mL'rf TneDivinetaw,thathasadvis'dmesooften,and lodges, upontheleastoccasionneverfail'dtodivertme ' from
whatever
I mean'd to pursue, that was not
fit for me ?
fit for me ?
Plato - 1701 - Works - a
C i t y e x t r e a m l y -, f o r t h e y ' d g i v e s t r a n g e r s
occasion ro imagine that the most vertuous Men
among theAthenians,thosewhoareintitledtoHo
nours and Dignities, by way ofpreference ro all
others, are nothing different from the lowest spirited
Women. Now this,Athenians, you ought to be
ware ot 5 you that are possess'd of some Reputation
and Authority : And supposing I design'd ro. do any such thing, you would be obliged to stop me, and
give me to know that. you'd sooner condemn one that means to excite your Compassion by these Tra gical Scenes, and by that means to expose your City to be ridiculed ; than one that with Tranquility and Repose expects what Sentence you please to pro nounce.
But to wave theTopick ofthe City'sGlory,which is sensibly wounded by such Indignities ; Justice it
self forbids supplicating the Judge, or extorting an AbsolutionbyRequests. AJudgeoughttobeper-T,'eDmJ suadedandconvinc'd. Heisnotplac'duponthe? 'a*"*''
Bench toobligeMen byviolatingtheLaws,butto dojusticepursuanttotheLaws. He issworn soto dobyanOaththatoughttobeinviolable. Tisnot inhisPowertofavourwhomhepleases:Heiso- blig'dtodoJustice. We oughtnotthereforetobring you into a custom of Perjury, a>>d you ought to hin der those who attempt it. For both those who temptyou,andyouwhocomply,doequallywound Justice and Religion, and both are involv'd in the guilt.
Wherefore,Athenians, do not you expect that I'll have recourse to such things, as I take to be neither Creditable, Just, nor Pious, especially upon this Oc casion where I stand arraign'd ofImpiety by Melitus. Should I move you by Prayer,and force you to break your Oath, that would be evidence that I taught y o u t o b e l i e v e n o G o d s ? , a n d t h u s i n o f f e r i n g t o J u stinemyselfjIshouldentanglemy selfinthevery
C c 3 Charge
? ? 5?
The Apology of Socrates.
Charge of m y Adveriaries, and prove against m y self
that1believeinnoGods. ButIamveryfar,'A'"
thenians,frombeingofthatPrinciple. \ammore convinced of the Being of a God, than m y Accusers
are? ,andam ibwellsatisfiedinthePoint,thatI resignmyselftoyouandtoGod,thatyemayjudge as ye think fit,both for yourselves and for me.
Socrates having spoken in this manner, the fudges put it to the Fote,andhewasfoundguiltyby33 Voltes:jifterwhich So? cratesbegunagain tospeak. . . . 1? <<? . \. '? ,
I A m not at all troubled, Athenians, at the Sen
tenceye havenow pronoune'd. Severalthings
keep me irom being disturbs, especially one things
viz. That I was fully prepafd beforehand, and have
met with nothing more than I expected- ? '-For I did
pot think to have come Ib near to anAbiblution, but
expected to be cast by a greater majority of Votes*
I finding n o w that I a m only cast by 33 Votes, Iran, f i e I h a v e e & a . i p ' & M e l i t u s ' s P r o s e c u t i o n ? , a n d n o t o n
ly ib, but I think 'tis evident, that if Anytus and'Lyr son had not joyn'd in the Accusation, * he had lost his 1000 Drachms, since he had not the fifth part of theVotesonhisfide. MelitusthenthinksIdeserve death,inagoodtime! Andasforme,whatPunish
m e n t f shall I allotto m y self? Y o u shall see plainly,
* A n Accuser wasoblig'd to have one half of theVotes,and afifthpartmore,orelsewasfindin1000Drachms, i. e. 100, frowns. TlteopWast. in his Book of Laws ; and Demosthenes,a-, gainstAndrotion. t4--t-. .
\Tounderstandthis,wemustknow,thatwhentheCrimi nal was found guilty, and the Accuser demanded a Sentence ofdeath;theLawallow'dthePrisonertocondemnhimself to one of these three Punishments, vi%. perpetual Imprison
ment,aFine,orBanishment. ThisPrivilegewascall'dxssn-
vyLz&ai--, and was first enacted on the behalf of the Judges,
thatthey mightnotscrupletopassSentenceuponthosewho
by condemning themselves own'd their guilt. Socrates Was c a t c h ' d i n t h i s S n a r e ? , b u t X e n o p h o n t e s t i f i e s t h a t h e d i d n o t
condemnhimselfatall,andwouldnotallowhisFriendsto do it, because 'twas in effect: an acknowledgment of the Crime. Only,inobediencetotheLaws,andinordertopro claim his Innocence, instead of a Punishment, he demanded a Ktwardworthyoshimself. ' \ . 1? . s
Athenians,
? ? the Apology of Socrates. " 39
Athenians,thatI'llpitchuponwhat/deserve, Now, what is'tthatJmustcondemn my selfto,fornot concealingwhatGoodI'velearn'dinmy life-time, for flighting what others court very earnestly, I mean, Riches,careofDomestick Affairs,Officcs,Dig- nities; and for never embarking in a Party or en gagingin anyOffice, which thingsarecommonly practis'd in this our City ? J always look'd upon myselfasaManofmoreHonestyandGoodness, thantopreservemy Lifebysuchpitifulshifts. Be sides, you know, I never would engage in any Pro fession that did not enable me at once to promote your Advantage and my own-, and that my only Aim was, to be always in readiness to procure to
each of you in private the greatest of all good things, by persuading you not to setyour Mind up on your Possessions, till you had taken Care of your selvesinstudyingWisdom andPerfection;justas a City ought to be taken care of, before the things that belong to it 5 and in like manner every other ? rincipal thing is intitied to a preference in our
'houehts,beforeitsAppurtenances. AfteralltheseCrimes,whatismy demerit>
Doubtless,Athenians, ifyouproportiontheReward
to the Merit , I deserve some considerable Good, suitabletosuchaManaslam. Nowwhatis't that'ssuitableforapoorMan that'syourBenefactor,
and wants leisure and opportunity for Exciting and Exhorting you ? Nothing suits bitter with such a
Man, than to be entertain'd in the Frytanteum ;that's
more due to him than to those of you that have brought offthe Trophies of Victory from the Horses andChariotRacesintheOlympickGames. Forr^rt_
these Victors purchase you a seeming Happiness by dors were t h e i r V i c t o r i e s -, b u t a s f o r m e , I m a k e y o u r e a l l y ' >> << W >> p o >> happybymine. Besides,theystandnotinneedofasGods-
such a supply, but I do. Injusticetherefore you ought to adjudge m e a Recompence worthy of m y self; and to be maintain'd upon the Publick is no more than I deserve.
C c 4 Perhaps
? ? 4)>>
the 'Apology of Socratesi
Perhaps youmay chargeme withArroganceand Self-conceit in speaking thus to you, as you did but now, when I lppke against the Supplications and Prayers of Prisoners. But there'snothing ofthat in the cafe : Pray hear me.
"TisoneofmyMaxims,Thatknowinglyandwil lingly we ought not to do the least. harm to any Man. My timeissoshortthatIcannotuponthisOccasion staytorecommendittoyou. IfthesamwLawpre vails here that isobsery'd elsewhere, enjoyning that a Trial upon Life and Death should last not one butseveraldays, 1am persuaded1could make you sensibleofitsimportance. Buthow isitpossibleto
yvipeofFsomany Calumnies insoshortaspaceof time ? However, being conyinc'd that I ought to in jurenoMan, how. shouldIbehavetowardsmyself
if I own'd my self worthy of a Punishment, and pastedSentenceagainstmy self? What! ShouldI be afraid of the Punishment adjudg'd by Melitus, a Punishment that I cannot positively say whether 'tisGoodorEvil;andatthefametimepitchupon anotherfort ofPunishment,thatIamcertainisE:
vil? ShallIcondemnmy selftoperpetualImprison ment ? W h y should I live always a slave to the eleven Magistrates ? Shall it be a Fine, and continu ing in Prison till spay it > That ismuch at one, for Ihavenothingtopayitwith- Itremainsthenthat 1 should chuse Banishment, and perhaps you will
confirm my choice:But indeed, Athenians,Imust rjeeds be much blinded by the love of Life, it I didnotperceivethat,sinceyouwho aremy fellow-
Citizenscouldnotbrookmy ConversationandPrin ciples, but were always so. gall'd by them, that you w e r e n e v e r a t e a s e t i l l y p u g o t y o u r s e l v e s r i d o f m e -y much more will others be . unable to brook 'em.
That would bea pure way ofliving for Socrates^ at these Years to be expell'd Athens, and wander fromCitytoCitylikeaVagabondinExile! Iam very well satisfied, that wherever I went the younger fort would listen to rrie just as they do here : If J
thwart.
