Only,inobediencetotheLaws,andinordertopro claim his Innocence, instead of a Punishment, he
demanded
a Ktwardworthyoshimself.
Plato - 1701 - Works - a
Inef- .
- fe&nog0(jyknowsDeath;noBodycantell,but jfht]x itmaybethegreatestBenefitofMankind;andyet greyestBe-Men areafraidon't,asifthey knew certainlythat meptojustitWere the greatestofEvils.
Now isnotthisa
*^"- scandalous Ignorance, for M e n to fanfie they k n o w what they do not know *
For m y part I differ in that Point from all other Men, and ifin any thing I seem more wise than they, it is in this, That, as I do not know what passes in the Regions below, so I do not pretend
P>fi6e&- toknowit. AllthatIknowisthis,Thatthere's mcetoournothingmore criminal orscandalous,thantobe
^TZ]" " Sutity of an unjust thing, and to disobey those who *TwW asebetterthanwe,orplac'daboveus,whetherGods *>>. *shame-orMen. SothatIshallneyerdreadorendeavour
,'~: we
? ? the Apology,of Socrates? ajj
we havenoregard tothe AllegationsofAnytus: We dismiss and absolveyou, butuponthisCondi tion, that you shall give over the proper suit of your Philosophy and wonted Enquiries -,and in case you be found guilty of a relapse, you shall certainly die. Ifyoucastmy AbsolutionupontheseTerms,' I answer you, Athenians, That I honour and love you, but that I'll rather obey God than you ? ,and that while I live 111 never abandon the exercise of Philosophy, in admonishing and checking you ac cordingtomy usualCustom,andaddressingmy self to every one I meet in this fashion : Sinceyou areso boneftaMan, andaCitizenofthefamousestCityin the World, equally renown*d for Wisdom and Valour; are notyou afbairidto make ityour wholebusiness to amassRiches,and topurchaseGlory,CreditandHo' nour;andatthesametime toflight thetreasures of Prudence, Truth, and Wisdom, and not to think of
improving your Soul to the highest Perfection it isca
pable of ? If any M a n denies this to be his Cafe, and maintains that he minds the Concerns of hisSoul,*&*? is*
I will not take his word ior't-, but I'llinterrogate,t^vLa, examine and confutehim;ifIfindthatheisnotaself<<? <- trulyVertuous,butmakes ashewofbeingsuch,I'll>><<<<6<<* m a k e h i m a s h a m ' d , a n d t w i t h i m w i t h h i s i g n o r a n c e , "f" inpreferringvileand perishingthings,tothosewhich
are infinitely more valuable, and will never part from us.
InthisfashionWillIdiscoursetheYoungand the O l d , t h e C i t i z e n s a n d F o r e i g n e r s ? , b u t a b o v e a l l , y o u
Citizens,forwhomIammostconcern'd. For,be itknowntoyou,thatIamcommissionsbyGodso
to do ; and I'm fully persuaded that your City ne
ver enjoy'd so great an Advantage, as this my con tinuedServicetoGod. Allmybusinessistoper suade you, both Young and Old, that you ought not todoatsomuchuponyourBody,yourRiches,and otherthingsyou arefondof,butshouldloveyour^Xod
Souls. Ievertellyou,thatVertuedoesnotflowthingsare from Riches; but on the contrary, that Riches*hefroduel
spring? fVertue-
, .
? ? ^b
the Apology of Socrates. 1
spring from Vertue 5 and that all other Advantages accruingtoMen, whetherinpublickorprivatesta tions, take rife from the fame Fountain.
If by speaking these things I corrupt the Youth, then, of necessity, the Poyfon must lie in those M a xims. Forifthey allegethatIadvanceany thing different from these, they either are mistaken, or imposeuponyou. Afterthat,I,haveonlytosay, that whether you do as Anytus desires or not : Whe. ther you dismiss me, or detain me, I shall never act contrary to theirs tho' I were to die for it a thou?
iand times* Be not disturb'd, Athenians, at what I'vesaid,butvouchsafe me thefavourofapatient Hearing : As I take it, your Patience will not be iri vain, for I have several other things to acquaint youwith,whichmay beofusetoyou. Youmay assure your selves, that ifyou put me to death, me who loves your City so passionately, you'll preju diceyourselvesmorethanme. NeitherAnytusnor Melitus can hurtme ;*tisimpossiblerhey should.
