AndI,ontheotherhand,al ledge that Melitus isa very unjust Man, for arraign
ing Men, on purpose, to make a shew of taking much Care of things that he never troubled his headwith.
ing Men, on purpose, to make a shew of taking much Care of things that he never troubled his headwith.
Plato - 1701 - Works - a
That they counsel you to beware of being seduc'dbymyEloquence,*andendeavourtowork youintoagreatOpinionofit.
Forcertainlyitis the height ofImpudence, not tofearthe'sliame of havingtheLyegiventhem;whichIamabouttodo, by shewing that I a m not at all Eloquent,un.
less they callhitnEloquentwho canspeaknothingbutthe Truth.
IfthatbetheirPlea,Iownmyselfagreat O r a t o r , b u t n o t a f t e r t h e i r f a s h i o n -, f o r I o n c e m o r e tell you, that they have not spoke one word of Truth:AridIamnowabouttodiscovertoyouthe.
naked Truth, in common and simple Expressions, without the Ornaments of the quaint Turns and pkk'd Terms that setofftheirDiscourses.
For I have this confidence in rny self, that I speak the
*They cry'duphisEloquence, inordertoaggravatethe Injustice they charg'd upon him ; alledging,thathe confound edtheIdea'sofJustice,,andtaughttheway ofputtingagood
j ace upon bad Causes.
<*;'? . ,, ; Truth,
? ? xo
she Apology of Socrates?
Troth, and none of you ought to expect any thing elsefrom me-, and it wou'd be very unsuitable for oneofmy Agetocomebeforeyou,likeaSchool-Boy, with a ftudy'd Harangue upon a fabulous Subject.
Wherefore the only Favour I desire and beg of
yotj, is,that when you findmy Defences givenin
the most ordinary and common terms and ways of
expression,suchasIam alwayswonttomakeuse
ofinmyordinaryInterviewswithyouontheEx
change and publick Banks, and the other Places
where Ius'd"tomeet you often;my requestis, that when" ye find it so, ye wou'd not be surprised
or incens'dagainst me, forIam abouttotellyou the matter of Fact just as it stands.
Tho' Iam nowseventyYearsold,yetthisisthe first time that ever Ienter'd this Hall:Iam a stranger to it, unacquainted with its Language and Customs. NowwereIaForeigner,youwou'drea dilygrantmethefavourofgivinginmyDefences inthe language and manner ofmy own Country. In like manner I n o w beg of you, as a stranger to this Hall, and I think my Petition isjust, that you'd grant me the fame Favour, and overlook my ways of expression,Which perhaps are not so good as others; tho*,afterall,itispossibletheymay bebet ter,andonlytomind whetherIspeakjustlyornot$ forthatoughttobethechiefviewofaJudge,as the greatest Vertue of an Orator consists in speaking nothing; but the Truth.
' Tis but reasonable that I shou'd first begin to an s w e r t h e C h a r g e s o f m y first A c c u s e r s , a n d a f t e r w a r d s comeupWiththelatterintheirorder:For1have had a great many Accusers before this Court these several Years, and all of 'em have advanc'd nothing butwhat'sfalse. "Iam moreafraidofmyoldAc cusers, than of Anyrus and his Complices. It is true, the latter display a great deal of Eloquence -, but the others are the more to be redoubted, since they accosted you from your Infancy, and wheedled you into a beliefof what Calumnies they pleased.
They
? ? the Afohty of Socrates: fcg
They told you, there was one Socrates a wise. Man, that inquir'd into the actions of the Heavens and the hidden Treasures in the bosom of the Earth * who# has such a dexterous Way of perplexing tha Ide'as of Justice and Truth* that he can make a bad Cause a good one.
TheMen who spreadthosefalseRumorsaremy most dangerous Enemies ; for those who listen to their Surmises, are over-persuaded that Philosophers takenupwithsuchInquiries,believenoGods. Be sides,theseAccusers are verynumerous, and they have hada long whiletoconcerttheirPlot;they are now very ancient, and took occasion to prepos sess you with that Opinion, in an Age that generally is too credulous; For you were then but Infants for the most part, or at most in the first Years of your Youth,when theylaidtheirAccusationagainst me before you,andcarrieditonattheirownleisure, without any opposition : And, which isyet more un just,Iamnotallow'dtoknowmyAccusers. They
get off with setting up a Comcedian at the head of
the Charge, while a1. those who through Envy or
Malice have wrought you into a belief of these
Falshoods, and continue still underhand to throw the f a m e C a l u m n i e s a b o u t ? , t h e s e M e n , I l a y , a r e a l
low'd to lie concealed : So that I have neither the power of calling them to Account before you, nor the pleasure of refuting them in your presence ; and theonlywayofdefendingmy self,is,tofightwitha Shadow, and speak against I do not know whom.
Wherefore consider, Athenians, thatIam now to encounter two forts of Accusers, those who ar- raign'dme agreatwhile agone,and thesewhosum- m o n ' d m e l a t e l y ? , a n d I e n t r e a t y o u t o b e l i e v e t h a t
I lie under a necessity of giving in m y Answers im mediately to thefirstsort.
Now isthetimethen,thatIamtodefendmy self, and in so short a space of time,I am to endea vourtorootout ofyourMinds aCalumnythatyou
have entertain'd a long while, and which has ta- 'i;:; ,? :. . ,,-. '' ken
? ? 'pk.
the Apology of Socrates. "
kendeeprootinthem. IwishwithallmyHeart
thatmy DefencescouldpromoteyourAdvantageas
wellasmy own,andthatmy Apologymightserve
some more important Design, than that ofjustifying
m y self: But I perceive the Difficulties that lie in theway? ,andamnotsoblind,asnottosee,where
allthisBustlewillterminate. God'sWillbedone. My businessis to obey the Law and defendmy self
T o r e t u r n t o t h e first O r i g i n a l o f t h e C h a r g e , u p .
on which Iam so much decry'd, and which inspir'd
M e l i t u s w i t h a b o l d n e s s t o a r r a i g n m e b e f o r e y o u -y
let'sfeewhatwas thePleaofthesemyfirstAccu
sers : * For their Charge must be put into Form, as
ifitwerewrit,andAffidavitsmade. 'Tisthis:So
crates isanimpiousMan :Withacriminalcuriosity
hepretends topenetrate into all thatpasses in the Heavens, and tofathom what's contained in the Bow
elsoftheEarth. HehasthewayofgivingtheAs cendant to Injustice? ,andis notcontent toreserve
these Secrets to himself but communicates them to ethers.
ThisistheAccusation:TheHeadsofwhichyou have seen in the Comedy of Aristophanes, where one Socrates is represented as hung up in a Basket, gi ving out that he walks upon the Winds ; with many other such famish Advances. Now these are Se crets that I am altogether astranger to^ I never
gave my Mind to these sublime Sciences: Not that I despise them, or contemn those w h o are well vers'd in'em,ifany such therebe,lestMelitusshou'd thereupon charge me with new Crimes : I wou'd only give you to know that I never meddled with these Sciences, as most of you can witness.
Since ye have so often convers'd with me, and that
* Socrates treats the Calumnies of Aristophanes and his first Enemies,asifitwereajustCharge formallypresentedupon Oath ; for both the Accuser and the Prisoner were oblig'd to ftvear, that they wou'd advance nothing but Truth : And this they call'd *>7Mct? e/<j, . . . . . . . .
there
? ? the Apology of SocratesC i|
thereissognatanumberofyouwhoknowme,I conjure you to declare if ever ye heard m e speak of * thesethings,eitherdirectlyorindirectly. Thismay furnish you with certain Evidence, that all the other Articlesofmy IndictmentareofaPiecewiththis^ asbeingdownrightUntruths. Andifeveryouheard
that I either taught, or requir'd a Reward for so do* ing,I'll Justine it to be a downright Calumny.