? ? the Apology of Socrates. j\.
thwart'em, they'llsolicittheirFatherstoexpelme-, and if I do not, their Parents and Kinsmen will ex: pelme upontheirAccount:
Butperhapslome Bodywillfay;Why,Socrates, when you go from hence, cannot you holdyour peace and live quietly I I fee plainly, that to persuade you toany thing, isa molt difficult Enterprises for ifI tell you that my silencewould bedisobedience to
God, and upon that account * I cannot hold my/iMa'l'i
peace ; you, will not believe me, youll look upon-ITfe? r
i 110 n. ? t ij? AE Happiness thewholeStoryasamysteriousIrony. ' Andifonco? fifls&
the other hand Jacquaint you, that a Man's greatestdiscoursing Happineis consists in discoursing of Vertue all the'ofrertue.
daysofhis Life, andentertaining himielfwithallMifewith-
theotherthingsyou haveheardmespeakof,eitheroutSeis in examining m y self or others, since a Life without ^aminati- examination is no Life : You'll believe m e yet less. <",""? fe'
However, 'tisjust as I tell you, tho' you cannot be lieveit. But,afterall,Iamnotaccuitom'dtothink my self worthy of any Punishment. Indeed, ifJ
w e r e r i c h , I. w o u l d a m e r c e m y s e l f i n s u c h a S u m a s
Imightbeabletopay. ButIamnotinaCondi
tion, unless you would allow the Fine to be propOr- tion'dtomy Indigency? ,andIbperhapsImight
make shifttopayaMina ofSilver. IndeedPlato,
who isherep^fent,andCrito,andCritobulus,and^>>Crown.
Apollodorus would haveme stretch itto30Minds,
which they'll,answer lor. And accordingly Iamerce
m y self in thirty Mind's, and I give you them for sooCrowns,. verycreditableSurety, ? ? :. , . ? . ';
Socrates baring amere'd himself in obedience to the Laws, the fudges tooktheMatterinfoConsideration,findwithoutanyre-r gardtotheVine,condemndhimtodie. AftertheSentencewot fronoune'd, Socrates began again, thus.
INdeed, Athenians, yourMmpatience and precipi tancy will draw upon you a great Reproach, and give the Envious occasion to censure your City, for
; * 'Twere impossible in Socrates to disobey God, and conceai theTruthshewasoblig'dto-reveal. WhatanobkExample js. thjsinaPagan! , . . .
con-
? ? ? z *
the Apology of Socrates?
condemningthatwileMan Socrates:Fortohighten the Scandal, they'llcall me Wise,tho'/ am not. Whereashadyoustaidbutashortwhile,mydeath hadcomeofitself,andthrownintoyourLapwhat younowdemand. YoufeemyAgehasrunthe most of itsround, and draws very near to a con clusion. J do not make this Address to all my Judges, but only to those that voted my Condemna tion. Do you thinkthatJhad beencondemn'd, if Ihadthoughtitmy Dutytotryeverymeansfor procuringmy Absolutionhandifso,doyouthinkJ had wanted persuasive and touching Expressions ? *Tis not such words that / have been wanting in, but in Boldness, in Impudence, and in a desire to gratifie you by telling you such Stories as you love to hear. Doubtless you had been infinitely well pleased, to ieeme cry,groan,whine,andstooptoalltheother meanshiftsthatarecommonlymadeuseofbyPri sonersatthisBar. Butuponthisoccasion,Ididnot thinkitmyDuty tostooptoanythingsobaseand scandalous;and now that theSentence ispast,I donotrepent ofavoidingtheIndignity,forIchule rather to die upon the Defence I'venow made, than to live by such Prayers and Supplications as you require. NeitherCivilnorMilitaryJusticeallows anhonestMantosavehisLifeanyhow. ForinDu elsithappensoftenthataMan mayeasilylavehis Lifebythrowingdown hisArms, andbeggingquar terofhisEnemy:Andinlikemannerinallother Dangers,aManthat'scapableofsayingordoing any thing, may hit upon a thousand Expedients for avoidingDeath. To escapedying, Athenians^\snot
ftultto swiftly,and ismuchharder toavoid. And accord- ffoidsbame ingly in this juncture, J w h o a m stiffand old, a m ibmVtath. 0I3y attack'd and overtaken by the slowest of the
twojwhereas my Accusers, who arevigorousand
strong, are catch'd by the swiftest^ I mean, Infamy.
Thus am Jabout to be deliver'd up toDeath by /. ; ? ? ? " ? '- ? your
,.
IjnkZuif- the greatestDifficulty ; shame falls in upon us more
? ? the Afohgy of Socrates. 4*
your Orders, and they (a) are furrender'dto Infa
my and Injustice by the Orders ofTruth. Jam
VerywellcontentedwithmySentence,andsoare they with theirs. ? Thus things are as they ought to
be, and our Shares could not have been more justly or better divided. - ^ " ? ? '? '? > ?
In the next place I have a mind to fbretel you, who have condemn'd me, what will be your fate* for I a m n o w just arriv'd at the Minute, (b) that a ? fordsaMan thesteddiestThoughts,andenableshim toProphesie,upontheapproachofDeath. Itell youthen,thatnosoonershallyouhaveputme to death, but (c)the Vengeance ofGod will pursue
you with more Cruelty than you have (hewn to me.
By riddingyoursolvesofme, youdesign'donlyto
throw offthe troublesome Task ofgivinganAc
c o u n t o f y o u r L i v e s -, b u t I t e l l y o u b e f o r e - h a n d , y o u
shallnotcompassyourEnd. ,:. , ,. ? ? A greater number of Persons will rife up and
censureyou. Tho' you perceiv'ditnot, 'twas my presence that has hitherto restrains 'em . But after my death, they will make you very uneafie-, and forasmuch as they are younger than I, will prove more troublesome and hard tobe ridof For if
you fanfie to your selves, that putting such Persons todeath isaneffectualway torestrainothers,and prevent their upbraiding you,you are m u c h mistaken,
s (a) Socrates is condemn'd by the Injustice of Men, but his Judges-arecondemn'dbytheOrdersofTruth. Thuswere {he isthmians only criminal, both with respect to Godindis-! Owning Socrates'sGod; and trampling under foot the the Ora cle ofApollo;andwithrespecttoMenindebauchingthe Youth, particularly Alcibiad. es, Hissomens, Critias, and an infii nite Number of others. Max. de Tyr.
(b) At the point ofDeath Mens Thoughts are fleddier,than in the career ofLife;because atthat time Passionisder thron'd,andtheSoulbeginstoretrieveitsLiberty. Thiswas
Homer's Opinion ; and there's no difficulty in tracing a higher source for it,than that Poet ;? .
? (c) This Prediction was fulfill'd in a raging Plague that soon after laid Athens desolate ; and all the Misfortunes that pver-runthisinjustRepublick, andindeedallGrttce,wereta
ken for a certainMark of Divine Vengeance,
>. ->? :;;, . ? <<? . :. . -. r /- that ?
? ? ? 4
2&e Apology of Socrates. 1
Thatway ofridding yourselvesofyourCensors,
is neither honest rior practicable. A better way,
which is at once very easie and honest, is,not to stop
theirMouths,buttoamendyourLives. Somuch
for those who voted my Condensation.
As foryou, Athenians^ who g\\TeyourVotes for
my Absolution, I would gladly discourseyou,while the Head Magistrates are busie, till J be carried to thePlaceofExecution: IbegthereforeaMinute's Audience,forsincewehavesomuchtime,whymay
notwe-confertogether. Imeantorepresenttoyou a thing that happen'd to me but now, and give you to understand what it imports- Tis a marvellous
ThtVnjitsi thing, my fudges (for in calling you my Judges I donotde-am nr>tataumistaken)thatImetwithbutnow.
mL'rf TneDivinetaw,thathasadvis'dmesooften,and lodges, upontheleastoccasionneverfail'dtodivertme ' from whatever I mean'd to pursue, that was not
fit for me ? ,this Law has not given me any sign thisday,onwhichIhavemetwithwhatmostMen take to be the greatest of Evils : It did not discover it self to me, neither in the morning when I came (d) from my House, nor when I enter'd this Hall, norwhen Jbegantospeak. 'Atothertimesitfre quently inrerrupted me in the middle of my Di s c o u r s e ? , b u t t h i s d a y i t h a s n o t t h w a r t e d m e i n a n y thingthatIdefign'deithertofayortodo. Now Iam abouttotellyouwhat thismeans. Itis. very probable thatwhatIam now toencounterisa ve ry great Good ^ for certainly 'tis a mistake to look uponDeathasanEvil. AndforanevidentProof of thecontrary,let'sconsider,that,ifIhad notbeen to meet with some good thing to day, God, under whose Care I am* would not have fail'd to acquaint me,pursuanttohisusualCustom. Let'sfathom the depth of this Matter, in order to demonstrate that the beliesof Death's being a good thing, is a Well-grounded Hope.
