APOLOGY

by Plato
translated by Benjamin Jowett
New York, C. Scribners Sons, !"#$"%
INTRODUCTION.
In what relation the Apology of Plato stands to the real defence of
Socrates, there are no eans of deterining. It certainly agrees in
tone
and character with the description of !enophon, who says in the
"eora#ilia
that Socrates ight ha$e #een ac%&itted 'if in any oderate degree he
wo&ld
ha$e conciliated the fa$o&r of the dicasts(' and who infors &s in
another
passage, on the testiony of )erogenes, the friend of Socrates, that he
had no wish to li$e( and that the di$ine sign ref&sed to allow hi to
prepare a defence, and also that Socrates hiself declared this to #e
&nnecessary, on the gro&nd that all his life long he had #een preparing
against that ho&r. *or the speech #reathes thro&gho&t a spirit of
defiance, +&t non s&pple, a&t re&s sed agister a&t doin&s $ideret&r
esse
-&dic&' +Cic. de Orat..( and the loose and des&ltory style is an
iitation
of the 'acc&stoed anner' in which Socrates spo/e in 'the agora and
aong
the ta#les of the oney0changers.' The all&sion in the Crito ay,
perhaps,
#e add&ced as a f&rther e$idence of the literal acc&racy of soe parts.
1&t in the ain it &st #e regarded as the ideal of Socrates, according
to
Plato's conception of hi, appearing in the greatest and ost p&#lic
scene
of his life, and in the height of his tri&ph, when he is wea/est, and
yet
his astery o$er an/ind is greatest, and his ha#it&al irony ac%&ires a
new
eaning and a sort of tragic pathos in the face of death. The facts of
his
life are s&ed &p, and the feat&res of his character are #ro&ght o&t
as if
#y accident in the co&rse of the defence. The con$ersational anner,
the
seeing want of arrangeent, the ironical siplicity, are fo&nd to
res&lt
in a perfect wor/ of art, which is the portrait of Socrates.
2et soe of the topics ay ha$e #een act&ally &sed #y Socrates( and the
recollection of his $ery words ay ha$e r&ng in the ears of his
disciple.
The Apology of Plato ay #e copared generally with those speeches of
Th&cydides in which he has e#odied his conception of the lofty
character
and policy of the great Pericles, and which at the sae tie f&rnish a
coentary on the sit&ation of affairs fro the point of $iew of the
historian. So in the Apology there is an ideal rather than a literal
tr&th( &ch is said which was not said, and is only Plato's $iew of the
sit&ation. Plato was not, li/e !enophon, a chronicler of facts( he does
not appear in any of his writings to ha$e aied at literal acc&racy.
)e is
not therefore to #e s&ppleented fro the "eora#ilia and Syposi& of
!enophon, who #elongs to an entirely different class of writers. The
Apology of Plato is not the report of what Socrates said, #&t an
ela#orate
coposition, %&ite as &ch so in fact as one of the Dialog&es. And we
ay
perhaps e$en ind&lge in the fancy that the act&al defence of Socrates
was
as &ch greater than the Platonic defence as the aster was greater than
the disciple. 1&t in any case, soe of the words &sed #y hi &st ha$e
#een ree#ered, and soe of the facts recorded &st ha$e act&ally
occ&rred. It is significant that Plato is said to ha$e #een present at
the
defence +Apol.., as he is also said to ha$e #een a#sent at the last
scene
in the Phaedo. Is it fancif&l to s&ppose that he eant to gi$e the
stap
of a&thenticity to the one and not to the other300especially when we
consider that these two passages are the only ones in which Plato a/es
ention of hiself. The circ&stance that Plato was to #e one of his
s&reties for the payent of the fine which he proposed has the
appearance
of tr&th. "ore s&spicio&s is the stateent that Socrates recei$ed the
first ip&lse to his fa$o&rite calling of cross0e,aining the world fro
the Oracle of Delphi( for he &st already ha$e #een fao&s #efore
Chaerephon went to cons&lt the Oracle +Riddell., and the story is of a
/ind
which is $ery li/ely to ha$e #een in$ented. On the whole we arri$e at
the
concl&sion that the Apology is tr&e to the character of Socrates, #&t we
cannot show that any single sentence in it was act&ally spo/en #y hi.
It
#reathes the spirit of Socrates, #&t has #een cast anew in the o&ld of
Plato.
There is not &ch in the other Dialog&es which can #e copared with the
Apology. The sae recollection of his aster ay ha$e #een present to
the
ind of Plato when depicting the s&fferings of the 4&st in the
Rep&#lic.
The Crito ay also #e regarded as a sort of appendage to the Apology, in
which Socrates, who has defied the -&dges, is ne$ertheless represented
as
scr&p&lo&sly o#edient to the laws. The ideali5ation of the s&fferer is
carried still f&rther in the 6orgias, in which the thesis is aintained,
that 'to s&ffer is #etter than to do e$il(' and the art of rhetoric is
descri#ed as only &sef&l for the p&rpose of self0acc&sation. The
paralleliss which occ&r in the so0called Apology of !enophon are not
worth
noticing, #eca&se the writing in which they are contained is anifestly
sp&rio&s. The stateents of the "eora#ilia respecting the trial and
death
of Socrates agree generally with Plato( #&t they ha$e lost the fla$o&r
of
Socratic irony in the narrati$e of !enophon.
The Apology or Platonic defence of Socrates is di$ided into three
parts7
8st. The defence properly so called( 9nd. The shorter address in
itigation
of the penalty( :rd. The last words of prophetic re#&/e and e,hortation.
The first part coences with an apology for his collo%&ial style( he
is,
as he has always #een, the eney of rhetoric, and /nows of no rhetoric
#&t
tr&th( he will not falsify his character #y a/ing a speech. Then he
proceeds to di$ide his acc&sers into two classes( first, there is the
naeless acc&ser00p&#lic opinion. All the world fro their earliest
years
had heard that he was a corr&pter of yo&th, and had seen hi
caricat&red in
the Clo&ds of Aristophanes. Secondly, there are the professed acc&sers,
who are #&t the o&th0piece of the others. The acc&sations of #oth
ight
#e s&ed &p in a for&la. The first say, 'Socrates is an e$il0doer
and a
c&rio&s person, searching into things &nder the earth and a#o$e the
hea$en(
and a/ing the worse appear the #etter ca&se, and teaching all this to
others.' The second, 'Socrates is an e$il0doer and corr&pter of the
yo&th,
who does not recei$e the gods who the state recei$es, #&t introd&ces
other
new di$inities.' These last words appear to ha$e #een the act&al
indictent +copare !en. "e..( and the pre$io&s for&la, which is a
s&ary of p&#lic opinion, ass&es the sae legal style.
The answer #egins #y clearing &p a conf&sion. In the representations of
the Coic poets, and in the opinion of the &ltit&de, he had #een
identified with the teachers of physical science and with the Sophists.
1&t this was an error. *or #oth of the he professes a respect in the
open
co&rt, which contrasts with his anner of spea/ing a#o&t the in other
places. +Copare for Ana,agoras, Phaedo, ;aws( for the Sophists, "eno,
Rep&#lic, Ti., Theaet., Soph., etc.. 1&t at the sae tie he shows
that
he is not one of the. Of nat&ral philosophy he /nows nothing( not
that he
despises s&ch p&rs&its, #&t the fact is that he is ignorant of the, and
ne$er says a word a#o&t the. Nor is he paid for gi$ing instr&ction00
that
is another ista/en notion700he has nothing to teach. 1&t he coends
<$en&s for teaching $irt&e at s&ch a 'oderate' rate as fi$e inae.
Soething of the 'acc&stoed irony,' which ay perhaps #e e,pected to
sleep
in the ear of the &ltit&de, is l&r/ing here.
)e then goes on to e,plain the reason why he is in s&ch an e$il nae.
That
had arisen o&t of a pec&liar ission which he had ta/en &pon hiself.
The
enth&siastic Chaerephon +pro#a#ly in anticipation of the answer which he
recei$ed. had gone to Delphi and as/ed the oracle if there was any an
wiser than Socrates( and the answer was, that there was no an wiser.
=hat
co&ld #e the eaning of this00that he who /new nothing, and /new that he
/new nothing, sho&ld #e declared #y the oracle to #e the wisest of en3
Reflecting &pon the answer, he deterined to ref&te it #y finding 'a
wiser(' and first he went to the politicians, and then to the poets, and
then to the craftsen, #&t always with the sae res&lt00he fo&nd that
they
/new nothing, or hardly anything ore than hiself( and that the little
ad$antage which in soe cases they possessed was ore than co&nter0
#alanced
#y their conceit of /nowledge. )e /new nothing, and /new that he /new
nothing7 they /new little or nothing, and iagined that they /new all
things. Th&s he had passed his life as a sort of issionary in
detecting
the pretended wisdo of an/ind( and this occ&pation had %&ite a#sor#ed
hi
and ta/en hi away #oth fro p&#lic and pri$ate affairs. 2o&ng en of
the
richer sort had ade a pastie of the sae p&rs&it, 'which was not
&na&sing.' And hence #itter enities had arisen( the professors of
/nowledge had re$enged thesel$es #y calling hi a $illaino&s corr&pter
of
yo&th, and #y repeating the coonplaces a#o&t atheis and aterialis
and
sophistry, which are the stoc/0acc&sations against all philosophers when
there is nothing else to #e said of the.
The second acc&sation he eets #y interrogating "elet&s, who is present
and
can #e interrogated. 'If he is the corr&pter, who is the ipro$er of
the
citi5ens3' +Copare "eno.. 'All en e$erywhere.' 1&t how a#s&rd, how
contrary to analogy is this> )ow inconcei$a#le too, that he sho&ld a/e
the citi5ens worse when he has to li$e with the. This s&rely cannot #e
intentional( and if &nintentional, he o&ght to ha$e #een instr&cted #y
"elet&s, and not acc&sed in the co&rt.
1&t there is another part of the indictent which says that he teaches
en
not to recei$e the gods who the city recei$es, and has other new gods.
'Is that the way in which he is s&pposed to corr&pt the yo&th3' '2es,
it
is.' ')as he only new gods, or none at all3' 'None at all.' '=hat,
not
e$en the s&n and oon3' 'No( why, he says that the s&n is a stone, and
the
oon earth.' That, replies Socrates, is the old conf&sion a#o&t
Ana,agoras( the Athenian people are not so ignorant as to attri#&te to
the
infl&ence of Socrates notions which ha$e fo&nd their way into the draa,
and ay #e learned at the theatre. Socrates &nderta/es to show that
"elet&s +rather &n-&stifia#ly. has #een copo&nding a riddle in this
part
of the indictent7 'There are no gods, #&t Socrates #elie$es in the
e,istence of the sons of gods, which is a#s&rd.'
;ea$ing "elet&s, who has had eno&gh words spent &pon hi, he ret&rns to
the
original acc&sation. The %&estion ay #e as/ed, =hy will he persist in
following a profession which leads hi to death3 =hy300#eca&se he &st
reain at his post where the god has placed hi, as he reained at
Potidaea, and Aphipolis, and Deli&, where the generals placed hi.
1esides, he is not so o$erwise as to iagine that he /nows whether
death is
a good or an e$il( and he is certain that desertion of his d&ty is an
e$il.