NotthatIdisparagethose,who arecapabletoin struct and teach Men, such as Gorgias of Leontr, ProdicusofCeos,andHippiasofEUa. Forthese great Men have a wonderful Talent of persuading and retaining all the Youth of whatever City they go to ; young Men that might apply themselves to which of their own Country-men they have a mind to,without any Charge, are so influenc'd by them, that they quit their own Country-men, and adhere to them only, paying round Sums, and acknowledg
ing infinite Obligations besides. I have likewise heard, that there's yet another very ingenious Master inthisCity,whocamefromPavos;forImethim to'therdayintheHouseofaManthatspendsmore upon Sophisters, than all the other Citizens put to gether, I mean Callias : Where happening to speak
ofCaltias'stwoSons,Iaddress'dmy selftohimin this fashion j Had you two young Horses, wou'd notyou want toputthem intotheHandsofsome skilful Man, and pay him well, for making them handibm, and giving them all the good qualities they ought to have ? And would not this skilful M a n be some good Groom oranexpertHusbandman> Now youhavetwoChildren,whatMasterhaveyou pitch'duponforthem? WhomhaveweinTown, that's well vers'd in human and political Vertues ? For doubtless you have consider'd that Question al ready,upontheaccountofyourChildren. Tellme then ifyou know of any ? Yes, doubtless, reply'd "Callias. Whoisit,said15whatCountryisheof;
and what are his demands ? 'Tis Evenus, reply'd he, *fromPavos;Hedemandst5Minx. WhereuponIWJh
told0TM""'
? ? | $
The Apology of Socrates
toldtutti,Evenus washappy,providingitwas true thatheknew theArt,andcou'dimpartittoothers.
,. As for mei Gentlemen, were I possels'd of such
Endowments, I shou'd be proud of 'em, and glory in
them:Butsatinismy misfortune, IhavenoTitle
tothem. Iperceiveyou'llbereadytoreply,*But
what haveye done then, Socrates, and what occasion? d these Calumnies you are charged with? Had you ne
verdonemorethanyourfellow Citizens,normeddled withfurtherbusiness,these Reportsofyouwou'dne ver have had a being. Tell us therefore how the matterstands, that we may notpass an unadvisedSen- tence. This,Itakeit,is ajustObjection:Where fore 111 endeavour to lay before you the occasion of
jmy being so much decry'd and talk'd of. <Give ear to me, and assure your selves that 111 speak nothing
but Truths
ThedisreputeIlieunder,isonly occasion'dbya
fortofWiidom withinme. ButwhatisthisWis dom ? Perhaps *tis merely human Prudence, for I tun a great risk of being possels'd of none else 5 whereas those Men I mention'd but now, are wile above above a human pitch.
IcansaynothingtothislastfortofWisdom, be c a u s e l a m a s t r a n g e r t o it $ a n d t h o s e w h o c h a r g e it uponme,arelyars,andmeanonlytoinjuremyRe putation. ButIbegthatyouAthenianswou'dnot be startled, it I seem to speak a little favourably of my self:Ishan'tadvance any thing uponmy own Authoritv,hut shall produce an unexceptionable Au thortovouchonmybehalf. Forawitnessofmy Wisdom,such:asitis,IreferyoutotheGodhim-
'['*Thusthewords-riant7;%$vrgjjlytutare to berender'd; andnotasdeSerresdoes,viz. . SZusnamhtc esttit*,res? What's jourbusiness thenf The Judges knew very well what was Sotrates'sbusiness,and consequentlycan'tbe suppos'd toput thatQuestiontohim. Butitisveryprobabletheymightask himwhatitwasthatbroughthimthither,orwhathehad done tomeritthoseCalumnies. Mardliusficinuswasbetter acquainted with the Spirit of the Greek Language, for he render'dit,S>#odmwt tmm esiopm?
self
? ? theApologypsSocrates. if-
selfthatpresidesatDelphi, You areallacquainted withCairepbon,who was my Companion from my Infancy, and had the likeIntimacy with most ofyou. He accompany'd you in your Esile, and letuirids- longwithyou. Sothatyecannotbut know what fortofaManCairepbonwas,andhoweagerlaall his Undertakings. One day, being at Detybi, he had the boldness to ask the Oracle (once more I begyou wou'd notbesurpris'dwithwhatIama- bout to fay ) Ifay, he put this Question tothe Ora cle,WhethertherewaseveraMastintheWorld morewilethanI, ThePriestessmadeanswer,That therewasnone. HisBrother,whoisyetalive,can (assure you that this is true. Wherefore I intreat you ? Athenians, to consider seriously the Reason why I present you with an account of all these things:For,itisonlytoshewyouthespringof those falseRumours thathave taken Airagainst me. '
When IheardtheOracle'sAnswer,Iputtheque stiontomyself;WhatdoestheQpdmean? What
2s the hidden Sense that lies couch'd under these words? For; Iam sensible,thatIam intitledtono Wiidom,neithersmallnorgreat. Whatthendoes theGodmeaningivingme outforthewisestof Men? SinceaDeitycannotlye. ThusIcontinuedg^<<*** a long time in sulpence about the meaning of the 'J** Oracle, till at last after a great deal of trouble, it cameinmy-mind tomakethistrial. Iwenttoone
o f our Citizens, that pastes for one o f the wisest M e n in Town, and hop'd that by instancing him, as be ing a Person more wise than I, 1 should refute the Oracle. When I examin'd thisMan, who was one of our greatest Politicians, and whole Name, I know, isasufficientrecommendation. Ifoundthatall theWorldlook'duponhimasawifeMan,andthat
he had the like thoughts of himself, but in effect:
was no iuch Man. After this discovery I made
itmybusinesstoconvincehimrhathewasnotthe
Manhetookhimselftobe. Nowthiswastheoc casionwhichrenderedme odioustothisMan, andto
? ? all those w h o assisted at that interview. W h e n
? ? 5s f
W h e n I p a r t e d w i t h h i m I r e a s o n ' d w i t h i n d a y selfj andsaidtomyselfjIamwiserthanthisMan. "Tis possible that neither he nor I know any thing that's good or valuable: But stil'therms this differencej
he is possels'd with an Opinion ofhis own know ledge, tho' at the fame time he knows nothings but Ii as I k n o w nothing, so I pretend to k n o w as little. So that upon this score, I thought m y self a little wiser than he, because I did hdt think that I knevv what I did not know. '
After that I visited another that pass'd for a wi serMan thantheformer? ,butfoundhiminthe
iame Circumstances, and by that discovery gain'd newEnemies. Howeverthisdidnotdiscckrfageme. I continued to make the fame Experiment upon others. Iwas sensiblethatbysodoingIdrewhatredupoh my self, which gave me some trouble, because I dreadedtheconsequencesofit. ButIwasconvinc'd that I was bound to prefer the Voice of God to all
rid
ffo Apology of Socrates.
Considerations, ? nd to apply m y self to the most"
.
rtsdcm- reputable Men, in order to find out its true meaning.
Zr/S' Andnowthat! musttellyou,O^A^m,thetruth, <<reUast thewholeresultofmyInquirywasthis. Atithose ejieem'darewho pass'dforthewisestMen,appear'dtome"tobe tfcTM7s *n^nitelylessdiipos'dtoWisdom,than tholewho
>>ijeT
were not at all so esteem'd. TocontinuetheAccountofallmy Adventures,in
ordertorefutetheOracle. Havingvisitedallthe . greatStatesmen,Iaddress'dmyselftothePoets, both Tragedians * Dithyrambicks and others j I m a d e no question, but I wou'd be catch'd napping, as the s a y i n g is, b y f i n d i n g m y s e l f f a r m d r e i g n o r a n t t h a r i
they. ItookupsomeoftheirmostelaboratePerfor mances, and put the question to 'em, what was their meaning, what Plot or Design they carried on in
*The Poets whocompil'dHymnstotheHonour6? Bac- elmsweresocalled. TheseDithyrambswerefullofasub limeRage,andconsistedofboldandnew-coin'dWords. And accordingly,inorder tobe successfulincompiling'ern,there: was anecessity of being transported with Fury and Enthusi asm. SeeourRemarksupontheidOdeofthe4thBookofHw.
these
? ? Ihe Apologyof SocntesL tj thesePieces? ,as ifImean'd tobe instructed. In
deed,Athenians,Iam asham'dtotellyouthetruth: but after all,since Imust out with it,there was not one Man ofthewhole company thatwas notmore capa ble to discourse of, and assign Reasons for the Poems, thantheirrespectiveAuthors. ThUsinalittlespace! of time, I discovered that t Poets do not carry ori their Work by the measures of Wisdom, but by a sortofEnthusiasm, andcertainimpulsesofNature,
like Prophets and Divines, that speak of a great m a
nyfinethingswhich theydonotunderstand. The^"* P o e t s s e e m ' d t o m e t o b e c a s t i n t h e f a m e M o u l d ? , p ^ t o ' " ,
and at the fame time I perceiv'd, that by reason of'whichi\b- theirPoetry, they look'd upon themselvesas thewi-J^'*''*<<'>>/>>* testofMen, and admirablywell vers'din all others
things, that have no relation to their business, and whichtheydonotatallunderstand. ThenIturn'd m y back upon 'em, being convinced . that I was ar bovethemuponthefame score,thatentitledmeto a preferencebeforethegreatPoliticians.
