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  • June 30, 1835
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The Freemasons' Quarterly Review, June 30, 1835: Page 31

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    Article THE DEFENCE OF SOCRATES. ← Page 3 of 5 →
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The Defence Of Socrates.

to reason and wisdom , being deceived themselves , and deluding others , are completely at their wit ' s end ! It is , then , impossible for me to cite any one of them here , or to bring forward any one who could confute them ; and I am , therefore , put to the necessity of defending myself , as one buffeting with the air , or contending with a shadow , and to ask questions where there is no one to l . As I have represented it to youso deem itthat my

repy , , accusers are of a two-fold description ;—one class , to which I am addressing myself , indulged their contumely against me at a very early period—the other is of a more recent date . The question is , do you deem it proper that I should defend myself , first of all , against the former ? As you previously heard their allegation , and as first impressions are always strongest , were naturally more influenced by them than by the arguments of the latter ?

You approve of my answering the older class of my calumniators first . Be it so . I am bound by every consideration , Athenians , to vindicate myself , and to endeavour to set aside , brief as the time allowed me is , a calumny so malevolent as the present charge against me , though you have been accustomed to receive it during the progress of a vast number of years . With this understanding then , that , if any circumstance in evidence more satisfactory to you as well as to myself should develop itselfI may be permitted to avail myself of it in rendering my defence

, more fully complete , I would desire the state of the case to remain ; premising that I consider the result pregnant of danger , neither do I conceal from myself that it is so . Nevertheless , I commend it to thepropitious auspices of the Deity , wholly relinquishing the issue to his determination— -all I have to do is , to obey the law , and defend my

cause . Allow me , then , hastily to take a review of the matter as it stands . There exists a certain prejudice , which is the origin of the slanderous accusation against me , and to which Melitus '" . having yielded implicit credit , has made it the argument of the present indictment . Well , well ! I am only astonished that the authors of those malignant slanders should g ive utterance to such deliberate falsehoods . But , as it forms the gist of the indictmentit is necessaryhowever absurd the recital may beto

, , , read over the tenor of their affidavit . It runs thus : — " Socrates acts without judgment , making himself very officious in the investigation of subjects both of metaphysical and natural science , and by the eloquence of his manner rendering in appearance the worst the better cause : and ' to add to those delinquencies , he instructs his disciples in the knowledge of such secrets . "

Such , in sum , is the character of the accusation on which you have to pronounce a verdict . Why , you yourselves have witnessed the articles of this impeachment represented in a comedy by Aristophanest . In the performance of that farce , you know there is an effigy , or figure pretending to represent me , which is carried about the stage of the theatre , and it is declared to say that it possesses the supernatural power of perambulating the air * " and of performing many other similarly ridi-

