APOLOGIA SOCRATIS. PLATO was himself present at the trial of Socrates, being then about twenty-nine years of age; and he was one of those who offered to speak in his defence, (though the court would not suffer him to proceed), and to be bound as a surety for the payment of his fine: yet we are not to imagine, that this oration was the real defence which Socrates made. Dionysius says, that it was δικαστηριου μεν η αγορᾶς ουδε θυρας ιδων, κατ' αλλην δε τινα βουλησιν γεγραμμενος, and what that design was, he explains himself by saying, that, under NOTES ON THE GREEK TEXT. Platon. Op. Serrani, Vol. 1. p. 17. P. 18. It is remarkable that he should mention this comedy of Aristophanes, as having made a deep impression on the people; and yet it was brought on the stage twenty years before, where it was exploded; and afterwards it was produced again, but still in vain: (Vid. Prolegom. ad Nubes, and v. 524.) though the author regarded it as his best play. 23. Qr? Whether Anytus were the same person who was colleague to the great Thrasybulus, and had a principal share in restoring the democracy, mentioned by Lysias in Agoratum, p. 260, 263, by Xenophon, Hist. Græc. L. 2, p. 468, and by Isocrates, in Exc. adv. Callimachum? Melitus, who is mentioned as a bad tragick poet in the Ranæ of Aristophanes, v. 1337, and whose person is described in the Euthyphro, was not probably the same with that Melitus, who was among the accusers the cover of an apology, it is a delicate satire on the Athenians, a panegyrick' on Socrates, and a pattern and character of the true philosopher. (Dion. Halicarnass. de vi Demosthen. p. 289, and de Art. Rhetor. p. 83. Vol. 2. edit. Huds. Oxon. 1704.) Nevertheless, it is founded on truth; it represents the true spirit and disposition of Socrates, and many of the topicks used in it are agreeable to those which we find in Xenophon,1 and which were doubtless used by Socrates himself; as where he mentions his dæmon, and the reasons he had for preferring death to life, his account of the oracle given to Chærepho, and the remarkable allusion to Palamedes,2 &c. the ground-work is manifestly the same, though the expressions are different. In one 1 Xenophon was absent at the time of the trial, Ol. 95. 1, in Asia; and the account, which he gives, he had from Hermogenes, the son of Hipponicus, a great friend of Socrates: we see from him, that many persons had written narrations of the behaviour of Socrates on the occasion. 2 This doubtless gave occasion to what Ælian and others have said, (Var. Hist. and Diog. Laert. L. 2, s. 44.) that Euripides, in some lines of his Palamedes, alluded to Socrates's death; whereas that drama was played Ol. 91. 1, and Euripides died Ol. 93. 2, seven years before Socrates. NOTES. of Andocides, the year before this, for Socrates speaks of him as a youth not known in the world before this accusation of his (See Euthyphr.); nor with the Melitus who was deputed by the Athenians to go to Sparta, Ol. 94. 1: these two last facts seem to belong to one and the same person. P. 24. IIoλn apooviav.] Hence it appears that, in whatever court Socrates was tried, the judges were extremely numerous. 26. Δραχμης εκ της Ορχηστρας.] The price of a seat in the theatre was at most one drachma. thing only they seem directly to contradict each other: Xenophon says, he neither offered himself any thing in mitigation of his punishment, nor would suffer his friends to do so, looking upon this as an acknowledgment of some guilt: ουτε αυτον ὑπετιμησατο, ουτε τους φιλους ειασεν αλλα και ελεγεν, ότι το ὑποτιμᾶσθαι ὁμολογοῦντος ετη αδικειν. If the word ὑποτιμᾶσθαι means that he would not submit to ask for a change of his sentence NOTES. Ρ. 32. Εβουλευσα δε.] Socrates was in the senate of Five Hundred, Ol. 93. 3, being then sixty-five years of age. The Prytanes presided in the assemblies of the people, were seated in the place of honour, and attended by the Toğoraɩ, who, by their orders, seized any persons who made a disturbance; they introduced ambassadours, gave liberty of speaking to the orators, and of voting to the people; and (as it appears) any one of them could put a negative on their proceedings, since Socrates alone, at the trial of the Zrparηyo, insisted, that the question was contrary to law, and would not suffer it to be put to the assembly. Ib. Θολος.] A building in the Ceramicus near the Βουλευτηριον των Πεντακοσίων, where the Prytanes assembled to perform sacrifice and to banquet. (Pausanias, L. 1, p. 12, and Jul. Pollux in fin. L. 8.) Who were Nicostratus and Theodotus, the sons of Theodotides? 34. Els μεν, μειρακιον ηδη δνω δε, Παιδια.] Socrates had three sons, (D. Laert. L. 2, s. 26.) Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus, the first by Xanthippe, the two others (as it is said) by Myrto, grand-daughter to the famous Aristides. Some say, he married the latter first; but that is impossible, because he had Lamprocles, his eldest son, by Xanthippe; and she certainly survived him; therefore, if Myrto were his wife, he must have had two wives together. This is indeed affirmed in a treatise on nobility ascribed to Aristotle, and by Aristoxenus and Callisthenes his scholars, as well as by Demetrius Phalereus, and others. It is a very extraordinary thing, that such men should into banishment, or perpetual imprisonment, so far it is agreeable to Plato, p. 37. but if it means, that he would not suffer any mulct himself, nor permit his friends to mention it, we see the contrary, p. 38, where he fines himself one mina (all he was worth), and where his friends Crito, Critobulus, Plato, and Apollodorus, offer thirty minæ (£96. 17s. 6d.) which was, I suppose, all they could raise, to save him. Now this being a fact, NOTES. be deceived in a fact which happened so near their own time; yet Panatius, in his life of Socrates, expressly refuted this story; and it is sure, that neither Xenophon, nor Plato, nor any other of his contemporaries, mentions any wife but Xanthippe. P. 35. Apioтa eivαι кaι vμiv.] Here is an interval; and we see that Melitus, Anytus, and Lyco, having gone through their accusations, and Socrates having made his defence, and some of his friends, perhaps, having also supported it, the judges proceeded to vote guilty, or not guilty. The former suffrages exceeded the latter by three, by thirty, or by thirty and three, for the MSS. differ in the number. Justus of Tiberias (Laert. L. 2. s. 41.) says by 281, which is doubtless false; and he adds that 361 condemned him to death.-I imagine, from what occurs afterwards, that Melitus and Anytus spoke a second time, after Socrates had finished his defence, before the court had voted. Xenophon tells us, that some of Socrates's friends actually pleaded for him. Εῤῥηθη πλειονα ὑπ' αυτου, και των συναγορευοντων φιλων Xenoph. Apolog. Sect. 22. αυτού. 36. Kav wpλe xiλias.] I do not see how Socrates should know this, unless a small number of the judges, immediately after his defence, had risen to give their vote against him, and the rest deferred voting, till after Lyco and Anytus had spoken a second time in support of Melitus. In all publick accusations (some sorts of Eloayyeλiaι excepted) this was the case, if the accuser did not get a fifth of the votes. The next question regards the Tunua, which the court had it in their power to mitigate, if at that time easily proved or disproved, I am of opinion that Plato never would have inserted into his discourse a manifest falsity, and, therefore, we are to take Xenophon's words in that restrained sense which I have mentioned. Potter says, that from the nature of the crime (Aσeßeîa), it is evident that the trial was before the court of Areopagus: but I take the contrary to be NOTES. they were persuaded or moved by the plea of the criminal. See Lysias in Epicratem, p. 454. P. 37. Mŋ μar μovov.] Here we see that capital causes were decided in a single day, 38. Ağıoxpew.] Here follows a second interval, during which the court voted, and condemned him to die. 39. Tiμwpiar.] Do not imagine with Dacier, in this place, that he is threatening them with plagues and divine judgments: he only means that for one Socrates a hundred shall spring up to tell the Athenians their faults, which was very true; as the Socratick school was continually increasing. N.B. It may be observed, that Socrates was one of the senate of Five Hundred, and was one of the Prytanes on the trial of the parηyo: this is certain, both from Plato, in this piece, and from Xenophon, Hist. Græc. L. 1. p. 449, and from Eschines in Axiocho, p. 101. This last writer tells us, that the matter was carried the next day by the choice of certain ПIpodpo ЄуKата Eтоι, to take the votes; whence it should seem that it was not, at that time of the republick, the constant custom to elect IIpoedpot for this purpose, as it afterwards was out of the nine tribes, which were not Prytanes; (See Potter, L. 1. 17.) but that the Prytanes alone, or some chosen from among them, exercised this office. Xenophon, in his Apomnemon, L. 4. c. 4, seems to speak of the same trial, and says, that Socrates was ETOTαтns in the assembly: if so, it was his particular province to give the people liberty of voting; but it is certain that he was not an Επιστατης chosen out of the Προεδροι, as was usual |