Having done with the Poets, to conclude m y Ih- ? 'uiry,Iaddress'dmyselftotheTradesmen. When accosted them, I was fully convinc'd that Iunder
stood nothing belonging to their Profession, and that ' Ishou'dfindthemtobeMen ofclearUnderstand ings and ready Parts : And indeed I was not deceiv'd. They knew all that I was ignorant of, and upon thatscorewereinfinitelywiserthanI. Batafterall, O Athenians, the wisest among them seem'd to fall foul upon the same Shelve with the Poets. * Fof every M a n of 'em presum'd so far upon his succels inthe way ofhisbusiness, thathe fansied himself to be admirably well vers'd in greater Matters : And this extravagant Fancy alone obscur'd their o- ther commendable Qualities.
tPoemsarenotmadebyhumanWisdom,butbyasortof Divine Inspiration j as Socrates makes it out, in the Dialogue calFd Ion.
* This Presumption of the Athenian Tradesmen,is a sufficient EvidenceoftheSpiritofthePeopleofAthens. Theylov'd to racddk with and judge of every thing.
>>
B b Then
? ? 18
the Apology ofSocrates.
ThenIputthe,questiontomy self,asarguingonthe b e h a l f o f t h e O r a c l e ? , w h e t h e r I f h o u ' d r a t h e r c h u s e
tocontinuesuchasIwas, withouteithertheKnow ledge of that fort of Men, or their Ignorance ; or to beentitledtoboth,andtobereduc'dtothelame Categorywith them? Ianswer'd,both formy self and for the Oracle, That it was infinitely preferable tocontinueasIwas. This,Gentlemen,isthesource of that dangerous and mortal Hatred and Enmity, which rais'd all the Calumnies I am now charg'd with,andchristen'dmeTheWise. Forallwhohear me, believethatIknow allthings;andbyVertue of that Knowledge am enabled to discover and ex posetheIgnoranceofothers. ButIamofOpinion,
Godalone thatthere's none trulyWise butGod himself5and >>Wise, thattheOraclemean'dsomuch,ingivingustoknow
that the utmost extent of human Wisdom is no greatmatter-,or,rather,thatitisjustnothing. And as for the Oracle's mentioning Socrates, doubtless m y N a m e w a s o n l y p r o p o s ' d a s a n I n s t a n c e -, s i g n i f y i n g
wisest'os' toa^^en'thatthewiseftai"ongthem,ishe,who,
Met.
likeSocrates,disclaimsallWisdom inhimself. Having fix'd upon thisTruth,Ipurpos'd to fortifie theIdeayet more,andtoobeyGod,incarryingon
my Inquiry,not only among my own Country-men but likewise among strangers; in order to try if I couldmeetwithanythatweretrulywise;and,in case I foundnone,toactthePartofan Interpreter totheOracle,and convincetheWorldthattheyare
strangerstoWisdom. ThismyDesigndoessoen grossbothmy TimeandmyThoughts,thatIhave not leasure,either to meddle in publick Business, Or to take care of my private Affairs, and thus my Cir cumstances are to narrow in the World, by reason of that continual Service and Worship * which I render
toGod.
Besides, a great many young Gentlemen, who are
*
By the Worsliip and Service done to God, he means the fains he took in convincing the World thai they have no Wisdom, and that God alone is entitled to it/
corns
? ? The Apology os Socrates? i^
come ofrichFamiliesand have Time at command, do willingly engage to follow me, and take so much pleasureinobservingtheMethod inwhich Iconfute all other Men, that they afterwards endeavour to imitateme inbafflingthosetheyengagewith:And itisnottobedoubted,butthattheymeetwitha
plentiful Harvest, by reason of the infinite number o f those vain M e n , w h o fansie they k n o w all things, tho' at the fame time they know nothing, or at least Very little.
AU thosewhom theyconvinceoftheirIgnorance; havetheir Eyeuponme and not upon them;and give it out, that there's one Socrates, a profligate and infamous Wretch^ who corrupts theTouth : And ifany
Body asks them what Socrates does, or what he teaches5theyknownothingofthematter:Butto avoid being at a stand, they have recourse to these
frivolous Reproaches that are commonly cast upon
Philosophers, viz. That he dives into the Heavens
andthebosomoftheEarthsthathebelievesinno
God, and colours bad Causes with a good Counte
nance. For they dare not tell the true matter of Fact,
that Socrates is too hard for them, and exposes them
for making a shew of knowing what they do not
know. 'Thus it came to pals that my ambitious,
violent and numerous Enemies, supported by a m u
tual Union, and back'd by an Eloquence capable to
ieduce men, did a great while ago suggest to ypu, the C a l u m n i e s t h e y h a d l O r g ' d a g a i n s t m e ? , a n d n o w h a v e
taken off and inveigled Me/itus, Anytm arid Lycori. Melitus stands by the Poets ? , Anytus represents the
Politicians and Tradesmen ; and Lycon appears for theOrators. So that you feeIhad reason totell youinthebeginningofmy Discourse,ThatIsliou'd look upon it as a great Miracle, if in so short i timeI coudunhingeaCalumny, thathashad so touch time to take root and fortifie it self in your Minds.
: This, Athenians, is the whole and the naked truth. Icbiicealnothingfromyou, andIdisguiseaslittle:
Bb3 * Tho1
? ? ao
the ApologyofSocrates. '
Tho* at the fame time I a m not ignorant, that all my advancesuponthisscoredobut exasperate the Wound. Buteven thatissufficientevidencethatI speak theTruth,and point to the true source of these Imputations. As often as ye'U take the Pains to can vass them, whether now or at another time, you'll befullyconvinc'dthatitisso. Andthis,Itakeit, isasufficientApology,againstmy firstAccusers.
I am now come up with the latter, and shallen
deavour to answer Melitus ; who, ifthe World will
takehiswordsoft,isaveryhonestMan, andvery
affectionate to his Country. To draw up the In
dictment in form, as I did in answer to' the first-y
the Purport of it is this : Socrates is guilty of unjust
things. HecorruptstheYouth,bynotbelievingthe Gods received by his Country, and introducing new
Deities. To examine everyArticleapart. HisPleais,That Iam guiltyofInjusticeincor ruptingtheYouth.
AndI,ontheotherhand,al ledge that Melitus isa very unjust Man, for arraign
ing Men, on purpose, to make a shew of taking much Care of things that he never troubled his headwith. ThisChargeIamabouttomakegood. I challenge you then, Melitus, tell me, is there no thing you mind so much as the promoting the Good and Integrity of young Men as much as is possible >
Melitus. No, surethere'snothing.
Socrates. ButpraytellourJudges,whoitis that can render the Youth better ? For it is not to be queiiion'd, but that you can tell who, since you make that so much your business. In effect, since you have found out and impeach'd the Person that corruptsthem,you oughttotellwho isabletoset themright. Prayspeak Yousee,Melitus, you are put to a Nonplus, and know not what to , answer. Doesnotthiscoveryouwithshame? Is not this a convincing Proof that you never minded rheEducation ofYouth? Butoncemore,Who isit that's able to better the Youth ?
Melitus.
? ? theApologyofSocrates. ? %\
Melitus. TheLaws. ,f'
Socrates Thatisnotthething,myFriend. X askyouwho'tis? WhoistheMan? Foritisaplain Cafe, that the chiefthing that the Man must be vers'd in, is the Laws.
Melitus. Itellyou,Socrates,thattheseJudgesare t h e M e n . ? _ . ;
Socrates. How doyoumean, Melitus? What? Are these Judges the only M e n capable to instruct and better the Youth ? \. ,
Melitus. . Most certainly.
? Socrates. But, are all these Judges capable so to
d o ? O r , is it o n l y a p a r t i c u l a r n u m b e r o f t h e m ? Melitus. Mi ofem.
Socrates. ]-You talk strangely. You have found
outagreatnumberofgoodPreceptorsforus. But pray is the whole Audience capable likewise to bet ter the Youth, or not ?
Melitus. They are all likewise capable. Socrates. AndwhatdoyousayoftheSenators? Melitus. TheSenatorscanalibdoit. Socrates. But,my dearMelitus,dothosewhoha
rangue the publick Assemblies corrupt the Youth ; or are they capable in like manner to better them ?
Melitus. Theyarealllikewisecapable.
Socrates. Itwillfollowthen,thatalltheAtheni a n s a r e c a p a b l e t o i n s t r u c t : t h e Y o u t h w i t h o u t m e ? ,
andthatitisonlyIwhocorruptsthem. Isnotthis what you mean ?
Melitus. Itisjustso.