(d) ForSqcratciwas not ImprisonedtilafterhisCondenv naticn.
One
? ? Ifa Apology of Socrate?
4 i
One of these two things must be true, (a) Either Death is a privation of Thought, or it is the Soul's PassagefromonePlacetoanother. Ifitbeapri-- vationofThought, and,as'twere,apeaceableSleep undisturb'd by Dreams, then to die is great gain. After one Night of such Tranquility, free from di- sturbance,Care,or theleast Dream $I'm confidentsa ManweretocomparethatNightwithalltheother Nights and Days ot his past Life, and were oblig'd totellinConference and inTruth,how manyNights or Days of his whole Life time he had pasted more happily than that one : I'm confident, / lay, thatnot
only a private Vlan,but the great King himself,wou'd
find so small a Number, that it would be very easie
tocount'em. NowifDeathdoesinanymeasure
resemble such a Night, I have justly given itthe Ap p e l l a t i o n o f g r e a t g a i n ? , s i n c e , i t s w h o l e t i m e i s o n l y
a long continued N;;ht.
If Death be a Paiiage from this Place to another,
and theRr^ionsbelowareaPlaceofRendezvous for those who liv'd here-, pray, my Judges, what greater Good cana Man imagine? Forisa Man quits his counterfeit Judges here, for true ones in the Regions below,who, they fay administerJusticewith lb much Equity, such as Minos^ Rhadamanthus^ AEz- cmt Tripto/emus, and all the other Demi Gods, who weresojustinthisLifejwillnotthatbeahappy
(a) By this Dilemma Socrates does not call in question the Immortality of the Soul, but points to the two Opinions of Philosophers,some ofwhom thoughttheSoulfellwith the Body; and others,that,theformer l'urviv'dthe latter. Now
h e o f f e r s t o p r o v e t h a t D e a t h is n o t ill i n e i t h e r o f t h e s e O p i nions : For, fays he, if the Soui dies, 'tisannihilated, and con sequently voidofThought; and ifitsurvives,we arehappier afterDeaththanbefore. SomedecrySocrates'sRatiocination-, in alledging a third state of the Soul, where after death it stays to undergo the Punishment due to its Crimes. But that's ameerQuibble; for SocratesspeaksonlyofgoodMen,who havingobey'dGod, mayexpectablessedImmortality:For '
he likewise taught that the Wicked suffer eternal Punishment intheWorldtocome;asweshallfeeinhisVhedon:And he did not in the least pretend that those Wretches had no occasion to scar Death-
change ? '
? ? '46 the Apology of Socrates. ' . . . .
change ? At what rate would not you purchase a
faeranh ConferencewithMuseus,Hejiod,andHomer? For, thesethree m v parti if fuch a thing be practicable, I'd die a
ThTItfe'-thousandtimestoenjoysogreataPleasure. What ing'theAu-transportsof joyshallIencounter, when ImeetFa-
thorsosthe lamedes, Ajax the Telamonian, and all the other He- ? PaganTbe-roes0fAntiquity,who inthisLife were Victimsof
a? 3'
Injustice! How agreeablewillitbetoputmyAd
ventures in the Balance with theirs ! But the infi nitely greatest and most valuable Pleasure will con sist in spending the time in putting Questions and Interrogatories to those great Men, (b) in order to strike out the distinction between the truly Wise, and thosewhofalflyfanfiethemselvestobesuch. Who wouldnot giveallhehasinthisWorld foraCon- ference with him who led the numerous Army a- gainst Trey, or U/yJfes or Sisyphus, and iooboo o- therMenandWomen,whoseConversationandDis coveries would afford an inexpressible Felicity? TheseMen areinfinitelymorehappythanwe,and invested with Immortality. Upon which Account, my Judges,yououghttoencounterDeathwithsted<< dy Hopes, as being persuaded of this certain Truth,
THoEyilcon(c)thatanhonestMan needsfearnoEvil,eitherin betidethe thisorthefutureLife,andthattheGodstakeCare fusteither 0fa\\his Concerns:For what has now happen'd
fJurliife t0 me' is so t3Ll ftom bein? the eifect of Chance, thatJam fullyconvinced,5tisinfinitelybetterfor m e to die, and be rid of the encumbrances of this
Lite. And for thatreason, God who regulatesmy
Conduct, did not thwart me to day; So thatJ
Q>) By interrogating them upon all the Adtions of their Life, and the Keasons that influene'd 'em :For Socrates here speaks oftheWisdom they were reallypossess'dof, or fan nedthemselvestopossessinthisWorld;anddoesnotatall imply that any in a blessed State are capable of believing themselvesWifewhentheyarenot.
(c) This was the presumption ofa Heathen, who was ig norant of the fatal effects of Sin and Corruption ; for which thejustestoughtalways totremble. SothatthisMaxim of Socratesisomy applicabletothosejwhoseSinsthroughGod's Mercy are not imputed to them,'
have
? ? The Jpology of SocratfiS. <$
have no Resentment against my Accusers of those who voted my Condemnation-, notwithstanding that they mean'd, not to do m e any Kindness, but to prejudice me, which might afford m e justgrounds of Complaint. OnethingIhavetobegof'emisthis* ThatwhenmyChildrengrowup,iftheymakeyou uneafie,asJdid,thatyou*wouldpunisli'emse verely. But if you find that they prefer Riches to Vertue, and take themselves to be somewhat, when i n e f f e c t t h e y a r e n o t h i n g -, p r a y b e n o t w a n t i n g i n checking them, and exposing them, for not minding those things which deserve all their Care, and be lievingthemselvestobewhattheyarenot But now,'tistrue,we shouldallretiretoourrespective Offices,youtolive,andItodie. Butwhetheryoa or I are going upon the better Expedition , t *ts knowntononebutGodalone.
* Socratesisfo contentto dieforthefake ofJusticeJt&at he desir'd his Judges to treat his Children in the fame fashion, if so be they prov'd so happy as to give 'em the lame troublethathe did;thatis,if,theymade ittheirbusinessto correct their Injustice, their Idolatry, and all their other Vices.
t SocratesdidnotspeakthisoutofIgnorance,forheknew very well that the Just were happier in their Death, than the WickedintheirLife. ButthePeoplethathadbutjustcon- demn'dhim, werenotinaConditiontorelishthatMaxim; upon whichaccountSocratestells'em,thatGod. atoneknew;and accordingly G o d quickly gave 'em all to k n o w the difterence betweentheFateofSocratesandthatofhisJudges. The ^ithenians repented their putting to death an innocent Person, and publickly lamented the lossof him, whom they had condemn'dbyapublickSentence. TheSchoolsandPlaces for Exercise were shut up ? ,Socrates's Statue was erected, and a ChappelconsecratedtohisMemoryjandhisAccuserspro
secuted. Melituswas torninpieces,AnytutwasexpeU'athe Heradeawhere heslielter'd;andalltheAbettorsoftheCon- lpiracy, were look'd upon as cursed, and excommunicated, and reduc'dto such a pitch of Despair, that most of 'em hid Violent Hands on themselves.
THfc
? ? &
THE
INTRODUCTION TO
drita !
SOcrates,inhisApology, hasfurnisli'duswithah admirable Model of an honest Man's Defences1, when unjustly arraign'd. . And in,this Dialogue, whichisIntituled,Ofwhat istobedone,hegivesus
a yet more perfect Plan of the Conduct of a good M>>, andtheObedienceheowes toJusticeandthe Laws, even in dying when they require it, tho' at the fametime'twereeafieforhim toescape. While Socrateslay inPrison,JjisFriendsbeingmorecon cerns forhisLifethanhimself,hadretain'dtheGoa- ler. Every thing was in readiness for accomplish inghisEscape-yand Critogoesinto thePrisonbe foreday,totellhimthegoodNews, andpersuade him not to flight the precious Opportunity. So crates hears him, and commends his Zeal : But be fore he would comply, startsthe Question,Whe theritwasjustforhim todepartthePrison,with out the Conient of the Athenians. So that the Pointtobedecided inthisDialogue,is,whethera Man unjustly condemn'd to die, can innocently withdraw himself from the hand of Justice and. the Law. SecrateswastheonlyManofthe"Agehe liv'd in, that call'd that in Question $ and, which isyetmore surprising,were he now alive,hewould betheonlyManinthisourAge. Allthatwefee beforeourEyes,orreadofinourHistories;ina word, all the Instances of what Men have done
through
? ? the Intw&u&ion toCrito. " 4?