Anyt&s is %&ite right in saying that they sho&ld ne$er ha$e indicted
hi if
they eant to let hi go. *or he will certainly o#ey 6od rather than
an(
and will contin&e to preach to all en of all ages the necessity of
$irt&e
and ipro$eent( and if they ref&se to listen to hi he will still
perse$ere and repro$e the. This is his way of corr&pting the yo&th,
which
he will not cease to follow in o#edience to the god, e$en if a tho&sand
deaths await hi.
)e is desiro&s that they sho&ld let hi li$e00not for his own sa/e, #&t
for
theirs( #eca&se he is their hea$en0sent friend +and they will ne$er ha$e
s&ch another., or, as he ay #e l&dicro&sly descri#ed, he is the gadfly
who
stirs the genero&s steed into otion. =hy then has he ne$er ta/en part
in
p&#lic affairs3 1eca&se the failiar di$ine $oice has hindered hi( if
he
had #een a p&#lic an, and had fo&ght for the right, as he wo&ld
certainly
ha$e fo&ght against the any, he wo&ld not ha$e li$ed, and co&ld
therefore
ha$e done no good. Twice in p&#lic atters he has ris/ed his life for
the
sa/e of -&stice00once at the trial of the generals( and again in
resistance
to the tyrannical coands of the Thirty.
1&t, tho&gh not a p&#lic an, he has passed his days in instr&cting the
citi5ens witho&t fee or reward00this was his ission. =hether his
disciples ha$e t&rned o&t well or ill, he cannot -&stly #e charged with
the
res&lt, for he ne$er proised to teach the anything. They ight coe
if
they li/ed, and they ight stay away if they li/ed7 and they did coe,
#eca&se they fo&nd an a&seent in hearing the pretenders to wisdo
detected. If they ha$e #een corr&pted, their elder relati$es +if not
thesel$es. ight s&rely coe into co&rt and witness against hi, and
there
is an opport&nity still for the to appear. 1&t their fathers and
#rothers
all appear in co&rt +incl&ding 'this' Plato., to witness on his #ehalf(
and
if their relati$es are corr&pted, at least they are &ncorr&pted( 'and
they
are y witnesses. *or they /now that I a spea/ing the tr&th, and that
"elet&s is lying.'
This is a#o&t all that he has to say. )e will not entreat the -&dges to
spare his life( neither will he present a spectacle of weeping children,
altho&gh he, too, is not ade of 'roc/ or oa/.' Soe of the -&dges
thesel$es ay ha$e coplied with this practice on siilar occasions,
and
he tr&sts that they will not #e angry with hi for not following their
e,aple. 1&t he feels that s&ch cond&ct #rings discredit on the nae of
Athens7 he feels too, that the -&dge has sworn not to gi$e away
-&stice(
and he cannot #e g&ilty of the ipiety of as/ing the -&dge to #rea/ his
oath, when he is hiself #eing tried for ipiety.
As he e,pected, and pro#a#ly intended, he is con$icted. And now the
tone
of the speech, instead of #eing ore conciliatory, #ecoes ore lofty
and
coanding. Anyt&s proposes death as the penalty7 and what co&nter0
proposition shall he a/e3 )e, the #enefactor of the Athenian people,
whose whole life has #een spent in doing the good, sho&ld at least ha$e
the Olypic $ictor's reward of aintenance in the Prytane&. Or why
sho&ld
he propose any co&nter0penalty when he does not /now whether death,
which
Anyt&s proposes, is a good or an e$il3 And he is certain that
iprisonent
is an e$il, e,ile is an e$il. ;oss of oney ight #e an e$il, #&t then
he
has none to gi$e( perhaps he can a/e &p a ina. ;et that #e the
penalty,
or, if his friends wish, thirty inae( for which they will #e e,cellent
sec&rities.
+)e is condened to death..
)e is an old an already, and the Athenians will gain nothing #&t
disgrace
#y depri$ing hi of a few years of life. Perhaps he co&ld ha$e
escaped, if
he had chosen to throw down his ars and entreat for his life. 1&t he
does
not at all repent of the anner of his defence( he wo&ld rather die in
his
own fashion than li$e in theirs. *or the penalty of &nrighteo&sness is
swifter than death( that penalty has already o$erta/en his acc&sers as
death will soon o$erta/e hi.
And now, as one who is a#o&t to die, he will prophesy to the. They
ha$e
p&t hi to death in order to escape the necessity of gi$ing an acco&nt
of
their li$es. 1&t his death 'will #e the seed' of any disciples who
will
con$ince the of their e$il ways, and will coe forth to repro$e the in
harsher ters, #eca&se they are yo&nger and ore inconsiderate.
)e wo&ld li/e to say a few words, while there is tie, to those who
wo&ld
ha$e ac%&itted hi. )e wishes the to /now that the di$ine sign ne$er
interr&pted hi in the co&rse of his defence( the reason of which, as he
con-ect&res, is that the death to which he is going is a good and not an
e$il. *or either death is a long sleep, the #est of sleeps, or a
-o&rney
to another world in which the so&ls of the dead are gathered together,
and
in which there ay #e a hope of seeing the heroes of old00in which, too,
there are -&st -&dges( and as all are iortal, there can #e no fear of
any
one s&ffering death for his opinions.
Nothing e$il can happen to the good an either in life or death, and his
own death has #een peritted #y the gods, #eca&se it was #etter for hi
to
depart( and therefore he forgi$es his -&dges #eca&se they ha$e done hi
no
har, altho&gh they ne$er eant to do hi any good.
)e has a last re%&est to a/e to the00that they will tro&#le his sons
as
he has tro&#led the, if they appear to prefer riches to $irt&e, or to
thin/ thesel$es soething when they are nothing.
...
'*ew persons will #e fo&nd to wish that Socrates sho&ld ha$e defended
hiself otherwise,'00if, as we &st add, his defence was that with which
Plato has pro$ided hi. 1&t lea$ing this %&estion, which does not
adit of
a precise sol&tion, we ay go on to as/ what was the ipression which
Plato
in the Apology intended to gi$e of the character and cond&ct of his
aster
in the last great scene3 Did he intend to represent hi +8. as
eploying
sophistries( +9. as designedly irritating the -&dges3 Or are these
sophistries to #e regarded as #elonging to the age in which he li$ed
and to
his personal character, and this apparent ha&ghtiness as flowing fro
the
nat&ral ele$ation of his position3
*or e,aple, when he says that it is a#s&rd to s&ppose that one an is
the
corr&pter and all the rest of the world the ipro$ers of the yo&th( or,
when he arg&es that he ne$er co&ld ha$e corr&pted the en with who he
had
to li$e( or, when he pro$es his #elief in the gods #eca&se he #elie$es
in
the sons of gods, is he serio&s or -esting3 It ay #e o#ser$ed that
these
sophiss all occ&r in his cross0e,aination of "elet&s, who is easily
foiled and astered in the hands of the great dialectician. Perhaps he
regarded these answers as good eno&gh for his acc&ser, of who he a/es
$ery light. Also there is a to&ch of irony in the, which ta/es the
o&t
of the category of sophistry. +Copare <&thyph..
That the anner in which he defends hiself a#o&t the li$es of his
disciples is not satisfactory, can hardly #e denied. *resh in the
eory
of the Athenians, and detesta#le as they deser$ed to #e to the newly
restored deocracy, were the naes of Alci#iades, Critias, Charides.
It
is o#$io&sly not a s&fficient answer that Socrates had ne$er professed
to
teach the anything, and is therefore not -&stly chargea#le with their
cries. 2et the defence, when ta/en o&t of this ironical for, is
do&#tless so&nd7 that his teaching had nothing to do with their e$il
li$es. )ere, then, the sophistry is rather in for than in s&#stance,
tho&gh we ight desire that to s&ch a serio&s charge Socrates had gi$en
a
ore serio&s answer.
Tr&ly characteristic of Socrates is another point in his answer, which
ay
also #e regarded as sophistical. )e says that 'if he has corr&pted the
yo&th, he &st ha$e corr&pted the in$ol&ntarily.' 1&t if, as Socrates
arg&es, all e$il is in$ol&ntary, then all criinals o&ght to #e
adonished
and not p&nished. In these words the Socratic doctrine of the
in$ol&ntariness of e$il is clearly intended to #e con$eyed. )ere
again, as
in the forer instance, the defence of Socrates is &ntr&e practically,
#&t
ay #e tr&e in soe ideal or transcendental sense. The coonplace
reply,
that if he had #een g&ilty of corr&pting the yo&th their relations wo&ld
s&rely ha$e witnessed against hi, with which he concl&des this part of
his
defence, is ore satisfactory.
Again, when Socrates arg&es that he &st #elie$e in the gods #eca&se he
#elie$es in the sons of gods, we &st ree#er that this is a ref&tation
not of the original indictent, which is consistent eno&gh00'Socrates
does
not recei$e the gods who the city recei$es, and has other new
di$inities'
00#&t of the interpretation p&t &pon the words #y "elet&s, who has
affired
that he is a downright atheist. To this Socrates fairly answers, in
accordance with the ideas of the tie, that a downright atheist cannot
#elie$e in the sons of gods or in di$ine things. The notion that
deons or
lesser di$inities are the sons of gods is not to #e regarded as
ironical or
sceptical. )e is arg&ing 'ad hoine' according to the notions of
ythology c&rrent in his age. 2et he a#stains fro saying that he
#elie$ed
in the gods who the State appro$ed. )e does not defend hiself, as
!enophon has defended hi, #y appealing to his practice of religion.
Pro#a#ly he neither wholly #elie$ed, nor dis#elie$ed, in the e,istence
of
the pop&lar gods( he had no eans of /nowing a#o&t the. According to
Plato +copare Phaedo( Syp.., as well as !enophon +"eor.., he was
p&nct&al in the perforance of the least religio&s d&ties( and he &st
ha$e
#elie$ed in his own orac&lar sign, of which he seeed to ha$e an
internal
witness. 1&t the e,istence of Apollo or ?e&s, or the other gods who
the
State appro$es, wo&ld ha$e appeared to hi #oth &ncertain and
&niportant
in coparison of the d&ty of self0e,aination, and of those principles
of
tr&th and right which he deeed to #e the fo&ndation of religion.
+Copare
Phaedr.( <&thyph.( Rep&#lic..
