And afterwards, when his companions wished to steal him out of prison,[43] he would not follow their lead, but would seem to have treated the idea as a jest, by asking 'whether they happened to know of some place outside Attica where death was forbidden to set foot?'
[40] {sunagoreuein}, L. and S. cf Thuc. vi. 6, 'partisans,' viii. 84,
'pleaded the case of' (Jowett).
[41] Or, 'laid the greatest stress of not being guilty of impiety';
'attached the greatest importance to the fact that he was never
guilty of impiety.'
[42] {upotimasthai}. See L. Dind. cf. Cic. 'Orat.' i. 54; the
technical word is {antitimasthai}. Cf. Plat. 'Apol.' 36 D; Diog.
Laert. ii. 41. These authorities tell a different story. Why
should these stories, if true, as no doubt they were, be omitted?
[43] Cf. Plat. 'Crit.' 44 B.
When the trial drew to an end, we are told, the master said:[44] 'Sirs, those who instructed the witnesses that they ought to perjure themselves and bear false witness against me, alike with those who listened to their instruction, must be conscious to themselves of a deep impiety and injustice.[45] But for myself, what reason have I at the present time to hold my head less high than I did before sentence was passed against me, if I have not been convicted of having done any of those things whereof my accusers accused me? It has not been proved against me that I have sacrificed to novel divinities in place of Zeus and Hera and the gods who form their company. I have not taken oath by any other gods, nor named their name.
[44] {eipein auton [autos(?)]}, i.e. 'according to Hermiogenes.'
[45] Or, 'must have a heavy load on their minds in the consciousness
of their impiety and injustice.'
'And then the young-how could I corrupt them by habituating them to manliness and frugality? since not even my accusers themselves allege against me that I have committed any of those deeds[46] of which death is the penalty, such as robbery of temples,[47] breaking into houses, selling freemen into slavery, or betrayal of the state; so that I must still ask myself in wonderment how it has been proved to you that I have done a deed worthy of death. Nor yet again because I die innocently is that a reason why I should lower my crest, for that is a blot not upon me but upon those who condemned me.
[46] Cf. 'Mem.' I. ii. 62.
[47] See Plat. 'Rep.' iii. 413 A.
'For me, I find a certain consolation in the case of Palamedes,[48] whose end was not unlike my own; who still even to-day furnishes a far nobler theme of song than Odysseus who unjustly slew him; and I know that testimony will be borne to me also by time future and time past that I never wronged another at any time or ever made a worse man of him,[49] but ever tried to benefit those who practised discussion with me, teaching them gratuitously every good thing in my power.'
[48] Cf. 'Mem.' IV. viii. 9, 10; ib. IV. ii. 3. See Plat. 'Rep.' v.
476 D, {exomen ti paramutheisthai auton}; and 'Hunting,' i. 11.
The story of Palamedes is told by Ovid, 'Met.' xiii. 5.
[49] Cf. Plat. 'Apol.' 25 D, {poteron eme eisageis deuro os
diaphtheironta tous neous kai poneroterous poiounta ekonta e
akonta}.
Having so said he turned and went in a manner quite in conformity[50] with the words which he had spoken-so bright an air was discernible alike in the glance of his eye, his gesture, and his step.
[50] {omologoumenos}. For the use of the word L. Dind. cf. Diog.
Laert. vii. 87, {dioper protos o Zenon en to peri anthropou
phuseos telos eipe to omologoumenos te phusei zen} (Cicero's
'naturae convenienter vivere,' L. and S.), whereas the regular
Attic use is different. Cf. 'Oec.' i. 11, {kai omologoumenos ge o
logos emin khorei} = 'consentanea ratione.' 'Our argument runs on
all-fours.' Plat. 'Symp.' 186 B, {to nasoun omologoumenos eteron
te kai anomoion esti}, 'ut inter omnes convenit.'
And when he perceived those who followed by his side in tears, 'What is this?' he asked. 'Why do you weep now?[51] Do you not know that for many a long day, ever since I was born, sentence of death was passed upon me by nature? If so be I perish prematurely while the tide of life's blessings flows free and fast, certainly I and my well-wishers should feel pained; but if it be that I am bringing my life to a close on the eve of troubles, for my part I think you ought all of you to take heart of grace and rejoice in my good fortune.'
[51] 'Why precisely now?'
Now there was a certain Apollodorus,[52] who was an enthusiastic lover of the master, but for the rest a simple-minded man. He exclaimed very innocently, 'But the hardest thing of all to bear, Socrates, is to see you put to death unjustly.'[53]
[52] Cf. 'Mem.' III. xi. 17; Plut. 'Cato min.' 46 (Clough, iv. 417).
See Cobet, 'Pros. Xen.' s.n.; cf. Plat. 'Symp.' 173; 'Phaed.' 54
A, 117 D; Aelian, 'V. H.' i. 16; Heges. 'Delph.' ap. Athen. xi.
507.
[53] Diog. Laert. ii. 5. 35, ascribes the remark to Xanthippe, and so
Val. Max. 7. 2, Ext. 1.
Whereupon Socrates, it is said, gently stroked the young man's head: 'Would you have been better pleased, my dear one, to see me put to death for some just reason rather than unjustly?' and as he spoke he smiled tenderly. [54]
[54] See Plat. 'Phaed.' 89 B, where a similar action is attributed to
Socrates in the case of Phaedo (his beloved disciple). 'He stroked
my head and pressed the hair upon my neck-he had a way of playing
with my air; and then he said: 'To-morrow, Phaedo, I suppose that
these fair locks of yours will be severed.''
It is also said that, seeing Anytus[55] pass by, Socrates remarked: 'How proudly the great man steps; he thinks, no doubt, he has performed some great and noble deed in putting me to death, and all because, seeing him deemed worthy of the highest honours of the state, I told him it ill became him to bring up his so in a tan-yard.[56] What a scamp the fellow is! he appears not to know that of us two whichever has achieved what is best and noblest for all future time is the real victor in this suit. Well! well!' he added, 'Homer[57] has ascribed to some at the point of death a power of forecasting things to be, and I too am minded to utter a prophecy. Once, for a brief space, I associated with the son of Anytus, and he seemed to me not lacking in strength of soul; and what I say is, he will not adhere long to the slavish employment which his father has prepared for him, but, in the absence of any earnest friend and guardian, he is like to be led into some base passion and go to great lengths in depravity.'
[55] Son of Anthemion. See Plat. 'Men.' 90 B, {airountai goun auton
epi tas megistas arkhas}, Plut. 'Alc.' 4; id. 'Coriol.' 14;
Aristot. 'Ath. Pol.' 27, 25, re {to dekazein}; 34, 23. A moderate
oligarch; cf. Xen. 'Hell.' II. iii. 42, 44; Schol. Cod. Clarkiani
ad Plat. 'Apol.' 18 B ap. L. Dind. ad loc.; cf. Diod. xiii. 64.
[56] Cf. Plat. 'Apol.' 23 E.
[57] e.g. Patroclus dying predicts the death of Hector who had slain
him, 'Il.' xvi. 851 foll.; and Hector that of Achilles, 'Il.'
xxii. 358 foll. Cf. Cic. 'de Div.' 1, 30. Plato, 'Apol.' 39 C,
making Socrates thus address his judges: {to de de meta touto
epithumo umin khresmodesai, o katapsephisamenoi mou' kai gar eimi
ede entautha, en o malist' anthropoi khresmodousin, otan mellosin
apothaneisthai}. 'And now, O men who have condemned me, I would
fain prophesy to you, for I am about to die, and that is the hour
at which all men are gifted with prophetic power' (Jowett).