through the love of Life aiid the fear of Death, have so debauch'd our Judgmehts, that w e are scarce ca pable to judge of what true Justice requires, and are apt to call everjr thing Just, that's universally pra- ctis'd. Now therecannotbeamore capitalError. However, since the Conduct of a Heathen, that chose rather to die than to break the Course of Justice, would seem to u$ the effect of Folly or strong Pre
judice-, let's try ifwe can hit upon any solid Rule t h a t m a y r e c l a i m tis b y its A u t h o r i t y , a n d c o n v i n c e us by its Light. The Christian Religion affords a greatmany such: But we shall'confine our selvesto one, which in a sovereign degree is justly intitled toboththeseCharacters. St. PaulbeinginPrisonill Macedonia,one Night thePrisonDoors open'd and hisChainsdropp'doff*andheWassofarfrommi kinghisEscape,thathehinder'dotherstodoit. Pe terbeingimprison'd byHerod,who hadresolv'dto put him to death after the Passover,made hisEscape theNightbeforetheDayofExecution. Buthow didhedoit>Goddidnotcontenthimselfwithun locking his Chains, andopeningthe PrisonDoors, but sent an Angel who push'd him on, and forc'd him to go along. This was the Conduct of the Saints. Tho'thePrisonbeopen,theydonotoffer tomaketheirEscape. NothinglessthananAngel
canoblige'emtodeparrthePrison. Socrates,who was no Saint, but follow'd as close as possible the lame Light that guides and illuminates the Saints, observes the fame Conduct : They open'd the Pri son and unty'd his Chains, but his Angel was silent, and he would notstir. He preferr'dan innocent Deathbeforea criminalLife:Butbeforehecame to a Resolution, he heard the Reasons ofhis Friend, who- speaks with a great deal offeree, and omits nothing that could move him : And after that, with a Divine Eloquence, confronted him with incontesta ble Maxims, grounded upon Truth and Justice, in which one may trace the Rays of the Evangelical Doctrine* viz. That we ought to flight the Opinions\
Efd' of
? ? jo
The fatrodu&ioB to Crito.
osMen, andregardonlytheJudgmentofGod;that it is not living, but living well, that should be our wish; that Justice is the life, and Injustice the death os the Soul ; that we ought not to injure our Ene
mies, or resent the Injuries we receive ; that 'tis bettertodie,thantoJinhthatwe mustobeytheLaw ofourCountry-,thattheInjustice osMen cannotju- fiisieourdisrespeStotheLaws ;andthattheLawsof this World have Sister-Laws in the other, which re
venge the Affronts put upon ''em here.
These were the Principles that Socrates went up
on. Those who take the pains to examine 'em and weigh their Consequences, will be fully satis fied,not onlythatSocratesactedthepartofanho nestManinrefusingtomakehisEscape,butlike wise that he could not be a good M a n if he did
otherwise. And 'twas with this view, that ? >uin- tilian laid, This Philosopher, by quitting the small remainder of his Life, retriev'd all the former Part of his Life, and likewise gain'd a Life to all Ages. Tis such Thoughts as these that our Soul should always have in view, in order to keep out Vice ; for if once we relent and allow the Enemy to gain
some ground, under a specious Pretence and a ta<< king Appearance, it will quickly master all, and overrun all the Banks that ,should stop itscourse.
CRITO;
? ? CRITO: Or,Ofwhatweoughttodo.
Socratesand Criiol
Soc. \ 7 \ 7Hat'sth<<matteryoucomeheresosoon, y y Crito? AsItakeit,'tisyetveryearly*
Crit. Tis true.
Sec. What a Clock may itbe then ?
Crit. A little before the break of DayJ
Soc. I wonder the Goaler let you in. Crit. HeisoneIknowverywell. Ihavebeen
withhimhereoften;and he isin some measure bblig'd to me.
Soc. Areyou butjustcome? Or,isitlongsince you came ?
Crit. I have been here a pretty while.
Soc,Why didnotyouawaken me then,when
you came in? ?
Crit. Pray God forbid Socrates. For my ownT^ttaiu
part I would gladly shake off the Cares and Anxiety socrateso* that keep my Eyesfrom closing. But when Ien-theEyesre-
ter'd this Room, I wonder'd to find you so found a-feedingbis sleep, and was loth to awaken you, that I might Deat1''
notrobyouofthesehappyMinutes. Indeed,So-. . crates, ever since I knew you, I have been always %rf*JJt~- charm'dwithyourPatienceandcalmTemper5bmTatiead, in a distinguishing manner in this juncture, since in
the Circumstances you are in, your Eye looks so ea- fieand unconcern'd.
Soc. Indeed,Crito. itwouldbeagreatindecencyin oneofmyAgetobeapprehensiveofDeath.
Crit. Ay ! And how many do we see every day, underthelikemisfortunes,whom Agedoe'snotex emptfromthoseFearsI
Soc^That'strue. Butafterall,whatbroughtyou hither so early >
Crit, I came to tell you a troublesome piece of4 D d ? Mews,
51
? ? si
Crito : Or, O f what we ought to do.
News,which,tho'theymay notseemtoaffectyou, yettbfy overwhelmboth me andallyour Relati onsandFriendswithunfufferableGrief Infine,I bring the most terrible News that ever could be brought.
Soc. What News >IstheShip arriv'dfromDe/os, uponthereturnofwhichIamtodie?
Grit, It is not yet arriv'd $ but without doubt it will be here this day according to the Intelligence wehavefromsomePersonsthatcamefiomSunium andleftitthere. Foratthatrate,itcannotfailof being there to day, and Ib to morrow you must un avoidably die.
Soc. Why not,Crito? Beitso,since*fistheWill ofGod. However,IdonotbelievethatVeflelwill arrive this day.
Crit. What do you ground that Conjecture upon?
Soc. I'lltellyou. Iam nottodietillthedayas ter the arrival of the Veflel.
Crit. At least those w h o are to execute the Sen tence,fay so.
Soc. That Vessel will not arrivetill to morrow, as I conjecture from a certain Dream I had this Night,aboutaMinuteago. (a)Anditleemsto meahappinessthatyoudidnotawakenme.
Crit. Well,whatistheDream>
Socrates'* Soc. Ithought,IfewaveryhandsomcomelyWo- remarkaUe man, cladinwhite,come uptome, who calling me vream. by. Namesaid,(b)Inthreedaystbwjhattbeinthe
^ d " ? " " fertile Phthia. Achilles*
Country.
/-. ? . \ftt.
(a) He speakson this fashion, because"the Dream? ofthe morningwerelook'duponasmoredistinctandtrue. Certiora & co/atiorafomniariaffirmantsubextimitiwttibm, quasijamemer genteanlmarum-vigore,producT-osopore, Tertul. deAnima.
{b) In the s>th Book of the Iliads, Achilles threatning to re tire, lays to Vlyfses,After to morrow you /halt fee the Hellespont coyerA with my Ships, and if Neptune afford me a happy Voyage, in threedaysI(hall arriyeatthefertilePhthia. TwaS thislast VersethatSocrateshadfromtheMonthoftheWomaninhis Dream; for ourDreams always bear a proportion to our G*~ n. m'si Habits,and ways of thinking. Noting can be astronger
Evidence
? ? Crito: Or,Ofwhatweoughttodo} ys
Crit. That's a very strange Dream, Socrates. ? Soc. Tisa verysignificantone,CW/0.
Crit. Yes,withoutdoubt. Butforthistime,pri thee,Socratestakemy Advice, andmake your Es
cape. Forrnypart,ifyoudie,besidestheirrepara-* **/#>> blelossofaFriend,whichIwillever lament,IamTttfUtm
afraidthatagreatmanyPeople,whoarenotweU^TM7*\ acquainted neither with you nor me, will believe M m con- thatIhave forsaken you,innot employing my in-J***'**? terest for promoting your Escape,nowthat'tisindu? ril1>><*
my Power. Is there any thingmore scandalous,SS. *^ thantolieunder the disreputeofbeingwedded tohicL. myMoneymorethanmyFriend? For,inshort,the People will neverbelieve, that'twasyou who re-
fus'd to go from hence when we pressed you to be gone.
Soc. My dearCrito,whyshouldwe besomuch
concern'd for the Opinion of the People ? Is it not
enough, that the more sensible part, who are the , onlyMen weoughttoregard,knowhowtheCase
stands ? '
Crit. But you fee, Socrates, there'sa necessity of
beingconcern'd fortheNoiseoftheMob? ,foryour Example is a sufficient instance, that they are capa ble ofdoing not only small but thegreatest of Inju ries, and display their Passion in an outragious man
ner, against those w h o are once run d o w n by the vul gar Opinion.
Soc. * Would to God, Crito, the People were ca pable to do the greatest of Injuries ! Were itso,they
Evidence of the gentle and easie Thoughts that Socrates had of Death, thanhisApplicationofthisPassage,bywhich here- ? -esentsDeathasafortunateVoyage toone'sownCountry,
he Grammarians, w h o are always ty'd up to the Letter,were never able to point out the Beauty and Delicacy of this Pas sage:Forthey onlyturn'ditinto acoarseIdeaofDeath, upon the resemblance of the word,Tbtbia with pStcnr, to cor- rust, as if a Grecian could ever have mistaken ipSin tox<p$i<n<.
