+11.+ This is the man forsooth who drew out a comparative list of the
Ephors and the kings of Sparta from the earliest times; as well as
one comparing the Archons at Athens and priestesses in Argos with the
list of Olympic victors, and thereby convicted those cities of being
in error about those records, because there was a discrepancy of three
months between them! This again is the man who discovered the engraved
tablets in the inner shrines, and the records of the guest-friendships
on the door-posts of the temples. And we cannot believe that such a
man could have been ignorant of anything of this sort that existed, or
would have omitted to mention it if he had found it. Nor can he on any
ground expect pardon, if he has told an untruth about it: for, as he
has shown himself a bitter and uncompromising critic of others, he must
naturally look for equally uncompromising attacks from them.
Being then clearly convicted of falsehood in these points, he goes
to the Italian Locri: and, first of all, says that the two Locrian
peoples had a similar constitution and the same ties of amity, and that
Aristotle and Theophrastus have maligned the city. Now I am fully aware
that in going into minute particulars and proofs on this point I shall
be forced to digress from the course of my history. It was for that
reason however that I postponed my criticism of Timaeus to a single
section of my work, that I might not be forced again and again to omit
other necessary matter....
[Sidenote: Timaeus condemned out of his own mouth.]
+12.+ Timaeus says that the greatest fault in history is want of truth;
and he accordingly advises all, whom he may have convicted of making
false statements in their writings, to find some other name for their
books, and to call them anything they like except history....
[Sidenote: See 1, 14.]
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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