*///Men*ForGoddoesnotpermitthatthebetterfortof ? TMnot*? j Men shouldbeinjur'dbythosewhoareworse. All
"julyla tin M e n m d Y ^ ^ US> or Put us t0 fl'gh^ or bespatter uji good, with Calumnies : And questionless Anytus and the
rest look upon these things as great Evils, but for m y partIam not Of theirOpinion. Inmy mind, the greatest ofallEvils^ is the doing what Anytus does in persecuting an innocent Person, and endeavouring totakeawayhisLifeby flagrantinjustice.
So that upon this occasion, Athenians, 'tis not outoflovetomyself,butoutoflovetoyou^that ImakethisDefence. Do notfinagainstGodby your Sentence, and prove unmindful of the Present hehasmadeyou. Forifyoucondemnmetodeath, ye will not easily light upon such another Citizen, whomGod hasunitedtoyourCity,flikeaFly
f W h e n Socrates lays, They would look upon his Comparison at ri diculous ; he twits the Athenians with the delicacy and nicenefs oftheirEarsandtaste:FortheComparisonisnotatallri- dicmous,asbeingmuchthefamewiththatmadeuseofbythe PropuetJeremiah,46. 20. EgyptislikedyiryfairHeifer,butit' firuclion cometb out of the1{orth. id
? ? the Apology of Socrates. 3*
to a Horse (tho' perhaps you -may look upon the
Comparison as ridiculous) the Horfe being generous
and sprightly, but heavy by reason of his fatnefs,and
standing in need of something to rouze and awaken
him. AsItakeit,Godhaspitch'duponme,to rouze and sour you up,and to be always among you : v
And upon my word, you'll fcarce lighton another thatwillperformhisOfficeasIhavedone. So,if you believe me, you'll dismiss me.
Butperhaps,likeMenawaken'dwhentheyhaue a mindtosleep, you'llbeuneafie,andrejectmy Ad vice, and in compliance with Anytus's Passion will condemnmeuponveryflightgrounds. Letitbeso. But thenyou'llpassthe remainderofyourLifeina profound Lethargy, unleis God take a particular Careofyou,andsendyouanotherManlikeme.
But<omakeitoutthat'tisGodwhounitedme to your City, I present you with an infallible Proof, viz. That there's something more than human in my neglectingmy own privateAffairsfor somany Years, and devoting m y self wholly to your Interest, by taking you aside one after another^ like a Father oranelderBrother,andincessantlyexhortingyou to apply your selves to Vertue.
HadIreap'danyBenefitorAdvantagebymyEx hortations, you might have something to lay : But you seemy very Accusers, who revileme with so much Impudence, have not had the face to charge me withthat,nortooffertheleastevidenceofmy demandingany Reward:Andbesides,my Poverty isanEvidenceforme thatcannotlye.
Tis possible some may think it strange and unac countable, that I should have meddled in giving pri vate Advices, and yet had not the Courage to ap pear in the Conventions of the People to assist m y CountrywithCounsel. Thethingthathinder'dme so to do, Athenians, was this Familiar Spirit, this Divine Voice, that ye have often heard m e Ipeak of,
andthatMelitushasendeavour'dsomuch toridi cule. ThisSpirithasstuckbymefrommy infancy: fTis
? ? 1^
the Apology of Socrates.
,Tis a Voice that does not speak but when itmeans t o t a k e m e o f f f r o m s o m e R e s o l u t i o n -, f o r i t n e v e r presses me, to, undertake any thing. It always thwarted me, when I mean'd to meddle in the Af fairs of State, and that very seasonably * for had I Imbarkeci in such matters, I had long ere now been out of the World, and had neither benefitted you normyself Pray,benotdisturb'difIspeakmy Mindwithoutdisguise. Whoeveroffersfranklyand generously to oppose the whole Body of a People, whether you or others, and means to hinder the commission of-Iniquity in the City ; will never escape with impunity. 'Tis absolutely necessary that he who standsupforJustice,shouldlivea plainprivate Life, remote from publick Stations. ,This I'llmake good, not by Words, but by matter of Fact j upon'
whichIknowyelaymuchstress. , . ,;
Give ear to the relation of m y Adventures, and
you'll find that I a m uncapable of yielding to any M a n , f o r f e a r o f D e a t h , i n a n u n j u s t t h i n g ? , a n d t h a t
byreasonofmy notcomplying,Imustunavoidably FallaSacrificetoInjustice. Iamabouttotalkof things that indeed are disagreeable, but at the fame time are very true, and such as have been transacted in your own Councils.