Socrates. I must needs own, that by this means youfastenaverygreatmisfortuneuponme. How ever,praygoon,andanswerme. Whatdoyou think ? Are Horses in the fame condition > Can ail Menmakethembetter,andisitonlyoneManthat has the secret of spoiling them ? Or, isit not just a contrary Cafe ? , that is, that only one Man, or a small number of Jockies, know how to betterthem, and the rest of Mankind, when they make use of 'em,do onlyspoilthem? Now, isnottheCaseof
Bb3 all
? ? ? 2
7he Apology of-Socrates.
all other Animals just the fame ? It'is certainly so; whether- Anytus and you agree to it, or not: for'it would be an infinite happiness and advantage to the Youth,iftherewereonlyoneMan intheWorld that could corrupt them, and every Body besides wereabletoredresstheirErrors. Butindeed;Me- situs, you have given sufficient Proof, that the Edu cation of Youth did never much disquiet you : And upon this occasion you have plainly given the World
toknow,thatyounevermindedit. However,pray* Melitus, answer m e as to this Point : Whether does a Man benefitmore by livingwith honestMen, or with Knaves? Return me an Answer,my Friendj forIput nodifficultQuestiontoyou. Isitnottrue thatwickedMendoalwaysgivesomebadTincture to those who frequent their Company, and that good Men do always benefit those that live with them > ? . . ;. . ' v, .
Melitus. Yes-, doubtless.
Socrates. Is there any Man, who had ratherchuse to beprejudic'd,than to be benefitted by those he lives with? Answer me-, for the Law enjoyns you so todo. i. ;
Mel. No ? ,there'snone.
Soc. But now that you chargeme with corrupting and debauching the Youth ; whether do you alledge1 t h a t I d o it w i l l i n g l y a n d k n o w i n g l y , o r a g a i n s t m y Will ?
Mel. Willingly and knowingly.
Soc. How then, Melitus, does your Wisdom, in the Age you are now of, surpass mine at this Age ibfar,thatyouknow verywellthatwickedMen do always prejudice, and good Men benefit those who frequent their Company ; and yet thatI (hou'd beibignorantas nottoknow, thatifIdebauch any ofmy Followers, Irunthe riskofbeingprejudic'd by thtm, and at the fume time continue to draw thatEviluponmyselfbothwillinglyandknow ingly> InthisPoint,Melitus,Idonotbelieveyou atall;neitherdoIthinkthatanyMan intheWorld
can
? ? the Apology of Socrates 25
canbelieveyou. Foroneofthosetwothingsmust be true? ,namely* eitherthatI do notcorrupt the
Youth at all; or, if I do, that it is against m y will andwithoutmy knowledge. Now turntheCase uponwhichofthesetwoyouwill;itisplainthat youareaCalumniatorandaLyar. PuttheCase, thatIcorrupttheYouthagainstmy will;theLaw ? doesnotarraignMen forinvoluntaryCrimes. But
it orders that such M e n as are guilty of them, shou'd be taken aside,inform'd of 'em,and privately reprov'd for their Errors ; for 'tis plain, that if I be instructed to the full, I'llcease to be guilty of what I have committed against my Will, Now you have nei t h e r c o u n s e l e d m e n o r i n s t r u c t e d m e ? , b u t h a v e a r -
raign'd me before a Tribunal, which the Law has providedforthosewho deservePunishment, andnot forthose who standonly inneedofRemonstrances. This, Gentlemen, is a convincing Proof of what I alledged before ; namely, that Me/itus never minded or thought of these things.
But after all,praytell,how itisthatIcorrupt theYouth. AccordingtoyourInformation,'tis,by teaching them to disown the Gods acknowledged by theirCountry,andtohonourstrangeones. Isnot thisyour Plea ?
Mel. Itisjustfo.
Soc. Then,Melitus^IconjureyouintheNameof allthoseGods, whoseInterestisnowconcern'd,to explain your meaning more clearly, both to me and toourJudges. ForIamatalosstoknow,whe ther you allow that I teach the Youth to believe in any Gods, and only turn their Respect from the Gods of their own Country to Foreign ones ; or, whether you charge me with believing no God at
all,and snaking the Beliefofothers? Tho' at the bottom I am effectuallypersuaded that there are Gods;sothatAtheismisnoneofmy Crime.
Mel. IchargeyouwithowningnoGod.
Sae. You are a strange Man ! How can you
Bb4 talk
? ? 24
We ApologyofSocrates?
talkso? What ! -Do notIbelieve asotherMen do, thattheSunandMoonareGods? *
Mel. Certainly,Athenians,hebelievesinnoGod; for he fays the Sun is a Stone, and the M o o n a piece" of Earth.
Soc. M y dear Melitus, you think you are speak ing to Anaxagoras -, and treat our Judges very con temptuously, in thinkingthem so void of Letters, as not to know that the Books cf Anaxagoras and Cla- zomenian are stuff'd with such Stories. Besides, wou'd the Youth be at the trouble of learning from me suchthings asarecontain'dinthepublickBooks which are Ibid every day in the Orchestra for a Drachma ? This wou'd furnish them with a fair
opportunity of deriding Socrates, for attributing to himselfsuch things'asarenotonlynoneofhis,but likewiseahsurdandextravagant. Butpraytellme, do you alledge that I own no God?
' Mel. Yes, Ido.
Soc. You advanceincrediblethings,my dearMe
tisus? ,andarenotconsistentwith'yourself Suffer
m e to tell you, Athenians, that Melitus leems to m e tobevery insolent,and thathe haslaidthisAccusa tion against me, out of a youthful presumption to insult over me: For he's come hither, as it were, to. try me, in proposing a Riddle, and saying within himself, I'll see if Socrates, w h o pasies for so wise a Man, will be able to'discern that I'm upon the Banter, and advance contradictory things? ,or, ifI cangullhimandalltheAudience. Ineffecthis
Information presents us with a palpable contradiction. As if lie had said, Socrates is guilty cfInjustice m owning no Gods, and in owning Gods. And this is Banter all over. That's the Notion I have of it. I beg yoq would listen to me ; and, pursuant to iny first Request, wou'd not be incens'd against
Socraa-sthrewinthisIronicalExpression, inordertoex pose theridiculousnessoftheReligionoftheMhenlam, who iook'. iupon'theSunandMoonasGods,whichareonlythe Work vi God's Hands. . ? . . . - . .
me
? ? the Apology of Socrates. -
>>jp
me ,sot addressing you in my ordinary way of
speaking.
A n s w e r m e , M e l i t u s t, I s t h e r e a n y M a n i n t h e
World thatbelievesthattherearehuman things3and yetdeniesthe beingofMen ? Prayanswer, and do1 notmakesomuchNoise. IsthereanyManwho believes that there are certain Rules for managing of Horses, and yet believes there is no such thing as a Horse? Is there any Man that troubles himself with Tunes for a Flute, and yet believes that no Man can play upon it? There's no such Man, to:
be sure? ,forsinceyouwillnot answeryourself,I'll answer for you. But pray answer me as to this Point:IsthereanyMan thatbelievesdivinethings, andyetdeniesthe beingofaGod? ,
Mel. No,certainlythere'snone.
Soc, What painshaveItaken towrestthatword outofyou! <YouacknowledgethenthatIbelieve and teach the being of Deities. So that whether they be new or old, you stillown that I believe in Deities. AndtothispurposeyousworeinyourIn formation. . Now, ifIbelievethatthereareDei ties, I must necessarily suppose that there are Gods. Isnotitso? Yes,doubtless. Itakeyoursilence forconsent. ButtheseDeitiesorDemons,donot we takethemforGods, ortheChildrenofGods? Answer me.
? Mel. Yes,doubtless. *ThesePassagesaremoreimportantthanatfirstviewthey
seemtobe. Whoeverbelieves,thattherearesuchCreaturesas the Children of Gods, believes that there are Gods. The acknowledgingofAngelsimpliesthe beliefofGods; which isthethingthatSocratespointsto. TheseinferiorGodsare Children and Ministers,of the Supreme God, the God of Gods. N o w Socrates own'd an infinite number of these subordinate Beings, which he look'd upon as a continued Chain descend ing from the Throne of God to the Earth, and as the Bonds otCommercebetweenGodandMen,andtheMediumwhich unitesHeavenandEarth. ThisNotionofhismightbeta ken from Homer's mysterious Chain ; or, perhaps he had heard ofJacob'sLadder, thetopwereofreach'd toHeaven, whenthe footstoodupontheEarth;upon whichtheAn
gelsofGodascended anddescended,Ge>>. i8. u.
i. \ "? '? ' Soc.
?
? t
? Men.
