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Article THE DEFENCE OF SOCRATES. ← Page 7 of 8 →
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The Defence Of Socrates.
whenever I was about to act improperly . In the present instance , as you must be aware , 1 was placed in a situation of extreme peril . Now my usual monitory sign neither opposed me when I set off from home in the morning , nor when I stood up in the tribune , nor in any part of my speech . In other speeches , upon other occasions , it often used to restrain me in the very midst of my argument . In the present matter it has never once opposed me either in my actions or my words .
What do I infer from this ? I will tell you . Very likely this evil that has happened to me may turn out to my advantage , and ' forcibly prove that they cannot possibly think rightly who conceive death to be a misfortune . To me it is proof positive—the non-interference of the customary impulse of my attendant genius when I came hither—that I am about to enjoy some superior mode of existence . Let us , therefore , view it in this light , and there ivill be great hope of this event proving a benefit .
For death is one of two things . Either we must suppose it to be total annihilation , wherein the dead have no faculties of apprehension whatever ; or , according to common report , that it is a change and migration of the soul from this to some other state of existence . If , indeed , in death there is no sense of anything , but it is like a sleep wherein one does not even dream , death must be to us a wonderful comfort ; for I think if any person was obliged to select that night in
wliich he had so slept , as not to have been troubled with visionary dreams , and compared it with other days and nights of his life , and after such comparison was to say , how many days and nights of his life he had passed better and more pleasantly than that night , I think , I say , that not only the most private individual , but even the greatest king himself , would find that one night alone , worthy to be remembered in comparison with all the rest . Ifthereforedeath is of this
, , description , I , at least , call it an advantage ; for eternity in this case would not appear longer than one night . But if death is a migration from this to another sphere , and what is said be true , that all the dead are there , how could you , judges , confer upon me a greater boon . If , upon being released from the fangs of those who miscall themselves judges here , and arriving in Hades , I
shall find them who are ivith some truth judges , such men as Minos , Rhadamanthus , iEacus , Triptolemus , who were just men while on earth , and are now demi-gods appointed to administer justice there ; would that be a bad change ? or at what price ivould one not choose to embrace the opportunity of associating with Orpheus , Musteus , Hesiod , and Homer ? If all that is told us be true , I would often desire to die . When I met with Palamedes , and Ajax , and whoever of the ancients perished by an unjust sentencethere would be a strong similarity of
, cases for conversation between us . It would not , methinks , be disagreeable to compare our misfortunes with one another . But the greatest pleasure of all would be to pass my time away , as I haye done here , in examining and trying which of them is wise , and which thinks himself so , whilst in realityhe has no pretensions to wisdom . What a distinction ! to be permitted to argue with him who led that great expedition to Troyor with Ul or Lisyphusand a
, ysses , , thousand other men and women whom one might enumerate ! Surely ; it would be an immeasurable happiness to converse and associate with such illustrious people ! But my enemies are not sacrificing me under any such idea of my enjoying those privileges . Nor do they gratify VOL . III . CL
Note: This text has been automatically extracted via Optical Character Recognition (OCR) software.
The Defence Of Socrates.
whenever I was about to act improperly . In the present instance , as you must be aware , 1 was placed in a situation of extreme peril . Now my usual monitory sign neither opposed me when I set off from home in the morning , nor when I stood up in the tribune , nor in any part of my speech . In other speeches , upon other occasions , it often used to restrain me in the very midst of my argument . In the present matter it has never once opposed me either in my actions or my words .
What do I infer from this ? I will tell you . Very likely this evil that has happened to me may turn out to my advantage , and ' forcibly prove that they cannot possibly think rightly who conceive death to be a misfortune . To me it is proof positive—the non-interference of the customary impulse of my attendant genius when I came hither—that I am about to enjoy some superior mode of existence . Let us , therefore , view it in this light , and there ivill be great hope of this event proving a benefit .
For death is one of two things . Either we must suppose it to be total annihilation , wherein the dead have no faculties of apprehension whatever ; or , according to common report , that it is a change and migration of the soul from this to some other state of existence . If , indeed , in death there is no sense of anything , but it is like a sleep wherein one does not even dream , death must be to us a wonderful comfort ; for I think if any person was obliged to select that night in
wliich he had so slept , as not to have been troubled with visionary dreams , and compared it with other days and nights of his life , and after such comparison was to say , how many days and nights of his life he had passed better and more pleasantly than that night , I think , I say , that not only the most private individual , but even the greatest king himself , would find that one night alone , worthy to be remembered in comparison with all the rest . Ifthereforedeath is of this
, , description , I , at least , call it an advantage ; for eternity in this case would not appear longer than one night . But if death is a migration from this to another sphere , and what is said be true , that all the dead are there , how could you , judges , confer upon me a greater boon . If , upon being released from the fangs of those who miscall themselves judges here , and arriving in Hades , I
shall find them who are ivith some truth judges , such men as Minos , Rhadamanthus , iEacus , Triptolemus , who were just men while on earth , and are now demi-gods appointed to administer justice there ; would that be a bad change ? or at what price ivould one not choose to embrace the opportunity of associating with Orpheus , Musteus , Hesiod , and Homer ? If all that is told us be true , I would often desire to die . When I met with Palamedes , and Ajax , and whoever of the ancients perished by an unjust sentencethere would be a strong similarity of
, cases for conversation between us . It would not , methinks , be disagreeable to compare our misfortunes with one another . But the greatest pleasure of all would be to pass my time away , as I haye done here , in examining and trying which of them is wise , and which thinks himself so , whilst in realityhe has no pretensions to wisdom . What a distinction ! to be permitted to argue with him who led that great expedition to Troyor with Ul or Lisyphusand a
, ysses , , thousand other men and women whom one might enumerate ! Surely ; it would be an immeasurable happiness to converse and associate with such illustrious people ! But my enemies are not sacrificing me under any such idea of my enjoying those privileges . Nor do they gratify VOL . III . CL