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347 On the Early Kmgs of Attica, 34^ power of tradition to preserve it ; tradition distinct from poetry, and probably not strengthened or steadied by any use of the art of writing for historical or chronological pur- poses. There is an illusive vagueness in the word, which makes it necessary to fix more exactly what is meant by it in the present enquiry. The whole matter of fact which is implied, when we say that there was a tradition of certain things in any age or country, is that a belief in their reality prevailed ; but by a fallacy which Mr Bentham should have placed in his list, we go on to infer that this belief was handed down from a preceding age. Now though it may be thought that Niebuhr^ has expressed himself too strongly when he says of a belief of this sort " they that would in- troduce it need but tell people roundly that it was what their forefathers knew and believed, only the belief was neglected and sank into oblivion,'*'' yet there can be no doubt that what was at first the hypothesis of an antiquary or the fiction of a poet becomes in a generation or two a venerable tradition. Though the title was originally bad its defect is cured by length of possession. Even if it were admitted therefore, that the whole history of the heroic ages was believed to be true by the Greeks, we should not be authorized to re- ceive it as true, because we know not how high a real tra- dition reached, nor consequently how far this faith was reasonable. There is little satisfaction, however, in such general and negative conclusions, and they are only mentioned here, that no one who has hitherto received the heroic history of Greece as real, on the authority of poets and common books of his- tory, may suppose that he has historical ground for his belief, and regard it as an act of wanton scepticism to suggest a doubt respecting it. The only course which can lead to any useful result is to examine minutely some portion of this alleged history, and see what marks of reality or invention can be found in it. The conclusion at which I have arrived is, that the whole series of Attic kings who are said to have preceded Theseus are fictions, owing their existence to mis- understood names, and false etymologies, to attempts to - Hist, of Rome, Vol. i. p. K»l.