The second %&estion, whether Plato eant to represent Socrates as
#ra$ing
or irritating his -&dges, &st also #e answered in the negati$e. )is
irony, his s&periority, his a&dacity, 'regarding not the person of an,'
necessarily flow o&t of the loftiness of his sit&ation. )e is not
acting a
part &pon a great occasion, #&t he is what he has #een all his life
long,
'a /ing of en.' )e wo&ld rather not appear insolent, if he co&ld
a$oid it
+o&ch os a&thadi5oenos to&to lego.. Neither is he desiro&s of
hastening
his own end, for life and death are siply indifferent to hi. 1&t
s&ch a
defence as wo&ld #e accepta#le to his -&dges and ight proc&re an
ac%&ittal, it is not in his nat&re to a/e. )e will not say or do
anything
that ight per$ert the co&rse of -&stice( he cannot ha$e his tong&e
#o&nd
e$en 'in the throat of death.' =ith his acc&sers he will only fence and
play, as he had fenced with other 'ipro$ers of yo&th,' answering the
Sophist according to his sophistry all his life long. )e is serio&s
when
he is spea/ing of his own ission, which sees to disting&ish hi fro
all
other reforers of an/ind, and originates in an accident. The
dedication
of hiself to the ipro$eent of his fellow0citi5ens is not so
rear/a#le
as the ironical spirit in which he goes a#o&t doing good only in
$indication of the credit of the oracle, and in the $ain hope of
finding a
wiser an than hiself. 2et this sing&lar and alost accidental
character
of his ission agrees with the di$ine sign which, according to o&r
notions,
is e%&ally accidental and irrational, and is ne$ertheless accepted #y
hi
as the g&iding principle of his life. Socrates is nowhere represented
to
&s as a freethin/er or sceptic. There is no reason to do&#t his
sincerity
when he spec&lates on the possi#ility of seeing and /nowing the heroes
of
the Tro-an war in another world. On the other hand, his hope of
iortality is &ncertain(00he also concei$es of death as a long sleep
+in
this respect differing fro the Phaedo., and at last falls #ac/ on
resignation to the di$ine will, and the certainty that no e$il can
happen
to the good an either in life or death. )is a#sol&te tr&thf&lness
sees
to hinder hi fro asserting positi$ely ore than this( and he a/es no
attept to $eil his ignorance in ythology and fig&res of speech. The
gentleness of the first part of the speech contrasts with the
aggra$ated,
alost threatening, tone of the concl&sion. )e characteristically
rear/s
that he will not spea/ as a rhetorician, that is to say, he will not
a/e a
reg&lar defence s&ch as ;ysias or one of the orators ight ha$e coposed
for hi, or, according to soe acco&nts, did copose for hi. 1&t he
first
proc&res hiself a hearing #y conciliatory words. )e does not attac/
the
Sophists( for they were open to the sae charges as hiself( they were
e%&ally ridic&led #y the Coic poets, and alost e%&ally hatef&l to
Anyt&s
and "elet&s. 2et incidentally the antagonis #etween Socrates and the
Sophists is allowed to appear. )e is poor and they are rich( his
profession that he teaches nothing is opposed to their readiness to
teach
all things( his tal/ing in the ar/etplace to their pri$ate
instr&ctions(
his tarry0at0hoe life to their wandering fro city to city. The tone
which he ass&es towards the is one of real friendliness, #&t also of
concealed irony. Towards Ana,agoras, who had disappointed hi in his
hopes
of learning a#o&t ind and nat&re, he shows a less /indly feeling,
which is
also the feeling of Plato in other passages +;aws.. 1&t Ana,agoras had
#een dead thirty years, and was #eyond the reach of persec&tion.
It has #een rear/ed that the prophecy of a new generation of teachers
who
wo&ld re#&/e and e,hort the Athenian people in harsher and ore $iolent
ters was, as far as we /now, ne$er f&lfilled. No inference can #e
drawn
fro this circ&stance as to the pro#a#ility of the words attri#&ted to
hi
ha$ing #een act&ally &ttered. They e,press the aspiration of the first
artyr of philosophy, that he wo&ld lea$e #ehind hi any followers,
accopanied #y the not &nnat&ral feeling that they wo&ld #e fiercer and
ore inconsiderate in their words when eancipated fro his control.
The a#o$e rear/s &st #e &nderstood as applying with any degree of
certainty to the Platonic Socrates only. *or, altho&gh these or siilar
words ay ha$e #een spo/en #y Socrates hiself, we cannot e,cl&de the
possi#ility, that li/e so &ch else, e.g. the wisdo of Critias, the
poe
of Solon, the $irt&es of Charides, they ay ha$e #een d&e only to the
iagination of Plato. The arg&ents of those who aintain that the
Apology
was coposed d&ring the process, resting on no e$idence, do not re%&ire
a
serio&s ref&tation. Nor are the reasonings of Schleieracher, who
arg&es
that the Platonic defence is an e,act or nearly e,act reprod&ction of
the
words of Socrates, partly #eca&se Plato wo&ld not ha$e #een g&ilty of
the
ipiety of altering the, and also #eca&se any points of the defence
ight
ha$e #een ipro$ed and strengthened, at all ore concl&si$e. +See
<nglish
Translation.. =hat effect the death of Socrates prod&ced on the ind of
Plato, we cannot certainly deterine( nor can we say how he wo&ld or
&st
ha$e written &nder the circ&stances. =e o#ser$e that the enity of
Aristophanes to Socrates does not pre$ent Plato fro introd&cing the
together in the Syposi& engaged in friendly interco&rse. Nor is there
any trace in the Dialog&es of an attept to a/e Anyt&s or "elet&s
personally odio&s in the eyes of the Athenian p&#lic.
APO;O62
#y
Plato
Translated #y 1en-ain 4owett
)ow yo&, O Athenians, ha$e #een affected #y y acc&sers, I cannot tell(
#&t
I /now that they alost ade e forget who I was00so pers&asi$ely did
they
spea/( and yet they ha$e hardly &ttered a word of tr&th. 1&t of the
any
falsehoods told #y the, there was one which %&ite aa5ed e(00I ean
when
they said that yo& sho&ld #e &pon yo&r g&ard and not allow yo&rsel$es
to #e
decei$ed #y the force of y elo%&ence. To say this, when they were
certain
to #e detected as soon as I opened y lips and pro$ed yself to #e
anything
#&t a great spea/er, did indeed appear to e ost shaeless00&nless #y
the
force of elo%&ence they ean the force of tr&th( for is s&ch is their
eaning, I adit that I a elo%&ent. 1&t in how different a way fro
theirs> =ell, as I was saying, they ha$e scarcely spo/en the tr&th at
all(
#&t fro e yo& shall hear the whole tr&th7 not, howe$er, deli$ered
after
their anner in a set oration d&ly ornaented with words and phrases.
No,
#y hea$en> #&t I shall &se the words and arg&ents which occ&r to e at
the
oent( for I a confident in the -&stice of y ca&se +Or, I a certain
that I a right in ta/ing this co&rse..7 at y tie of life I o&ght
not to
#e appearing #efore yo&, O en of Athens, in the character of a -&$enile
orator00let no one e,pect it of e. And I &st #eg of yo& to grant e a
fa$o&r700If I defend yself in y acc&stoed anner, and yo& hear e
&sing
the words which I ha$e #een in the ha#it of &sing in the agora, at the
ta#les of the oney0changers, or anywhere else, I wo&ld as/ yo& not to
#e
s&rprised, and not to interr&pt e on this acco&nt. *or I a ore than
se$enty years of age, and appearing now for the first tie in a co&rt of
law, I a %&ite a stranger to the lang&age of the place( and therefore I
wo&ld ha$e yo& regard e as if I were really a stranger, who yo& wo&ld
e,c&se if he spo/e in his nati$e tong&e, and after the fashion of his
co&ntry700A I a/ing an &nfair re%&est of yo&3 Ne$er ind the anner,
which ay or ay not #e good( #&t thin/ only of the tr&th of y words,
and
gi$e heed to that7 let the spea/er spea/ tr&ly and the -&dge decide
-&stly.
And first, I ha$e to reply to the older charges and to y first
acc&sers,
and then I will go on to the later ones. *or of old I ha$e had any
acc&sers, who ha$e acc&sed e falsely to yo& d&ring any years( and I a
ore afraid of the than of Anyt&s and his associates, who are
dangero&s,
too, in their own way. 1&t far ore dangero&s are the others, who #egan
when yo& were children, and too/ possession of yo&r inds with their
falsehoods, telling of one Socrates, a wise an, who spec&lated a#o&t
the
hea$en a#o$e, and searched into the earth #eneath, and ade the worse
appear the #etter ca&se. The disseinators of this tale are the
acc&sers
who I dread( for their hearers are apt to fancy that s&ch en%&irers do
not
#elie$e in the e,istence of the gods. And they are any, and their
charges
against e are of ancient date, and they were ade #y the in the days
when
yo& were ore ipressi#le than yo& are now00in childhood, or it ay ha$e
#een in yo&th00and the ca&se when heard went #y defa&lt, for there was
none
to answer. And hardest of all, I do not /now and cannot tell the naes
of
y acc&sers( &nless in the chance case of a Coic poet. All who fro
en$y
and alice ha$e pers&aded yo&00soe of the ha$ing first con$inced
thesel$es00all this class of en are ost diffic&lt to deal with( for I
cannot ha$e the &p here, and cross0e,aine the, and therefore I &st
siply fight with shadows in y own defence, and arg&e when there is no
one
who answers. I will as/ yo& then to ass&e with e, as I was saying,
that
y opponents are of two /inds( one recent, the other ancient7 and I
hope
that yo& will see the propriety of y answering the latter first, for
these
acc&sations yo& heard long #efore the others, and &ch oftener.
=ell, then, I &st a/e y defence, and endea$o&r to clear away in a
short
tie, a slander which has lasted a long tie. "ay I s&cceed, if to
s&cceed
#e for y good and yo&rs, or li/ely to a$ail e in y ca&se> The tas/
is
not an easy one( I %&ite &nderstand the nat&re of it. And so lea$ing
the
e$ent with 6od, in o#edience to the law I will now a/e y defence.
I will #egin at the #eginning, and as/ what is the acc&sation which has
gi$en rise to the slander of e, and in fact has enco&raged "elet&s to
proof this charge against e. =ell, what do the slanderers say3 They
shall #e y prosec&tors, and I will s& &p their words in an affida$it7
'Socrates is an e$il0doer, and a c&rio&s person, who searches into
things
&nder the earth and in hea$en, and he a/es the worse appear the #etter
ca&se( and he teaches the aforesaid doctrines to others.' S&ch is the
nat&re of the acc&sation7 it is -&st what yo& ha$e yo&rsel$es seen in
the
coedy of Aristophanes +Aristoph., Clo&ds.., who has introd&ced a an
who
he calls Socrates, going a#o&t and saying that he wal/s in air, and
tal/ing
a deal of nonsense concerning atters of which I do not pretend to /now
either &ch or little00not that I ean to spea/ disparagingly of any one
who is a st&dent of nat&ral philosophy. I sho&ld #e $ery sorry if
"elet&s
co&ld #ring so gra$e a charge against e. 1&t the siple tr&th is, O
Athenians, that I ha$e nothing to do with physical spec&lations. @ery
any
of those here present are witnesses to the tr&th of this, and to the I
appeal. Spea/ then, yo& who ha$e heard e, and tell yo&r neigh#o&rs
whether any of yo& ha$e e$er /nown e hold forth in few words or in any
&pon s&ch atters...2o& hear their answer. And fro what they say of
this
part of the charge yo& will #e a#le to -&dge of the tr&th of the rest.
As little fo&ndation is there for the report that I a a teacher, and
ta/e
oney( this acc&sation has no ore tr&th in it than the other.
Altho&gh,
if a an were really a#le to instr&ct an/ind, to recei$e oney for
gi$ing
instr&ction wo&ld, in y opinion, #e an hono&r to hi. There is
6orgias of
;eonti&, and Prodic&s of Ceos, and )ippias of <lis, who go the ro&nd of
the cities, and are a#le to pers&ade the yo&ng en to lea$e their own
citi5ens #y who they ight #e ta&ght for nothing, and coe to the who
they not only pay, #&t are than/f&l if they ay #e allowed to pay the.
