp. Were they as deluded as we are
tau3htI As " teachI
"oul/ Who can sayI " would never presume to contradict you, of course, but there
may have been occasions when they wondered what was happenin3 to them. There may
even have been moments when they did not know what they were supposed to be doin3.
" can recall M oh, nothin3.
%lato/ What were you about to sayI +ou were 3oin3 to be indiscreet. +ou were on the
point of tellin3 me that you were ac@uainted with them at first hand. " knew it. +ou were
there.
"oul/ Please don't put words into myG
%lato/ +ou misled me.
"oul/ This interview is now ended.
%lato/ No. .on't 3o. " apolo3ise.
"oul/ PromiseI
%lato/ Promise.
"oul/ We will pretend we never spoke of such matters. +ou were askin3 me about
2ouldwarp, " believeI
%lato/ +es. What if " was wron3 or mistaken about the people of that timeI
"oul/ #ometimes, you know, " worry about you.
%lato/ WhyI
"oul/ +ou have no perspective.
%lato/ *ut surely that is your responsibilityI
"oul/ (et me put it this way. What if you were meant to be wron3I What if that was
the only way to maintain confidence in the reality of the present worldI
%lato/ "t would be a very hard destiny.
"oul/ "t mi3ht also be an inevitable one. "f every a3e depends upon wilful blindness,
then you, Plato, become necessary.
%lato/ #o is that your purposeI To preserve my i3noranceI
"oul/ " have no purpose. " am simply here.
%lato/ " do not believe you.
"oul/ What are you sayin3I +ou do not believe your own soulI That is impossible.
%lato/ " am confused. " admit it. 1elp me.
"oul/ " will make an a3reement with you. +ou need to reach the limits of your
knowled3e and your belief. Am " correctI
%lato/ )f course.
"oul/ Then " will no lon3er protect you.
%lato/ Protect me a3ainst whatI
"oul/ " don't know. "t is normally the duty of the soul to defend her char3eG
%lato/ " once saw the picture of an an3el with a flamin3 sword.
"oul/ That sort of thin3. *ut if you really wish to discover some truthG
%lato/ That is my desire.
"oul/ Then so be it. " will no lon3er stand in its way. 0ood luck.
%lato/ When will " see you a3ainI
"oul/ 1ave you ever really seen meI 0o now. The citiHens are waitin3 for you.
=5
+ou see the charred paper before youI Please note that it contains words in an early
n3lish script. " have employed s@uare brackets in order to si3nify a tentative
con?ectural meanin3, and asterisks to denote a tear or burn in the manuscript itself. "t
reads as follows, and you will for3ive me if my accent sounds harsh or discordant. "t is
considered to be authentic.
fra3ments PtheyQ have R ruins
Rieronymo R R a3ain
R R liot
"t is my contention that 'liot' here si3nifies the name of the author or sin3er of the
@uoted lines and, fortunately, there is survivin3 evidence which may lead us to a closer
identification. A fra3ment of prose has been recovered which alludes to 'the writer
0eor3e liot', and in a collection of 2ouldwarp frescos which can provisionally be
dated somewhere between the ei3hteenth and twenty&first centuries there eBists a wall
paintin3 or wall chart with the inscription 'The Alhambra. Presentin3 )ur !ery )wn
liot, the ,hocolate&,oloured ,rooner and Nimble Ne3ro'. " have already informed you
that in this epoch the earth was divided and dispersed into 'races', 3enerally considered
to have arisen for climatic rather than spiritual reasonsK 'ne3ro' or 'chocolate&coloured',
then, are variants of 'African' or 'black'. "n the succeedin3 A3e of Witspell, of course, it
was believed that the black 'races' were closer to 0od and had therefore been burned by
the rays of divine love. "t can be su33ested, therefore, that these lines are the work of an
African sin3er named 0eor3e liot. "n this there can be no certainty, as " am only too
well aware, but the identification has at least the merit of bein3 supported by all the
available evidence.
The teBt itself has been sub?ect to various interpretations. )ne historian asserts that
fra3ments O ruins
and that 0eor3e liot is simply contemplatin3 the remains of some chapel or shrine of
an earlier a3e built in homa3e to 'ieronymo' or #t Ferome. *ut that su33estion has been
challen3ed by another reader, who infers that
ruins O runes
and that 'ieronymo' can then be reworked as
i.e. my roon
or 'that is my spell'. ", Plato, have developed this point with the inference that the black
sin3er was in fact prophesyin3 the fall of the A3e of 2ouldwarp into ruins and
fra3ments. "f " may @uote my own words on that occasion, ',onsider the pli3ht of the
poets or sin3ers of that epoch who Cas we believeD had the role only of entertainers. "t is
not clear whether they 3ave recitations in public places or at private 3atherin3s, but their
lowly status is confirmed by the paucity of material relatin3 to them and the
characteristically melancholy tone of their survivin3 works.' "t has even been surmised
that 0eor3e liot deliberately created a 'fra3ment' or 'ruin' of a poem in order to
eBemplify his despair. There may indeed have been a lon3 tradition of ruin literature of
which he was perhaps the last eBponent. Bcuse me. 2y li3ht is be3innin3 to fade. +ou
had noticed it alreadyI Please, there is no need for alarm. There is no sickness. Nothin3
will harm you. " am tired. That is all. This oration is completed.
=9
#omethin3 is happenin3. #omethin3 is comin3. " can hear cries and murmurin3 voices,
and now the shadows have started to appear. " feel their presence all around me. #oulJ "
have certain anBieties. " feel them more stron3ly than you can possibly ima3ine. #oulI
Where are youI Now " can see a pale youn3 man leanin3 a3ainst a post. There is a 3irl.
There is an animal approachin3 her. The name becomin3 visible is 0olden (ane. Who
are these people walkin3 beside meI There are so many. And they are much closer than "
ever knew. Now there is the rushin3 of a 3reat wind. #oulJ "s this why you once 3uarded
meI Were you protectin3 me a3ainst themI
=4
"idonia/ #o you saw himI
Ornatus/ 1e was standin3 ?ust outside the crippled 3ate.
"idonia/ ,urious. That is not his customary spot.
Ornatus/ And there was another peculiar thin3$ he was talkin3 to himself.
"idonia/ NoJ
Ornatus/ " could see him 3esticulatin3, too. 1e looked very fierce.
"idonia/ ,ould you hear anythin3 he saidI
Ornatus/ #omethin3 about a 3olden lane. And the crowds all about him. +et there
was no one there eBcept himself. Then he came up to me.
"idonia/ What did you doI
Ornatus/ " offered him reverence and he bowed in return. We should have remained
silent, accordin3 to customG
"idonia/ )f course.
Ornatus/ *ut he suddenly asked me if " was waitin3 for someone.
"idonia/ WhatI
Ornatus/ '" am not waitin3,' " said, '" am simply bein3 still. "t is holy to be still.' Then
he lau3hed.
"idonia/ And so you lau3hedI
Ornatus/ Naturally. Then he asked me if " was thinkin3 about anythin3. 'Nothin3 at
all,' " replied. 1e asked me why not. '"t is not compulsory to think,' " told himK 'it is not
like dreamin3.'