“The Freemasons' Quarterly Review: 1835-06-30, Page 31” Masonic Periodicals Online, Library and Museum of Freemasonry, 28 May 2025, django:8000/periodicals/fqr/issues/fqr_30061835/page/31/.
  • List
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Title Category Page
THE PRESENT ASPECT. Article 1
ON FREEMASONRY. Article 9
LIFE AND DEATH. Article 16
REMARKS Article 17
MY BIRTHDAY. Article 27
My Birthday. Article 28
THE DEFENCE OF SOCRATES. Article 29
CHARACTER OF ST. CLAIR OF ROSSLYN, Article 33
THE BURIAL OF BERTRAND DE BLANCHFORT. Article 34
NOTITIÆ TEMPLARIÆ, No. 4. Article 36
FREEMASONRY AMONG THE ANCIENTS. Article 42
A MEDITATION. Article 44
ON THE PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICE OF MASONRY. Article 45
RUINA TEMPLI. Article 47
THE WIDOW OF NAPLES. Article 48
MASONIC ANECDOTE. Article 49
THE MYSTERIOUS MR. B. Article 50
THE GILKES TRIBUTE. Article 52
TO THE EDITOR. Article 53
MASONIC INTELLIGENCE. Article 55
ESPECIAL GRAND LODGE.—APRIL 29. Article 55
GRAND FESTIVAL OF THE ORDER. Article 57
THE GLEE ROOM. Article 60
SUPREME ROYAL ARCH CHAPTER. Article 70
THE ASYLUM FOR THE AGED AND DECAYED FREEMASON. Article 77
MASONIC CHIT CHAT. Article 82
Masonic Obituary. Article 84
PROVINCIAL. Article 87
EDINBURGH. Article 102
IRELAND. Article 106
TO CORRESPONDENTS. Article 113
SCENES IN AMERICA. Article 115
REVIEW OF LITERATURE, DRAMA, &c. Article 122
THE DRAMA. Article 126
MISCELLANEOUS. Article 128
CONTENTS. Article 129
LE MIROIR DE LA SAGESSE.—Under this titl... Article 130
THE FREEMASON'S QUARTERLY REVIEW. Article 131
Books. &;c.y for Review should be sent a... Article 132
FREEMASON'S QUARTERLYADVERTISER. Article 133
FREEMASON'S QUARTERLY ADVERTISER. Article 134
ASYLUM for THE AGED and DECAYED FREEMASO... Article 135
FREEMASONRY. G REID, returns bis sincere... Article 135
FREEMASONRY. T P. ACKLAM, MASONIC JEWEL ... Article 135
FREEMASONRY. JOHN CANHAM, SEX., DEALER e... Article 135
FREEMASONRY. SARAH GODFREY, (AVIDOAV OF ... Article 135
FREEMASONRY. BRO. M. POVEY, BOOKBINDER, ... Article 135
PLOUGH TAVERN, BLACKWALL Brother James B... Article 136
FREEMASONS SAUCE. Wm. BachhofFner, for m... Article 136
REMEDIES FOR BILE AND INDIGESTION. T)R. ... Article 136
. FREEMASONRY. BROTHER GEO. UNDERTON ** ... Article 136
BOOKS. ' |~\R. RAMADGE ON CONSUMP-*-* TI... Article 136
THE M I R R O R, the First - J-*- Establ... Article 136
Just published, A FAMILIAR TREATISE on S... Article 136
Mit. O'BRIEN'S PROTEST AGAINST MR. MOORE... Article 137
NEAVSPAPERS from every County are regula... Article 137
T^LASTIC PEN-HOLDER.—Patent -" -¦¦' Perr... Article 137
HOLBORN BARS. FAMILIES FURNISHING will d... Article 138
Nearly forty years established, for the ... Article 138
DESTRUCTIVE ANIMALCULiE,— During the sum... Article 138
C COVII-rrON, 10, Old Bailey, Lon-• don,... Article 138
¦ ra jrOODHOUSE'S yETHERIAL »» ESSENCE o... Article 139
T ALBERT,TAILOR & DRAPER, " • King AAlll... Article 139
Muc/nii est ventas et pnevalcbit. p ALL'... Article 139
SEIDLITZ POWDERS. To Travellers , Mercha... Article 140
SI GHT RESTORED, NERVOUS HEAD-ACHE CURED... Article 140
T NSTANTANEOUS RELI EF.-BICK--"- NELL an... Article 140
Untitled Ad 141
TWEEDS not WORDS, are the Maxims of the ... Article 142
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Page 31

Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.

The Defence Of Socrates.

to reason and wisdom , being deceived themselves , and deluding others , are completely at their wit ' s end ! It is , then , impossible for me to cite any one of them here , or to bring forward any one who could confute them ; and I am , therefore , put to the necessity of defending myself , as one buffeting with the air , or contending with a shadow , and to ask questions where there is no one to l . As I have represented it to youso deem itthat my

repy , , accusers are of a two-fold description ;—one class , to which I am addressing myself , indulged their contumely against me at a very early period—the other is of a more recent date . The question is , do you deem it proper that I should defend myself , first of all , against the former ? As you previously heard their allegation , and as first impressions are always strongest , were naturally more influenced by them than by the arguments of the latter ?

You approve of my answering the older class of my calumniators first . Be it so . I am bound by every consideration , Athenians , to vindicate myself , and to endeavour to set aside , brief as the time allowed me is , a calumny so malevolent as the present charge against me , though you have been accustomed to receive it during the progress of a vast number of years . With this understanding then , that , if any circumstance in evidence more satisfactory to you as well as to myself should develop itselfI may be permitted to avail myself of it in rendering my defence

, more fully complete , I would desire the state of the case to remain ; premising that I consider the result pregnant of danger , neither do I conceal from myself that it is so . Nevertheless , I commend it to thepropitious auspices of the Deity , wholly relinquishing the issue to his determination— -all I have to do is , to obey the law , and defend my

cause . Allow me , then , hastily to take a review of the matter as it stands . There exists a certain prejudice , which is the origin of the slanderous accusation against me , and to which Melitus '" . having yielded implicit credit , has made it the argument of the present indictment . Well , well ! I am only astonished that the authors of those malignant slanders should g ive utterance to such deliberate falsehoods . But , as it forms the gist of the indictmentit is necessaryhowever absurd the recital may beto

, , , read over the tenor of their affidavit . It runs thus : — " Socrates acts without judgment , making himself very officious in the investigation of subjects both of metaphysical and natural science , and by the eloquence of his manner rendering in appearance the worst the better cause : and ' to add to those delinquencies , he instructs his disciples in the knowledge of such secrets . "

Such , in sum , is the character of the accusation on which you have to pronounce a verdict . Why , you yourselves have witnessed the articles of this impeachment represented in a comedy by Aristophanest . In the performance of that farce , you know there is an effigy , or figure pretending to represent me , which is carried about the stage of the theatre , and it is declared to say that it possesses the supernatural power of perambulating the air * " and of performing many other similarly ridi-

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