There is at this tie a Parian philosopher residing in Athens, of who I
ha$e heard( and I cae to hear of hi in this way700I cae across a an
who
has spent a world of oney on the Sophists, Callias, the son of
)ipponic&s,
and /nowing that he had sons, I as/ed hi7 'Callias,' I said, 'if yo&r
two
sons were foals or cal$es, there wo&ld #e no diffic&lty in finding soe
one
to p&t o$er the( we sho&ld hire a trainer of horses, or a farer
pro#a#ly,
who wo&ld ipro$e and perfect the in their own proper $irt&e and
e,cellence( #&t as they are h&an #eings, who are yo& thin/ing of
placing
o$er the3 Is there any one who &nderstands h&an and political
$irt&e3
2o& &st ha$e tho&ght a#o&t the atter, for yo& ha$e sons( is there any
one3' 'There is,' he said. '=ho is he3' said I( 'and of what co&ntry3
and
what does he charge3' '<$en&s the Parian,' he replied( 'he is the an,
and
his charge is fi$e inae.' )appy is <$en&s, I said to yself, if he
really
has this wisdo, and teaches at s&ch a oderate charge. )ad I the
sae, I
sho&ld ha$e #een $ery pro&d and conceited( #&t the tr&th is that I ha$e
no
/nowledge of the /ind.
I dare say, Athenians, that soe one aong yo& will reply, '2es,
Socrates,
#&t what is the origin of these acc&sations which are #ro&ght against
yo&(
there &st ha$e #een soething strange which yo& ha$e #een doing3 All
these r&o&rs and this tal/ a#o&t yo& wo&ld ne$er ha$e arisen if yo& had
#een li/e other en7 tell &s, then, what is the ca&se of the, for we
sho&ld #e sorry to -&dge hastily of yo&.' Now I regard this as a fair
challenge, and I will endea$o&r to e,plain to yo& the reason why I a
called wise and ha$e s&ch an e$il fae. Please to attend then. And
altho&gh soe of yo& ay thin/ that I a -o/ing, I declare that I will
tell
yo& the entire tr&th. "en of Athens, this rep&tation of ine has coe
of a
certain sort of wisdo which I possess. If yo& as/ e what /ind of
wisdo,
I reply, wisdo s&ch as ay perhaps #e attained #y an, for to that
e,tent
I a inclined to #elie$e that I a wise( whereas the persons of who I
was
spea/ing ha$e a s&perh&an wisdo which I ay fail to descri#e, #eca&se
I
ha$e it not yself( and he who says that I ha$e, spea/s falsely, and is
ta/ing away y character. And here, O en of Athens, I &st #eg yo&
not to
interr&pt e, e$en if I see to say soething e,tra$agant. *or the word
which I will spea/ is not ine. I will refer yo& to a witness who is
worthy of credit( that witness shall #e the 6od of Delphi00he will tell
yo&
a#o&t y wisdo, if I ha$e any, and of what sort it is. 2o& &st ha$e
/nown Chaerephon( he was early a friend of ine, and also a friend of
yo&rs, for he shared in the recent e,ile of the people, and ret&rned
with
yo&. =ell, Chaerephon, as yo& /now, was $ery ipet&o&s in all his
doings,
and he went to Delphi and #oldly as/ed the oracle to tell hi whether00
as I
was saying, I &st #eg yo& not to interr&pt00he as/ed the oracle to tell
hi whether anyone was wiser than I was, and the Pythian prophetess
answered, that there was no an wiser. Chaerephon is dead hiself( #&t
his
#rother, who is in co&rt, will confir the tr&th of what I a saying.
=hy do I ention this3 1eca&se I a going to e,plain to yo& why I ha$e
s&ch an e$il nae. =hen I heard the answer, I said to yself, =hat can
the
god ean3 and what is the interpretation of his riddle3 for I /now that
I
ha$e no wisdo, sall or great. =hat then can he ean when he says
that I
a the wisest of en3 And yet he is a god, and cannot lie( that wo&ld
#e
against his nat&re. After long consideration, I tho&ght of a ethod of
trying the %&estion. I reflected that if I co&ld only find a an wiser
than yself, then I ight go to the god with a ref&tation in y hand. I
sho&ld say to hi, ')ere is a an who is wiser than I a( #&t yo& said
that
I was the wisest.' Accordingly I went to one who had the rep&tation of
wisdo, and o#ser$ed hi00his nae I need not ention( he was a
politician
who I selected for e,aination00and the res&lt was as follows7 =hen I
#egan to tal/ with hi, I co&ld not help thin/ing that he was not really
wise, altho&gh he was tho&ght wise #y any, and still wiser #y hiself(
and
there&pon I tried to e,plain to hi that he tho&ght hiself wise, #&t
was
not really wise( and the conse%&ence was that he hated e, and his
enity
was shared #y se$eral who were present and heard e. So I left hi,
saying
to yself, as I went away7 =ell, altho&gh I do not s&ppose that either
of
&s /nows anything really #ea&tif&l and good, I a #etter off than he
is,00
for he /nows nothing, and thin/s that he /nows( I neither /now nor thin/
that I /now. In this latter partic&lar, then, I see to ha$e slightly
the
ad$antage of hi. Then I went to another who had still higher
pretensions
to wisdo, and y concl&sion was e,actly the sae. =here&pon I ade
another eney of hi, and of any others #esides hi.
Then I went to one an after another, #eing not &nconscio&s of the
enity
which I pro$o/ed, and I laented and feared this7 #&t necessity was
laid
&pon e,00the word of 6od, I tho&ght, o&ght to #e considered first.
And I
said to yself, 6o I &st to all who appear to /now, and find o&t the
eaning of the oracle. And I swear to yo&, Athenians, #y the dog I
swear>
00for I &st tell yo& the tr&th00the res&lt of y ission was -&st
this7 I
fo&nd that the en ost in rep&te were all #&t the ost foolish( and
that
others less esteeed were really wiser and #etter. I will tell yo& the
tale of y wanderings and of the ')erc&lean' la#o&rs, as I ay call
the,
which I end&red only to find at last the oracle irref&ta#le. After the
politicians, I went to the poets( tragic, dithyra#ic, and all sorts.
And
there, I said to yself, yo& will #e instantly detected( now yo& will
find
o&t that yo& are ore ignorant than they are. Accordingly, I too/ the
soe of the ost ela#orate passages in their own writings, and as/ed
what
was the eaning of the00thin/ing that they wo&ld teach e soething.
=ill
yo& #elie$e e3 I a alost ashaed to confess the tr&th, #&t I &st
say
that there is hardly a person present who wo&ld not ha$e tal/ed #etter
a#o&t their poetry than they did thesel$es. Then I /new that not #y
wisdo do poets write poetry, #&t #y a sort of geni&s and inspiration(
they
are li/e di$iners or soothsayers who also say any fine things, #&t do
not
&nderstand the eaning of the. The poets appeared to e to #e &ch in
the
sae case( and I f&rther o#ser$ed that &pon the strength of their poetry
they #elie$ed thesel$es to #e the wisest of en in other things in
which
they were not wise. So I departed, concei$ing yself to #e s&perior to
the for the sae reason that I was s&perior to the politicians.
At last I went to the artisans. I was conscio&s that I /new nothing at
all, as I ay say, and I was s&re that they /new any fine things( and
here
I was not ista/en, for they did /now any things of which I was
ignorant,
and in this they certainly were wiser than I was. 1&t I o#ser$ed that
e$en
the good artisans fell into the sae error as the poets(00#eca&se they
were
good wor/en they tho&ght that they also /new all sorts of high atters,
and this defect in the o$ershadowed their wisdo( and therefore I as/ed
yself on #ehalf of the oracle, whether I wo&ld li/e to #e as I was,
neither ha$ing their /nowledge nor their ignorance, or li/e the in
#oth(
and I ade answer to yself and to the oracle that I was #etter off as I
was.
This in%&isition has led to y ha$ing any eneies of the worst and ost
dangero&s /ind, and has gi$en occasion also to any cal&nies. And I a
called wise, for y hearers always iagine that I yself possess the
wisdo
which I find wanting in others7 #&t the tr&th is, O en of Athens, that
6od only is wise( and #y his answer he intends to show that the wisdo
of
en is worth little or nothing( he is not spea/ing of Socrates, he is
only
&sing y nae #y way of ill&stration, as if he said, )e, O en, is the
wisest, who, li/e Socrates, /nows that his wisdo is in tr&th worth
nothing. And so I go a#o&t the world, o#edient to the god, and search
and
a/e en%&iry into the wisdo of any one, whether citi5en or stranger,
who
appears to #e wise( and if he is not wise, then in $indication of the
oracle I show hi that he is not wise( and y occ&pation %&ite a#sor#s
e,
and I ha$e no tie to gi$e either to any p&#lic atter of interest or to
any concern of y own, #&t I a in &tter po$erty #y reason of y
de$otion
to the god.
There is another thing700yo&ng en of the richer classes, who ha$e not
&ch
to do, coe a#o&t e of their own accord( they li/e to hear the
pretenders
e,ained, and they often iitate e, and proceed to e,aine others(
there
are plenty of persons, as they %&ic/ly disco$er, who thin/ that they
/now
soething, #&t really /now little or nothing( and then those who are
e,ained #y the instead of #eing angry with thesel$es are angry with
e7
This confo&nded Socrates, they say( this $illaino&s isleader of
yo&th>00
and then if soe#ody as/s the, =hy, what e$il does he practise or
teach3
they do not /now, and cannot tell( #&t in order that they ay not
appear to
#e at a loss, they repeat the ready0ade charges which are &sed against
all
philosophers a#o&t teaching things &p in the clo&ds and &nder the earth,
and ha$ing no gods, and a/ing the worse appear the #etter ca&se( for
they
do not li/e to confess that their pretence of /nowledge has #een
detected00
which is the tr&th( and as they are n&ero&s and a#itio&s and
energetic,
and are drawn &p in #attle array and ha$e pers&asi$e tong&es, they ha$e
filled yo&r ears with their lo&d and in$eterate cal&nies. And this is
the
reason why y three acc&sers, "elet&s and Anyt&s and ;ycon, ha$e set
&pon
e( "elet&s, who has a %&arrel with e on #ehalf of the poets( Anyt&s,
on
#ehalf of the craftsen and politicians( ;ycon, on #ehalf of the
rhetoricians7 and as I said at the #eginning, I cannot e,pect to get
rid
of s&ch a ass of cal&ny all in a oent. And this, O en of Athens,
is
the tr&th and the whole tr&th( I ha$e concealed nothing, I ha$e
disse#led
nothing. And yet, I /now that y plainness of speech a/es the hate
e,
and what is their hatred #&t a proof that I a spea/ing the tr&th300
)ence
has arisen the pre-&dice against e( and this is the reason of it, as
yo&
will find o&t either in this or in any f&t&re en%&iry.