"idonia/ Well put.
Ornatus/ Thank you. Then he put his hand across his face and mentioned that he had
seen me in the race a3ainst the oarsmen of sseB #treet. 1e asked me if " had wonG
"idonia/ What an eBtraordinary @uestion.
Ornatus/ And " had to eBplain to him, ?ust as if he were a child, that no one was
eBpected to win. 1e lau3hed a3ain. Then he asked me if that was why " looked so sad.
"idonia/ ,an he be losin3 his mindI
Ornatus/ 1e did say somethin3 about losin3 his soul, but it was so ridiculous that "
pretended not to listen. Then, after a moment, he mentioned that he was 3oin3 on a
?ourney.
"idonia/ A ?ourneyI +ou meanG
Ornatus/ When you leave the city.
"idonia/ Whatever forI
Ornatus/ That is precisely what " asked him.
"idonia/ And what did he sayI
Ornatus/ 1e looked around and murmured somethin3 about other places. )ther
people. " said, '(isten to me, Plato.' That is how " addressed him.
"idonia/ Not as an oratorI
Ornatus/ No. That seemed somehow unimportant. )r unnecessary. '(isten to me,
Plato. We have all 3rown up to3ether within the city. We have obeyed its in?unctions. We
have been instructed in its mysteries. +ou yourself were chosen to 3uide us with your
oratory. We spend our lives contemplatin3 its 3oodness and beauty. We hear you
eBpoundin3 upon its inner harmonies. Why try and discover somethin3 else beyond its
WallI' 1e 3ave a curious answer.
"idonia/ Which wasI
Ornatus/ 'Perhaps, dear )rnatus, " am not travellin3 as far as you think. Perhaps it is
possible to embark upon a ?ourney while remainin3 in the same place.'
"idonia/ What did he mean by thatI
Ornatus/ " have absolutely no idea. ,ome. #hall we take a skiff down the /leet and
search for an3els' feathersI
T1 F)LRN+ )/ P(AT)
T) T1 LN.RW)R(.
==
There was a cave, and the 3round sloped downwards. " sensed the smell of that which
was neither livin3 nor dead. " believed that " could hear voices and " be3an walkin3
towards the mouth of the cave. " admit to a sli3ht sense of fear, but " submit that all of us
share some horror of darkness. +ou tell me that " was dreamin3I This was no dream. "
was as wakeful and as watchful as " have ever been.
When " entered the cave the air seemed so heavy that, for a moment, " believed "
could 3o no further. *ut the 3round still sloped downwards and instinctively " bowed my
head as " walked into the darkness. " do not know how far " travelled. "t is possible that "
did not move at all. Perhaps " stood still. #urely you understandI "t had 3rown to such a
pitch of blackness that " could not see my own body, or feel aware of any movement. "
realised later, of course, what had happened. " was chan3in3 dimensions in order to enter
the world of 2ouldwarp. Who cried out that 'Plato is impious'I " am not impiousJ " am
simply tellin3 you the truth. The darkness be3an to lift, very slowly, and " noticed that a
sombre radiance seemed to emanate from the stone around me. "t was the colour of fire
or blood. " was still walkin3 down. /or3ive me. " can only eBpress it as 'up' and down'.
Perhaps " have become like them.
" knew, somehow, that " was followin3 a circular path. "t was 3rowin3 warmer and "
noticed that in the 3lowin3 li3ht my body cast a stran3e shape upon the 3round. "t was
called a shadow, or a wraith created by the false li3ht of their sun. Theirs was a world of
shadows. Then " found myself before a fli3ht of broad stone stairs. " had no choice. "
stepped upon the first stair. " be3an to descend, but once more it was as if " were not
movin3 at allK " mi3ht have remained in the same place, eBcept that various layers of
dark and li3ht passed over my head. " eBperienced the stran3est sensations of stupor, and
of anBious restlessness, until " reco3nised that " was eBperiencin3 ni3ht and day as they
once were in anti@uity. The intervals between them 3rew lon3er, until " was able to
3limpse points of li3ht in the darkness. " looked up. " looked up and saw the bri3ht
ob?ects once called stars. There was a firmament stretchin3 above me, and the position
of the ni3ht sky was very like that which " had studied in the old charts of 2ouldwarp.
These were the ancient fiBed stars, shinin3 below the level of our worldJ
Then the noise be3an. At first it was the merest whisperin3, but it 3rew steadily
louder until it filled my ears with chimin3, and tappin3, and rhythmic thuddin3. There
were more violent indistinct sounds, but the path had become so steep that there was no
chance of turnin3 back. *ut why should " wish to return, when " could run towards my
visionI " had come into a 3reat cavern eBtendin3 in every direction. "t was impossible to
3au3e its depth, or its hei3ht, althou3h " could see the fiBed stars still turnin3 overhead.
And there, stretchin3 below me, was (ondonJ "t was no lon3er ni3ht but broad day and "
could see 3reat towers of 3lass, domes, roofs and houses. " saw the Thames itself,
3leamin3 in the distance, with wide thorou3hfares runnin3 beside it. The avenues and
buildin3s were more elaborate and eBtensive than anythin3 we had ever surmisedK yet,
somehow, this was the city of which " had always dreamed.
1ow can " describe to you all the stran3eness of my ?ourney amon3 the people of
2ouldwarpI They were short, little more than half your hei3ht, and even " had to walk
carefully amon3 them. +ou ask if they were alarmed by my appearance, but the truth is
that they could not see me. "t was as if " were a 3host or spirit. Why do you lau3hI "
believe that " was not visible to them because " still eBisted in dimensions other than
their own. That is why they were so compact, so densely formed, and why all their
activity was curiously restrained. They moved in preordained patterns M sometimes it
seemed that they did not know in which direction they were travellin3. Their eyes were
focused ahead and yet they seemed to see nothin3K they mi3ht have been wrapped in
intense thou3ht, but of what were they thinkin3I
" bent over to listen to themK " tried to speak, but of course they could not hear me. "
travelled down )ld #treet and saw that it was once a track in the wilderness. " came into
#mithfield and flinched at the an3er of those who lived beside it. "n ,heapside the city
itself had established intricate patterns of movement, and all the activity of the citiHens
was for its own sake. "n ,lapham " listened to them talkin3 M ha$e you got the time
.lease he o($iously wants the (est .rice (ut he wants to sell as well - shall (e off then
shall - he ne$er wants to hear the truth can you .ossi(ly tell me the time! And so their
lives continued. They had no way of knowin3 that their earth was in a 3reat cavern
beneath the surface of our world. Their sky was the roof of a cave, but for them it was
the threshold of the universe. " was walkin3 amon3 the blind. +et when at ni3ht " looked
up at the 3litterin3 face of the 2ouldwarp heaven ", too, was entranced by it.
