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 made king of all the island; and he made his brethren princes under him, and gave them rule over many men and wide provinces. And the descendants of Atlas multiplied, and he had wealth and power such as no other king ever had before or since. And the soil and climate of this island were so good, that the fruits of the earth ripened twice a-year; and there was abundance of both minerals and metals, and many elephants and other tame and wild animals of various kinds. And the city on the mountain in the centre of the island was a wondrous sight to behold; for bridges were built across the 'zones of sea' which Neptune had made, and a canal was dug from the city to the sea, and a fortress was built having stone walls plated with tin and brass and the red 'mountain bronze,' and in the midst was the king's palace and the vast temple of Neptune, covered with silver, and having pinnacles of gold and a roof of ivory. And within was a golden statue of the god himself riding in a chariot drawn by six winged horses—so huge that he touched the roof; and around were a hundred Nereids riding upon dolphins, and outside the temple were golden statues of the ten kings and their wives. Besides all these things there were many baths and fountains, and public gardens and exercise grounds, and dockyards and harbours full of merchant vessels and ships of war.

"And the plain around the city was sheltered by mountains, and guarded by a vast ditch 100 feet deep, and 600 feet broad, and more than 3000 miles long. And the ten kings who ruled the island held council