I ha$e said eno&gh in y defence against the first class of y
acc&sers( I
t&rn to the second class. They are headed #y "elet&s, that good an and
tr&e lo$er of his co&ntry, as he calls hiself. Against these, too, I
&st
try to a/e a defence700;et their affida$it #e read7 it contains
soething
of this /ind7 It says that Socrates is a doer of e$il, who corr&pts the
yo&th( and who does not #elie$e in the gods of the state, #&t has other
new
di$inities of his own. S&ch is the charge( and now let &s e,aine the
partic&lar co&nts. )e says that I a a doer of e$il, and corr&pt the
yo&th( #&t I say, O en of Athens, that "elet&s is a doer of e$il, in
that
he pretends to #e in earnest when he is only in -est, and is so eager to
#ring en to trial fro a pretended 5eal and interest a#o&t atters in
which he really ne$er had the sallest interest. And the tr&th of this
I
will endea$o&r to pro$e to yo&.
Coe hither, "elet&s, and let e as/ a %&estion of yo&. 2o& thin/ a
great
deal a#o&t the ipro$eent of yo&th3
2es, I do.
Tell the -&dges, then, who is their ipro$er( for yo& &st /now, as yo&
ha$e ta/en the pains to disco$er their corr&pter, and are citing and
acc&sing e #efore the. Spea/, then, and tell the -&dges who their
ipro$er is.00O#ser$e, "elet&s, that yo& are silent, and ha$e nothing to
say. 1&t is not this rather disgracef&l, and a $ery considera#le proof
of
what I was saying, that yo& ha$e no interest in the atter3 Spea/ &p,
friend, and tell &s who their ipro$er is.
The laws.
1&t that, y good sir, is not y eaning. I want to /now who the person
is, who, in the first place, /nows the laws.
The -&dges, Socrates, who are present in co&rt.
=hat, do yo& ean to say, "elet&s, that they are a#le to instr&ct and
ipro$e yo&th3
Certainly they are.
=hat, all of the, or soe only and not others3
All of the.
1y the goddess )ere, that is good news> There are plenty of ipro$ers,
then. And what do yo& say of the a&dience,00do they ipro$e the3
2es, they do.
And the senators3
2es, the senators ipro$e the.
1&t perhaps the e#ers of the asse#ly corr&pt the300or do they too
ipro$e the3
They ipro$e the.
Then e$ery Athenian ipro$es and ele$ates the( all with the e,ception
of
yself( and I alone a their corr&pter3 Is that what yo& affir3
That is what I sto&tly affir.
I a $ery &nfort&nate if yo& are right. 1&t s&ppose I as/ yo& a
%&estion7
)ow a#o&t horses3 Does one an do the har and all the world good3 Is
not the e,act opposite the tr&th3 One an is a#le to do the good, or
at
least not any(00the trainer of horses, that is to say, does the good,
and
others who ha$e to do with the rather in-&re the3 Is not that tr&e,
"elet&s, of horses, or of any other anials3 "ost ass&redly it is(
whether
yo& and Anyt&s say yes or no. )appy indeed wo&ld #e the condition of
yo&th
if they had one corr&pter only, and all the rest of the world were their
ipro$ers. 1&t yo&, "elet&s, ha$e s&fficiently shown that yo& ne$er
had a
tho&ght a#o&t the yo&ng7 yo&r carelessness is seen in yo&r not caring
a#o&t the $ery things which yo& #ring against e.
And now, "elet&s, I will as/ yo& another %&estion00#y ?e&s I will7
=hich
is #etter, to li$e aong #ad citi5ens, or aong good ones3 Answer,
friend,
I say( the %&estion is one which ay #e easily answered. Do not the
good
do their neigh#o&rs good, and the #ad do the e$il3
Certainly.
And is there anyone who wo&ld rather #e in-&red than #enefited #y those
who
li$e with hi3 Answer, y good friend, the law re%&ires yo& to answer00
does any one li/e to #e in-&red3
Certainly not.
And when yo& acc&se e of corr&pting and deteriorating the yo&th, do yo&
allege that I corr&pt the intentionally or &nintentionally3
Intentionally, I say.
1&t yo& ha$e -&st aditted that the good do their neigh#o&rs good, and
the
e$il do the e$il. Now, is that a tr&th which yo&r s&perior wisdo has
recogni5ed th&s early in life, and a I, at y age, in s&ch dar/ness and
ignorance as not to /now that if a an with who I ha$e to li$e is
corr&pted #y e, I a $ery li/ely to #e hared #y hi( and yet I corr&pt
hi, and intentionally, too00so yo& say, altho&gh neither I nor any
other
h&an #eing is e$er li/ely to #e con$inced #y yo&. 1&t either I do not
corr&pt the, or I corr&pt the &nintentionally( and on either $iew of
the
case yo& lie. If y offence is &nintentional, the law has no
cogni5ance of
&nintentional offences7 yo& o&ght to ha$e ta/en e pri$ately, and warned
and adonished e( for if I had #een #etter ad$ised, I sho&ld ha$e left
off
doing what I only did &nintentionally00no do&#t I sho&ld( #&t yo& wo&ld
ha$e nothing to say to e and ref&sed to teach e. And now yo& #ring
e &p
in this co&rt, which is a place not of instr&ction, #&t of p&nishent.
It will #e $ery clear to yo&, Athenians, as I was saying, that "elet&s
has
no care at all, great or sall, a#o&t the atter. 1&t still I sho&ld
li/e
to /now, "elet&s, in what I a affired to corr&pt the yo&ng. I s&ppose
yo& ean, as I infer fro yo&r indictent, that I teach the not to
ac/nowledge the gods which the state ac/nowledges, #&t soe other new
di$inities or spirit&al agencies in their stead. These are the lessons
#y
which I corr&pt the yo&th, as yo& say.
2es, that I say ephatically.
Then, #y the gods, "elet&s, of who we are spea/ing, tell e and the
co&rt,
in soewhat plainer ters, what yo& ean> for I do not as yet &nderstand
whether yo& affir that I teach other en to ac/nowledge soe gods, and
therefore that I do #elie$e in gods, and a not an entire atheist00this
yo&
do not lay to y charge,00#&t only yo& say that they are not the sae
gods
which the city recogni5es00the charge is that they are different gods.
Or,
do yo& ean that I a an atheist siply, and a teacher of atheis3
I ean the latter00that yo& are a coplete atheist.
=hat an e,traordinary stateent> =hy do yo& thin/ so, "elet&s3 Do yo&
ean that I do not #elie$e in the godhead of the s&n or oon, li/e other
en3
I ass&re yo&, -&dges, that he does not7 for he says that the s&n is
stone,
and the oon earth.
*riend "elet&s, yo& thin/ that yo& are acc&sing Ana,agoras7 and yo&
ha$e
#&t a #ad opinion of the -&dges, if yo& fancy the illiterate to s&ch a
degree as not to /now that these doctrines are fo&nd in the #oo/s of
Ana,agoras the Cla5oenian, which are f&ll of the. And so, forsooth,
the
yo&th are said to #e ta&ght the #y Socrates, when there are not
&nfre%&ently e,hi#itions of the at the theatre +Pro#a#ly in all&sion to
Aristophanes who caricat&red, and to <&ripides who #orrowed the notions
of
Ana,agoras, as well as to other draatic poets.. +price of adission one
dracha at the ost.( and they ight pay their oney, and la&gh at
Socrates
if he pretends to father these e,traordinary $iews. And so, "elet&s,
yo&
really thin/ that I do not #elie$e in any god3
I swear #y ?e&s that yo& #elie$e a#sol&tely in none at all.
No#ody will #elie$e yo&, "elet&s, and I a pretty s&re that yo& do not
#elie$e yo&rself. I cannot help thin/ing, en of Athens, that "elet&s
is
rec/less and ip&dent, and that he has written this indictent in a
spirit
of ere wantonness and yo&thf&l #ra$ado. )as he not copo&nded a
riddle,
thin/ing to try e3 )e said to hiself700I shall see whether the wise
Socrates will disco$er y facetio&s contradiction, or whether I shall #e
a#le to decei$e hi and the rest of the. *or he certainly does appear
to
e to contradict hiself in the indictent as &ch as if he said that
Socrates is g&ilty of not #elie$ing in the gods, and yet of #elie$ing in
the00#&t this is not li/e a person who is in earnest.
I sho&ld li/e yo&, O en of Athens, to -oin e in e,aining what I
concei$e
to #e his inconsistency( and do yo&, "elet&s, answer. And I &st reind
the a&dience of y re%&est that they wo&ld not a/e a dist&r#ance if I
spea/ in y acc&stoed anner7
Did e$er an, "elet&s, #elie$e in the e,istence of h&an things, and
not of
h&an #eings3...I wish, en of Athens, that he wo&ld answer, and not #e
always trying to get &p an interr&ption. Did e$er any an #elie$e in
horseanship, and not in horses3 or in fl&te0playing, and not in fl&te0
players3 No, y friend( I will answer to yo& and to the co&rt, as yo&
ref&se to answer for yo&rself. There is no an who e$er did. 1&t now
please to answer the ne,t %&estion7 Can a an #elie$e in spirit&al and
di$ine agencies, and not in spirits or deigods3
)e cannot.
)ow l&c/y I a to ha$e e,tracted that answer, #y the assistance of the
co&rt> 1&t then yo& swear in the indictent that I teach and #elie$e in
di$ine or spirit&al agencies +new or old, no atter for that.( at any
rate,
I #elie$e in spirit&al agencies,00so yo& say and swear in the affida$it(
and yet if I #elie$e in di$ine #eings, how can I help #elie$ing in
spirits
or deigods(00&st I not3 To #e s&re I &st( and therefore I ay ass&e
that yo&r silence gi$es consent. Now what are spirits or deigods3 Are
they not either gods or the sons of gods3
Certainly they are.
1&t this is what I call the facetio&s riddle in$ented #y yo&7 the
deigods
or spirits are gods, and yo& say first that I do not #elie$e in gods,
and
then again that I do #elie$e in gods( that is, if I #elie$e in
deigods.
*or if the deigods are the illegitiate sons of gods, whether #y the
nyphs or #y any other others, of who they are said to #e the sons00
what
h&an #eing will e$er #elie$e that there are no gods if they are the
sons
of gods3 2o& ight as well affir the e,istence of &les, and deny
that of
horses and asses. S&ch nonsense, "elet&s, co&ld only ha$e #een
intended #y
yo& to a/e trial of e. 2o& ha$e p&t this into the indictent #eca&se
yo&
had nothing real of which to acc&se e. 1&t no one who has a particle
of
&nderstanding will e$er #e con$inced #y yo& that the sae en can
#elie$e
in di$ine and s&perh&an things, and yet not #elie$e that there are gods
and deigods and heroes.
I ha$e said eno&gh in answer to the charge of "elet&s7 any ela#orate
defence is &nnecessary, #&t I /now only too well how any are the
enities
which I ha$e inc&rred, and this is what will #e y destr&ction if I a
destroyed(00not "elet&s, nor yet Anyt&s, #&t the en$y and detraction of
the
world, which has #een the death of any good en, and will pro#a#ly #e
the
death of any ore( there is no danger of y #eing the last of the.