* This is a noble Principle of Socrates'%.
occasion ro imagine that the most vertuous Men
among theAthenians,thosewhoareintitledtoHo
nours and Dignities, by way ofpreference ro all
others, are nothing different from the lowest spirited
Women. Now this,Athenians, you ought to be
ware ot 5 you that are possess'd of some Reputation
and Authority : And supposing I design'd ro. do any such thing, you would be obliged to stop me, and
give me to know that. you'd sooner condemn one that means to excite your Compassion by these Tra gical Scenes, and by that means to expose your City to be ridiculed ; than one that with Tranquility and Repose expects what Sentence you please to pro nounce.
But to wave theTopick ofthe City'sGlory,which is sensibly wounded by such Indignities ; Justice it
self forbids supplicating the Judge, or extorting an AbsolutionbyRequests. AJudgeoughttobeper-T,'eDmJ suadedandconvinc'd. Heisnotplac'duponthe? 'a*"*''
Bench toobligeMen byviolatingtheLaws,butto dojusticepursuanttotheLaws. He issworn soto dobyanOaththatoughttobeinviolable. Tisnot inhisPowertofavourwhomhepleases:Heiso- blig'dtodoJustice. We oughtnotthereforetobring you into a custom of Perjury, a>>d you ought to hin der those who attempt it. For both those who temptyou,andyouwhocomply,doequallywound Justice and Religion, and both are involv'd in the guilt.
Wherefore,Athenians, do not you expect that I'll have recourse to such things, as I take to be neither Creditable, Just, nor Pious, especially upon this Oc casion where I stand arraign'd ofImpiety by Melitus. Should I move you by Prayer,and force you to break your Oath, that would be evidence that I taught y o u t o b e l i e v e n o G o d s ? , a n d t h u s i n o f f e r i n g t o J u stinemyselfjIshouldentanglemy selfinthevery
C c 3 Charge
? ? 5?
The Apology of Socrates.
Charge of m y Adveriaries, and prove against m y self
that1believeinnoGods. ButIamveryfar,'A'"
thenians,frombeingofthatPrinciple. \ammore convinced of the Being of a God, than m y Accusers
are? ,andam ibwellsatisfiedinthePoint,thatI resignmyselftoyouandtoGod,thatyemayjudge as ye think fit,both for yourselves and for me.
Socrates having spoken in this manner, the fudges put it to the Fote,andhewasfoundguiltyby33 Voltes:jifterwhich So? cratesbegunagain tospeak. . . . 1? <<? . \. '? ,
I A m not at all troubled, Athenians, at the Sen
tenceye havenow pronoune'd. Severalthings
keep me irom being disturbs, especially one things
viz. That I was fully prepafd beforehand, and have
met with nothing more than I expected- ? '-For I did
pot think to have come Ib near to anAbiblution, but
expected to be cast by a greater majority of Votes*
I finding n o w that I a m only cast by 33 Votes, Iran, f i e I h a v e e & a . i p ' & M e l i t u s ' s P r o s e c u t i o n ? , a n d n o t o n
ly ib, but I think 'tis evident, that if Anytus and'Lyr son had not joyn'd in the Accusation, * he had lost his 1000 Drachms, since he had not the fifth part of theVotesonhisfide. MelitusthenthinksIdeserve death,inagoodtime! Andasforme,whatPunish
m e n t f shall I allotto m y self? Y o u shall see plainly,
* A n Accuser wasoblig'd to have one half of theVotes,and afifthpartmore,orelsewasfindin1000Drachms, i. e. 100, frowns. TlteopWast. in his Book of Laws ; and Demosthenes,a-, gainstAndrotion. t4--t-. .
\Tounderstandthis,wemustknow,thatwhentheCrimi nal was found guilty, and the Accuser demanded a Sentence ofdeath;theLawallow'dthePrisonertocondemnhimself to one of these three Punishments, vi%. perpetual Imprison
ment,aFine,orBanishment. ThisPrivilegewascall'dxssn-
vyLz&ai--, and was first enacted on the behalf of the Judges,
thatthey mightnotscrupletopassSentenceuponthosewho
by condemning themselves own'd their guilt. Socrates Was c a t c h ' d i n t h i s S n a r e ? , b u t X e n o p h o n t e s t i f i e s t h a t h e d i d n o t
condemnhimselfatall,andwouldnotallowhisFriendsto do it, because 'twas in effect: an acknowledgment of the Crime. Only,inobediencetotheLaws,andinordertopro claim his Innocence, instead of a Punishment, he demanded a Ktwardworthyoshimself. ' \ . 1? . s
Athenians,
? ? the Apology of Socrates. " 39
Athenians,thatI'llpitchuponwhat/deserve, Now, what is'tthatJmustcondemn my selfto,fornot concealingwhatGoodI'velearn'dinmy life-time, for flighting what others court very earnestly, I mean, Riches,careofDomestick Affairs,Officcs,Dig- nities; and for never embarking in a Party or en gagingin anyOffice, which thingsarecommonly practis'd in this our City ? J always look'd upon myselfasaManofmoreHonestyandGoodness, thantopreservemy Lifebysuchpitifulshifts. Be sides, you know, I never would engage in any Pro fession that did not enable me at once to promote your Advantage and my own-, and that my only Aim was, to be always in readiness to procure to
each of you in private the greatest of all good things, by persuading you not to setyour Mind up on your Possessions, till you had taken Care of your selvesinstudyingWisdom andPerfection;justas a City ought to be taken care of, before the things that belong to it 5 and in like manner every other ? rincipal thing is intitied to a preference in our
'houehts,beforeitsAppurtenances. AfteralltheseCrimes,whatismy demerit>
Doubtless,Athenians, ifyouproportiontheReward
to the Merit , I deserve some considerable Good, suitabletosuchaManaslam. Nowwhatis't that'ssuitableforapoorMan that'syourBenefactor,
and wants leisure and opportunity for Exciting and Exhorting you ? Nothing suits bitter with such a
Man, than to be entertain'd in the Frytanteum ;that's
more due to him than to those of you that have brought offthe Trophies of Victory from the Horses andChariotRacesintheOlympickGames. Forr^rt_
these Victors purchase you a seeming Happiness by dors were t h e i r V i c t o r i e s -, b u t a s f o r m e , I m a k e y o u r e a l l y ' >> << W >> p o >> happybymine. Besides,theystandnotinneedofasGods-
such a supply, but I do. Injusticetherefore you ought to adjudge m e a Recompence worthy of m y self; and to be maintain'd upon the Publick is no more than I deserve.
C c 4 Perhaps
? ? 4)>>
the 'Apology of Socratesi
Perhaps youmay chargeme withArroganceand Self-conceit in speaking thus to you, as you did but now, when I lppke against the Supplications and Prayers of Prisoners. But there'snothing ofthat in the cafe : Pray hear me.
"TisoneofmyMaxims,Thatknowinglyandwil lingly we ought not to do the least. harm to any Man. My timeissoshortthatIcannotuponthisOccasion staytorecommendittoyou. IfthesamwLawpre vails here that isobsery'd elsewhere, enjoyning that a Trial upon Life and Death should last not one butseveraldays, 1am persuaded1could make you sensibleofitsimportance. Buthow isitpossibleto
yvipeofFsomany Calumnies insoshortaspaceof time ? However, being conyinc'd that I ought to in jurenoMan, how. shouldIbehavetowardsmyself
if I own'd my self worthy of a Punishment, and pastedSentenceagainstmy self? What! ShouldI be afraid of the Punishment adjudg'd by Melitus, a Punishment that I cannot positively say whether 'tisGoodorEvil;andatthefametimepitchupon anotherfort ofPunishment,thatIamcertainisE:
vil? ShallIcondemnmy selftoperpetualImprison ment ? W h y should I live always a slave to the eleven Magistrates ? Shall it be a Fine, and continu ing in Prison till spay it > That ismuch at one, for Ihavenothingtopayitwith- Itremainsthenthat 1 should chuse Banishment, and perhaps you will
confirm my choice:But indeed, Athenians,Imust rjeeds be much blinded by the love of Life, it I didnotperceivethat,sinceyouwho aremy fellow-
Citizenscouldnotbrookmy ConversationandPrin ciples, but were always so. gall'd by them, that you w e r e n e v e r a t e a s e t i l l y p u g o t y o u r s e l v e s r i d o f m e -y much more will others be . unable to brook 'em.
That would bea pure way ofliving for Socrates^ at these Years to be expell'd Athens, and wander fromCitytoCitylikeaVagabondinExile! Iam very well satisfied, that wherever I went the younger fort would listen to rrie just as they do here : If J
thwart.