Youknow,Athenians, thatIneverbore anyMa gistracy (a), but was only a Senator. Our Antio- chian Tribe was just come in their turn to the Pry- tanmm, when contrary to all the Laws, you at the lame time resolv'd to indict the ten Generals, for not taking up and interring the Corps of those w h o were kiU'd or drown'd in the Sea Fight at the Isles(b) of Arginufe ; and would not condescend to try them separately : A piece of injustice that you afterwards
(a) The PeopleofJtbetuweredividedintoTribes,and so Men were chosen by turns out of each, who govern'd jf Days; and were call,d3>o*w>>*5 ? r Senators.
(b) This Battel was fought by Callkratides the Lacedemo nian General, against the ten Athenian Generals, who ob tainstheVictory. Fid. Xenofi. lib. i. Hisior. Grxc,
were
? ? the Apology of Socrates. ' \$
Were'sensibleof,and (a)regretted. Now IwastHe
Only Senator w h o upon that occasion dar'd to stand upandopposetheViolationoftheLaws. Iprd-
tested against your Decree, and notwithstanding all .
your MenacesandOut-ories,andtheAdvancesoftheXenophori Orators that were preparing an Accusation against&"*"*** me, I chose rather to endanger rny self on the side rlflimTM*
*>f the L a w and Justice, than to suffer m y self to o/Sooet- be frighted by Chains or Death into a tame compli- tes. ance with such horrid Iniquity;
This happen'dunder thepopularForm ofGovern ment ;? but after the establishment afOlig&rcky, the
thirtyTyrants(b);fentformeand 14moretothe (c)Tho/us, andorder'dustobring Leon from$a-Int,K%t
l a m i n a , i n o r d e r t o b e p u t t o d e a t h ? , f o r b y s u c h O r - I J j f l S "
ders they meant to cast the Odium of the ill Acti- ons upon several Persons. . Upon this occasion I gave'emtoknow,notbyWordsbutbyDeeds,that, tospeak coarfly, I made no accountofDeath, and thatmy onlyCarewastoavoidthecommissionof Impiety andInjustice. Notwithstanding thegreat ness of these 30 Tyrants, all their Power did not move or influence me to violate the Law and be tray my Conscience.
Upon ourdeparturefromtheTbolu's,theother fourWenttoSdlamnaandbroughto&Leon? ,andas
sotme, Iretifd tomy House5and doubtless my Disobedience had been punilh'd by death, had not that Form of Government been establish'd soon af ter. ThereareWitnessesenoughtovouchforthe Truth of all that I advance.
N o w judge your selves if I could have liv'd so manyYears,hadIemhark'd intheAffairsofState: Tls so far from that, Athenians, that neither I nor
(a) They afterwards repented of what they, had done, and order'd the Seducers of the People to be prosecuted for De famation.
(b) The 30 Tyrants were set up in the first Year of the 94th Orymp. being the 54th or 65th of Socrutes'sAge.
(0 The Tholu*wasafort ofClerksOffice,wheretheVri- uni dined, and the Clerks fate.
Cc any
? ? 24
The Apology ofSoctates.
anyMan livingcouldhavedoneit. However,you lee the only thing I always aim'd at, whether in pub- lick or private, was never to go along with any Man, no, not with Tyrants themselves, in an unjust thing.
As for the young People,whom my Accusers would havepalsformy Disciples,IaffirmthatI nevermadeaTradeofteaching. Indeed,ifanyPer sons, whether young or old,were at any time desirous tofeemeandhearmy Principles,Ineverdeclin'd t o g i v e ' e m s a t i s f a c t i o n ? , f o r a s I d o n o t s p e a k f o r
Money,soIwillnotholdmypeaceforwantofit. I a m at all times equally free to the Rich and the Poor, and willing to give 'em all possible leisure for a s k i n g t h e i r Q u e s t i o n s ? , o r , i f a n y o f ' e m c h u s e r a
ther to hear me, I give 'em satisfaction by answering
myown Questions:Andifanyofthesebefound,
ieithergood orbad,Iam neithertobepraisednor
blamed-,forIam nottheAuthoreitheroftheirgood
orbadQualities. Ineverengag'dtoteach'emany
thing,andineffectIneverdidteach'em. Ifanyof sem boasts that he ever heard from me, or was pri
vately taught any thing beside what I avow pub lickly to the whole World, you may assure your selveshe does not speak theTruth.
Ye have now heard, Athenians, the reason why most People love to hear me, and converse so long withme. IhavetoldyouthenakedTruth,viz, that they take a singular Pleasure in seeing those Menbaffledwho pretendtobewiseamiarenot. And that youknow isnot at alldisagreeable. I have likewise told you, that Ireceiv'd m y Orders so to do from God himself, by Oracles, Dreams, and all the other Methods which the Deity makes use of to make known his Pleasure to Men.