" had thou3ht that, when each ni3ht followed day, there would be silence and
stillnessK instead there was continual sound. When " walked in any direction, tryin3 to
find its source, it retreated from me with every step. "t was then " heard itK this was the
whisperin3 and 3roanin3 of (ondon itself. Neither was there any true darkness, since the
horiHons of the city 3lowed beneath the darker levels of the air. *eside the streets there
were vessels of 3lass, or froHen water, which contained the radiance of the stars. ,ould "
have invented such a placeI The citiHens wore close&fittin3 3arments of many colours. "
had eBpected them to be uniform in appearance, but instead they seemed to mock and
parody each other. They seemed to deli3ht in difference and to believe that there was no
distinction between outward and inward. .oes this surprise you I )nly then did " be3in
to understand the nature of the 2ouldwarp era. )f course they could not escape the
tyranny of their dimensions, or the restrictions of their life within the cave, but this
afforded them eBtra deli3ht in contrast and discontinuity. Within the precincts of
3overnment and of business, of livin3 and of workin3, they derived 3reat pleasure from
reversals and oppositions. The air was tainted by the inhuman smell of numbers and
machines, but the city itself was in a state of perpetual chan3e. No. .o not lau3h. (isten
to me. " soon discovered that they always wished to communicate in the shortest
possible timeK the most simple piece of information seemed to amuse them, as lon3 as it
could be 3athered instantaneously. There was one other aspect of their lives which, "
admit, " ou3ht to have anticipated$ the faster an action could be reported, the more
si3nificance it ac@uired. vents themselves were not of any conse@uence, only the fact
that they could be known @uickly. Now you are silent. A3ain " ask you$ how could "
have invented such a realityI
When the citiHens were youn3 they tried to leap into the airK when they were old they
stooped downwards to the earth, which they believed to be their final home. They did
not know that they lived in confinement, and many were content. Perhaps they were
happy simply because they fulfilled their form, but " also saw those who were tired and
careworn. They were continually buildin3 and rebuildin3 their city. They took pleasure
in destruction, " believe, because it allowed them a kind of for3etfulness. #o the city
continued to spread, encroachin3 upon new 3round. "t was continually 3oin3 forward,
forever seekin3 some harmonious outline without ever findin3 it. " tell you this$
2ouldwarp (ondon had no boundaries. "t had no be3innin3 and no end. That is why its
citiHens also seemed so restless. They were consumed by the need for activity, but it was
activity for its own sake. There may be a further eBplanation. "t is possible that they
continued at their fevered pace in the belief that if the pattern was interrupted they, as
well as the city itself, mi3ht be destroyed. #o there was a time for eatin3, a time for
sleepin3, a time for workin3. There was even a band of time strapped to their wrists, like
a manacle bindin3 them to life in the cave. They lived in small divisions or fra3ments of
time, continually anticipatin3 the conclusion of each fra3ment as if the whole point of
activity lay in its end.
Their time was everywhere. "t forced them to 3o forward. When " saw them walkin3
in 3reat lines, it was time itself that was movin3. *ut it was not uniform. " had eBpected
it to be forever racin3, never ceasin3, but in fact it proceeded at different speeds
accordin3 to the variable nature of the city. There were certain areas where it moved
@uickly, and others where it went forward reluctantly or fitfully M and there were places
where it no lon3er moved at all. There were narrow streets in the city where " could still
hear the voices of those who had passed throu3h many years before. Then " made
another wonderful discovery. There were some citiHens of 2ouldwarp who seemed to
live in a different time. There were ra33ed people who wandered with do3sK they were
not on the same ?ourney as those whom they passed on the crowded thorou3hfares.
There were children who chanted son3s from an earlier a3e and there were old people
who already had the look of eternity upon their faces. +ou lau3h at me. *ut ", Plato, have
seen and heard these thin3s. 2ay " continueI They could sometimes 3limpse ima3es or
3hosts of the spirit, but they would look away in disbelief or consternation. )n occasions
" noticed that one of them would intercept a brief look from some unknown citiHen M
both would 3lance at each other, and pass on, as if nothin3 mysterious had occurred. "
knew then that their souls were tryin3 to communicate, even throu3h the fo3 and
darkness of 2ouldwarp. The ancient forms of speech and prayer were still in eBistence,
but barely able to stir beneath the burden of this reality. #o " heard words which the
citiHens could not hear, and observed moments of reco3nition or 3lances of lon3in3
which they never saw.
*ut their souls felt my presence, and some of them rose up in their cells to 3reet me. "
welcomed them in turn and be3an to converse with them. We were not heard, of course,
by those whom we sou3ht to understand. " first asked these tiny chatterin3 spirits about
their own beliefs, but they possessed none M or otherwise they were so confused and
uncertain that it would have been better if they had had none. They were ashamed of
their own uncertainty but, as they told me, they had been held in the dark so lon3 that
they scarcely reco3nised one another.
" tried to learn more about the history of this city, but no one seemed to know it. They
had heard of 3iants in the past, the ori3inal inhabitants of (ondon M 'Now we believe,'
they said, 'that they were prophecies of you and your race'J " had so many @uestions. .id
these trees collect the shadows of the people who passed beneathI They had no answer.
They did not even know the names of the trees. " asked them if the areas of 3rass were
sacred places. " asked them why the buildin3s aspired to the sky. The birds that clustered
on the roofs and in the s@uares M were they the 3uardians of (ondonI .o sundials
control the sunI They did not understand my @uestions. "nstead they complained to me
that they were imprisoned within bein3s who had little concept of divinity or truth, but
who instead worshipped order and control. They told me that the people of 2ouldwarp
professed to care for their world, but they killed their unborn children and treated their
animal companions with 3reat sava3ery. +et still they wanted to make copies of
themselves by means of their science. " am tellin3 you these thin3s without wishin3 to
disturb you. " intend to hide nothin3 of the truth from you, revealin3 both 3ood and evil
so that you can decide for yourselves whether " have visited a real city.
" conversed once more with these little spirits, and they told me that their char3es
suffered from for3etfulness and fear. The citiHens were often bewilderedK they lived
within fantasies and ambitions which the city itself had created, and they felt obli3ed to
act accordin3 to the roles allotted to them. They had no understandin3 of themselves.
They had no use for the present eBcept as an avenue to the future, and yet many
eBperienced a 3reat horror of death. They desired to 3o faster and faster, but towards
some unknown destination. No wonder their souls shivered in the darkness. " spoke to
some who simply wished to be dissolved and to disappear. When " heard people ar3uin3,
" saw their perturbed spirits flutterin3 above them.
" remember walkin3 by the sacred Thames, where the outcasts slept, when a youn3
man passed by me si3hin3. 1is soul reco3nised my presence and she spoke to me softly.
'.o you see this riverI " have stared into its depths and " have come to the conclusion
that it is never the same. "t eBists for a moment, but then it is chan3ed by water from
other rivers and other seas. 1ow can this be soI 1ow can it always be the same and
always differentI ver fresh and ever renewedI' " had no answer but, after they had
3one, " 3aHed upon its surface. And there for the first time in this world " saw the outline
of my own face, ripplin3 upon the water. " saw myself ebbin3 and flowin3 in time. "
looked up and 3aHed at their sunK the disc shone hot and bri3ht, but " could see throu3h it
to the other side and to the roof of the cave. "t was then " decided to return and to tell
you of my discoveries.