Soe one will say7 And are yo& not ashaed, Socrates, of a co&rse of
life
which is li/ely to #ring yo& to an &ntiely end3 To hi I ay fairly
answer7 There yo& are ista/en7 a an who is good for anything o&ght
not
to calc&late the chance of li$ing or dying( he o&ght only to consider
whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong00acting the part
of a
good an or of a #ad. =hereas, &pon yo&r $iew, the heroes who fell at
Troy
were not good for &ch, and the son of Thetis a#o$e all, who altogether
despised danger in coparison with disgrace( and when he was so eager to
slay )ector, his goddess other said to hi, that if he a$enged his
copanion Patrocl&s, and slew )ector, he wo&ld die hiself00'*ate,' she
said, in these or the li/e words, 'waits for yo& ne,t after )ector(' he,
recei$ing this warning, &tterly despised danger and death, and instead
of
fearing the, feared rather to li$e in dishono&r, and not to a$enge his
friend. ';et e die forthwith,' he replies, 'and #e a$enged of y
eney,
rather than a#ide here #y the #ea/ed ships, a la&ghing0stoc/ and a
#&rden
of the earth.' )ad Achilles any tho&ght of death and danger3 *or
where$er
a an's place is, whether the place which he has chosen or that in
which he
has #een placed #y a coander, there he o&ght to reain in the ho&r of
danger( he sho&ld not thin/ of death or of anything #&t of disgrace.
And
this, O en of Athens, is a tr&e saying.
Strange, indeed, wo&ld #e y cond&ct, O en of Athens, if I who, when I
was
ordered #y the generals who yo& chose to coand e at Potidaea and
Aphipolis and Deli&, reained where they placed e, li/e any other
an,
facing death00if now, when, as I concei$e and iagine, 6od orders e to
f&lfil the philosopher's ission of searching into yself and other
en, I
were to desert y post thro&gh fear of death, or any other fear( that
wo&ld
indeed #e strange, and I ight -&stly #e arraigned in co&rt for denying
the
e,istence of the gods, if I diso#eyed the oracle #eca&se I was afraid of
death, fancying that I was wise when I was not wise. *or the fear of
death
is indeed the pretence of wisdo, and not real wisdo, #eing a pretence
of
/nowing the &n/nown( and no one /nows whether death, which en in their
fear apprehend to #e the greatest e$il, ay not #e the greatest good.
Is
not this ignorance of a disgracef&l sort, the ignorance which is the
conceit that a an /nows what he does not /now3 And in this respect
only I
#elie$e yself to differ fro en in general, and ay perhaps clai to
#e
wiser than they are700that whereas I /now #&t little of the world
#elow, I
do not s&ppose that I /now7 #&t I do /now that in-&stice and
diso#edience
to a #etter, whether 6od or an, is e$il and dishono&ra#le, and I will
ne$er fear or a$oid a possi#le good rather than a certain e$il. And
therefore if yo& let e go now, and are not con$inced #y Anyt&s, who
said
that since I had #een prosec&ted I &st #e p&t to death( +or if not
that I
o&ght ne$er to ha$e #een prosec&ted at all.( and that if I escape now,
yo&r
sons will all #e &tterly r&ined #y listening to y words00if yo& say to
e,
Socrates, this tie we will not ind Anyt&s, and yo& shall #e let off,
#&t
&pon one condition, that yo& are not to en%&ire and spec&late in this
way
any ore, and that if yo& are ca&ght doing so again yo& shall die(00if
this
was the condition on which yo& let e go, I sho&ld reply7 "en of
Athens, I
hono&r and lo$e yo&( #&t I shall o#ey 6od rather than yo&, and while I
ha$e
life and strength I shall ne$er cease fro the practice and teaching of
philosophy, e,horting any one who I eet and saying to hi after y
anner7 2o&, y friend,00a citi5en of the great and ighty and wise
city
of Athens,00are yo& not ashaed of heaping &p the greatest ao&nt of
oney
and hono&r and rep&tation, and caring so little a#o&t wisdo and tr&th
and
the greatest ipro$eent of the so&l, which yo& ne$er regard or heed at
all3 And if the person with who I a arg&ing, says7 2es, #&t I do
care(
then I do not lea$e hi or let hi go at once( #&t I proceed to
interrogate
and e,aine and cross0e,aine hi, and if I thin/ that he has no $irt&e
in
hi, #&t only says that he has, I reproach hi with &nder$al&ing the
greater, and o$er$al&ing the less. And I shall repeat the sae words to
e$ery one who I eet, yo&ng and old, citi5en and alien, #&t especially
to
the citi5ens, inas&ch as they are y #rethren. *or /now that this is
the
coand of 6od( and I #elie$e that no greater good has e$er happened in
the
state than y ser$ice to the 6od. *or I do nothing #&t go a#o&t
pers&ading
yo& all, old and yo&ng ali/e, not to ta/e tho&ght for yo&r persons or
yo&r
properties, #&t first and chiefly to care a#o&t the greatest
ipro$eent of
the so&l. I tell yo& that $irt&e is not gi$en #y oney, #&t that fro
$irt&e coes oney and e$ery other good of an, p&#lic as well as
pri$ate.
This is y teaching, and if this is the doctrine which corr&pts the
yo&th,
I a a ischie$o&s person. 1&t if any one says that this is not y
teaching, he is spea/ing an &ntr&th. =herefore, O en of Athens, I say
to
yo&, do as Anyt&s #ids or not as Anyt&s #ids, and either ac%&it e or
not(
#&t whiche$er yo& do, &nderstand that I shall ne$er alter y ways, not
e$en
if I ha$e to die any ties.
"en of Athens, do not interr&pt, #&t hear e( there was an &nderstanding
#etween &s that yo& sho&ld hear e to the end7 I ha$e soething ore to
say, at which yo& ay #e inclined to cry o&t( #&t I #elie$e that to
hear e
will #e good for yo&, and therefore I #eg that yo& will not cry o&t. I
wo&ld ha$e yo& /now, that if yo& /ill s&ch an one as I a, yo& will
in-&re
yo&rsel$es ore than yo& will in-&re e. Nothing will in-&re e, not
"elet&s nor yet Anyt&s00they cannot, for a #ad an is not peritted to
in-&re a #etter than hiself. I do not deny that Anyt&s ay, perhaps,
/ill
hi, or dri$e hi into e,ile, or depri$e hi of ci$il rights( and he ay
iagine, and others ay iagine, that he is inflicting a great in-&ry
&pon
hi7 #&t there I do not agree. *or the e$il of doing as he is doing00
the
e$il of &n-&stly ta/ing away the life of another00is greater far.
And now, Athenians, I a not going to arg&e for y own sa/e, as yo& ay
thin/, #&t for yo&rs, that yo& ay not sin against the 6od #y condening
e, who a his gift to yo&. *or if yo& /ill e yo& will not easily
find a
s&ccessor to e, who, if I ay &se s&ch a l&dicro&s fig&re of speech,
a a
sort of gadfly, gi$en to the state #y 6od( and the state is a great and
no#le steed who is tardy in his otions owing to his $ery si5e, and
re%&ires to #e stirred into life. I a that gadfly which 6od has
attached
to the state, and all day long and in all places a always fastening
&pon
yo&, aro&sing and pers&ading and reproaching yo&. 2o& will not easily
find
another li/e e, and therefore I wo&ld ad$ise yo& to spare e. I dare
say
that yo& ay feel o&t of teper +li/e a person who is s&ddenly awa/ened
fro sleep., and yo& thin/ that yo& ight easily stri/e e dead as
Anyt&s
ad$ises, and then yo& wo&ld sleep on for the reainder of yo&r li$es,
&nless 6od in his care of yo& sent yo& another gadfly. =hen I say that
I
a gi$en to yo& #y 6od, the proof of y ission is this700if I had #een
li/e other en, I sho&ld not ha$e neglected all y own concerns or
patiently seen the neglect of the d&ring all these years, and ha$e #een
doing yo&rs, coing to yo& indi$id&ally li/e a father or elder #rother,
e,horting yo& to regard $irt&e( s&ch cond&ct, I say, wo&ld #e &nli/e
h&an
nat&re. If I had gained anything, or if y e,hortations had #een paid,
there wo&ld ha$e #een soe sense in y doing so( #&t now, as yo& will
percei$e, not e$en the ip&dence of y acc&sers dares to say that I ha$e
e$er e,acted or so&ght pay of any one( of that they ha$e no witness.
And I
ha$e a s&fficient witness to the tr&th of what I say00y po$erty.
Soe one ay wonder why I go a#o&t in pri$ate gi$ing ad$ice and #&sying
yself with the concerns of others, #&t do not $ent&re to coe forward
in
p&#lic and ad$ise the state. I will tell yo& why. 2o& ha$e heard e
spea/
at s&ndry ties and in di$ers places of an oracle or sign which coes to
e, and is the di$inity which "elet&s ridic&les in the indictent. This
sign, which is a /ind of $oice, first #egan to coe to e when I was a
child( it always for#ids #&t ne$er coands e to do anything which I a
going to do. This is what deters e fro #eing a politician. And
rightly,
as I thin/. *or I a certain, O en of Athens, that if I had engaged in
politics, I sho&ld ha$e perished long ago, and done no good either to
yo&
or to yself. And do not #e offended at y telling yo& the tr&th7 for
the
tr&th is, that no an who goes to war with yo& or any other &ltit&de,
honestly stri$ing against the any lawless and &nrighteo&s deeds which
are
done in a state, will sa$e his life( he who will fight for the right,
if he
wo&ld li$e e$en for a #rief space, &st ha$e a pri$ate station and not a
p&#lic one.
I can gi$e yo& con$incing e$idence of what I say, not words only, #&t
what
yo& $al&e far ore00actions. ;et e relate to yo& a passage of y own
life
which will pro$e to yo& that I sho&ld ne$er ha$e yielded to in-&stice
fro
any fear of death, and that 'as I sho&ld ha$e ref&sed to yield' I &st
ha$e
died at once. I will tell yo& a tale of the co&rts, not $ery
interesting
perhaps, #&t ne$ertheless tr&e. The only office of state which I e$er
held, O en of Athens, was that of senator7 the tri#e Antiochis, which
is
y tri#e, had the presidency at the trial of the generals who had not
ta/en
&p the #odies of the slain after the #attle of Argin&sae( and yo&
proposed
to try the in a #ody, contrary to law, as yo& all tho&ght afterwards(
#&t
at the tie I was the only one of the Prytanes who was opposed to the
illegality, and I ga$e y $ote against yo&( and when the orators
threatened
to ipeach and arrest e, and yo& called and sho&ted, I ade &p y ind
that I wo&ld r&n the ris/, ha$ing law and -&stice with e, rather than
ta/e
part in yo&r in-&stice #eca&se I feared iprisonent and death. This
happened in the days of the deocracy. 1&t when the oligarchy of the
Thirty was in power, they sent for e and fo&r others into the rot&nda,
and
#ade &s #ring ;eon the Salainian fro Salais, as they wanted to p&t
hi
to death. This was a specien of the sort of coands which they were
always gi$ing with the $iew of iplicating as any as possi#le in their
cries( and then I showed, not in word only #&t in deed, that, if I ay
#e
allowed to &se s&ch an e,pression, I cared not a straw for death, and
that
y great and only care was lest I sho&ld do an &nrighteo&s or &nholy
thing.