If Jdid not speak Truth, you might easily convict meOfaLye. For,had/debauch'dtheYouth,of necessitythosewho nowareold,andconsciousthat I perverted their Youth, would rise up and prosecute m e ; Or, if they did not, to be sure their Fathers, U n -
des*
? ? The Apology of Socrates? jj
ties, or Brethren, would find it their E>uty to de mand Revenge upon the Debaucher of their Sons, NephewsorBrethren. Now, Iseemanyofthose here present, particularly Crito the Father of this Critobulus^aMan ofthelameCityandAge with myself,LyfamostheSpbecian, FathertothisEf- ebines, Antypbo a Citizen ofCephi/ia and Father to Ep'igenes, and several others whose Brethren assist at this Meeting, as Nicoflratus Son to Zotidas and BrothertoTheodotus. TistrueTbeddotusisdead^ and so has no occasion for his Brother's assistance:
Besides those, I see Para/us the Son of Demodocus and BrothertoTbeages,AdimantusSonto Aristoand Brother to Plato w h o is n o w before you, Aiantodorui Brother to * Apollodorus^ and a great many more^ ofwhomMelitutwasoblig'dtohave pitch'dupon oneortwo atleastforWitnesses.
If it was an oversight in him, there's yet time
enough-,Iallowhimtodoitnow. Praylethim
name them, ifhe can. But you'll find, Athenians^ ' t i s q u i t e o t h e r w i s e ? , a l l t h e s e M e n , w h o s e C h i l d r e n ,
whose Brethren Melitus and Anytm alledge /have debauch'd and entirely ruin'd ; these very Men, t
lay,areallonmyside. Idonotoffertotakeshel terunder those whom Jhave debauch'd:Perhaps theymighthaveReasonsfordefendingme. ButJ j>uttheCaseupon. those,whom Jhavenotatallse- duc'd, M e n advanc'd in Years, and near Relations to
theseyoungMen:WhatotherReasonshouldmove them to protect: me, but my Innocence and rightful Title? Do not they know thztMe/itus isa Lyar,and thatIadvancenothingbutwhat istrue? These,A- thenianS) are Arguments that may be urgM in my Defence:And the others, which 1pals overinsi lence, are of the fame force and weight.
*thisjifdlodormwaslikewisepresent. HewasaManof averyweakHead,butonethatlov'dSocratesentirely. Wheri Socrates was condemn'd, and going to Prison, he cry'd out, ThatWhichafflictsme most, Socrates, istofeeyoudieininnocenct. SocratesstroakinghisHeadwith hisHand,smil'd an<$said, My FritHdf win Id you fdtlitrfuftit dit in g>>Ut ?
Cc2 Bat
? ? the Apology of Socrates.
But perhaps there are some among yon, who Cal ling to mind their being formerly arraign'd in the same Place where I now stand, will be incens'd a- gainst me, upon the account, that when they were in much lessdanger they made suppliant Addresses to their Judges with Tears, and to move their C o m passion more effectually, presented their Children,
with their Friends and Relations in this Place-, whereas I have no recourse to such Refuges, not withstanding that in ail probability I run the most
dangerousRisquethatcanbe. 'Tispossible,Ifay, that the consideration of this Difference may whet theirPassionagainstme, andmovethemtocastme with Indignation.
I a m unwilling to believe that there are any such h e r e ? , b u t i f t h e r e b e , t h e m o s t r e a s o n a b l e E x c u s e I
canplead,isthis:Ihave Relarionsaswellasthey
have. To useHomer'sExpression,Iamneithersprung fromOaknorStone,butambornlikeotherMen. I have three Sons, the eldest of w h o m 'is yet young, and the other two are but Infants : And yet I shall not bring 'em hither to get my selfclear'd upon the
Consideration of them. Now,whatisthereasonthatIwon'tdoit>'Tis
neither a proud stiffnessof Humour, nor any con t e m p t o f y o u -, a n d a s f o r m y f e a r i n g o r n o t f e a r i n g Death, that is another Question : 'Tis only with re spect to your Honour and that of the whole City, thatIdeclineit. For'tisneitherhandsomnorcre
ditable, either for you or me, to make use of such means at my Yeats, and under such a Reputation as
I have ; 'tis no matter whether it is merited or un m e r i t e d ? , s i n c e ' t i s s u f f i c i e n t t h a t b y a n O p i n i o n g e n e -
nerally receiv'd, Socrates has the advantage of most Men. IfrhosewhopassamongyouforMen ofan uncommon Rank, preferable to the rest for Wisdom, Courage, or any other Vertue, should stoop to such unaccountable bale and mean Actions, as ifthey were apprehensive of some great Evil accruing to them upon your condemning them to die, and expected
Im-
? ? The Jpolagy of Socrates. 37
Immortality by vertue of your Absolution : If these
Men, Ilayshouldbeguiltyofsuchmeanness,they'd
a f f r o n t t h e . 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.