T1 TR"A( )/ P(AT)
,1AR0. W"T1 ,)RRLPT"N0 T1 +)LN0
*+ #P"NN"N0 ("# AN. /A*(#
=6
".arkler/ And then what did he doI
Ornatus/ 1e was standin3 beside the river, with a crowd 3athered around him. +ou
should have seen him, stampin3 his foot and dancin3 and sin3in3 out his words. 1e has
the voice of a tall manG
".arkler/ 1e always possessed 3ifts beyond his stature. That is why his li3ht is so
intense.
Ornatus/ 1e cannot help his nature, of course, but he makes a point of mentionin3 it.
1e revels in it. ',onsider my pli3ht,' he says. '" am different from all of you. ven the
children look down on me.' Then he pauses for a moment. '*ut " wonder who looks
down on youI'
".arkler/ What did he mean by thatI
Ornatus/ )nly he knows. Nothin3, probably. *ut he captured their attention. That
was when he be3an talkin3 about science. )r was it silenceI Apparently silence created
food and clothes and everythin3 else.
".arkler/ Where has he found thisI "t cannot have been tau3ht to him, since the
3uardians would never sanction such nonsense.
Ornatus/ That is what " have been tryin3 to tell you. +ou never listen.
".arkler/ And you are too impatient.
Ornatus/ 1e found it all in a cave.
".arkler/ A caveI What kind of caveI
Ornatus/ " have to admit " missed most of it. " was anointin3 my feet.
".arkler/ As usual.
Ornatus/ *ut then he mentioned clocks. )r locks. The locks si3nified time. "t was all
very confusin3. (et me see if " can reawaken the scene.
Do you see this6 Come closer* citi'ens! -t is known as a watch! - (rought it (ack with me
from the ca$e of Mouldwar.! &o! Do not laugh! Listen! These marks are called num(ers!
&otice how this narrow stri. of metal swee.s around in a circle of harmony6 That is
time! Do not (e afraid to touch it! -ts s.ell cannot (e reawakened! What was its
.ur.ose6 -t created a uni$erse: E0amine the num(ers around the rim! Do they not make
(eautiful sha.es6 "ee the cur$ature of this one! Look at the o$al! They are wonderful
(ecause they once re.resented the structure of the world! -f we o.en the (ack* here* we
find tiny s.rings and wheels! This is the machine! There was once a whole uni$erse
modelled in its sha.e! That is why this watch was once an o(;ect of great .ower! The
.eo.le of Mouldwar. (elie$ed that they were the inha(itants of time and that time itself
was sacred (ecause it was in$ol$ed in the origin of all things! Do you (egin to
understand what an interesting ci$ilisation it was6 Time lent them a sense of .rogress
and of change* as well as gi$ing them .ers.ecti$e and an indication of distance! -t
allowed them ho.e and also forgetfulness! There was a thing called art* which was also
the .roduction of time! Other great achie$ements were .erformed in its name and the
ancient citi'ens* who li$ed in so few dimensions* were astonished (y it! "o they created
this ritual o(;ect* this watch!
*ut then Plato made an eBtraordinary announcement.
".arkler/ About whatI
Ornatus/ 1e claimed that his orations had been filled with errors and
misinterpretations.
".arkler/ NoJ
Ornatus/ 2ouldwarp had not ended in chaos. There had been no burnin3 of the
machines.
".arkler/ This is absurdJ What did the citiHens make of itI
Ornatus/ #ome of them were bewildered. #ome were lau3hin3. " ?ust walked away. "
was strollin3 in the fields amon3 the archers when " heard the rumour that he has been
put on trial.
".arkler/ Precisely what " have heard. We shared a parish and a school with him, but
we did not foresee any of this.
=<
We ha$e listened to you carefully* %lato! We ha$e considered e$erything you ha$e told
us! We cannot ;udge you on your conscience* only u.on what you ha$e said and done! -t
is our duty now to re.eat the charges against you* so that you may answer them directly!
"f you can convince me with ar3ument, then of course " will retract.
Thefirst charge against you is that you ha$e corru.ted the youth of this city (y your
words and s.eeches!
1ow can there be corruption in teachin3 them to consider the world not as it is but as
it mi3ht have beenI )r as it once wasI
lready you are contradicting yourself -n your statement of e0cul.ation to us* you
ha$e insisted that this world still e0ists in some dark ca$ern (eneath our city! 5ou ha$e
descri(ed it in such $i$id detail that some of us long to $isit!
C(au3hterD
+es. We do eBist above them. We are, to them, no more than 3hosts of li3htG
5ou were in a drunken stu.or and dreamed all of this!
2ay " be allowed to continueI Their city is sunk within a cave and their sky is the
roof of that dark chamber. " will debate with you on the merits of two realities eBistin3
simultaneously, and to3ether we may decide that all versions and visions of the world
may coeBist eternally. *ut " have tau3ht the youn3 nothin3 of this. #hall " tell you what "
said to themI
=7
1elp me forward, children. "f " stand upon the top of the hill, " can be seen by you all.
There once stood a 3reat domed church on this summit, dedicated to the 3od Paul. " have
seen it. There was a churchyard here. " am pleased that it is now a desert place. .o you
know whyI "t means that " can speak freely to you without the whispers and rumours of
the citiHens. " am Plato the witless. That is what they call me now. Perhaps there is some
?ustice there. " have always tau3ht that you must know yourself. That is why " have
looked into myself, too, and " realise " am not always ri3ht. " make mistakes. " stumble
towards the truth. (ook. 1ere is one of the stones " stumbled upon. "t is not a witless
stone like me, however. "t is not one of the stones scattered around us. "t is a witty stone.
.o you see the marks carved upon its sidesI #tones such as this were known to the
ancients as dice. " brou3ht it back with me from M you know where. #hall we follow the
pattern of our ancestorsI Roll the stone. Now roll it a3ain. ,an any of you tell me why
different sides appearedI ,an anyone predict which side will be hidden on the third rollI
)f course you cannot. That is why " stumble. That is why " stop and think. (et us
suppose that after a hundred, or even a thousand, throws we could still not be sure which
side it would turn upon. ,an we doubt that the anBiety would be3in to affect our own
livesI Why do we speak of human certainty, when this little stone will always trip us upI
Perhaps " am bein3 witless a3ain. Perhaps not.
)f course it may be that our ancestors were not so fri3htened of chan3e, and of
chance, as we are. Perhaps it became, for them, a 3ame like this one. " believe that they
were content to face all the troubles and misadventures of this world. " have tau3ht you
that they lived in darkness, but they were not always afraid of the dark. " have already
eBplained to you how they saw burnin3 ob?ects in their sky, which brou3ht them warmth
and comfort, but what if they had been 3ranted other 3iftsI There is no darkness upon
this little stone. "t is a li3ht and pleasant thin3. /eel it. "t reminds us that wherever there
is fear, there is also deli3htK where there is pain, there may also be pleasure.