? ? the Apology of Socrates. j\.
thwart'em, they'llsolicittheirFatherstoexpelme-, and if I do not, their Parents and Kinsmen will ex: pelme upontheirAccount:
Butperhapslome Bodywillfay;Why,Socrates, when you go from hence, cannot you holdyour peace and live quietly I I fee plainly, that to persuade you toany thing, isa molt difficult Enterprises for ifI tell you that my silencewould bedisobedience to
God, and upon that account * I cannot hold my/iMa'l'i
peace ; you, will not believe me, youll look upon-ITfe? r
i 110 n. ? t ij? AE Happiness thewholeStoryasamysteriousIrony. ' Andifonco? fifls&
the other hand Jacquaint you, that a Man's greatestdiscoursing Happineis consists in discoursing of Vertue all the'ofrertue.
daysofhis Life, andentertaining himielfwithallMifewith-
theotherthingsyou haveheardmespeakof,eitheroutSeis in examining m y self or others, since a Life without ^aminati- examination is no Life : You'll believe m e yet less. <",""? fe'
However, 'tisjust as I tell you, tho' you cannot be lieveit. But,afterall,Iamnotaccuitom'dtothink my self worthy of any Punishment. Indeed, ifJ
w e r e r i c h , I. w o u l d a m e r c e m y s e l f i n s u c h a S u m a s
Imightbeabletopay. ButIamnotinaCondi
tion, unless you would allow the Fine to be propOr- tion'dtomy Indigency? ,andIbperhapsImight
make shifttopayaMina ofSilver. IndeedPlato,
who isherep^fent,andCrito,andCritobulus,and^>>Crown.
Apollodorus would haveme stretch itto30Minds,
which they'll,answer lor. And accordingly Iamerce
m y self in thirty Mind's, and I give you them for sooCrowns,. verycreditableSurety, ? ? :. , . ? . ';
Socrates baring amere'd himself in obedience to the Laws, the fudges tooktheMatterinfoConsideration,findwithoutanyre-r gardtotheVine,condemndhimtodie. AftertheSentencewot fronoune'd, Socrates began again, thus.
INdeed, Athenians, yourMmpatience and precipi tancy will draw upon you a great Reproach, and give the Envious occasion to censure your City, for
; * 'Twere impossible in Socrates to disobey God, and conceai theTruthshewasoblig'dto-reveal. WhatanobkExample js. thjsinaPagan! , . . .
con-
? ? ? z *
the Apology of Socrates?
condemningthatwileMan Socrates:Fortohighten the Scandal, they'llcall me Wise,tho'/ am not. Whereashadyoustaidbutashortwhile,mydeath hadcomeofitself,andthrownintoyourLapwhat younowdemand. YoufeemyAgehasrunthe most of itsround, and draws very near to a con clusion. J do not make this Address to all my Judges, but only to those that voted my Condemna tion. Do you thinkthatJhad beencondemn'd, if Ihadthoughtitmy Dutytotryeverymeansfor procuringmy Absolutionhandifso,doyouthinkJ had wanted persuasive and touching Expressions ? *Tis not such words that / have been wanting in, but in Boldness, in Impudence, and in a desire to gratifie you by telling you such Stories as you love to hear. Doubtless you had been infinitely well pleased, to ieeme cry,groan,whine,andstooptoalltheother meanshiftsthatarecommonlymadeuseofbyPri sonersatthisBar. Butuponthisoccasion,Ididnot thinkitmyDuty tostooptoanythingsobaseand scandalous;and now that theSentence ispast,I donotrepent ofavoidingtheIndignity,forIchule rather to die upon the Defence I'venow made, than to live by such Prayers and Supplications as you require. NeitherCivilnorMilitaryJusticeallows anhonestMantosavehisLifeanyhow. ForinDu elsithappensoftenthataMan mayeasilylavehis Lifebythrowingdown hisArms, andbeggingquar terofhisEnemy:Andinlikemannerinallother Dangers,aManthat'scapableofsayingordoing any thing, may hit upon a thousand Expedients for avoidingDeath. To escapedying, Athenians^\snot
ftultto swiftly,and ismuchharder toavoid. And accord- ffoidsbame ingly in this juncture, J w h o a m stiffand old, a m ibmVtath. 0I3y attack'd and overtaken by the slowest of the
twojwhereas my Accusers, who arevigorousand
strong, are catch'd by the swiftest^ I mean, Infamy.
Thus am Jabout to be deliver'd up toDeath by /. ; ? ? ? " ? '- ? your
,.
IjnkZuif- the greatestDifficulty ; shame falls in upon us more
? ? the Afohgy of Socrates. 4*
your Orders, and they (a) are furrender'dto Infa
my and Injustice by the Orders ofTruth. Jam
VerywellcontentedwithmySentence,andsoare they with theirs. ? Thus things are as they ought to
be, and our Shares could not have been more justly or better divided. - ^ " ? ? '? '? > ?
In the next place I have a mind to fbretel you, who have condemn'd me, what will be your fate* for I a m n o w just arriv'd at the Minute, (b) that a ? fordsaMan thesteddiestThoughts,andenableshim toProphesie,upontheapproachofDeath. Itell youthen,thatnosoonershallyouhaveputme to death, but (c)the Vengeance ofGod will pursue
you with more Cruelty than you have (hewn to me.
By riddingyoursolvesofme, youdesign'donlyto
throw offthe troublesome Task ofgivinganAc
c o u n t o f y o u r L i v e s -, b u t I t e l l y o u b e f o r e - h a n d , y o u
shallnotcompassyourEnd. ,:. , ,. ? ? A greater number of Persons will rife up and
censureyou. Tho' you perceiv'ditnot, 'twas my presence that has hitherto restrains 'em . But after my death, they will make you very uneafie-, and forasmuch as they are younger than I, will prove more troublesome and hard tobe ridof For if
you fanfie to your selves, that putting such Persons todeath isaneffectualway torestrainothers,and prevent their upbraiding you,you are m u c h mistaken,
s (a) Socrates is condemn'd by the Injustice of Men, but his Judges-arecondemn'dbytheOrdersofTruth. Thuswere {he isthmians only criminal, both with respect to Godindis-! Owning Socrates'sGod; and trampling under foot the the Ora cle ofApollo;andwithrespecttoMenindebauchingthe Youth, particularly Alcibiad. es, Hissomens, Critias, and an infii nite Number of others. Max. de Tyr.
(b) At the point ofDeath Mens Thoughts are fleddier,than in the career ofLife;because atthat time Passionisder thron'd,andtheSoulbeginstoretrieveitsLiberty. Thiswas
Homer's Opinion ; and there's no difficulty in tracing a higher source for it,than that Poet ;? .
? (c) This Prediction was fulfill'd in a raging Plague that soon after laid Athens desolate ; and all the Misfortunes that pver-runthisinjustRepublick, andindeedallGrttce,wereta
ken for a certainMark of Divine Vengeance,
>. ->? :;;, . ? <<? . :. . -. r /- that ?
? ? ? 4
2&e Apology of Socrates. 1
Thatway ofridding yourselvesofyourCensors,
is neither honest rior practicable. A better way,
which is at once very easie and honest, is,not to stop
theirMouths,buttoamendyourLives. Somuch
for those who voted my Condensation.
As foryou, Athenians^ who g\\TeyourVotes for
my Absolution, I would gladly discourseyou,while the Head Magistrates are busie, till J be carried to thePlaceofExecution: IbegthereforeaMinute's Audience,forsincewehavesomuchtime,whymay
notwe-confertogether. Imeantorepresenttoyou a thing that happen'd to me but now, and give you to understand what it imports- Tis a marvellous
ThtVnjitsi thing, my fudges (for in calling you my Judges I donotde-am nr>tataumistaken)thatImetwithbutnow.
mL'rf TneDivinetaw,thathasadvis'dmesooften,and lodges, upontheleastoccasionneverfail'dtodivertme ' from whatever I mean'd to pursue, that was not
fit for me ? ,this Law has not given me any sign thisday,onwhichIhavemetwithwhatmostMen take to be the greatest of Evils : It did not discover it self to me, neither in the morning when I came (d) from my House, nor when I enter'd this Hall, norwhen Jbegantospeak. 'Atothertimesitfre quently inrerrupted me in the middle of my Di s c o u r s e ? , b u t t h i s d a y i t h a s n o t t h w a r t e d m e i n a n y thingthatIdefign'deithertofayortodo. Now Iam abouttotellyouwhat thismeans. Itis. very probable thatwhatIam now toencounterisa ve ry great Good ^ for certainly 'tis a mistake to look uponDeathasanEvil. AndforanevidentProof of thecontrary,let'sconsider,that,ifIhad notbeen to meet with some good thing to day, God, under whose Care I am* would not have fail'd to acquaint me,pursuanttohisusualCustom. Let'sfathom the depth of this Matter, in order to demonstrate that the beliesof Death's being a good thing, is a Well-grounded Hope.
(d) ForSqcratciwas not ImprisonedtilafterhisCondenv naticn.