* Socrates speaks thus in compliance with the Opinion of the People, who believ'd the Demons ow'd their Being to the Correspondence of the Gods with their Nymphs or W o men* Nowuponthisoccasion,itwasnothisbirfinesstoat tackthatError. Tiscertain,thatSocrateswasnotofthat Opibn ; for he had learn'dof"Pythagoras,that Demons or An gels and Hero's, that is, devout M e n and Saints, are the Sons of God, because they derive from him their Being, as Light owesit'sOriginaltoaluminousBody. AndinhisTlmtm^
speaking of the Generation of Angels or Demons, he fays, 'tis above the reach of human Nature. ?
*They cry'duphisEloquence, inordertoaggravatethe Injustice they charg'd upon him ; alledging,thathe confound edtheIdea'sofJustice,,andtaughttheway ofputtingagood
j ace upon bad Causes.
<*;'? . ,, ; Truth,
? ? xo
she Apology of Socrates?
Troth, and none of you ought to expect any thing elsefrom me-, and it wou'd be very unsuitable for oneofmy Agetocomebeforeyou,likeaSchool-Boy, with a ftudy'd Harangue upon a fabulous Subject.
Wherefore the only Favour I desire and beg of
yotj, is,that when you findmy Defences givenin
the most ordinary and common terms and ways of
expression,suchasIam alwayswonttomakeuse
ofinmyordinaryInterviewswithyouontheEx
change and publick Banks, and the other Places
where Ius'd"tomeet you often;my requestis, that when" ye find it so, ye wou'd not be surprised
or incens'dagainst me, forIam abouttotellyou the matter of Fact just as it stands.
Tho' Iam nowseventyYearsold,yetthisisthe first time that ever Ienter'd this Hall:Iam a stranger to it, unacquainted with its Language and Customs. NowwereIaForeigner,youwou'drea dilygrantmethefavourofgivinginmyDefences inthe language and manner ofmy own Country. In like manner I n o w beg of you, as a stranger to this Hall, and I think my Petition isjust, that you'd grant me the fame Favour, and overlook my ways of expression,Which perhaps are not so good as others; tho*,afterall,itispossibletheymay bebet ter,andonlytomind whetherIspeakjustlyornot$ forthatoughttobethechiefviewofaJudge,as the greatest Vertue of an Orator consists in speaking nothing; but the Truth.
' Tis but reasonable that I shou'd first begin to an s w e r t h e C h a r g e s o f m y first A c c u s e r s , a n d a f t e r w a r d s comeupWiththelatterintheirorder:For1have had a great many Accusers before this Court these several Years, and all of 'em have advanc'd nothing butwhat'sfalse. "Iam moreafraidofmyoldAc cusers, than of Anyrus and his Complices. It is true, the latter display a great deal of Eloquence -, but the others are the more to be redoubted, since they accosted you from your Infancy, and wheedled you into a beliefof what Calumnies they pleased.
They
? ? the Afohty of Socrates: fcg
They told you, there was one Socrates a wise. Man, that inquir'd into the actions of the Heavens and the hidden Treasures in the bosom of the Earth * who# has such a dexterous Way of perplexing tha Ide'as of Justice and Truth* that he can make a bad Cause a good one.
TheMen who spreadthosefalseRumorsaremy most dangerous Enemies ; for those who listen to their Surmises, are over-persuaded that Philosophers takenupwithsuchInquiries,believenoGods. Be sides,theseAccusers are verynumerous, and they have hada long whiletoconcerttheirPlot;they are now very ancient, and took occasion to prepos sess you with that Opinion, in an Age that generally is too credulous; For you were then but Infants for the most part, or at most in the first Years of your Youth,when theylaidtheirAccusationagainst me before you,andcarrieditonattheirownleisure, without any opposition : And, which isyet more un just,Iamnotallow'dtoknowmyAccusers. They
get off with setting up a Comcedian at the head of
the Charge, while a1. those who through Envy or
Malice have wrought you into a belief of these
Falshoods, and continue still underhand to throw the f a m e C a l u m n i e s a b o u t ? , t h e s e M e n , I l a y , a r e a l
low'd to lie concealed : So that I have neither the power of calling them to Account before you, nor the pleasure of refuting them in your presence ; and theonlywayofdefendingmy self,is,tofightwitha Shadow, and speak against I do not know whom.
Wherefore consider, Athenians, thatIam now to encounter two forts of Accusers, those who ar- raign'dme agreatwhile agone,and thesewhosum- m o n ' d m e l a t e l y ? , a n d I e n t r e a t y o u t o b e l i e v e t h a t
I lie under a necessity of giving in m y Answers im mediately to thefirstsort.
Now isthetimethen,thatIamtodefendmy self, and in so short a space of time,I am to endea vourtorootout ofyourMinds aCalumnythatyou
have entertain'd a long while, and which has ta- 'i;:; ,? :. . ,,-. '' ken
? ? 'pk.
the Apology of Socrates. "
kendeeprootinthem. IwishwithallmyHeart
thatmy DefencescouldpromoteyourAdvantageas
wellasmy own,andthatmy Apologymightserve
some more important Design, than that ofjustifying
m y self: But I perceive the Difficulties that lie in theway? ,andamnotsoblind,asnottosee,where
allthisBustlewillterminate. God'sWillbedone. My businessis to obey the Law and defendmy self
T o r e t u r n t o t h e first O r i g i n a l o f t h e C h a r g e , u p .
on which Iam so much decry'd, and which inspir'd
M e l i t u s w i t h a b o l d n e s s t o a r r a i g n m e b e f o r e y o u -y
let'sfeewhatwas thePleaofthesemyfirstAccu
sers : * For their Charge must be put into Form, as
ifitwerewrit,andAffidavitsmade. 'Tisthis:So
crates isanimpiousMan :Withacriminalcuriosity
hepretends topenetrate into all thatpasses in the Heavens, and tofathom what's contained in the Bow
elsoftheEarth. HehasthewayofgivingtheAs cendant to Injustice? ,andis notcontent toreserve
these Secrets to himself but communicates them to ethers.
ThisistheAccusation:TheHeadsofwhichyou have seen in the Comedy of Aristophanes, where one Socrates is represented as hung up in a Basket, gi ving out that he walks upon the Winds ; with many other such famish Advances. Now these are Se crets that I am altogether astranger to^ I never
gave my Mind to these sublime Sciences: Not that I despise them, or contemn those w h o are well vers'd in'em,ifany such therebe,lestMelitusshou'd thereupon charge me with new Crimes : I wou'd only give you to know that I never meddled with these Sciences, as most of you can witness.
Since ye have so often convers'd with me, and that
* Socrates treats the Calumnies of Aristophanes and his first Enemies,asifitwereajustCharge formallypresentedupon Oath ; for both the Accuser and the Prisoner were oblig'd to ftvear, that they wou'd advance nothing but Truth : And this they call'd *>7Mct? e/<j, . . . . . . . .
there
? ? the Apology of SocratesC i|
thereissognatanumberofyouwhoknowme,I conjure you to declare if ever ye heard m e speak of * thesethings,eitherdirectlyorindirectly. Thismay furnish you with certain Evidence, that all the other Articlesofmy IndictmentareofaPiecewiththis^ asbeingdownrightUntruths. Andifeveryouheard
that I either taught, or requir'd a Reward for so do* ing,I'll Justine it to be a downright Calumny.
NotthatIdisparagethose,who arecapabletoin struct and teach Men, such as Gorgias of Leontr, ProdicusofCeos,andHippiasofEUa. Forthese great Men have a wonderful Talent of persuading and retaining all the Youth of whatever City they go to ; young Men that might apply themselves to which of their own Country-men they have a mind to,without any Charge, are so influenc'd by them, that they quit their own Country-men, and adhere to them only, paying round Sums, and acknowledg
ing infinite Obligations besides. I have likewise heard, that there's yet another very ingenious Master inthisCity,whocamefromPavos;forImethim to'therdayintheHouseofaManthatspendsmore upon Sophisters, than all the other Citizens put to gether, I mean Callias : Where happening to speak
ofCaltias'stwoSons,Iaddress'dmy selftohimin this fashion j Had you two young Horses, wou'd notyou want toputthem intotheHandsofsome skilful Man, and pay him well, for making them handibm, and giving them all the good qualities they ought to have ? And would not this skilful M a n be some good Groom oranexpertHusbandman> Now youhavetwoChildren,whatMasterhaveyou pitch'duponforthem? WhomhaveweinTown, that's well vers'd in human and political Vertues ? For doubtless you have consider'd that Question al ready,upontheaccountofyourChildren. Tellme then ifyou know of any ? Yes, doubtless, reply'd "Callias. Whoisit,said15whatCountryisheof;
and what are his demands ? 'Tis Evenus, reply'd he, *fromPavos;Hedemandst5Minx. WhereuponIWJh
told0TM""'
? ? | $
The Apology of Socrates
toldtutti,Evenus washappy,providingitwas true thatheknew theArt,andcou'dimpartittoothers.
