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the apology-第1部分

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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 settle



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 senility set in



than to escape execution by humbling himself be…



fore an unjust persecution。 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 seems to me; is more



deserving of record than the counsel he took with himself'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 that the



language used by Socrates was really of that type。 But none of these



writers has brought out clearly the fact that Socrates had come to



regard death as for himself preferable to life; and consequently 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 purpose。'7' Hermogenes says that;



seeing 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 seem 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



devise。〃 Presently reverting to the topic; Hermogenes demanded: 〃Do



you not see; 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



phrase?〃 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 seem 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 whole life has been spent holily and justly?



And indeed this verdict of self…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 myself slower to learn new



lessons; and apter to forget the lessons I have learnt。 And if to



these be added the consciousness of failing powers; the sting of self…



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 close my life in the



ripeness of age; and by the gentlest of deaths。 For if at this time



sentence of death be passed upon me; it is plain I shall be allowed to



meet an end which; in the opinion of those who have studied the



matter; is not only the easiest in itself; but one which will cause



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 unseemly or



discomfortable to haunt the imagination of those beside him; but;



sound of body; and his soul still capable of friendly repose; fades



tranquilly away。〃







'1' Or; 〃Socrates' Defence before the Dicasts。〃 For the title of the



    work see 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 seems rather



    foolhardy。〃







'6' See 〃Mem。〃 IV。 viii。 4 foll。); a passage of which this is either



    an 〃ebauchement〃 or a 〃rechauffe。〃







'7' Or; 〃the philosopher's cast of thought。〃







'8' Dikasteries。







'9' {to daimonion}。







'10' {edein}; i。e。 at any moment。







'11' For the phrase {iskhuros agamenos emauton}; cf。 〃Mem。〃 II。 i。 19。







'12' L。 Dindorf cf。 Dio Chrys。 〃Or。〃 28; {anagke gar auto en



    probainonti anti men kallistou aiskhrotero gignesthai k。t。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 lose my life。〃







'15' Cf。 Plat。 〃Phaed。〃 66。







〃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 myself; not that surcease from life which is in store for



me anon; but to end my days wasted by disease; or by old age; on which



a confluent stream of evil things most alien to joyousness



converges。〃'18'







'16' {te tou logou episkepsei}。 Cf。 Plat。 〃Rep。〃 456 C。







'17' Or; if {emin}; transl。 〃we all were for thinking that the main



    thing was。〃







'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 myself; I end by wearying the court; even so



will I choose death rather than supplicate in servile 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



prosecution accused him of not recognising the gods recognised by the



state; but introducing novel divinities and corrupting the young;



Socrates stepped forward and said: 〃In the first place; sirs; I am at



a loss to imagine on what ground'20' Meletus asserts that I do not



recognise the gods which are recognised by the state; since; as far as



sacrificing goes; the rest of the world who have chanced to be present



have been in the habit of seeing me so engaged at common festivals;



and on the public altars; and so might Meletus himself; if he had



wished。 And as to novel divinities; how; pray; am I supposed 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 else do those



who make use 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



those whom he will of what is about to be。 That is a thing which all



the world believes and asserts even as I do。 Only; when they describe



these 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 counsels of heaven; I have never at any time



been shown to be a deceiver or deceived。〃







'20' Cf。 〃Mem。〃 I。 i。 2。







'21' Cf。 Plat。 〃Apol。〃 19。







'22' Cf。 〃Anab。〃 III。 ii。 11; Aristoph。 〃Birds;〃 720。







'23' Delphi。







'24' Or; 〃th
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