That is why " love those amon3 you who are willin3 to @uestion. " know that you
have been tau3ht the lives of 3ods and of heroes, of an3els and of 3iants. *ut you have
never heard the le3ends of those who stood alone a3ainst the world and, by dint of
coura3e and truthfulness, won their battles. Why not praise them as well as the leaders
who have been chosen for you to studyI (ook how different you all are. The son of
Artemidorus is taller and more fair&skinned than the son of 2adri3alK the dau3hter of
)rnatus has limbs more slender than the dau3hter of 2a3nolia. (et us suppose that you
are all different in other ways. " do not doubt that you will then approach the moment of
revelation which once came to me. That is when " cried out, '" am "J " am not someone
otherJ' There. " have shouted it out, once more, and the city walls have not crumbled. (et
us 3o down now and pray to3ether by the black friars.
=;
Was there any harm, or clan3er, in my words to themI )n our way down from the hill "
asked them to consider the nature of our 3estures M how we stand back in conversation
and raise our hands, how we touch our faces to denote pity or pleasure, how we close
our eyes to si3nify assent. These are not newly made. They reach back for many
thousands of years.
Enough: 5ou are on trial for s.reading fa(les and deceits* %lato! 5ou are not in$ited
to ela(orate u.on them!
" will make one confession to you. " seemed to recollect somethin3 of myself in the
citiHens of 2ouldwarp. "n many ways they were as barbarous and foolish as " have
describedK but when " looked into their eyes, or whispered to their souls, " reco3nised
that they were indeed our ancestors. That is perhaps why " loved them. They could not
know that they lived in a cave, hidden from the li3ht. *ut how can we be sure that, in
turn, there is not a world of bri3htness beyond our ownI
Once more you test our .atience* %lato! Do not cling to your (las.hemies!
" see that " have offended you. +ou condemn me because " cannot accept the ultimate
reality of our world. "s that itI
5ou know $ery well the case against you! 5ou ha$e de.arted from the way! 5ou will
attract misfortune! The citi'ens already murmur against you!
1ow can it be that " disturb them by speakin3 the truth and admittin3 that in my
orations " have misled themI
5ou are (eing too modest! 5ou ha$e gone further than that!
1owI " have never spoken evil of the an3els. " have never @uestioned the sanctity of
maHes and mirrors. " have never defied the hierarchy of colours. " have beaten the
bounds of my parish, accordin3 to custom. .o you want me to 3o onI
This is mere so.histry* %lato! ll of us know that (y your words you ha$e di$ided
children from their .arents! Do you wish us to gi$e you an e0am.le6
=8
Ornatus/ ,ome closer, 2yander. #it by me. " see that you have been cryin3.
Myander/ +ou know why, father. " have been told that " must move to another part of
the city.
Ornatus/ All children of a certain a3e move on. "t is the custom. "t 3ives you further
cause to worship and to understand.
Myander/ *ut why is it necessary to move at allI " have seen citiHens, in the market
and in the streets, who have stood in one place always.
Ornatus/ They suffer from sickness. They are to be pitied, not condemned. They
believe that our dimensions are illusory and so they refuse to make even the smallest
movement.
Myander/ Plato says that we resemble them because we rarely walk beyond the walls.
Ornatus/ Plato says many thin3s, 2yander. Not all of them are ri3ht. We do not move
beyond the city because there is no reason to do so. This is our companionship. The li3ht
around us is the li3ht of human care. "t is life itself. Why wander beyond our bounds,
where we could only 3row wearyI
Myander/ +et PlatoG
Ornatus/ )h. )nce more.
Myander/ Plato says that we must learn to doubt and to @uestion all these thin3s. "
was listenin3 to him by the bishop's 3ate.
When - was a child* as you are* - was taken to see the lam(s on the green of Lam(eth!
<Look* %lato*< my instructor said to me* <look how they frisk and gam(ol!< Why6< -
asked! <#ecause that is what lam(s ha$e always done! They know they ha$e (een
chosen to fulfil their form* and they re;oice! nd that is what you must do* little
%lato!< Did - agree or disagree6 What do you think6 - am short* like you! - admit it!
How can - deny it* when - ha$e to stand (ack and look u. at the citi'ens6 5ou can
laugh* if you wish! - do* often! -t fills me with ;oy to know that - am different! When -
was a child my mother told me ne$er to acce.t the o.inions of others without
e0amining them carefully! <5ou are small*< she said to me* <(ecause you ha$e (een
chosen to see e$erything from a different $antage!< "o - learned to study myself rather
than study the lessons that others wished to teach me! - wanted to find the truth that
was true for me alone! Do you understand me6 Here is an ancient coin! -f you come
close* you will see it!
Then he put it in his left palm and moved his hands one over the other.
-s it still there* where - .laced it6 Of course6 &o! -t has gone! -t is in my right hand!
nd children are su..osed to (e so o(ser$ant: This is my only suggestion to you!
There are no certainties! "o take nothing for granted! 1uestion your instructors! sk
them this/ <How can - (e sure what e0istence " ha$e (een chosen for6<
Ornatus/ #o that is how he speaks to you.
Myander/ 1e does not treat us as children. 1e ar3ues with us.
Why is slee. su..osed to (e a holy thing6 #ecause it is a form of worshi.! #ut then
why do - slee. only fitfully6
And then he contradicts us.
To wait* and to do nothing* is a form of worshi.! -s that what you were taught6 #ut
what if worshi. were a form of waiting6 Waiting for what6
#ometimes he even mocks us.
"o you ha$e heard of the city of the un(orn! #ut you do not know where it is! -t is the
city from which we all ha$e come* (ut its location does not interest you! -t might
distur( the dee. .eace of your (eing! -s that the .hrase6 5es6 The dee. .eace of
(eing! #ut - tell you this! -n the house of (irth* ;ust outside the walls* the new(orn
scream and struggle as they are (rought into our world! Tell me* why is this6
Ornatus/ There is no need to listen to him, 2yander. ven better, try to avoid him. "
have been told somethin3. " have learned that he is placed on trial.
Myander/ #o much the worse for us.
=:
Do you understand now how you ha$e distur(ed the citi'ens6
Never once have " described my ?ourney to the children. " have simply invited them
to ask @uestions and to discuss the answers amon3 themselves.
5ou mention your famous ;ourney once again! May we then (e .ermitted to ask our
own 2uestions6 What if you had stood (efore the citi'ens of Mouldwar. and informed
them that they were li$ing in a dark and shrunken world6 That they were im.risoned
within a ca$e! Do you think they would ha$e a..lauded you and offered you thanks6 Do
you imagine that they would ha$e (een grateful for this knowledge6 &o! They would
ha$e scorned you as a sim.leton* or condemned you as a deluder!
As you do.
We do not consider you to (e foolish and we ha$e not yet condemned you! -f it is a
matter of delusion* .erha.s it is only self3delusion!
+ou mean that " have lost my wits. Thank you.
&o! 5ou .rotest too much! -n certain res.ects we sym.athise with you!
" do not re@uire sympathy. " do not believe that " need it. " only ask to be ?ud3ed with
fairness. "t has been su33ested that " invented my ?ourney to 2ouldwarp in order to 3ain
credit for myself. What creditI " now stand before you as a man about to be condemned.