,. As for mei Gentlemen, were I possels'd of such
Endowments, I shou'd be proud of 'em, and glory in
them:Butsatinismy misfortune, IhavenoTitle
tothem. Iperceiveyou'llbereadytoreply,*But
what haveye done then, Socrates, and what occasion? d these Calumnies you are charged with? Had you ne
verdonemorethanyourfellow Citizens,normeddled withfurtherbusiness,these Reportsofyouwou'dne ver have had a being. Tell us therefore how the matterstands, that we may notpass an unadvisedSen- tence. This,Itakeit,is ajustObjection:Where fore 111 endeavour to lay before you the occasion of
jmy being so much decry'd and talk'd of. <Give ear to me, and assure your selves that 111 speak nothing
but Truths
ThedisreputeIlieunder,isonly occasion'dbya
fortofWiidom withinme. ButwhatisthisWis dom ? Perhaps *tis merely human Prudence, for I tun a great risk of being possels'd of none else 5 whereas those Men I mention'd but now, are wile above above a human pitch.
IcansaynothingtothislastfortofWisdom, be c a u s e l a m a s t r a n g e r t o it $ a n d t h o s e w h o c h a r g e it uponme,arelyars,andmeanonlytoinjuremyRe putation. ButIbegthatyouAthenianswou'dnot be startled, it I seem to speak a little favourably of my self:Ishan'tadvance any thing uponmy own Authoritv,hut shall produce an unexceptionable Au thortovouchonmybehalf. Forawitnessofmy Wisdom,such:asitis,IreferyoutotheGodhim-
'['*Thusthewords-riant7;%$vrgjjlytutare to berender'd; andnotasdeSerresdoes,viz. . SZusnamhtc esttit*,res? What's jourbusiness thenf The Judges knew very well what was Sotrates'sbusiness,and consequentlycan'tbe suppos'd toput thatQuestiontohim. Butitisveryprobabletheymightask himwhatitwasthatbroughthimthither,orwhathehad done tomeritthoseCalumnies. Mardliusficinuswasbetter acquainted with the Spirit of the Greek Language, for he render'dit,S>#odmwt tmm esiopm?
self
? ? theApologypsSocrates. if-
selfthatpresidesatDelphi, You areallacquainted withCairepbon,who was my Companion from my Infancy, and had the likeIntimacy with most ofyou. He accompany'd you in your Esile, and letuirids- longwithyou. Sothatyecannotbut know what fortofaManCairepbonwas,andhoweagerlaall his Undertakings. One day, being at Detybi, he had the boldness to ask the Oracle (once more I begyou wou'd notbesurpris'dwithwhatIama- bout to fay ) Ifay, he put this Question tothe Ora cle,WhethertherewaseveraMastintheWorld morewilethanI, ThePriestessmadeanswer,That therewasnone. HisBrother,whoisyetalive,can (assure you that this is true. Wherefore I intreat you ? Athenians, to consider seriously the Reason why I present you with an account of all these things:For,itisonlytoshewyouthespringof those falseRumours thathave taken Airagainst me. '
When IheardtheOracle'sAnswer,Iputtheque stiontomyself;WhatdoestheQpdmean? What
2s the hidden Sense that lies couch'd under these words? For; Iam sensible,thatIam intitledtono Wiidom,neithersmallnorgreat. Whatthendoes theGodmeaningivingme outforthewisestof Men? SinceaDeitycannotlye. ThusIcontinuedg^<<*** a long time in sulpence about the meaning of the 'J** Oracle, till at last after a great deal of trouble, it cameinmy-mind tomakethistrial. Iwenttoone
o f our Citizens, that pastes for one o f the wisest M e n in Town, and hop'd that by instancing him, as be ing a Person more wise than I, 1 should refute the Oracle. When I examin'd thisMan, who was one of our greatest Politicians, and whole Name, I know, isasufficientrecommendation. Ifoundthatall theWorldlook'duponhimasawifeMan,andthat
he had the like thoughts of himself, but in effect:
was no iuch Man. After this discovery I made
itmybusinesstoconvincehimrhathewasnotthe
Manhetookhimselftobe. Nowthiswastheoc casionwhichrenderedme odioustothisMan, andto
? ? all those w h o assisted at that interview. W h e n
? ? 5s f
W h e n I p a r t e d w i t h h i m I r e a s o n ' d w i t h i n d a y selfj andsaidtomyselfjIamwiserthanthisMan. "Tis possible that neither he nor I know any thing that's good or valuable: But stil'therms this differencej
he is possels'd with an Opinion ofhis own know ledge, tho' at the fame time he knows nothings but Ii as I k n o w nothing, so I pretend to k n o w as little. So that upon this score, I thought m y self a little wiser than he, because I did hdt think that I knevv what I did not know. '
After that I visited another that pass'd for a wi serMan thantheformer? ,butfoundhiminthe
iame Circumstances, and by that discovery gain'd newEnemies. Howeverthisdidnotdiscckrfageme. I continued to make the fame Experiment upon others. Iwas sensiblethatbysodoingIdrewhatredupoh my self, which gave me some trouble, because I dreadedtheconsequencesofit. ButIwasconvinc'd that I was bound to prefer the Voice of God to all
rid
ffo Apology of Socrates.
Considerations, ? nd to apply m y self to the most"
.
rtsdcm- reputable Men, in order to find out its true meaning.
Zr/S' Andnowthat! musttellyou,O^A^m,thetruth, <<reUast thewholeresultofmyInquirywasthis. Atithose ejieem'darewho pass'dforthewisestMen,appear'dtome"tobe tfcTM7s *n^nitelylessdiipos'dtoWisdom,than tholewho
>>ijeT
were not at all so esteem'd. TocontinuetheAccountofallmy Adventures,in
ordertorefutetheOracle. Havingvisitedallthe . greatStatesmen,Iaddress'dmyselftothePoets, both Tragedians * Dithyrambicks and others j I m a d e no question, but I wou'd be catch'd napping, as the s a y i n g is, b y f i n d i n g m y s e l f f a r m d r e i g n o r a n t t h a r i
they. ItookupsomeoftheirmostelaboratePerfor mances, and put the question to 'em, what was their meaning, what Plot or Design they carried on in
*The Poets whocompil'dHymnstotheHonour6? Bac- elmsweresocalled. TheseDithyrambswerefullofasub limeRage,andconsistedofboldandnew-coin'dWords. And accordingly,inorder tobe successfulincompiling'ern,there: was anecessity of being transported with Fury and Enthusi asm. SeeourRemarksupontheidOdeofthe4thBookofHw.
these
? ? Ihe Apologyof SocntesL tj thesePieces? ,as ifImean'd tobe instructed. In
deed,Athenians,Iam asham'dtotellyouthetruth: but after all,since Imust out with it,there was not one Man ofthewhole company thatwas notmore capa ble to discourse of, and assign Reasons for the Poems, thantheirrespectiveAuthors. ThUsinalittlespace! of time, I discovered that t Poets do not carry ori their Work by the measures of Wisdom, but by a sortofEnthusiasm, andcertainimpulsesofNature,
like Prophets and Divines, that speak of a great m a
nyfinethingswhich theydonotunderstand. The^"* P o e t s s e e m ' d t o m e t o b e c a s t i n t h e f a m e M o u l d ? , p ^ t o ' " ,
and at the fame time I perceiv'd, that by reason of'whichi\b- theirPoetry, they look'd upon themselvesas thewi-J^'*''*<<'>>/>>* testofMen, and admirablywell vers'din all others
things, that have no relation to their business, and whichtheydonotatallunderstand. ThenIturn'd m y back upon 'em, being convinced . that I was ar bovethemuponthefame score,thatentitledmeto a preferencebeforethegreatPoliticians.
Having done with the Poets, to conclude m y Ih- ? 'uiry,Iaddress'dmyselftotheTradesmen. When accosted them, I was fully convinc'd that Iunder
stood nothing belonging to their Profession, and that ' Ishou'dfindthemtobeMen ofclearUnderstand ings and ready Parts : And indeed I was not deceiv'd. They knew all that I was ignorant of, and upon thatscorewereinfinitelywiserthanI. Batafterall, O Athenians, the wisest among them seem'd to fall foul upon the same Shelve with the Poets. * Fof every M a n of 'em presum'd so far upon his succels inthe way ofhisbusiness, thathe fansied himself to be admirably well vers'd in greater Matters : And this extravagant Fancy alone obscur'd their o- ther commendable Qualities.
tPoemsarenotmadebyhumanWisdom,butbyasortof Divine Inspiration j as Socrates makes it out, in the Dialogue calFd Ion.