*or the strong ar of that oppressi$e power did not frighten e into
doing
wrong( and when we cae o&t of the rot&nda the other fo&r went to
Salais
and fetched ;eon, #&t I went %&ietly hoe. *or which I ight ha$e lost
y
life, had not the power of the Thirty shortly afterwards coe to an
end.
And any will witness to y words.
Now do yo& really iagine that I co&ld ha$e s&r$i$ed all these years,
if I
had led a p&#lic life, s&pposing that li/e a good an I had always
aintained the right and had ade -&stice, as I o&ght, the first thing3
No
indeed, en of Athens, neither I nor any other an. 1&t I ha$e #een
always
the sae in all y actions, p&#lic as well as pri$ate, and ne$er ha$e I
yielded any #ase copliance to those who are slandero&sly tered y
disciples, or to any other. Not that I ha$e any reg&lar disciples.
1&t if
any one li/es to coe and hear e while I a p&rs&ing y ission,
whether
he #e yo&ng or old, he is not e,cl&ded. Nor do I con$erse only with
those
who pay( #&t any one, whether he #e rich or poor, ay as/ and answer e
and
listen to y words( and whether he t&rns o&t to #e a #ad an or a good
one,
neither res&lt can #e -&stly ip&ted to e( for I ne$er ta&ght or
professed
to teach hi anything. And if any one says that he has e$er learned or
heard anything fro e in pri$ate which all the world has not heard,
let e
tell yo& that he is lying.
1&t I shall #e as/ed, =hy do people delight in contin&ally con$ersing
with
yo&3 I ha$e told yo& already, Athenians, the whole tr&th a#o&t this
atter7 they li/e to hear the cross0e,aination of the pretenders to
wisdo( there is a&seent in it. Now this d&ty of cross0e,aining
other
en has #een iposed &pon e #y 6od( and has #een signified to e #y
oracles, $isions, and in e$ery way in which the will of di$ine power was
e$er intiated to any one. This is tr&e, O Athenians, or, if not tr&e,
wo&ld #e soon ref&ted. If I a or ha$e #een corr&pting the yo&th,
those of
the who are now grown &p and ha$e #ecoe sensi#le that I ga$e the #ad
ad$ice in the days of their yo&th sho&ld coe forward as acc&sers, and
ta/e
their re$enge( or if they do not li/e to coe thesel$es, soe of their
relati$es, fathers, #rothers, or other /insen, sho&ld say what e$il
their
failies ha$e s&ffered at y hands. Now is their tie. "any of the I
see
in the co&rt. There is Crito, who is of the sae age and of the sae
dee
with yself, and there is Crito#&l&s his son, who I also see. Then
again
there is ;ysanias of Sphett&s, who is the father of Aeschines00he is
present( and also there is Antiphon of Cephis&s, who is the father of
<pigenes( and there are the #rothers of se$eral who ha$e associated with
e. There is Nicostrat&s the son of Theosdotides, and the #rother of
Theodot&s +now Theodot&s hiself is dead, and therefore he, at any rate,
will not see/ to stop hi.( and there is Paral&s the son of Deodoc&s,
who
had a #rother Theages( and Adeiant&s the son of Ariston, whose #rother
Plato is present( and Aeantodor&s, who is the #rother of Apollodor&s,
who
I also see. I ight ention a great any others, soe of who "elet&s
sho&ld ha$e prod&ced as witnesses in the co&rse of his speech( and let
hi
still prod&ce the, if he has forgotten00I will a/e way for hi. And
let
hi say, if he has any testiony of the sort which he can prod&ce. Nay,
Athenians, the $ery opposite is the tr&th. *or all these are ready to
witness on #ehalf of the corr&pter, of the in-&rer of their /indred, as
"elet&s and Anyt&s call e( not the corr&pted yo&th only00there ight
ha$e
#een a oti$e for that00#&t their &ncorr&pted elder relati$es. =hy
sho&ld
they too s&pport e with their testiony3 =hy, indeed, e,cept for the
sa/e
of tr&th and -&stice, and #eca&se they /now that I a spea/ing the
tr&th,
and that "elet&s is a liar.
=ell, Athenians, this and the li/e of this is all the defence which I
ha$e
to offer. 2et a word ore. Perhaps there ay #e soe one who is
offended
at e, when he calls to ind how he hiself on a siilar, or e$en a less
serio&s occasion, prayed and entreated the -&dges with any tears, and
how
he prod&ced his children in co&rt, which was a o$ing spectacle,
together
with a host of relations and friends( whereas I, who a pro#a#ly in
danger
of y life, will do none of these things. The contrast ay occ&r to his
ind, and he ay #e set against e, and $ote in anger #eca&se he is
displeased at e on this acco&nt. Now if there #e s&ch a person aong
yo&,00ind, I do not say that there is,00to hi I ay fairly reply7 "y
friend, I a a an, and li/e other en, a creat&re of flesh and #lood,
and
not 'of wood or stone,' as )oer says( and I ha$e a faily, yes, and
sons,
O Athenians, three in n&#er, one alost a an, and two others who are
still yo&ng( and yet I will not #ring any of the hither in order to
petition yo& for an ac%&ittal. And why not3 Not fro any self0
assertion
or want of respect for yo&. =hether I a or a not afraid of death is
another %&estion, of which I will not now spea/. 1&t, ha$ing regard to
p&#lic opinion, I feel that s&ch cond&ct wo&ld #e discredita#le to
yself,
and to yo&, and to the whole state. One who has reached y years, and
who
has a nae for wisdo, o&ght not to deean hiself. =hether this
opinion
of e #e deser$ed or not, at any rate the world has decided that
Socrates
is in soe way s&perior to other en. And if those aong yo& who are
said
to #e s&perior in wisdo and co&rage, and any other $irt&e, deean
thesel$es in this way, how shaef&l is their cond&ct> I ha$e seen en
of
rep&tation, when they ha$e #een condened, #eha$ing in the strangest
anner7 they seeed to fancy that they were going to s&ffer soething
dreadf&l if they died, and that they co&ld #e iortal if yo& only
allowed
the to li$e( and I thin/ that s&ch are a dishono&r to the state, and
that
any stranger coing in wo&ld ha$e said of the that the ost einent
en of
Athens, to who the Athenians thesel$es gi$e hono&r and coand, are no
#etter than woen. And I say that these things o&ght not to #e done #y
those of &s who ha$e a rep&tation( and if they are done, yo& o&ght not
to
perit the( yo& o&ght rather to show that yo& are far ore disposed to
conden the an who gets &p a dolef&l scene and a/es the city
ridic&lo&s,
than hi who holds his peace.
1&t, setting aside the %&estion of p&#lic opinion, there sees to #e
soething wrong in as/ing a fa$o&r of a -&dge, and th&s proc&ring an
ac%&ittal, instead of inforing and con$incing hi. *or his d&ty is,
not
to a/e a present of -&stice, #&t to gi$e -&dgent( and he has sworn
that
he will -&dge according to the laws, and not according to his own good
pleas&re( and we o&ght not to enco&rage yo&, nor sho&ld yo& allow
yo&rsel$es to #e enco&raged, in this ha#it of per-&ry00there can #e no
piety in that. Do not then re%&ire e to do what I consider
dishono&ra#le
and ipio&s and wrong, especially now, when I a #eing tried for
ipiety on
the indictent of "elet&s. *or if, O en of Athens, #y force of
pers&asion
and entreaty I co&ld o$erpower yo&r oaths, then I sho&ld #e teaching
yo& to
#elie$e that there are no gods, and in defending sho&ld siply con$ict
yself of the charge of not #elie$ing in the. 1&t that is not so00far
otherwise. *or I do #elie$e that there are gods, and in a sense higher
than that in which any of y acc&sers #elie$e in the. And to yo& and
to
6od I coit y ca&se, to #e deterined #y yo& as is #est for yo& and
e.
...
There are any reasons why I a not grie$ed, O en of Athens, at the
$ote
of condenation. I e,pected it, and a only s&rprised that the $otes
are
so nearly e%&al( for I had tho&ght that the a-ority against e wo&ld
ha$e
#een far larger( #&t now, had thirty $otes gone o$er to the other side,
I
sho&ld ha$e #een ac%&itted. And I ay say, I thin/, that I ha$e escaped
"elet&s. I ay say ore( for witho&t the assistance of Anyt&s and
;ycon,
any one ay see that he wo&ld not ha$e had a fifth part of the $otes, as
the law re%&ires, in which case he wo&ld ha$e inc&rred a fine of a
tho&sand
drachae.
And so he proposes death as the penalty. And what shall I propose on y
part, O en of Athens3 Clearly that which is y d&e. And what is y
d&e3
=hat ret&rn shall #e ade to the an who has ne$er had the wit to #e
idle
d&ring his whole life( #&t has #een careless of what the any care for00
wealth, and faily interests, and ilitary offices, and spea/ing in the
asse#ly, and agistracies, and plots, and parties. Reflecting that I
was
really too honest a an to #e a politician and li$e, I did not go where
I
co&ld do no good to yo& or to yself( #&t where I co&ld do the greatest
good pri$ately to e$ery one of yo&, thither I went, and so&ght to
pers&ade
e$ery an aong yo& that he &st loo/ to hiself, and see/ $irt&e and
wisdo #efore he loo/s to his pri$ate interests, and loo/ to the state
#efore he loo/s to the interests of the state( and that this sho&ld #e
the
order which he o#ser$es in all his actions. =hat shall #e done to s&ch
an
one3 Do&#tless soe good thing, O en of Athens, if he has his reward(
and
the good sho&ld #e of a /ind s&ita#le to hi. =hat wo&ld #e a reward
s&ita#le to a poor an who is yo&r #enefactor, and who desires leis&re
that
he ay instr&ct yo&3 There can #e no reward so fitting as aintenance
in
the Prytane&, O en of Athens, a reward which he deser$es far ore than
the citi5en who has won the pri5e at Olypia in the horse or chariot
race,
whether the chariots were drawn #y two horses or #y any. *or I a in
want, and he has eno&gh( and he only gi$es yo& the appearance of
happiness,
and I gi$e yo& the reality. And if I a to estiate the penalty
fairly, I
sho&ld say that aintenance in the Prytane& is the -&st ret&rn.
Perhaps yo& thin/ that I a #ra$ing yo& in what I a saying now, as in
what
I said #efore a#o&t the tears and prayers. 1&t this is not so. I spea/
rather #eca&se I a con$inced that I ne$er intentionally wronged any
one,
altho&gh I cannot con$ince yo&00the tie has #een too short( if there
were
a law at Athens, as there is in other cities, that a capital ca&se
sho&ld
not #e decided in one day, then I #elie$e that I sho&ld ha$e con$inced
yo&.