"t was put to me that all was fantasy, desi3ned to prove my own speculations about our
ancestors. ,ould anyone have invented the world " have describedI
To imagine a world within our world M a world (eneath our world! -t is im.ossi(le!
+et " have eBplained to you my horror within the cave and " have admitted my
confusion. " had eBpected them to worship the stars they had created, but they scarcely
noticed them. " had eBpected them to be afraid of the dark that time had formed, but
instead they filled it with li3hts. " had believed them to be celebrants of power, but they
simply chattered to one another, hour by hour, about nothin3 in particular. 1ow could "
possibly have dreamed of thisI When " spoke to their souls, the unhappy voices were a
revelationK they asked me @uestions, but " dared not answer in case " spread terror amon3
them. Why should " invent such thin3s, only to be 3reeted with lau3hter by you allI " tell
you, " have seen a real world.
5ou say that they were constrained (y thisM time M which did not e$en e0ist! "o they
were ensla$ed to a conce.t which they themsel$es had in$ented6 Do you e0.ect us to
(elie$e this6
"G
5ou say that they did not worshi. their stars! "o what god did they re$erence6
"t is not a @uestion ofG
They had no god! The .eo.le of Mouldwar. (elie$ed that they li$ed in a material
world! -s that so6
"t is so.
=nowing that material is finite* then* they decided to con2uer rather than to worshi.
time and the stars! They .roclaimed their li(erty* and yet they were sla$es of instinct and
suggestion! They declared their freedom of s.eech and freedom of (elief* and yet they
were ne$er really free! ll this we deduce from your own account!
+ou speak of slavish instinct, but " saw ener3y and eBhilaration. Perhaps you are
correct in believin3 that they wished to con@uer their material world, but this afforded
them a sense of pro3ress.
#ut why* then* did they ha$e no sense of the sacred6
They did not need itJ They were truly free, since they believed that they were in
control of their own destinies. Think of your own lives now. They are empty, precisely
because you wish them to be without meanin3. +ou believe that there is no meanin3.
That is false! We know that we are the meaning! This session is now ended! Let the
(ells ring out!
65
Madrigal/ .id you attend the sessionI
"idonia/ )f course. "t was entertainin3. Plato and the 3uardians stood opposite each
other on the hills, while we sat between them on the banks of the /leet.
Madrigal/ )rnatus told me that he could hear the voices of the 3uardians from the
brid3e. They sounded, to him, very vibrant. !ery eBpressive. 1e could also hear the
citiHens murmurin3.
"idonia/ #ome of them were tired. " had brou3ht my own restin3 place, because "
knew that it was 3oin3 to be a lon3 affair. As one citiHen said, we mi3ht have entered
another new a3e before it was finished. ven Plato lau3hed at that.
Madrigal/ *ut surely Plato is talkin3 nonsenseI There is no above or below. No
outward or inward. Nothin3 that eBists is hidden from human si3ht.
"idonia/ Apparently not. *ut Plato has always defied our eBpectations.
Madrigal/ And how could he have ventured into this under3round world of
2ouldwarp if it only eBisted in three or four dimensionsI
"idonia/ 1e would certainly feel the pinch. Why are you lau3hin3I
Madrigal/ .id you hear the funny story from #parklerI
"idonia/ What storyI
Madrigal/ 1e was 3oin3 towards the temple to be healed, when Plato stopped him.
.o you know what he saidI '*etter that you should eBplore your illness and learn from
your sufferin3, #parkler, rather than desire to be cured.'
"idonia/ " suppose #parkler had somethin3 to say about thatI
Madrigal/ )h yes. 'Plato,' he said, 'you may think you are a very clever person. +ou
have always been clever, ever since we first met at the ceremony of namin3. *ut
sometimes, " believe, you know nothin3.'
"idonia/ And PlatoI
Madrigal/ 1e danced.
"idonia/ WhatI
Madrigal/ 1e danced upon the earth. And then he replied with some kind of chant.
'#parkler,' he san3, 'your li3ht still sparkles but you do not see. " am clever (ecause "
know nothin3.'
"idonia/ What an eBtraordinary statementJ And yet, in Plato's case, " have become
accustomed to the eBtraordinary.
69
"idonia/ " am concerned for you. +ou seem lost to us.
%lato/ .oes it matterI
"idonia/ *ut in your ar3uments you miss so much. )ur world is 3entler than you
admit. .o you know, for eBample, what " do when " am aloneI " float in a dream of my
own and, sometimes, the an3els ?oin me.
%lato/ .o you speak to themI
"idonia/ No. They whisper to me, but " can never understand them.
%lato/ They have been with us since the be3innin3 of the world and still they can
only whisper.
"idonia/ #ometimes " hear them in music.
%lato/ And in the voices of children.
"idonia/ *ut why are they hereI
%lato/ There is no other place for them. +et at the same time they eBist everywhere.
This is what " am now be3innin3 to understandG
"idonia/ " was conversin3 with 2adri3alG
%lato/ 2adri3al is very wise, but he is impatient for the truth. 1e does not listen.
#parkler and )rnatus are the same. +et that is not so stran3e. The parishioners of
New3ate are known for their bad temper, and those of #t 0iles for their charity. #o in
turn the citiHens of our parish may be known for their impatience.
"idonia/ The impatient inhabitants of Pie ,ornerI An interestin3 theory. That was
what " was tellin3 2adri3al. /rom you, Plato, he must eBpect the unusual.
%lato/ There sounds the bell for the neBt session. " hope that " can satisfy him.
64
Throw yourself u.on our mercy* %lato! Trust us!
" can trust only my destiny. Whether " stand or fall here, " could not have acted
otherwise. " can no more chan3e my life than " can alter the colour of my eyes. They are
white, like yours, and my conscience is white.
Conscience is knowledge with others! Here we are all one city! We are the lim(s of
the city! We are a common (ody! How can you wish to .art yourself from us6
" have been 3ranted a vision and " must declare it. " can do no other.
5ou know well enough that we can ha$e no se.arate $isions! -t is im.ossi(le! Worse/
it is (las.hemy!
" do not act alone, as you seem to think. " have my soul. #he led me forward on my
?ourney.
6=
%lato/ Where were you when " needed you, in 0olden (aneI
"oul/ +ou always need me. And, you must admit, " ask for very little in return. *ut "
will ask you this$ are you determined to 3o forward into the caveI
%lato/ /orwardI "t may be backward.
"oul/ +ou were the one who wished to visit this place. " am here to accompany you,
not to lead you.
%lato/ The rain mi3ht fall here, as it did in the old days. The wind mi3ht blow and the
dew form.
"oul/ The old days. Always the old days. ,an you survive the heat of their false sunI
,an you live in their dustI
%lato/ " admit that " am afraid of those thin3s. " am afraid of their teemin3 life. )f
their blind instinct to 3row. (isten. ,an you hear the voicesI
"oul/ " hear nothin3.
%lato/ " feel that " am close to them.
"oul/ +ou may have heard them. *ut are you sure that they are not within your own
mindI
66
More (las.hemy! Our souls do not s.eak to us!
1ow can you be sureI
Our souls do not a..ear to us!