* This Presumption of the Athenian Tradesmen,is a sufficient EvidenceoftheSpiritofthePeopleofAthens. Theylov'd to racddk with and judge of every thing.
>>
B b Then
? ? 18
the Apology ofSocrates.
ThenIputthe,questiontomy self,asarguingonthe b e h a l f o f t h e O r a c l e ? , w h e t h e r I f h o u ' d r a t h e r c h u s e
tocontinuesuchasIwas, withouteithertheKnow ledge of that fort of Men, or their Ignorance ; or to beentitledtoboth,andtobereduc'dtothelame Categorywith them? Ianswer'd,both formy self and for the Oracle, That it was infinitely preferable tocontinueasIwas. This,Gentlemen,isthesource of that dangerous and mortal Hatred and Enmity, which rais'd all the Calumnies I am now charg'd with,andchristen'dmeTheWise. Forallwhohear me, believethatIknow allthings;andbyVertue of that Knowledge am enabled to discover and ex posetheIgnoranceofothers. ButIamofOpinion,
Godalone thatthere's none trulyWise butGod himself5and >>Wise, thattheOraclemean'dsomuch,ingivingustoknow
that the utmost extent of human Wisdom is no greatmatter-,or,rather,thatitisjustnothing. And as for the Oracle's mentioning Socrates, doubtless m y N a m e w a s o n l y p r o p o s ' d a s a n I n s t a n c e -, s i g n i f y i n g
wisest'os' toa^^en'thatthewiseftai"ongthem,ishe,who,
Met.
likeSocrates,disclaimsallWisdom inhimself. Having fix'd upon thisTruth,Ipurpos'd to fortifie theIdeayet more,andtoobeyGod,incarryingon
my Inquiry,not only among my own Country-men but likewise among strangers; in order to try if I couldmeetwithanythatweretrulywise;and,in case I foundnone,toactthePartofan Interpreter totheOracle,and convincetheWorldthattheyare
strangerstoWisdom. ThismyDesigndoessoen grossbothmy TimeandmyThoughts,thatIhave not leasure,either to meddle in publick Business, Or to take care of my private Affairs, and thus my Cir cumstances are to narrow in the World, by reason of that continual Service and Worship * which I render
toGod.
Besides, a great many young Gentlemen, who are
*
By the Worsliip and Service done to God, he means the fains he took in convincing the World thai they have no Wisdom, and that God alone is entitled to it/
corns
? ? The Apology os Socrates? i^
come ofrichFamiliesand have Time at command, do willingly engage to follow me, and take so much pleasureinobservingtheMethod inwhich Iconfute all other Men, that they afterwards endeavour to imitateme inbafflingthosetheyengagewith:And itisnottobedoubted,butthattheymeetwitha
plentiful Harvest, by reason of the infinite number o f those vain M e n , w h o fansie they k n o w all things, tho' at the fame time they know nothing, or at least Very little.
AU thosewhom theyconvinceoftheirIgnorance; havetheir Eyeuponme and not upon them;and give it out, that there's one Socrates, a profligate and infamous Wretch^ who corrupts theTouth : And ifany
Body asks them what Socrates does, or what he teaches5theyknownothingofthematter:Butto avoid being at a stand, they have recourse to these
frivolous Reproaches that are commonly cast upon
Philosophers, viz. That he dives into the Heavens
andthebosomoftheEarthsthathebelievesinno
God, and colours bad Causes with a good Counte
nance. For they dare not tell the true matter of Fact,
that Socrates is too hard for them, and exposes them
for making a shew of knowing what they do not
know. 'Thus it came to pals that my ambitious,
violent and numerous Enemies, supported by a m u
tual Union, and back'd by an Eloquence capable to
ieduce men, did a great while ago suggest to ypu, the C a l u m n i e s t h e y h a d l O r g ' d a g a i n s t m e ? , a n d n o w h a v e
taken off and inveigled Me/itus, Anytm arid Lycori. Melitus stands by the Poets ? , Anytus represents the
Politicians and Tradesmen ; and Lycon appears for theOrators. So that you feeIhad reason totell youinthebeginningofmy Discourse,ThatIsliou'd look upon it as a great Miracle, if in so short i timeI coudunhingeaCalumny, thathashad so touch time to take root and fortifie it self in your Minds.
: This, Athenians, is the whole and the naked truth. Icbiicealnothingfromyou, andIdisguiseaslittle:
Bb3 * Tho1
? ? ao
the ApologyofSocrates. '
Tho* at the fame time I a m not ignorant, that all my advancesuponthisscoredobut exasperate the Wound. Buteven thatissufficientevidencethatI speak theTruth,and point to the true source of these Imputations. As often as ye'U take the Pains to can vass them, whether now or at another time, you'll befullyconvinc'dthatitisso. Andthis,Itakeit, isasufficientApology,againstmy firstAccusers.
I am now come up with the latter, and shallen
deavour to answer Melitus ; who, ifthe World will
takehiswordsoft,isaveryhonestMan, andvery
affectionate to his Country. To draw up the In
dictment in form, as I did in answer to' the first-y
the Purport of it is this : Socrates is guilty of unjust
things. HecorruptstheYouth,bynotbelievingthe Gods received by his Country, and introducing new
Deities. To examine everyArticleapart. HisPleais,That Iam guiltyofInjusticeincor ruptingtheYouth.
AndI,ontheotherhand,al ledge that Melitus isa very unjust Man, for arraign
ing Men, on purpose, to make a shew of taking much Care of things that he never troubled his headwith. ThisChargeIamabouttomakegood. I challenge you then, Melitus, tell me, is there no thing you mind so much as the promoting the Good and Integrity of young Men as much as is possible >
Melitus. No, surethere'snothing.
Socrates. ButpraytellourJudges,whoitis that can render the Youth better ? For it is not to be queiiion'd, but that you can tell who, since you make that so much your business. In effect, since you have found out and impeach'd the Person that corruptsthem,you oughttotellwho isabletoset themright. Prayspeak Yousee,Melitus, you are put to a Nonplus, and know not what to , answer. Doesnotthiscoveryouwithshame? Is not this a convincing Proof that you never minded rheEducation ofYouth? Butoncemore,Who isit that's able to better the Youth ?
Melitus.
? ? theApologyofSocrates. ? %\
Melitus. TheLaws. ,f'
Socrates Thatisnotthething,myFriend. X askyouwho'tis? WhoistheMan? Foritisaplain Cafe, that the chiefthing that the Man must be vers'd in, is the Laws.
Melitus. Itellyou,Socrates,thattheseJudgesare t h e M e n . ? _ . ;
Socrates. How doyoumean, Melitus? What? Are these Judges the only M e n capable to instruct and better the Youth ? \. ,
Melitus. . Most certainly.
? Socrates. But, are all these Judges capable so to
d o ? O r , is it o n l y a p a r t i c u l a r n u m b e r o f t h e m ? Melitus. Mi ofem.
Socrates. ]-You talk strangely. You have found
outagreatnumberofgoodPreceptorsforus. But pray is the whole Audience capable likewise to bet ter the Youth, or not ?
Melitus. They are all likewise capable. Socrates. AndwhatdoyousayoftheSenators? Melitus. TheSenatorscanalibdoit. Socrates. But,my dearMelitus,dothosewhoha
rangue the publick Assemblies corrupt the Youth ; or are they capable in like manner to better them ?
Melitus. Theyarealllikewisecapable.
Socrates. Itwillfollowthen,thatalltheAtheni a n s a r e c a p a b l e t o i n s t r u c t : t h e Y o u t h w i t h o u t m e ? ,
andthatitisonlyIwhocorruptsthem. Isnotthis what you mean ?
Melitus. Itisjustso.