*^"- scandalous Ignorance, for M e n to fanfie they k n o w what they do not know *
For m y part I differ in that Point from all other Men, and ifin any thing I seem more wise than they, it is in this, That, as I do not know what passes in the Regions below, so I do not pretend
P>fi6e&- toknowit. AllthatIknowisthis,Thatthere's mcetoournothingmore criminal orscandalous,thantobe
^TZ]" " Sutity of an unjust thing, and to disobey those who *TwW asebetterthanwe,orplac'daboveus,whetherGods *>>. *shame-orMen. SothatIshallneyerdreadorendeavour
,'~: we
? ? the Apology,of Socrates? ajj
we havenoregard tothe AllegationsofAnytus: We dismiss and absolveyou, butuponthisCondi tion, that you shall give over the proper suit of your Philosophy and wonted Enquiries -,and in case you be found guilty of a relapse, you shall certainly die. Ifyoucastmy AbsolutionupontheseTerms,' I answer you, Athenians, That I honour and love you, but that I'll rather obey God than you ? ,and that while I live 111 never abandon the exercise of Philosophy, in admonishing and checking you ac cordingtomy usualCustom,andaddressingmy self to every one I meet in this fashion : Sinceyou areso boneftaMan, andaCitizenofthefamousestCityin the World, equally renown*d for Wisdom and Valour; are notyou afbairidto make ityour wholebusiness to amassRiches,and topurchaseGlory,CreditandHo' nour;andatthesametime toflight thetreasures of Prudence, Truth, and Wisdom, and not to think of
improving your Soul to the highest Perfection it isca
pable of ? If any M a n denies this to be his Cafe, and maintains that he minds the Concerns of hisSoul,*&*? is*
I will not take his word ior't-, but I'llinterrogate,t^vLa, examine and confutehim;ifIfindthatheisnotaself<<? <- trulyVertuous,butmakes ashewofbeingsuch,I'll>><<<<6<<* m a k e h i m a s h a m ' d , a n d t w i t h i m w i t h h i s i g n o r a n c e , "f" inpreferringvileand perishingthings,tothosewhich
are infinitely more valuable, and will never part from us.
InthisfashionWillIdiscoursetheYoungand the O l d , t h e C i t i z e n s a n d F o r e i g n e r s ? , b u t a b o v e a l l , y o u
Citizens,forwhomIammostconcern'd. For,be itknowntoyou,thatIamcommissionsbyGodso
to do ; and I'm fully persuaded that your City ne
ver enjoy'd so great an Advantage, as this my con tinuedServicetoGod. Allmybusinessistoper suade you, both Young and Old, that you ought not todoatsomuchuponyourBody,yourRiches,and otherthingsyou arefondof,butshouldloveyour^Xod
Souls. Ievertellyou,thatVertuedoesnotflowthingsare from Riches; but on the contrary, that Riches*hefroduel
spring? fVertue-
, .
? ? ^b
the Apology of Socrates. 1
spring from Vertue 5 and that all other Advantages accruingtoMen, whetherinpublickorprivatesta tions, take rife from the fame Fountain.
If by speaking these things I corrupt the Youth, then, of necessity, the Poyfon must lie in those M a xims. Forifthey allegethatIadvanceany thing different from these, they either are mistaken, or imposeuponyou. Afterthat,I,haveonlytosay, that whether you do as Anytus desires or not : Whe. ther you dismiss me, or detain me, I shall never act contrary to theirs tho' I were to die for it a thou?
iand times* Be not disturb'd, Athenians, at what I'vesaid,butvouchsafe me thefavourofapatient Hearing : As I take it, your Patience will not be iri vain, for I have several other things to acquaint youwith,whichmay beofusetoyou. Youmay assure your selves, that ifyou put me to death, me who loves your City so passionately, you'll preju diceyourselvesmorethanme. NeitherAnytusnor Melitus can hurtme ;*tisimpossiblerhey should.
*///Men*ForGoddoesnotpermitthatthebetterfortof ? TMnot*? j Men shouldbeinjur'dbythosewhoareworse. All
"julyla tin M e n m d Y ^ ^ US> or Put us t0 fl'gh^ or bespatter uji good, with Calumnies : And questionless Anytus and the
rest look upon these things as great Evils, but for m y partIam not Of theirOpinion. Inmy mind, the greatest ofallEvils^ is the doing what Anytus does in persecuting an innocent Person, and endeavouring totakeawayhisLifeby flagrantinjustice.
