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the apology-第3部分
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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 younghow 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 spokenso 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 neckhe 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)。
The prophecy proved true。 The young man fell a victim to the pleasures
of wine; night and day he never ceased drinking; and at last became a
mere good…for…nothing; worthless alike to his city; his friends; and
himself。 As to Anytus; even though the grave has closed upon him; his
evil reputation still survives him; due alike to his son's base
bringing…up and his own want of human feeling。
Socrates did; it is true; by his self…laudation draw down upon him the
jealousy of the court and caused his judges all the more to record
their votes against him。 Yet even so I look upon the lot of destiny
which he obtained as providential;'58' chancing as he did upon the
easiest amidst the many shapes of death;'59' and escaping as he did
the one grievous portion of existence。 And what a glorious chance;
moreover; he had to display the full strength of his soul; for when
once he had decided that death was better for him than life; just as
in the old days he had never harshly opposed himself to the good
things of life morosely;'60' so even in face of death he showed no
touch of weakness; but with gaiety welcomed death's embrace; and
discharged life's debt。
'58' Lit。 〃dear to the gods〃; 〃highly favoured。〃
'59' Cf。 Hom。 〃Od。〃 xii。 341; {pantes men stugeroi thanatoi deiloisi
brotoisin}。
'60' {prosantes}; i。e。 〃he faced death boldly as he had encountered
life's blessings blandly。〃 〃As he had been no stoic to repudiate
life's blessings; so he was no coward to;〃 etc。
For myself indeed; as I lay to mind the wisdom of the man and his
nobility; I can neither forget him nor; remembering him; forbear to
praise him。 But if any of those who make virtue their pursuit have
ever met a more helpful friend than Socrates; I tender such an one my
congratulations as a most enviable man。
End
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