That is not true. " slept after my ?ourney and, when " awoke, she was sittin3 beside
me. #he was sin3in3 to herself, " remember, and then " opened my eyes.
6<
%lato / /or how lon3 have " been 3oneI
"oul/ "t is hard to say.
%lato / Where did you find meI
"oul/ 1ere. Amon3 your papers.
%lato $ "t was a hard ?ourney. "t was as if " were enterin3 the cave and travellin3
beneath our earth. ,ould there have been such a placeI
"oul/ "f you saw it, then it eBists.
%lato / #o it was not a visionI )r a dreamI
"oul/ What do you thinkI
%lato / " believe it to have been real.
"oul/ And in turn " believe you. )f course, it may not be so easy to persuade the
others.
%lato/ )thersI
"oul/ *ut at least you have taken the first step. +ou have seen what was once
unima3inable.
%lato/ What is the sayin3I '2y eyes have been opened.' Now " must be3in to wake
my companions.
67
#o you refuse to believe that " travelled to a dark cave in which the ancient inhabitants
of (ondon dwelledI ,itiHens, listen to me. Please listen. Perhaps " was mistaken. " had
felt and believed that " was travellin3 beneath the earth, but that may have been my own
lack of ima3ination. Perhaps they are all around us, but we cannot see one another. Now
you are lau3hin3 a3ain. +ou prove my point. "t may be that we refuse to see them. )r
they refuse to see us. " am not sure. #omehow we have all become separated. *ut " know
this$ our world and their world are intermin3led.
6;
5our own words condemn you! 5ou confess to dou(ts a(out your ;ourney and yet you
e0.ect us to (elie$e your stories6
" have always tau3ht stories. 1ow our souls first came to li3ht in the A3e of )rpheus,
when the divine human awoke from slumber and embraced us. 1ow, in the mali3n A3e
of the Apostles, we learned to worship and suffer. " shall speak no more of 2ouldwarp,
but " have tau3ht that the succeedin3 A3e of Witspell witnessed a reawakenin3 and
restoration of human power. We look back at them with 3reat attention. We have
established an Academy for the sole purpose of studyin3 the beliefs of these past a3es.
*ut are we in a position to eBamine and to ?ud3e those who came before usI What if
they are still eBaminin3 usI
5ou are truly remarka(le* %lato! 5ou change your argument at e$ery turn!
" am merely speculatin3. " assert nothin3. "t has always been my belief that
speculation can do no harm.
-t is not necessarily ours!
#o, after all, " am to be condemned for challen3in3 your beliefsI Then surely this a3e
is no better than any that has come before.
Once more your head is filled with dreams and delusions!
1ave you ever considered that our lives are a form of dream and that it is time to
awakeI What if we are bein3 dreamed by the people of 2ouldwarpI And what if we
were dreamin3 themI What if the divine human had never woken and all the a3es were
part of the fabric of his sleepI
This is foolishness* %lato! Enough! We know that we e0ist! We know our history! We
are not the figments of anyone<s imagination!
/or3ive me. " thou3ht it was the city custom that " should be allowed to speak freely
and openly in my defence. "f " am permitted to reveal all that " have thou3ht and
ima3ined, after my ?ourney, then perhaps the citiHens will re?ect the char3es of falsehood
a3ainst me.
5es! They signal their assent! -t is allowed! Continue!
68
".arkler/ /or so frail a fi3ure, he has a powerful voice.
Ornatus/ &o! Not powerful. Piercin3. #omehow one always feels obli3ed to listen to
him. 1e has always been full of ideas. " remember once, when we were children, he had
a theory about the lambs of (ambeth. " cannot recall any of it now. " ?ust remember his
little face puckered up in sorrow, and his pipin3 voice.
".arkler/ (ook. 1e is hitchin3 up the sleeves of his robe.
Ornatus/ "t has always been too lar3e for him.
".arkler/ .id " tell you of my encounter with him, when " was about to be healedI
Ornatus/ )f course. +ou have told everyone.
".arkler/ 2y apolo3ies. .o you see his hands pointin3 upwards as he speaksI 1e is
describin3 the old city a3ainG
Ornatus/ A phantom from his dreams.
".arkler/ Are you sureI 1e is describin3 its domes and hi3h buildin3s and wide
streets. There were once stars in a ni3ht sky. There was a sun, castin3 shadows upon the
earth.
Ornatus/ NeBt he will be sayin3 that these shadows were souls.
".arkler/ +ou should not treat his story so li3htly, )rnatus. What if all were trueI
Ornatus/ Why would it matter, true or notI )ne a3e is enou3h for me.
".arkler/ #o you would prefer to remain in i3noranceI
Ornatus/ "3norance is better than doubt.
".arkler/ +et Plato has be3un a process which will not endG
Ornatus/ This is precisely why " condemn him. 1e has introduced uncertainty amon3
us.
".arkler/ 'And if we doubt, the world 3oes out.' Who said thatI
Ornatus/ ,an we please not discuss these mattersI What is Plato doin3 nowI
".arkler/ 1e is drawin3 some symbol or letter in the earth.
Ornatus/ Absurd. Who can be eBpected to see it from hereI
".arkler/ .o stop talkin3, )rnatus. Then we will be able to hear him. (ook. ven the
an3els are interested. The tips of their win3s have chan3ed colour.
The .eo.le of Mouldwar. did not know why they (elie$ed in science! They knew only
that it was a(surd not to (elie$e! nd their science worked in their dimensions: They
could mo$e 2uickly from .lace to .lace* con$erse with one another o$er long
distances* and see one another in different regions of the earth!
Ornatus/ Three of the most foolish activities one can ima3ine.
".arkler/ 1ush.
"cience created a great reality for them! -t manufactured .lanets* and stars* and
medicines! Can we truly (elie$e them to (e .rimiti$e6
Ornatus/ )h yes. ,ertainly.
".arkler/ 1e speaks with 3reat conviction.
Do you remem(er what one of the guardians told me during the first session6 <We do
not wish to (uild our own monuments or memorials* since* unlike those who came
(efore us* we wish to efface oursel$es! ll o(;ects dissol$e* so we choose not to make
them!< Do you recall his words6 Well* let me tell you this! We are astounded (y our
ancestors and their misconce.tions* (ut we may seem e2ually foolish to our
successors! -n the distant $illages of the hammer and the smith* as you know* dwell
those who (elie$e themsel$es to (e already dead! They neither eat nor drink* they
sur$i$e their allotted s.an! May - .ro.hesy6 We will (ecome like them* dying in life*
if we refuse to countenance the .resence of other realities around us!
Ornatus/ This is madness. ,an he truly believe what he saysI
".arkler/ .o you see how some of the citiHens are becomin3 restlessI
Ornatus/ *ewildered, too.
".arkler/ "t is almost finished. The neBt session, accordin3 to custom, will also be the
last.
Ornatus/ " will be truly thankful.
6:
Ours is a great and ancient city* with its own sacred rites! The citi'ens will assem(le at
the se$eral gates* according to their .arish* where the charges against you will once
more (e recited! Then they will slee. and* immediately on waking* they will know
whether you are in a state of innocence or guilt! The s.irit of the city will guide them! Of
course you must then confer u.on yourself whate$er sentence you deem to (e ;ust! We
ha$e no .art in that!
