On ritual occasions Plato, the orator, summons the citizens of London to impart
the ancient history of their city, dwelling particularly on the unhappy era of M
ouldwarp (AD 1500-2300). He lectures on The Origin of Species by the nineteenth-
century novelist Charles Dickens and on Sigmund Freud; whilst providing a glossa
ry of twentieth century terms, and explaining such early myths of creation as 's
uper-string theory' and 'relativity'. But then he has a dream, or vision, or he
goes on a real journey - opinions are divided - and enters a vast underground ca
vern, where citizens of Mouldwarp London still live.
