The Apology
by Xenophon
Translation by H. G. Dakyns
Xenophon the Athenian was born 431 B.C. He was a pupil of Socrates. He marched with the Spartans, and was exiled from Athens. Sparta gave him land and property in Scillus, where he lived for many years before having to move once more, to ttle in Corinth. He died in 354 B.C.
The Apology describes Socrates' state of mind at his trial and execution, and especially his view that it was better to die before nility t in than to escape execution by humbling himlf be- fore an unjust percution. Xenophon was away at the time, involved in the events of the march of the ten thousand.
THE APOLOGY OF SOCRATES[1]
Among the reminiscences of Socrates, none, as it ems to me, is more derving of record than the counl he took with himlf[2] (after being cited to appear before the court), not only with regard to his defence, but also as to the ending of his life. Others have written on this theme, and all without exception have touched upon[3] the lofty style of the philosopher,[4] which may be taken as a proof tha
t the language ud by Socrates was really of that type. But none of the writers has brought out clearly the fact that Socrates had come to regard death as for himlf preferable to life; and conquently there is just a suspicion of foolhardiness in the arrogancy of his address.[5] We have, however, from the lips of one of his intimate acquaintances, Hermogenes,[6] the son of Hipponicus, an account of him which shows the high demeanour in question to have been altogether in keeping with the master's rational purpo.[7] Hermogenes says that, eing Socrates discoursing on every topic rather than that of his impending trial, he roundly put it to him whether he ought not to be debating the line of his defence, to which Socrates in the first instance answered: "What! do I not em to you to have spent my whole life in meditating my defence?" And when Hermogenes asked him, "How?" he added: "By a lifelong persistence in doing nothing wrong, and that I take to be the finest practice for his defence which a man could devi." Prently reverting to the topic, Hermogenes demanded: "Do you not e, SOcrates, how often Athenian juries[8] are constrained by arguments to put quite innocent people to death, and not less often to acquit the guilty, either through some touch of pity excited by the pleadings, or that the defendant had skill to turn some charming phra?" Thus appealed to, Socrates replied: "Nay, solemnly I tell you, twice already I have essayed to consider my defence, and twice the divinity[9] hinders me"; and to the remark of Hermogenes, "That is strange!" he answered again: "Strange, do you call it, that to God it should e
m better for me to die at once? Do you not know that up to this moment I will not concede to any man to have lived a better life than I have; since what can exceed the pleasure, which has been mine, of knowing[10] that my w
hole life has been spent holily and justly? And indeed this verdict of lf-approval I found re-echoed in the opinion which my friends and intimates have formed concerning me.[11] And now if my age is still to be prolonged,[12] I know that I cannot escape paying[13] the penalty of old age, in increasing dimness of sight and dulness of hearing. I shall find mylf slower to learn new lessons, and apter to forget the lessons I have learnt. And if to the be added the consciousness of failing powers, the sting of lf- reproach, what prospect have I of any further joy in living? It may be, you know," he added, "that God out of his great kindness is intervening in my behalf[14] to suffer me to clo my life in the ripeness of age, and by the gentlest of deaths. For if at this time ntence of death be pasd upon me, it is plain I shall be allowed to meet an end which, in the opinion of tho who have studied the matter, is not only the easiest in itlf, but one which will cau the least trouble to one's friends,[15] while engendering the deepest longing for the departed. For of necessity he will only be thought of with regret and longing who leaves nothing behind unemly or discomfortable to haunt the imagination of tho beside him, but, sound of body, and his soul still capable of friendly repo, fades tranquilly away."
[1] Or, "Socrates' Defence before the Dicasts." For the title of the work e Grote, "H. G." viii. 641; Schneid. ap. L. Dindorf's note {pros tous dikastas}, ed. Ox. 1862, and Dindorf's own note; L. Schmitz, "On the Apology of Socrates, commonly attributed to Xenophon," "Class. Mus." v. 222 foll.; G. Sauppe, "Praef." vol. iii. p. 117, ed. ster.; J. J. Hartman, "An. Xen." p. 111 foll.; E. Richter, "Xen. Stud." pp. 61-96; M. Schanz, "Platos Apologia."
[2] Or possibly, "his deliberate behaviour."
[3] Or, "have succeeded in hitting off"; "done full justice to."
[4] Or, "the magniloquence of the master."
[5] Or, "so that according to them his lofty speech ems rather foolhardy."
[6] See "Mem." IV. viii. 4 foll.), a passage of which this is either an "ebauchement" or a "rechauffe."
enforcer
[7] Or, "the philosopher's cast of thought."
[8] Dikasteries.