So that upon this occasion, Athenians, 'tis not outoflovetomyself,butoutoflovetoyou^that ImakethisDefence. Do notfinagainstGodby your Sentence, and prove unmindful of the Present hehasmadeyou. Forifyoucondemnmetodeath, ye will not easily light upon such another Citizen, whomGod hasunitedtoyourCity,flikeaFly
f W h e n Socrates lays, They would look upon his Comparison at ri diculous ; he twits the Athenians with the delicacy and nicenefs oftheirEarsandtaste:FortheComparisonisnotatallri- dicmous,asbeingmuchthefamewiththatmadeuseofbythe PropuetJeremiah,46. 20. EgyptislikedyiryfairHeifer,butit' firuclion cometb out of the1{orth. id
? ? the Apology of Socrates. 3*
to a Horse (tho' perhaps you -may look upon the
Comparison as ridiculous) the Horfe being generous
and sprightly, but heavy by reason of his fatnefs,and
standing in need of something to rouze and awaken
him. AsItakeit,Godhaspitch'duponme,to rouze and sour you up,and to be always among you : v
And upon my word, you'll fcarce lighton another thatwillperformhisOfficeasIhavedone. So,if you believe me, you'll dismiss me.
Butperhaps,likeMenawaken'dwhentheyhaue a mindtosleep, you'llbeuneafie,andrejectmy Ad vice, and in compliance with Anytus's Passion will condemnmeuponveryflightgrounds. Letitbeso. But thenyou'llpassthe remainderofyourLifeina profound Lethargy, unleis God take a particular Careofyou,andsendyouanotherManlikeme.
But<omakeitoutthat'tisGodwhounitedme to your City, I present you with an infallible Proof, viz. That there's something more than human in my neglectingmy own privateAffairsfor somany Years, and devoting m y self wholly to your Interest, by taking you aside one after another^ like a Father oranelderBrother,andincessantlyexhortingyou to apply your selves to Vertue.
HadIreap'danyBenefitorAdvantagebymyEx hortations, you might have something to lay : But you seemy very Accusers, who revileme with so much Impudence, have not had the face to charge me withthat,nortooffertheleastevidenceofmy demandingany Reward:Andbesides,my Poverty isanEvidenceforme thatcannotlye.
Tis possible some may think it strange and unac countable, that I should have meddled in giving pri vate Advices, and yet had not the Courage to ap pear in the Conventions of the People to assist m y CountrywithCounsel. Thethingthathinder'dme so to do, Athenians, was this Familiar Spirit, this Divine Voice, that ye have often heard m e Ipeak of,
andthatMelitushasendeavour'dsomuch toridi cule. ThisSpirithasstuckbymefrommy infancy: fTis
? ? 1^
the Apology of Socrates.
,Tis a Voice that does not speak but when itmeans t o t a k e m e o f f f r o m s o m e R e s o l u t i o n -, f o r i t n e v e r presses me, to, undertake any thing. It always thwarted me, when I mean'd to meddle in the Af fairs of State, and that very seasonably * for had I Imbarkeci in such matters, I had long ere now been out of the World, and had neither benefitted you normyself Pray,benotdisturb'difIspeakmy Mindwithoutdisguise. Whoeveroffersfranklyand generously to oppose the whole Body of a People, whether you or others, and means to hinder the commission of-Iniquity in the City ; will never escape with impunity. 'Tis absolutely necessary that he who standsupforJustice,shouldlivea plainprivate Life, remote from publick Stations. ,This I'llmake good, not by Words, but by matter of Fact j upon'
whichIknowyelaymuchstress. , . ,;
Give ear to the relation of m y Adventures, and
you'll find that I a m uncapable of yielding to any M a n , f o r f e a r o f D e a t h , i n a n u n j u s t t h i n g ? , a n d t h a t
byreasonofmy notcomplying,Imustunavoidably FallaSacrificetoInjustice. Iamabouttotalkof things that indeed are disagreeable, but at the fame time are very true, and such as have been transacted in your own Councils.
Youknow,Athenians, thatIneverbore anyMa gistracy (a), but was only a Senator. Our Antio- chian Tribe was just come in their turn to the Pry- tanmm, when contrary to all the Laws, you at the lame time resolv'd to indict the ten Generals, for not taking up and interring the Corps of those w h o were kiU'd or drown'd in the Sea Fight at the Isles(b) of Arginufe ; and would not condescend to try them separately : A piece of injustice that you afterwards
(a) The PeopleofJtbetuweredividedintoTribes,and so Men were chosen by turns out of each, who govern'd jf Days; and were call,d3>o*w>>*5 ? r Senators.
