in dishonor, and not to avenge his friend. “Let me die next,” no one knows whether death, which they in their fear ap-he replies, “and be avenged of my enemy, rather than abide prehend to be the greatest evil, may not be the greatest here by the beaked ships, a scorn and a burden of the earth.” good. Is there not here conceit of knowledge, which is a Had Achilles any thought of death and danger? For wherever disgraceful sort of ignorance? And this is the point in which, a man’s place is, whether the place which he has chosen or as I think, I am superior to men in general, and in which I that in which he has been placed by a commander, there he might perhaps fancy myself wiser than other men, - that ought to remain in the hour of danger; he should not think whereas I know but little of the world below, I do not sup-of death or of anything, but of disgrace. And this, O men of pose that I know: but I do know that injustice and disobedi-Athens, is a true saying.
ence to a better, whether God or man, is evil and dishonor-Strange, indeed, would be my conduct, O men of Athens, able, and I will never fear or avoid a possible good rather if I who, when I was ordered by the generals whom you than a certain evil. And therefore if you let me go now, and chose to command me at Potidaea and Amphipolis and reject the counsels of Anytus, who said that if I were not Delium, remained where they placed me, like any other man, put to death I ought not to have been prosecuted, and that facing death; if, I say, now, when, as I conceive and imag-if I escape now, your sons will all be utterly ruined by lis-ine, God orders me to fulfil the philosopher’s mission of tening to my words - if you say to me, Socrates, this time we searching into myself and other men, I were to desert my will not mind Anytus, and will let you off, but upon one post through fear of death, or any other fear; that would condition, that are to inquire and speculate in this way any indeed be strange, and I might justly be arraigned in court more, and that if you are caught doing this again you shall for denying the existence of the gods, if I disobeyed the die; - if this was the condition on which you let me go, I oracle because I was afraid of death: then I should be fancy-should reply: Men of Athens, I honor and love you; but I ing that I was wise when I was not wise. For this fear of shall obey God rather than you, and while I have life and death is indeed the pretence of wisdom, and not real wis-strength I shall never cease from the practice and teaching dom, being the appearance of knowing the unknown; since of philosophy, exhorting anyone whom I meet after my man-14
Apology
ner, and convincing him, saying: O my friend, why do you corrupts the youth, my influence is ruinous indeed. But if who are a citizen of the great and mighty and wise city of anyone says that this is not my teaching, he is speaking an Athens, care so much about laying up the greatest amount untruth. Wherefore, O men of Athens, I say to you, do as of money and honor and reputation, and so little about wis-Anytus bids or not as Anytus bids, and either acquit me or dom and truth and the greatest improvement of the soul, not; but whatever you do, know that I shall never alter my which you never regard or heed at all? Are you not ashamed ways, not even if I have to die many times.
of this? And if the person with whom I am arguing says: Yes, Men of Athens, do not interrupt, but hear me; there was but I do care; I do not depart or let him go at once; I inter-an agreement between us that you should hear me out. And rogate and examine and cross-examine him, and if I think I think that what I am going to say will do you good: for I that he has no virtue, but only says that he has, I reproach have something more to say, at which you may be inclined him with undervaluing the greater, and overvaluing the less.
to cry out; but I beg that you will not do this. I would have And this I should say to everyone whom I meet, young and you know that, if you kill such a one as I am, you will injure old, citizen and alien, but especially to the citizens, inas-yourselves more than you will injure me. Meletus and Anytus much as they are my brethren. For this is the command of will not injure me: they cannot; for it is not in the nature of God, as I would have you know; and I believe that to this things that a bad man should injure a better than himself. I day no greater good has ever happened in the state than my do not deny that he may, perhaps, kill him, or drive him service to the God. For I do nothing but go about persuading into exile, or deprive him of civil rights; and he may imag-you all, old and young alike, not to take thought for your ine, and others may imagine, that he is doing him a great persons and your properties, but first and chiefly to care injury: but in that I do not agree with him; for the evil of about the greatest improvement of the soul. I tell you that doing as Anytus is doing - of unjustly taking away another virtue is not given by money, but that from virtue come man’s life - is greater far. And now, Athenians, I am not money and every other good of man, public as well as pri-going to argue for my own sake, as you may think, but for vate. This is my teaching, and if this is the doctrine which yours, that you may not sin against the God, or lightly re-15
Apology
ject his boon by condemning me. For if you kill me you will you will perceive, not even the impudence of my accusers not easily find another like me, who, if I may use such a dares to say that I have ever exacted or sought pay of any-ludicrous figure of speech, am a sort of gadfly, given to the one; they have no witness of that. And I have a witness of state by the God; and the state is like a great and noble the truth of what I say; my poverty is a sufficient witness.
steed who is tardy in his motions owing to his very size, and Someone may wonder why I go about in private, giving requires to be stirred into life. I am that gadfly which God advice and busying myself with the concerns of others, but has given the state and all day long and in all places am do not venture to come forward in public and advise the always fastening upon you, arousing and persuading and state. I will tell you the reason of this. You have often heard reproaching you. And as you will not easily find another me speak of an oracle or sign which comes to me, and is the like me, I would advise you to spare me. I dare say that you divinity which Meletus ridicules in the indictment. This sign may feel irritated at being suddenly awakened when you are I have had ever since I was a child. The sign is a voice which caught napping; and you may think that if you were to comes to me and always forbids me to do something which I strike me dead, as Anytus advises, which you easily might, am going to do, but never commands me to do anything, then you would sleep on for the remainder of your lives, and this is what stands in the way of my being a politician.
unless God in his care of you gives you another gadfly. And And rightly, as I think. For I am certain, O men of Athens, that I am given to you by God is proved by this: - that if I that if I had engaged in politics, I should have perished long had been like other men, I should not have neglected all my ago and done no good either to you or to myself. And don’t own concerns, or patiently seen the neglect of them during be offended at my telling you the truth: for the truth is that all these years, and have been doing yours, coming to you no man who goes to war with you or any other multitude, individually, like a father or elder brother, exhorting you to honestly struggling against the commission of regard virtue; this I say, would not be like human nature.
unrighteousness and wrong in the state, will save his life; And had I gained anything, or if my exhortations had been he who will really fight for the right, if he would live even paid, there would have been some sense in that: but now, as for a little while, must have a private station and not a public one.