[9] {to daimonion}.shower是什么意思
[10] {edein}, i.e. at any moment.
[11] For the phra {iskhuros agamenos emauton}, cf. "Mem." II. i. 19.
好会议[12] L. Dindorf cf. Dio Chrys. "Or." 28, {anagke gar auto en probainonti anti men kallistou aiskhrotero l.}
[13] {apoteleisthai}. In "Mem." IV. viii. 8, {epiteleisthai}.
[14] Or, "God of his good favour vouchsafes as my protector that I should," etc. For {proxenei} cf. "Anab." VI. v. 14; Soph. "O. C." 465, and "O. T." 1483; and Prof. Jebb's notes ad loc. "the god's kindly offices grant to me that I should lo my life."
[15] Cf. Plat. "Phaed." 66.
plant>单词迷宫
"No doubt," he added, "the gods were right in opposing me at that time (touching the inquiry, what I was to say in my
defence),[16] when you all thought the great thing was to discover some means of acquittal;[17] since, had I effected that, it is clear I should have prepared for mylf, not that surcea from life whi
ch is in store for me anon, but to end my days wasted by dia, or by old age, on which a confluent stream of evil things most alien to joyousness converges."[18]
[16] {te tou logou episkepi}. Cf. Plat. "Rep." 456 C.
bicycle是什么意思[17] Or, if {emin}, transl. "we all were for thinking that the main thing was."
预报名可以不报吗[18] Or, "that sink into which a confluent stream of evil humours discharge most incompatible with gaiety of mind." Schneid. conj. {eremon} sc. {geras}.
"No," he added, "God knows I shall display no ardent zeal to bring that about.[19] On the contrary, if by proclaiming all the blessings which I owe to god and men; if, by blazoning forth the opinion which I entertain with regard to mylf, I end by wearying the court, even so will I choo death rather than supplicate in rvile sort for leave to live a little longer merely to gain a life impoverished in place of death."
[19] Or, "I will give no helping hand to that."
It was in this determination, Hermogenes states, that, when the procution accud him of not recognising the gods recognid by the state, but introducing novel divinities and corrupting the youn
g, Socrates stepped forward and said: "In the first place, sirs, I am at a loss to imagine on what ground[20] Meletus asrts that I do not recogni the gods which are recognid by the state, since, as far as sacrificing goes, the rest of the world who have chanced to be prent have been in the habit of eing me so engaged at common festivals, and on the public altars; and so might Meletus himlf, if he had wished. And as to novel divinities, how, pray, am I suppod to introduce them by stating that I have a voice[21] from God which clearly signifies to me what I ought do do? Why, what el do tho who make u of the cries of birds or utterences of men draw their conclusions from if not from voices? Who will deny that the thunder has a voice and is a very mighty omen;[22] and the priestess on her tripod at Pytho,[23] does not she also proclaim by voice the messages from the god? The god, at any rate, has foreknowledge, and premonishes tho whom he will of what is about to be. That is a thing which all the world believes and asrts even as I do. Only, when they describe the premonitions under the name of birds and utterances, tokens[24] and soothsayers, I speak of a divinity, and in using that designation I claim to speak at once more exactly and more reverentially than they do who ascribe the power of the gods to birds. And that I am not lying against the Godhead I have this as a proof: although I have reported to numbers of friends the counls of heaven, I have never at any time been shown to be a deceiver or deceived."
paradi歌词[20] Cf. "Mem." I. i. 2.
[21] Cf. Plat. "Apol." 19.
[22] Cf. "Anab." III.
ii. 11; Aristoph. "Birds," 720.
[23] Delphi.
[24] Or, "the objects that meet us." See Prof. Jebb ad Theophr. "Ch." xxviii. 5.
As they listened to the words the judges murmured their disnt, some as disbelieving what was said, and others out of simple envy that Socrates should actually receive from heaven more than they themlves; whereupon Socrates returned to the charge. "Come," he said, "lend me your ears while I tell you something more, so that tho of you who choo may go to a still greater length in refusing to believe that I am thus highly honoured by the divine powers. Chaerephon[25] once, in the prence of many witness, put a question at Delhi concerning me, and Apollo answered that there was no human being more liberal, or more upright, or more temperate than mylf." And when once more on hearing the words the judges gave vent, as was only natural, to a fiercer murmur of disnt, Socrates once again spoke: "Yet, sirs, they were still greater words which the god spake in o
racle concerning Lycurgus,[26] the great lawgiver of Lacedaemon, than tho concerning me. It is said that as he entered the temple the god addresd him with the words: 'I am considering whether to call thee god or man.' Me he likened not indeed to a god, but in excellence[27] preferred me far beyond other men."