(b) This Battel was fought by Callkratides the Lacedemo nian General, against the ten Athenian Generals, who ob tainstheVictory. Fid. Xenofi. lib. i. Hisior. Grxc,
were
? ? the Apology of Socrates. ' \$
Were'sensibleof,and (a)regretted. Now IwastHe
Only Senator w h o upon that occasion dar'd to stand upandopposetheViolationoftheLaws. Iprd-
tested against your Decree, and notwithstanding all .
your MenacesandOut-ories,andtheAdvancesoftheXenophori Orators that were preparing an Accusation against&"*"*** me, I chose rather to endanger rny self on the side rlflimTM*
*>f the L a w and Justice, than to suffer m y self to o/Sooet- be frighted by Chains or Death into a tame compli- tes. ance with such horrid Iniquity;
This happen'dunder thepopularForm ofGovern ment ;? but after the establishment afOlig&rcky, the
thirtyTyrants(b);fentformeand 14moretothe (c)Tho/us, andorder'dustobring Leon from$a-Int,K%t
l a m i n a , i n o r d e r t o b e p u t t o d e a t h ? , f o r b y s u c h O r - I J j f l S "
ders they meant to cast the Odium of the ill Acti- ons upon several Persons. . Upon this occasion I gave'emtoknow,notbyWordsbutbyDeeds,that, tospeak coarfly, I made no accountofDeath, and thatmy onlyCarewastoavoidthecommissionof Impiety andInjustice. Notwithstanding thegreat ness of these 30 Tyrants, all their Power did not move or influence me to violate the Law and be tray my Conscience.
Upon ourdeparturefromtheTbolu's,theother fourWenttoSdlamnaandbroughto&Leon? ,andas
sotme, Iretifd tomy House5and doubtless my Disobedience had been punilh'd by death, had not that Form of Government been establish'd soon af ter. ThereareWitnessesenoughtovouchforthe Truth of all that I advance.
N o w judge your selves if I could have liv'd so manyYears,hadIemhark'd intheAffairsofState: Tls so far from that, Athenians, that neither I nor
(a) They afterwards repented of what they, had done, and order'd the Seducers of the People to be prosecuted for De famation.
(b) The 30 Tyrants were set up in the first Year of the 94th Orymp. being the 54th or 65th of Socrutes'sAge.
(0 The Tholu*wasafort ofClerksOffice,wheretheVri- uni dined, and the Clerks fate.
Cc any
? ? 24
The Apology ofSoctates.
anyMan livingcouldhavedoneit. However,you lee the only thing I always aim'd at, whether in pub- lick or private, was never to go along with any Man, no, not with Tyrants themselves, in an unjust thing.
As for the young People,whom my Accusers would havepalsformy Disciples,IaffirmthatI nevermadeaTradeofteaching. Indeed,ifanyPer sons, whether young or old,were at any time desirous tofeemeandhearmy Principles,Ineverdeclin'd t o g i v e ' e m s a t i s f a c t i o n ? , f o r a s I d o n o t s p e a k f o r
Money,soIwillnotholdmypeaceforwantofit. I a m at all times equally free to the Rich and the Poor, and willing to give 'em all possible leisure for a s k i n g t h e i r Q u e s t i o n s ? , o r , i f a n y o f ' e m c h u s e r a
ther to hear me, I give 'em satisfaction by answering
myown Questions:Andifanyofthesebefound,
ieithergood orbad,Iam neithertobepraisednor
blamed-,forIam nottheAuthoreitheroftheirgood
orbadQualities. Ineverengag'dtoteach'emany
thing,andineffectIneverdidteach'em. Ifanyof sem boasts that he ever heard from me, or was pri
vately taught any thing beside what I avow pub lickly to the whole World, you may assure your selveshe does not speak theTruth.
Ye have now heard, Athenians, the reason why most People love to hear me, and converse so long withme. IhavetoldyouthenakedTruth,viz, that they take a singular Pleasure in seeing those Menbaffledwho pretendtobewiseamiarenot. And that youknow isnot at alldisagreeable. I have likewise told you, that Ireceiv'd m y Orders so to do from God himself, by Oracles, Dreams, and all the other Methods which the Deity makes use of to make known his Pleasure to Men.