One
? ? Ifa Apology of Socrate?
4 i
One of these two things must be true, (a) Either Death is a privation of Thought, or it is the Soul's PassagefromonePlacetoanother. Ifitbeapri-- vationofThought, and,as'twere,apeaceableSleep undisturb'd by Dreams, then to die is great gain. After one Night of such Tranquility, free from di- sturbance,Care,or theleast Dream $I'm confidentsa ManweretocomparethatNightwithalltheother Nights and Days ot his past Life, and were oblig'd totellinConference and inTruth,how manyNights or Days of his whole Life time he had pasted more happily than that one : I'm confident, / lay, thatnot
only a private Vlan,but the great King himself,wou'd
find so small a Number, that it would be very easie
tocount'em. NowifDeathdoesinanymeasure
resemble such a Night, I have justly given itthe Ap p e l l a t i o n o f g r e a t g a i n ? , s i n c e , i t s w h o l e t i m e i s o n l y
a long continued N;;ht.
If Death be a Paiiage from this Place to another,
and theRr^ionsbelowareaPlaceofRendezvous for those who liv'd here-, pray, my Judges, what greater Good cana Man imagine? Forisa Man quits his counterfeit Judges here, for true ones in the Regions below,who, they fay administerJusticewith lb much Equity, such as Minos^ Rhadamanthus^ AEz- cmt Tripto/emus, and all the other Demi Gods, who weresojustinthisLifejwillnotthatbeahappy
(a) By this Dilemma Socrates does not call in question the Immortality of the Soul, but points to the two Opinions of Philosophers,some ofwhom thoughttheSoulfellwith the Body; and others,that,theformer l'urviv'dthe latter. Now
h e o f f e r s t o p r o v e t h a t D e a t h is n o t ill i n e i t h e r o f t h e s e O p i nions : For, fays he, if the Soui dies, 'tisannihilated, and con sequently voidofThought; and ifitsurvives,we arehappier afterDeaththanbefore. SomedecrySocrates'sRatiocination-, in alledging a third state of the Soul, where after death it stays to undergo the Punishment due to its Crimes. But that's ameerQuibble; for SocratesspeaksonlyofgoodMen,who havingobey'dGod, mayexpectablessedImmortality:For '
he likewise taught that the Wicked suffer eternal Punishment intheWorldtocome;asweshallfeeinhisVhedon:And he did not in the least pretend that those Wretches had no occasion to scar Death-
change ? '
? ? '46 the Apology of Socrates. ' . . . .
change ? At what rate would not you purchase a
faeranh ConferencewithMuseus,Hejiod,andHomer? For, thesethree m v parti if fuch a thing be practicable, I'd die a
ThTItfe'-thousandtimestoenjoysogreataPleasure. What ing'theAu-transportsof joyshallIencounter, when ImeetFa-
thorsosthe lamedes, Ajax the Telamonian, and all the other He- ? PaganTbe-roes0fAntiquity,who inthisLife were Victimsof
a? 3'
Injustice! How agreeablewillitbetoputmyAd
ventures in the Balance with theirs ! But the infi nitely greatest and most valuable Pleasure will con sist in spending the time in putting Questions and Interrogatories to those great Men, (b) in order to strike out the distinction between the truly Wise, and thosewhofalflyfanfiethemselvestobesuch. Who wouldnot giveallhehasinthisWorld foraCon- ference with him who led the numerous Army a- gainst Trey, or U/yJfes or Sisyphus, and iooboo o- therMenandWomen,whoseConversationandDis coveries would afford an inexpressible Felicity? TheseMen areinfinitelymorehappythanwe,and invested with Immortality. Upon which Account, my Judges,yououghttoencounterDeathwithsted<< dy Hopes, as being persuaded of this certain Truth,
THoEyilcon(c)thatanhonestMan needsfearnoEvil,eitherin betidethe thisorthefutureLife,andthattheGodstakeCare fusteither 0fa\\his Concerns:For what has now happen'd
fJurliife t0 me' is so t3Ll ftom bein? the eifect of Chance, thatJam fullyconvinced,5tisinfinitelybetterfor m e to die, and be rid of the encumbrances of this
Lite. And for thatreason, God who regulatesmy
Conduct, did not thwart me to day; So thatJ
Q>) By interrogating them upon all the Adtions of their Life, and the Keasons that influene'd 'em :For Socrates here speaks oftheWisdom they were reallypossess'dof, or fan nedthemselvestopossessinthisWorld;anddoesnotatall imply that any in a blessed State are capable of believing themselvesWifewhentheyarenot.
(c) This was the presumption ofa Heathen, who was ig norant of the fatal effects of Sin and Corruption ; for which thejustestoughtalways totremble. SothatthisMaxim of Socratesisomy applicabletothosejwhoseSinsthroughGod's Mercy are not imputed to them,'
have
? ? The Jpology of SocratfiS. <$
have no Resentment against my Accusers of those who voted my Condemnation-, notwithstanding that they mean'd, not to do m e any Kindness, but to prejudice me, which might afford m e justgrounds of Complaint. OnethingIhavetobegof'emisthis* ThatwhenmyChildrengrowup,iftheymakeyou uneafie,asJdid,thatyou*wouldpunisli'emse verely. But if you find that they prefer Riches to Vertue, and take themselves to be somewhat, when i n e f f e c t t h e y a r e n o t h i n g -, p r a y b e n o t w a n t i n g i n checking them, and exposing them, for not minding those things which deserve all their Care, and be lievingthemselvestobewhattheyarenot But now,'tistrue,we shouldallretiretoourrespective Offices,youtolive,andItodie. Butwhetheryoa or I are going upon the better Expedition , t *ts knowntononebutGodalone.
* Socratesisfo contentto dieforthefake ofJusticeJt&at he desir'd his Judges to treat his Children in the fame fashion, if so be they prov'd so happy as to give 'em the lame troublethathe did;thatis,if,theymade ittheirbusinessto correct their Injustice, their Idolatry, and all their other Vices.
t SocratesdidnotspeakthisoutofIgnorance,forheknew very well that the Just were happier in their Death, than the WickedintheirLife. ButthePeoplethathadbutjustcon- demn'dhim, werenotinaConditiontorelishthatMaxim; upon whichaccountSocratestells'em,thatGod. atoneknew;and accordingly G o d quickly gave 'em all to k n o w the difterence betweentheFateofSocratesandthatofhisJudges. The ^ithenians repented their putting to death an innocent Person, and publickly lamented the lossof him, whom they had condemn'dbyapublickSentence. TheSchoolsandPlaces for Exercise were shut up ? ,Socrates's Statue was erected, and a ChappelconsecratedtohisMemoryjandhisAccuserspro
secuted. Melituswas torninpieces,AnytutwasexpeU'athe Heradeawhere heslielter'd;andalltheAbettorsoftheCon- lpiracy, were look'd upon as cursed, and excommunicated, and reduc'dto such a pitch of Despair, that most of 'em hid Violent Hands on themselves.
THfc
? ? &
THE
INTRODUCTION TO
drita !
SOcrates,inhisApology, hasfurnisli'duswithah admirable Model of an honest Man's Defences1, when unjustly arraign'd. . And in,this Dialogue, whichisIntituled,Ofwhat istobedone,hegivesus
a yet more perfect Plan of the Conduct of a good M>>, andtheObedienceheowes toJusticeandthe Laws, even in dying when they require it, tho' at the fametime'twereeafieforhim toescape. While Socrateslay inPrison,JjisFriendsbeingmorecon cerns forhisLifethanhimself,hadretain'dtheGoa- ler. Every thing was in readiness for accomplish inghisEscape-yand Critogoesinto thePrisonbe foreday,totellhimthegoodNews, andpersuade him not to flight the precious Opportunity. So crates hears him, and commends his Zeal : But be fore he would comply, startsthe Question,Whe theritwasjustforhim todepartthePrison,with out the Conient of the Athenians. So that the Pointtobedecided inthisDialogue,is,whethera Man unjustly condemn'd to die, can innocently withdraw himself from the hand of Justice and. the Law. SecrateswastheonlyManofthe"Agehe liv'd in, that call'd that in Question $ and, which isyetmore surprising,were he now alive,hewould betheonlyManinthisourAge. Allthatwefee beforeourEyes,orreadofinourHistories;ina word, all the Instances of what Men have done
through
? ? the Intw&u&ion toCrito. " 4?