[25] L. Dindorf cf. Athen. v. 218 E; Hermesianax ap. Athen. xiii. 599 A; Liban. vol. iii. pp. 34, 35; Plat. "Apol." 21 A; Paus. i. 22. 8; Schol. ad Aristoph. "Clouds," 144; Grote, "H. G." viii. 567 foll.
[26] See Herod. i. 65:
{ekeis, o Lukoorge, emon pori piona neon, Zeni philos kai pasin 'Olumpia domat' ekhousi dizo e theon manteusomai e anthropon. all' eti kai mallon theon elpomai, o Lukoorge.}
Cf. Plut. "Lyc." 5 (Clough, i. 89).switzerland
[27] Or, "gave judgment beforehand that I far excelled."
"Still I would not have you accept this even on the faith of the god too rashly; rather I would have you investigate, point by point, what the god has said. I ask you, is there any one[28] el, you know of, less enslaved than mylf to the appetites[29] of the body? Can you name another man of more inde
pendent spirit than mylf, eing that I accept from no one either gifts or pay? Whom have you any right to believe to be more just[30] than one so suited with what he has, that the things of others excite no craving in him?[31] Whom would one reasonably deem wi, rather than such a one as mylf, who, from the moment I began to understand things spoken,[32] have never omitted to inquire into and learn every good thing in my power? And that I laboured not in vain, what more conclusive evidence than the fact that so many of my fellow-citizens who make virtue their pursuit, and many strangers also, choo my society in preference to that of others?[33] And how are we to explain the fact that though all know well enough that I am wholly unable to repay them in money, so many are eager to
abc是什么意思prent me with some gift?[34] And what do you make of this--while no one dreams of dunning me for benefits conferred, hosts of people acknowledge debts of gratitude to mylf? And what of this, that during the siege,[35] while others were pitying themlves[36] I lived in no greater straits than when the city was at the height of her prosperity? and of this, that while others provide themlves with delicacies[37] of the market at great cost, mine are the dainties of the soul more sweet than theirs,[38] procured without expen? If in all I have said about mylf no one can convict me of lying, is it not obvious that the prai I get from gods and men is justly earned? And yet in spite of all,
Meletus, you will have it that by such habits I corrupt the young. We know, I fancy, what such corrupting influences are; and perhaps you will tell us if you know of any one who, under my influence, has been changed from a religous into an irreligious man; who, from being sober-minded, has become prodigal; from being a moderate drinker has become a wine-bibber and a drunkard; from being a lover of healthy honest toil has become effeminate, or under the thrall of some other wicked pleasure."
[28] Lit. "whom do you know," and so throughout.
[29] Cf. Plat. "Phaed." 66 C.
[30] Or, "so attempered and adjusted." The phra savours of "cynic." theory.
[31] Or, "prent no temptation to him"; lit. "that he stands in no further need of what belongs to his neighbours."
[32] {ta legomena}, "the meaning of words and the force of argument."
[33] {ek panton}. Cf. Thuc. i. 120, {osper kai en allois ek panton protimontai (oi egemones)}, "as they (leaders) are first in honour, they should be first in the fulfilment of their duties" (Jowett).
[34] The commentators quote Libanius, "Apol." vol. iii. p. 39, {kai dia touto ekalei men Eurulokhos o Kharistios, ekalei de Skopas k Kranonios, oukh ekista lontes, upiskhnoumenoi}. Cf. Diog. Laert. ii. 31, {Kharmidou oiketas auto didontos, in' ap' auton prosodeuoito, oukh eileto}. Cf. id. 65, 74.
[35] See "Hell." II. ii. 10.
[36] {oikteirein eautous}. See L. Dind. ad loc. For an incident in point e "Mem." II. vii.
[37] Plat. "Rep." iii. 404 D, "refinements of Attic confectionery."
[38] {ek tes psukhes}, possibly "by a healthy appetite." Cf. "Symp." iv. 41. The same ntiment "ex ore Antisthenis." See Joel, op. cit. i. 382; Schanz, Plat. "Apol." p. 88, S. 26.
"Nay, bless my soul," exclaimed Meletus, "I know tho whom you persuaded to obey yourlf rather than the fathers who begat them."[39]
[39] Cf. "Mem." I. ii. 49.
"I admit it," Socrates replied, "in the ca of education, for they know that I have made the matter a study; and with regard to health a man prefers to obey his doctor rather than his parents; in the publi
c asmbly the citizens of Athens, I presume, obey tho who arguments exhibit the soundest wisdom rather than their own rel