And should " decide to 3ive orations as beforeI
That is your right! -t will (e after* not (efore* and that is enough for us! -t will not (e
the same city and you will not (e the same .erson! &ow* with your .ermission* may we
draw these .roceedings to a close6
" am allowed a last petition, am " notI
-f you wish it* then it is so! %roceed!
T1 FL.02NT
LP)N P(AT)
<5
,itiHens who live beside the bishop's 3ateJ +ou have heard how Plato defended himself
and how he ar3ued with the orators. What a vi3orous performance that wasJ *ut how
severely was he criticised for his eBcessesJ "n these 3reat debates, however, you are the
arbiters whose ?ud3ment abides. After takin3 part in the communal feast you will sleep
and, when you awake, you will know the truth.
<9
"idonia/ "'m afraid that " missed most of Plato's closin3 submission. Was it interestin3I
Madrigal/ !ery fine indeed. "t reminded me of our days at the Academy. There were
many @uestions and interventions. #hall " tryG
"idonia/ "f you would.
Madrigal/ Plato said$
Tell me* what is it that we .resume to understand6 sk any citi'en and you will
recei$e no true answer! nd yet we condemn .ast ages for their a(surd (eliefs: h! -
am wrong again/ we are certain of one thing! We know that for a while we are
consigned to the wrong dimensions and that* at some .oint* they will .ass away!
There is a grief (o0 in e$ery .arish where we can e0.ress our an0iety without (eing
o(ser$ed! - ask you if this is the way to li$e! - can no longer endure our .atience* our
endless worshi.* our e0.ectation! "ome of us grow old and fade! - ha$e seen my own
mother (egin to de.art* until she was scarcely $isi(le e$en to me! Was this well done6
Was this* in the words of the guardians* as it should (e6 - am not telling you that all
is wrong* or all is well! - am sim.ly asking you to 2uestion and* .erha.s* to see the
world in different ways! - ha$e done so* u.on my ;ourney! - was stri..ed of all my
certainties and felt .hysically afraid! #ut - sur$i$ed* did - not6 - want you to consider
other .ossi(ilities! -n that res.ect* at least* we may (e more fortunate than those who
came (efore us! - was once your orator! May - (e .ermitted to im.art one last lesson6
- know that other ages* like that of Mouldwar.* refused to countenance or understand
any reality (ut their own! That is why they .erished! -f we do not learn to dou(t* then
.erha.s our own age will die! &ow you are laughing at me again! %erha.s - ha$e
(ecome a fool* to make you wise! What did you cry6 - am out of harmony6 - ha$e
always (een so: Do you remem(er that in school we were taught that to (e (eautiful
is to (e $irtuous6 5ou see that - do not e0actly fulfil the criterion of .hysical (eauty!
My (ody does not conform to the di$ine .attern of harmony! "o - learned that - must
follow my own .ath! 5ou say that - ha$e therefore de.arted from the .ro.er way* (ut
let me elucidate my own law of harmony! - would rather des.ise the whole world
than (e out of harmony with my own self! -f others condemn me* then - will stand
alone!
And that, #idonia, is all " can remember.
<4
5ou may sit or stand as you wish* %lato! This is the ;udgment of London! The citi'ens
ha$e decided that you are innocent of any attem.t to corru.t the young! They ha$e also
concluded that you ha$e not lied or .re$aricated in your testimony! They (elie$e that
you suffered some fe$ered dream or hallucination while you lay among your .a.ers!
That is all! 5our mask of oratory will (e returned to you!
No. Wait. "s it not the custom that " should now pronounce sentence a3ainst myselfI
#ut there is no sentence! 5ou ha$e not (een charged with any wrong doing! The city
has ac2uitted you! There is no more to say!
" understand that. "f " may put it differently, there is no more for me to say. " have not
been condemned as a liar or as an impostor, but " have been ?ud3ed a dreamer or
mistaken visionary who is not worthy of attention. All " have said or done is merely
some fitful delusion. #o now " pronounce sentence a3ainst myself. " cannot eBist in a
world which will i3nore me or deride me M or, worse, pity me. " condemn myself to
perpetual eBile. " wish to be taken under escort beyond the walls of the city, never to
return.
This is madness!
*ut have " not been accused of madness alreadyI What else could you eBpect from
me but further follyI At least you will be rid of me.
We ha$e no more authority in this matter* %lato! We are dissol$ed!
<=
%lato/ #o you have been chosen to escort me beyond the walls.
"idonia/ Lnhappily, yes. We are from the same parish, and " sat beside you in the
Academy. What 3reater bond could eBistI *ut, Plato, none of us has any wish to see you
wander abroad.
%lato$ " will wander and wonder. Perhaps " will find the old world a3ain. Perhaps
there is a cave or threshold in some distant place.
"idonia/ "t was one of your su33estions at the trial.
%lato/ .o you believe me, #idoniaI "t is foolish of me, " suppose, but it would be
some comfort to know that one of my childhood companions reco3nised the truth of my
?ourney.
"idonia/ Are you sure that you believe it yourselfI
%lato/ "t no lon3er matters what " believe.
"idonia/ +ou doubt yourself, and so you have spread doubt.
%lato/ )ur ancestors, #idonia, were told that the first inhabitants of (ondon were
3iants. There are stories of them carvin3 3reat hills and valleys in which the city was
planted. *ut what if this were prophecy, not historyI What if we are the 3iants of which
they had heardI
"idonia/ +ou are confusin3 me a3ain.
%lato/ Then it is better that " be 3one and bother you no more.
"idonia/ Will you ever returnI
%lato/ Who can sayI
"idonia/ +ou know, Plato, that " shall miss you.
%lato/ Think of me as someone within a dream. Then " will never have left you.
<6
".arkler/ (ook. There he 3oes. .o you see how many children are followin3 him down
(ud 1illI +ou would think that he was leavin3 the city in triumph. #ome of them are
even 3ivin3 him tokens of remembrance, to carry with him beyond the walls. The
dau3hter of )rnatus is embracin3 him. *ut Plato is starin3 strai3ht ahead, as if he were
already considerin3 his fate. )f course, that is it. )ur world is already dead for him. 1e
does not want to 3lance back in case his resolution falters.
Madrigal/ 1ere comes the bar3e to take him down the /leet. And #idonia is sittin3 at
the prow. What an unhappy eBpedition for herJ (isten to the children sin3in3 by the
banks of the river, as he steps on board the vessel. .o you see how its sails 3leam
a3ainst the watersI Now Plato is raisin3 his hands in farewell. *ut, #parkler, " have ?ust
noticed somethin3. Why have the an3els stayed awayI
<<
#o Plato left the city and was never seen a3ain. There are many who say that he travelled
to other cities, where he continued his orations. #ome are convinced that there was
indeed a cave beneath the earth and that Plato returned there unknown and unseen by the
people of 2ouldwarp. #idonia and )rnatus believe that he simply entered another
dream.