According  to  all  ancient  traditions  and  beliefs,
the  cradle  of  the  human  race  was  in  a  portion  of  the
world  characterized  by  an  altogether  extraordinary
exuberance  of  life.  Of  all  lands  the  sun  shone  upon
it  was  the  fairest  and  best.  Even  down  to  the  Del-
uge, and  later,  something  of  the  divine  goodness  of
that  primeval  home-land  remained.  In  the  eyes  of
Plato,  the  steady  deterioration  has  been  going  on
from  the  beginning,  the  good  soil  washing  down
from  the  heavenly  mountains  of  the  earth's  summit
and  disappearing  in  the  abyss,  until,  *'  in  comparison
with  what  then  was,  there  are  remaining  only  the
bones  of  the  wasted  body,  as  they  may  be  called, —
all  the  richer  and  softer  parts  of  the  soil  having
fallen  away,  and  the  mere  skeleton  of  the  land  being
left."  1

1  Critias,  III.
280  PARADISE  FOUND.