If Jdid not speak Truth, you might easily convict meOfaLye. For,had/debauch'dtheYouth,of necessitythosewho nowareold,andconsciousthat I perverted their Youth, would rise up and prosecute m e ; Or, if they did not, to be sure their Fathers, U n -
des*
? ? The Apology of Socrates? jj
ties, or Brethren, would find it their E>uty to de mand Revenge upon the Debaucher of their Sons, NephewsorBrethren. Now, Iseemanyofthose here present, particularly Crito the Father of this Critobulus^aMan ofthelameCityandAge with myself,LyfamostheSpbecian, FathertothisEf- ebines, Antypbo a Citizen ofCephi/ia and Father to Ep'igenes, and several others whose Brethren assist at this Meeting, as Nicoflratus Son to Zotidas and BrothertoTheodotus. TistrueTbeddotusisdead^ and so has no occasion for his Brother's assistance:
Besides those, I see Para/us the Son of Demodocus and BrothertoTbeages,AdimantusSonto Aristoand Brother to Plato w h o is n o w before you, Aiantodorui Brother to * Apollodorus^ and a great many more^ ofwhomMelitutwasoblig'dtohave pitch'dupon oneortwo atleastforWitnesses.
If it was an oversight in him, there's yet time
enough-,Iallowhimtodoitnow. Praylethim
name them, ifhe can. But you'll find, Athenians^ ' t i s q u i t e o t h e r w i s e ? , a l l t h e s e M e n , w h o s e C h i l d r e n ,
whose Brethren Melitus and Anytm alledge /have debauch'd and entirely ruin'd ; these very Men, t
lay,areallonmyside. Idonotoffertotakeshel terunder those whom Jhave debauch'd:Perhaps theymighthaveReasonsfordefendingme. ButJ j>uttheCaseupon. those,whom Jhavenotatallse- duc'd, M e n advanc'd in Years, and near Relations to
theseyoungMen:WhatotherReasonshouldmove them to protect: me, but my Innocence and rightful Title? Do not they know thztMe/itus isa Lyar,and thatIadvancenothingbutwhat istrue? These,A- thenianS) are Arguments that may be urgM in my Defence:And the others, which 1pals overinsi lence, are of the fame force and weight.
*thisjifdlodormwaslikewisepresent. HewasaManof averyweakHead,butonethatlov'dSocratesentirely. Wheri Socrates was condemn'd, and going to Prison, he cry'd out, ThatWhichafflictsme most, Socrates, istofeeyoudieininnocenct. SocratesstroakinghisHeadwith hisHand,smil'd an<$said, My FritHdf win Id you fdtlitrfuftit dit in g>>Ut ?
Cc2 Bat
? ? the Apology of Socrates.
But perhaps there are some among yon, who Cal ling to mind their being formerly arraign'd in the same Place where I now stand, will be incens'd a- gainst me, upon the account, that when they were in much lessdanger they made suppliant Addresses to their Judges with Tears, and to move their C o m passion more effectually, presented their Children,
with their Friends and Relations in this Place-, whereas I have no recourse to such Refuges, not withstanding that in ail probability I run the most
dangerousRisquethatcanbe. 'Tispossible,Ifay, that the consideration of this Difference may whet theirPassionagainstme, andmovethemtocastme with Indignation.
I a m unwilling to believe that there are any such h e r e ? , b u t i f t h e r e b e , t h e m o s t r e a s o n a b l e E x c u s e I
canplead,isthis:Ihave Relarionsaswellasthey
have. To useHomer'sExpression,Iamneithersprung fromOaknorStone,butambornlikeotherMen. I have three Sons, the eldest of w h o m 'is yet young, and the other two are but Infants : And yet I shall not bring 'em hither to get my selfclear'd upon the
Consideration of them. Now,whatisthereasonthatIwon'tdoit>'Tis
neither a proud stiffnessof Humour, nor any con t e m p t o f y o u -, a n d a s f o r m y f e a r i n g o r n o t f e a r i n g Death, that is another Question : 'Tis only with re spect to your Honour and that of the whole City, thatIdeclineit. For'tisneitherhandsomnorcre
ditable, either for you or me, to make use of such means at my Yeats, and under such a Reputation as
I have ; 'tis no matter whether it is merited or un m e r i t e d ? , s i n c e ' t i s s u f f i c i e n t t h a t b y a n O p i n i o n g e n e -
nerally receiv'd, Socrates has the advantage of most Men. IfrhosewhopassamongyouforMen ofan uncommon Rank, preferable to the rest for Wisdom, Courage, or any other Vertue, should stoop to such unaccountable bale and mean Actions, as ifthey were apprehensive of some great Evil accruing to them upon your condemning them to die, and expected
Im-
? ? The Jpolagy of Socrates. 37
Immortality by vertue of your Absolution : If these
Men, Ilayshouldbeguiltyofsuchmeanness,they'd
a f f r o n t t h e . 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.