Socrates. I must needs own, that by this means youfastenaverygreatmisfortuneuponme. How ever,praygoon,andanswerme. Whatdoyou think ? Are Horses in the fame condition > Can ail Menmakethembetter,andisitonlyoneManthat has the secret of spoiling them ? Or, isit not just a contrary Cafe ? , that is, that only one Man, or a small number of Jockies, know how to betterthem, and the rest of Mankind, when they make use of 'em,do onlyspoilthem? Now, isnottheCaseof
Bb3 all
? ? ? 2
7he Apology of-Socrates.
all other Animals just the fame ? It'is certainly so; whether- Anytus and you agree to it, or not: for'it would be an infinite happiness and advantage to the Youth,iftherewereonlyoneMan intheWorld that could corrupt them, and every Body besides wereabletoredresstheirErrors. Butindeed;Me- situs, you have given sufficient Proof, that the Edu cation of Youth did never much disquiet you : And upon this occasion you have plainly given the World
toknow,thatyounevermindedit. However,pray* Melitus, answer m e as to this Point : Whether does a Man benefitmore by livingwith honestMen, or with Knaves? Return me an Answer,my Friendj forIput nodifficultQuestiontoyou. Isitnottrue thatwickedMendoalwaysgivesomebadTincture to those who frequent their Company, and that good Men do always benefit those that live with them > ? . . ;. . ' v, .
Melitus. Yes-, doubtless.
Socrates. Is there any Man, who had ratherchuse to beprejudic'd,than to be benefitted by those he lives with? Answer me-, for the Law enjoyns you so todo. i. ;
Mel. No ? ,there'snone.
Soc. But now that you chargeme with corrupting and debauching the Youth ; whether do you alledge1 t h a t I d o it w i l l i n g l y a n d k n o w i n g l y , o r a g a i n s t m y Will ?
Mel. Willingly and knowingly.
Soc. How then, Melitus, does your Wisdom, in the Age you are now of, surpass mine at this Age ibfar,thatyouknow verywellthatwickedMen do always prejudice, and good Men benefit those who frequent their Company ; and yet thatI (hou'd beibignorantas nottoknow, thatifIdebauch any ofmy Followers, Irunthe riskofbeingprejudic'd by thtm, and at the fume time continue to draw thatEviluponmyselfbothwillinglyandknow ingly> InthisPoint,Melitus,Idonotbelieveyou atall;neitherdoIthinkthatanyMan intheWorld
can
? ? the Apology of Socrates 25
canbelieveyou. Foroneofthosetwothingsmust be true? ,namely* eitherthatI do notcorrupt the
Youth at all; or, if I do, that it is against m y will andwithoutmy knowledge. Now turntheCase uponwhichofthesetwoyouwill;itisplainthat youareaCalumniatorandaLyar. PuttheCase, thatIcorrupttheYouthagainstmy will;theLaw ? doesnotarraignMen forinvoluntaryCrimes. But
it orders that such M e n as are guilty of them, shou'd be taken aside,inform'd of 'em,and privately reprov'd for their Errors ; for 'tis plain, that if I be instructed to the full, I'llcease to be guilty of what I have committed against my Will, Now you have nei t h e r c o u n s e l e d m e n o r i n s t r u c t e d m e ? , b u t h a v e a r -
raign'd me before a Tribunal, which the Law has providedforthosewho deservePunishment, andnot forthose who standonly inneedofRemonstrances. This, Gentlemen, is a convincing Proof of what I alledged before ; namely, that Me/itus never minded or thought of these things.
But after all,praytell,how itisthatIcorrupt theYouth. AccordingtoyourInformation,'tis,by teaching them to disown the Gods acknowledged by theirCountry,andtohonourstrangeones. Isnot thisyour Plea ?
Mel. Itisjustfo.
Soc. Then,Melitus^IconjureyouintheNameof allthoseGods, whoseInterestisnowconcern'd,to explain your meaning more clearly, both to me and toourJudges. ForIamatalosstoknow,whe ther you allow that I teach the Youth to believe in any Gods, and only turn their Respect from the Gods of their own Country to Foreign ones ; or, whether you charge me with believing no God at
all,and snaking the Beliefofothers? Tho' at the bottom I am effectuallypersuaded that there are Gods;sothatAtheismisnoneofmy Crime.
Mel. IchargeyouwithowningnoGod.
Sae. You are a strange Man ! How can you
Bb4 talk
? ? 24
We ApologyofSocrates?
talkso? What ! -Do notIbelieve asotherMen do, thattheSunandMoonareGods? *
Mel. Certainly,Athenians,hebelievesinnoGod; for he fays the Sun is a Stone, and the M o o n a piece" of Earth.
Soc. M y dear Melitus, you think you are speak ing to Anaxagoras -, and treat our Judges very con temptuously, in thinkingthem so void of Letters, as not to know that the Books cf Anaxagoras and Cla- zomenian are stuff'd with such Stories. Besides, wou'd the Youth be at the trouble of learning from me suchthings asarecontain'dinthepublickBooks which are Ibid every day in the Orchestra for a Drachma ? This wou'd furnish them with a fair
opportunity of deriding Socrates, for attributing to himselfsuch things'asarenotonlynoneofhis,but likewiseahsurdandextravagant. Butpraytellme, do you alledge that I own no God?
' Mel. Yes, Ido.
Soc. You advanceincrediblethings,my dearMe
tisus? ,andarenotconsistentwith'yourself Suffer
m e to tell you, Athenians, that Melitus leems to m e tobevery insolent,and thathe haslaidthisAccusa tion against me, out of a youthful presumption to insult over me: For he's come hither, as it were, to. try me, in proposing a Riddle, and saying within himself, I'll see if Socrates, w h o pasies for so wise a Man, will be able to'discern that I'm upon the Banter, and advance contradictory things? ,or, ifI cangullhimandalltheAudience. Ineffecthis
Information presents us with a palpable contradiction. As if lie had said, Socrates is guilty cfInjustice m owning no Gods, and in owning Gods. And this is Banter all over. That's the Notion I have of it. I beg yoq would listen to me ; and, pursuant to iny first Request, wou'd not be incens'd against
Socraa-sthrewinthisIronicalExpression, inordertoex pose theridiculousnessoftheReligionoftheMhenlam, who iook'. iupon'theSunandMoonasGods,whichareonlythe Work vi God's Hands. . ? . . . - . .
me
? ? the Apology of Socrates. -
>>jp
me ,sot addressing you in my ordinary way of
speaking.
A n s w e r m e , M e l i t u s t, I s t h e r e a n y M a n i n t h e
World thatbelievesthattherearehuman things3and yetdeniesthe beingofMen ? Prayanswer, and do1 notmakesomuchNoise. IsthereanyManwho believes that there are certain Rules for managing of Horses, and yet believes there is no such thing as a Horse? Is there any Man that troubles himself with Tunes for a Flute, and yet believes that no Man can play upon it? There's no such Man, to:
be sure? ,forsinceyouwillnot answeryourself,I'll answer for you. But pray answer me as to this Point:IsthereanyMan thatbelievesdivinethings, andyetdeniesthe beingofaGod? ,
Mel. No,certainlythere'snone.
Soc, What painshaveItaken towrestthatword outofyou! <YouacknowledgethenthatIbelieve and teach the being of Deities. So that whether they be new or old, you stillown that I believe in Deities. AndtothispurposeyousworeinyourIn formation. . Now, ifIbelievethatthereareDei ties, I must necessarily suppose that there are Gods. Isnotitso? Yes,doubtless. Itakeyoursilence forconsent. ButtheseDeitiesorDemons,donot we takethemforGods, ortheChildrenofGods? Answer me.
? Mel. Yes,doubtless. *ThesePassagesaremoreimportantthanatfirstviewthey
seemtobe. Whoeverbelieves,thattherearesuchCreaturesas the Children of Gods, believes that there are Gods. The acknowledgingofAngelsimpliesthe beliefofGods; which isthethingthatSocratespointsto. TheseinferiorGodsare Children and Ministers,of the Supreme God, the God of Gods. N o w Socrates own'd an infinite number of these subordinate Beings, which he look'd upon as a continued Chain descend ing from the Throne of God to the Earth, and as the Bonds otCommercebetweenGodandMen,andtheMediumwhich unitesHeavenandEarth. ThisNotionofhismightbeta ken from Homer's mysterious Chain ; or, perhaps he had heard ofJacob'sLadder, thetopwereofreach'd toHeaven, whenthe footstoodupontheEarth;upon whichtheAn
gelsofGodascended anddescended,Ge>>. i8. u.
i. \ "? '? ' Soc.
?
? t
? Men.
* Socrates speaks thus in compliance with the Opinion of the People, who believ'd the Demons ow'd their Being to the Correspondence of the Gods with their Nymphs or W o men* Nowuponthisoccasion,itwasnothisbirfinesstoat tackthatError. Tiscertain,thatSocrateswasnotofthat Opibn ; for he had learn'dof"Pythagoras,that Demons or An gels and Hero's, that is, devout M e n and Saints, are the Sons of God, because they derive from him their Being, as Light owesit'sOriginaltoaluminousBody. AndinhisTlmtm^
speaking of the Generation of Angels or Demons, he fays, 'tis above the reach of human Nature. ?