1&t I cannot in a oent ref&te great slanders( and, as I a con$inced
that
I ne$er wronged another, I will ass&redly not wrong yself. I will not
say
of yself that I deser$e any e$il, or propose any penalty. =hy sho&ld
I3
#eca&se I a afraid of the penalty of death which "elet&s proposes3
=hen I
do not /now whether death is a good or an e$il, why sho&ld I propose a
penalty which wo&ld certainly #e an e$il3 Shall I say iprisonent3
And
why sho&ld I li$e in prison, and #e the sla$e of the agistrates of the
year00of the <le$en3 Or shall the penalty #e a fine, and iprisonent
&ntil the fine is paid3 There is the sae o#-ection. I sho&ld ha$e to
lie
in prison, for oney I ha$e none, and cannot pay. And if I say e,ile
+and
this ay possi#ly #e the penalty which yo& will affi,., I &st indeed #e
#linded #y the lo$e of life, if I a so irrational as to e,pect that
when
yo&, who are y own citi5ens, cannot end&re y disco&rses and words, and
ha$e fo&nd the so grie$o&s and odio&s that yo& will ha$e no ore of
the,
others are li/ely to end&re e. No indeed, en of Athens, that is not
$ery
li/ely. And what a life sho&ld I lead, at y age, wandering fro city
to
city, e$er changing y place of e,ile, and always #eing dri$en o&t>
*or I
a %&ite s&re that where$er I go, there, as here, the yo&ng en will
floc/
to e( and if I dri$e the away, their elders will dri$e e o&t at their
re%&est( and if I let the coe, their fathers and friends will dri$e e
o&t for their sa/es.
Soe one will say7 2es, Socrates, #&t cannot yo& hold yo&r tong&e, and
then yo& ay go into a foreign city, and no one will interfere with
yo&3
Now I ha$e great diffic&lty in a/ing yo& &nderstand y answer to this.
*or if I tell yo& that to do as yo& say wo&ld #e a diso#edience to the
6od,
and therefore that I cannot hold y tong&e, yo& will not #elie$e that I
a
serio&s( and if I say again that daily to disco&rse a#o&t $irt&e, and of
those other things a#o&t which yo& hear e e,aining yself and others,
is
the greatest good of an, and that the &ne,ained life is not worth
li$ing,
yo& are still less li/ely to #elie$e e. 2et I say what is tr&e,
altho&gh
a thing of which it is hard for e to pers&ade yo&. Also, I ha$e ne$er
#een acc&stoed to thin/ that I deser$e to s&ffer any har. )ad I
oney I
ight ha$e estiated the offence at what I was a#le to pay, and not ha$e
#een &ch the worse. 1&t I ha$e none, and therefore I &st as/ yo& to
proportion the fine to y eans. =ell, perhaps I co&ld afford a ina,
and
therefore I propose that penalty7 Plato, Crito, Crito#&l&s, and
Apollodor&s, y friends here, #id e say thirty inae, and they will #e
the
s&reties. ;et thirty inae #e the penalty( for which s& they will #e
aple sec&rity to yo&.
...
Not &ch tie will #e gained, O Athenians, in ret&rn for the e$il nae
which yo& will get fro the detractors of the city, who will say that
yo&
/illed Socrates, a wise an( for they will call e wise, e$en altho&gh
I a
not wise, when they want to reproach yo&. If yo& had waited a little
while, yo&r desire wo&ld ha$e #een f&lfilled in the co&rse of nat&re.
*or
I a far ad$anced in years, as yo& ay percei$e, and not far fro
death. I
a spea/ing now not to all of yo&, #&t only to those who ha$e condened
e
to death. And I ha$e another thing to say to the7 yo& thin/ that I
was
con$icted #eca&se I had no words of the sort which wo&ld ha$e proc&red
y
ac%&ittal00I ean, if I had tho&ght fit to lea$e nothing &ndone or
&nsaid.
Not so( the deficiency which led to y con$iction was not of words00
certainly not. 1&t I had not the #oldness or ip&dence or inclination
to
address yo& as yo& wo&ld ha$e li/ed e to do, weeping and wailing and
laenting, and saying and doing any things which yo& ha$e #een
acc&stoed
to hear fro others, and which, as I aintain, are &nworthy of e. I
tho&ght at the tie that I o&ght not to do anything coon or ean when
in
danger7 nor do I now repent of the style of y defence( I wo&ld rather
die
ha$ing spo/en after y anner, than spea/ in yo&r anner and li$e. *or
neither in war nor yet at law o&ght I or any an to &se e$ery way of
escaping death. Often in #attle there can #e no do&#t that if a an
will
throw away his ars, and fall on his /nees #efore his p&rs&ers, he ay
escape death( and in other dangers there are other ways of escaping
death,
if a an is willing to say and do anything. The diffic&lty, y
friends, is
not to a$oid death, #&t to a$oid &nrighteo&sness( for that r&ns faster
than
death. I a old and o$e slowly, and the slower r&nner has o$erta/en
e,
and y acc&sers are /een and %&ic/, and the faster r&nner, who is
&nrighteo&sness, has o$erta/en the. And now I depart hence condened
#y
yo& to s&ffer the penalty of death,00they too go their ways condened #y
the tr&th to s&ffer the penalty of $illainy and wrong( and I &st a#ide
#y
y award00let the a#ide #y theirs. I s&ppose that these things ay #e
regarded as fated,00and I thin/ that they are well.
And now, O en who ha$e condened e, I wo&ld fain prophesy to yo&( for
I
a a#o&t to die, and in the ho&r of death en are gifted with prophetic
power. And I prophesy to yo& who are y &rderers, that iediately
after
y depart&re p&nishent far hea$ier than yo& ha$e inflicted on e will
s&rely await yo&. "e yo& ha$e /illed #eca&se yo& wanted to escape the
acc&ser, and not to gi$e an acco&nt of yo&r li$es. 1&t that will not
#e as
yo& s&ppose7 far otherwise. *or I say that there will #e ore
acc&sers of
yo& than there are now( acc&sers who hitherto I ha$e restrained7 and
as
they are yo&nger they will #e ore inconsiderate with yo&, and yo& will
#e
ore offended at the. If yo& thin/ that #y /illing en yo& can pre$ent
soe one fro cens&ring yo&r e$il li$es, yo& are ista/en( that is not a
way of escape which is either possi#le or hono&ra#le( the easiest and
the
no#lest way is not to #e disa#ling others, #&t to #e ipro$ing
yo&rsel$es.
This is the prophecy which I &tter #efore y depart&re to the -&dges who
ha$e condened e.
*riends, who wo&ld ha$e ac%&itted e, I wo&ld li/e also to tal/ with yo&
a#o&t the thing which has coe to pass, while the agistrates are #&sy,
and
#efore I go to the place at which I &st die. Stay then a little, for
we
ay as well tal/ with one another while there is tie. 2o& are y
friends,
and I sho&ld li/e to show yo& the eaning of this e$ent which has
happened
to e. O y -&dges00for yo& I ay tr&ly call -&dges00I sho&ld li/e to
tell
yo& of a wonderf&l circ&stance. )itherto the di$ine fac&lty of which
the
internal oracle is the so&rce has constantly #een in the ha#it of
opposing
e e$en a#o&t trifles, if I was going to a/e a slip or error in any
atter( and now as yo& see there has coe &pon e that which ay #e
tho&ght, and is generally #elie$ed to #e, the last and worst e$il. 1&t
the
oracle ade no sign of opposition, either when I was lea$ing y ho&se in
the orning, or when I was on y way to the co&rt, or while I was
spea/ing,
at anything which I was going to say( and yet I ha$e often #een stopped
in
the iddle of a speech, #&t now in nothing I either said or did to&ching
the atter in hand has the oracle opposed e. =hat do I ta/e to #e the
e,planation of this silence3 I will tell yo&. It is an intiation that
what has happened to e is a good, and that those of &s who thin/ that
death is an e$il are in error. *or the c&stoary sign wo&ld s&rely ha$e
opposed e had I #een going to e$il and not to good.
;et &s reflect in another way, and we shall see that there is great
reason
to hope that death is a good( for one of two things00either death is a
state of nothingness and &tter &nconscio&sness, or, as en say, there
is a
change and igration of the so&l fro this world to another. Now if yo&
s&ppose that there is no conscio&sness, #&t a sleep li/e the sleep of
hi
who is &ndist&r#ed e$en #y dreas, death will #e an &nspea/a#le gain.
*or
if a person were to select the night in which his sleep was &ndist&r#ed
e$en #y dreas, and were to copare with this the other days and nights
of
his life, and then were to tell &s how any days and nights he had
passed
in the co&rse of his life #etter and ore pleasantly than this one, I
thin/
that any an, I will not say a pri$ate an, #&t e$en the great /ing will
not find any s&ch days or nights, when copared with the others. Now
if
death #e of s&ch a nat&re, I say that to die is gain( for eternity is
then
only a single night. 1&t if death is the -o&rney to another place, and
there, as en say, all the dead a#ide, what good, O y friends and
-&dges,
can #e greater than this3 If indeed when the pilgri arri$es in the
world
#elow, he is deli$ered fro the professors of -&stice in this world, and
finds the tr&e -&dges who are said to gi$e -&dgent there, "inos and
Rhadaanth&s and Aeac&s and Triptole&s, and other sons of 6od who were
righteo&s in their own life, that pilgriage will #e worth a/ing. =hat
wo&ld not a an gi$e if he ight con$erse with Orphe&s and "&sae&s and
)esiod and )oer3 Nay, if this #e tr&e, let e die again and again. I
yself, too, shall ha$e a wonderf&l interest in there eeting and
con$ersing with Palaedes, and A-a, the son of Telaon, and any other
ancient hero who has s&ffered death thro&gh an &n-&st -&dgent( and
there
will #e no sall pleas&re, as I thin/, in coparing y own s&fferings
with
theirs. A#o$e all, I shall then #e a#le to contin&e y search into tr&e
and false /nowledge( as in this world, so also in the ne,t( and I shall
find o&t who is wise, and who pretends to #e wise, and is not. =hat
wo&ld
not a an gi$e, O -&dges, to #e a#le to e,aine the leader of the great
Tro-an e,pedition( or Odysse&s or Sisyph&s, or n&#erless others, en
and
woen too> =hat infinite delight wo&ld there #e in con$ersing with the
and as/ing the %&estions> In another world they do not p&t a an to
death
for as/ing %&estions7 ass&redly not. *or #esides #eing happier than we
are, they will #e iortal, if what is said is tr&e.
=herefore, O -&dges, #e of good cheer a#o&t death, and /now of a
certainty,
that no e$il can happen to a good an, either in life or after death.
)e
and his are not neglected #y the gods( nor has y own approaching end
happened #y ere chance. 1&t I see clearly that the tie had arri$ed
when
it was #etter for e to die and #e released fro tro&#le( wherefore the
oracle ga$e no sign. *or which reason, also, I a not angry with y
condeners, or with y acc&sers( they ha$e done e no har, altho&gh
they
did not ean to do e any good( and for this I ay gently #lae the.
Still I ha$e a fa$o&r to as/ of the. =hen y sons are grown &p, I
wo&ld
as/ yo&, O y friends, to p&nish the( and I wo&ld ha$e yo& tro&#le
the,
as I ha$e tro&#led yo&, if they see to care a#o&t riches, or anything,
ore than a#o&t $irt&e( or if they pretend to #e soething when they are
really nothing,00then repro$e the, as I ha$e repro$ed yo&, for not
caring
a#o&t that for which they o&ght to care, and thin/ing that they are
soething when they are really nothing. And if yo& do this, #oth I and
y
sons will ha$e recei$ed -&stice at yo&r hands.
The ho&r of depart&re has arri$ed, and we go o&r ways00I to die, and
yo& to
li$e. =hich is #etter 6od only /nows.