through the love of Life aiid the fear of Death, have so debauch'd our Judgmehts, that w e are scarce ca pable to judge of what true Justice requires, and are apt to call everjr thing Just, that's universally pra- ctis'd. Now therecannotbeamore capitalError. However, since the Conduct of a Heathen, that chose rather to die than to break the Course of Justice, would seem to u$ the effect of Folly or strong Pre
judice-, let's try ifwe can hit upon any solid Rule t h a t m a y r e c l a i m tis b y its A u t h o r i t y , a n d c o n v i n c e us by its Light. The Christian Religion affords a greatmany such: But we shall'confine our selvesto one, which in a sovereign degree is justly intitled toboththeseCharacters. St. PaulbeinginPrisonill Macedonia,one Night thePrisonDoors open'd and hisChainsdropp'doff*andheWassofarfrommi kinghisEscape,thathehinder'dotherstodoit. Pe terbeingimprison'd byHerod,who hadresolv'dto put him to death after the Passover,made hisEscape theNightbeforetheDayofExecution. Buthow didhedoit>Goddidnotcontenthimselfwithun locking his Chains, andopeningthe PrisonDoors, but sent an Angel who push'd him on, and forc'd him to go along. This was the Conduct of the Saints. Tho'thePrisonbeopen,theydonotoffer tomaketheirEscape. NothinglessthananAngel
canoblige'emtodeparrthePrison. Socrates,who was no Saint, but follow'd as close as possible the lame Light that guides and illuminates the Saints, observes the fame Conduct : They open'd the Pri son and unty'd his Chains, but his Angel was silent, and he would notstir. He preferr'dan innocent Deathbeforea criminalLife:Butbeforehecame to a Resolution, he heard the Reasons ofhis Friend, who- speaks with a great deal offeree, and omits nothing that could move him : And after that, with a Divine Eloquence, confronted him with incontesta ble Maxims, grounded upon Truth and Justice, in which one may trace the Rays of the Evangelical Doctrine* viz. That we ought to flight the Opinions\
Efd' of
? ? jo
The fatrodu&ioB to Crito.
osMen, andregardonlytheJudgmentofGod;that it is not living, but living well, that should be our wish; that Justice is the life, and Injustice the death os the Soul ; that we ought not to injure our Ene
mies, or resent the Injuries we receive ; that 'tis bettertodie,thantoJinhthatwe mustobeytheLaw ofourCountry-,thattheInjustice osMen cannotju- fiisieourdisrespeStotheLaws ;andthattheLawsof this World have Sister-Laws in the other, which re
venge the Affronts put upon ''em here.
These were the Principles that Socrates went up
on. Those who take the pains to examine 'em and weigh their Consequences, will be fully satis fied,not onlythatSocratesactedthepartofanho nestManinrefusingtomakehisEscape,butlike wise that he could not be a good M a n if he did
otherwise. And 'twas with this view, that ? >uin- tilian laid, This Philosopher, by quitting the small remainder of his Life, retriev'd all the former Part of his Life, and likewise gain'd a Life to all Ages. Tis such Thoughts as these that our Soul should always have in view, in order to keep out Vice ; for if once we relent and allow the Enemy to gain
some ground, under a specious Pretence and a ta<< king Appearance, it will quickly master all, and overrun all the Banks that ,should stop itscourse.
CRITO;
? ? CRITO: Or,Ofwhatweoughttodo.
Socratesand Criiol
Soc. \ 7 \ 7Hat'sth<<matteryoucomeheresosoon, y y Crito? AsItakeit,'tisyetveryearly*
Crit. Tis true.
Sec. What a Clock may itbe then ?
Crit. A little before the break of DayJ
Soc. I wonder the Goaler let you in. Crit. HeisoneIknowverywell. Ihavebeen
withhimhereoften;and he isin some measure bblig'd to me.
Soc. Areyou butjustcome? Or,isitlongsince you came ?
Crit. I have been here a pretty while.
Soc,Why didnotyouawaken me then,when
you came in? ?
Crit. Pray God forbid Socrates. For my ownT^ttaiu
part I would gladly shake off the Cares and Anxiety socrateso* that keep my Eyesfrom closing. But when Ien-theEyesre-
ter'd this Room, I wonder'd to find you so found a-feedingbis sleep, and was loth to awaken you, that I might Deat1''
notrobyouofthesehappyMinutes. Indeed,So-. . crates, ever since I knew you, I have been always %rf*JJt~- charm'dwithyourPatienceandcalmTemper5bmTatiead, in a distinguishing manner in this juncture, since in
the Circumstances you are in, your Eye looks so ea- fieand unconcern'd.
Soc. Indeed,Crito. itwouldbeagreatindecencyin oneofmyAgetobeapprehensiveofDeath.
Crit. Ay ! And how many do we see every day, underthelikemisfortunes,whom Agedoe'snotex emptfromthoseFearsI
Soc^That'strue. Butafterall,whatbroughtyou hither so early >
Crit, I came to tell you a troublesome piece of4 D d ? Mews,
51
? ? si
Crito : Or, O f what we ought to do.
News,which,tho'theymay notseemtoaffectyou, yettbfy overwhelmboth me andallyour Relati onsandFriendswithunfufferableGrief Infine,I bring the most terrible News that ever could be brought.
Soc. What News >IstheShip arriv'dfromDe/os, uponthereturnofwhichIamtodie?
Grit, It is not yet arriv'd $ but without doubt it will be here this day according to the Intelligence wehavefromsomePersonsthatcamefiomSunium andleftitthere. Foratthatrate,itcannotfailof being there to day, and Ib to morrow you must un avoidably die.
Soc. Why not,Crito? Beitso,since*fistheWill ofGod. However,IdonotbelievethatVeflelwill arrive this day.
Crit. What do you ground that Conjecture upon?
Soc. I'lltellyou. Iam nottodietillthedayas ter the arrival of the Veflel.
Crit. At least those w h o are to execute the Sen tence,fay so.
Soc. That Vessel will not arrivetill to morrow, as I conjecture from a certain Dream I had this Night,aboutaMinuteago. (a)Anditleemsto meahappinessthatyoudidnotawakenme.
Crit. Well,whatistheDream>
Socrates'* Soc. Ithought,IfewaveryhandsomcomelyWo- remarkaUe man, cladinwhite,come uptome, who calling me vream. by. Namesaid,(b)Inthreedaystbwjhattbeinthe
^ d " ? " " fertile Phthia. Achilles*
Country.
/-. ? . \ftt.
(a) He speakson this fashion, because"the Dream? ofthe morningwerelook'duponasmoredistinctandtrue. Certiora & co/atiorafomniariaffirmantsubextimitiwttibm, quasijamemer genteanlmarum-vigore,producT-osopore, Tertul. deAnima.
{b) In the s>th Book of the Iliads, Achilles threatning to re tire, lays to Vlyfses,After to morrow you /halt fee the Hellespont coyerA with my Ships, and if Neptune afford me a happy Voyage, in threedaysI(hall arriyeatthefertilePhthia. TwaS thislast VersethatSocrateshadfromtheMonthoftheWomaninhis Dream; for ourDreams always bear a proportion to our G*~ n. m'si Habits,and ways of thinking. Noting can be astronger
Evidence
? ? Crito: Or,Ofwhatweoughttodo} ys
Crit. That's a very strange Dream, Socrates. ? Soc. Tisa verysignificantone,CW/0.
Crit. Yes,withoutdoubt. Butforthistime,pri thee,Socratestakemy Advice, andmake your Es
cape. Forrnypart,ifyoudie,besidestheirrepara-* **/#>> blelossofaFriend,whichIwillever lament,IamTttfUtm
afraidthatagreatmanyPeople,whoarenotweU^TM7*\ acquainted neither with you nor me, will believe M m con- thatIhave forsaken you,innot employing my in-J***'**? terest for promoting your Escape,nowthat'tisindu? ril1>><*
my Power. Is there any thingmore scandalous,SS. *^ thantolieunder the disreputeofbeingwedded tohicL. myMoneymorethanmyFriend? For,inshort,the People will neverbelieve, that'twasyou who re-
fus'd to go from hence when we pressed you to be gone.
Soc. My dearCrito,whyshouldwe besomuch
concern'd for the Opinion of the People ? Is it not
enough, that the more sensible part, who are the , onlyMen weoughttoregard,knowhowtheCase
stands ? '
Crit. But you fee, Socrates, there'sa necessity of
beingconcern'd fortheNoiseoftheMob? ,foryour Example is a sufficient instance, that they are capa ble ofdoing not only small but thegreatest of Inju ries, and display their Passion in an outragious man
ner, against those w h o are once run d o w n by the vul gar Opinion.
Soc. * Would to God, Crito, the People were ca pable to do the greatest of Injuries ! Were itso,they
Evidence of the gentle and easie Thoughts that Socrates had of Death, thanhisApplicationofthisPassage,bywhich here- ? -esentsDeathasafortunateVoyage toone'sownCountry,
he Grammarians, w h o are always ty'd up to the Letter,were never able to point out the Beauty and Delicacy of this Pas sage:Forthey onlyturn'ditinto acoarseIdeaofDeath, upon the resemblance of the word,Tbtbia with pStcnr, to cor- rust, as if a Grecian could ever have mistaken ipSin tox<p$i<n<.
* This is a noble Principle of Socrates'%.
