Plato - The death of Socrates
The Death of Socrates, 399 BC
Plato
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Socrates had been condemned to death for 'corruption of the
young' and 'neglect of the gods '. He remained in prison for a month
after sentence until the sacred ship had returned from Delos: during
its absence no execution could take place. Xanthippe was Socrates'
wife: he had three sons by her. Plato was not an eye-witness of the
death, but was in close touch with those who were.
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I will try to tell you everything from the beginning. On the previous
days I and the others had always been in the habit of visiting
Socrates. We used to meet at daybreak in the court where the trial
took place, for it was near the prison; and every day we used to
wait about, talking with each other, until the prison was opened,
for it was not opened early, and when it was opened, we went in to
Socrates and passed most of the day with him. On that day we came
together earlier; for the day before, when we left the prison in the
evening we heard that the ship had arrived from Delos. So we
agreed to come to the usual place as early in the morning as
possible. And we came, and the gaoler who usually answered the
door came out and told us to wait and not go in until he told us.
'For', he said, 'the eleven are releasing Socrates from his fetters and
giving directions how he is to die today.' So after a little delay he
came out and told us to go in. We went in then and found Socrates just
released from his fetters and Xanthippe you know her - with her
little son in her arms, sitting beside him. Now when Xanthippe saw
us, she cried out and said the kind of thing that women always do
say: 'Oh Socrates, this is the last time now that your friends will
speak to you or you to them.' And Socrates glanced at Crito and
said, 'Crito, let somebody take her home.' And some of Crito's
people took her away wailing and beating her breast. But Socrates
sat up on his couch and bent his leg and rubbed it with his hand
and while he was rubbing it, he said, 'What a strange thing,
friends, that seems to be which men call pleasure! How wonderful
it is related to that which seems to be its opposite, pain, in that they
will not both come to a man at the same time, and yet if he pursues
the one and captures it, he is generally obliged to take the other.
Also, as if the two were joined together in one head. And I think', he
said, 'if Aesop had thought of them, he would have made a fable
telling how they were at war and god wished to reconcile them, and
when he could not do that, he fastened their heads together, and for
that reason, when one of them comes to anyone, the other follows
after. Just so it seems that in my case, after pain was in my leg on
account of the fetter, pleasure appears to have come
after.'
When he had finished speaking, Crito said, 'Well, Socrates, do you
wish to leave any directions with us about your children or-
anything else - anything we can do to serve you!'
'What I always say, Crito,' he replied, 'nothing new. If you take.
care of yourselves you will serve me and mine and yourselves,
whatever you do, even if you make no promises now; but if you
neglect yourselves and are not willing to live following step by step,
as it were, in the path marked out by our present and past
discussions, you will accomplish nothing, no matter how much or
how eagerly you promise at present.'
'We will certainly try hard to do as you say,' he replied. 'But how 1'
shall we bury you'
However you please,' he replied, 'if you can catch me and I do
not get away from you.' And he laughed gently, and looking
towards us, said, 'l cannot persuade Crito, my friends. that the
Socrates who is now conversing and arranging the details of his
argument is really I; he thinks I am the one whom he will presently
see as a corpse, and he asks how to bury me. And though I have
been saying at great length that after I drink the poison I shall no
longer be with you, but shall go away to the joys of the blessed you
know of, he seems to think that was idle talk uttered to encourage
you and myself. So,' he said, 'give security for me to Crito, the
opposite of that which he gave the judges at my trial; for he gave
security that I would remain, but you must give security that I shall
not remain when I die, but shall go away, so that Crito may bear it
more easily, and may not be troubled when he sees my body being
burned or buried, or think I am undergoing terrible treatment, and
may not say at the funeral that he is laying out Socrates, or
following him to the grave, or burying him, For, dear Crito, you
may be sure that such wrong words are not only undesirable in
themselves, but they infect the soul with evil. No, you must be of
good courage, and say that you bury my body and bury it as you
think best and as seems to you most fitting.'
When he had said this, he got up and went into another room to
bathe; Crito followed him, but he told us to wait. So we waited,
talking over with each other and discussing the discourse we had
heard, and then speaking of the great misfortune that had befallen
us, for we felt that he was like a father to us and that when bereft of
him we should pass the rest of our lives as orphans. And when he
had bathed and his children had been brought to him - for he had
two little sons and one big one - and the women of the family had
come, he talked with them in Crito's presence and gave them such
directions as he wished; then he told the women to go away, and he
came to us. And it was now nearly sunset; for he had spent a long
time within. And he came and sat down fresh from the bath. After
that not much was said, and the servant of the eleven came and
stood besides him and said 'Socrates, I shall not find fault with you,
as I do with others, for being angry and cursing me; when at the
behest of the authorities, I tell them to drink the poison. No, I have
found you in all this time in every way the noblest and gentlest and
best man who has ever come here, and now I know your anger is
directed against others, not against me, for you know who are to
blame. Now, for you know the message I came to bring you,
farewell and try to bear what you must as easily as you can.' And he
burst into tears and turned and went away. And Socrates looked up
at him and said , 'Fare you well, too; I will do as you say.' And then
he said to us, 'How charming the man is! Ever since I have been
here he has been coming to see me and talking with me from time to
time, and has been the best of men, and now how nobly he weeps
for me ! But come, Crito, let us obey him, and let someone bring the
poison, if it is ready; and if not, let the man prepare it.' And Crito
said, 'But I think, Socrates, the sun is still upon the mountains and
. has not yet set; and I know that others have taken the poison very
late, after the order has come to them, and in the meantime have
eaten and drunk and some of them enjoyed the society of those
whom they loved. Do not hurry; for there is still time.'
And Socrates said, 'Crito, those whom you mention are right in
doing as they do, for they think they gain by it; and I shall be right
in not doing as they do; for I think I should gain nothing by taking
the poison a little later, I should only make myself ridiculous in my
own eyes if 1 clung to life and spared it, when there is no more profit
in it. Come,' he said, 'do as I ask and do not refuse.'
Thereupon Crito nodded to the boy who was standing near. The
boy went out and stayed a long time, then came back with the man
who was to administer the poison, which he brought with him in a
cup ready for use. And when Socrates saw him, he said, "Well, my
good man, you know about these things; what must I do?"
'Nothing,' he replied, 'except drink the poison and walk about till
your legs feel heavy, then lie down, and the poison will take effect of itself.'
At the same time he held out the cup to Socrates. He took it
very gently, Echecrates, without trembling or changing colour but looking up at
the man with wide open eyes, as was
his custom, said, 'What do you say about pouring a libation
to some deity from this coup? May I, or not?' 'Socrates,' said he,
'we prepare only as much as we think is enough.' 'I understand' said
Socrates; 'but I may and must pray to the gods the my departure
hence be a fortunate one; so I offer this prayer, and may it
granted.' With these words he raised the cup to his lips and very
cheerfully and quietly drained it. Up to that time most of us had
been able to restrain our tears fairly well, but when we watched him
drinking and saw that he had drunk the poison, we could do so
longer, but in spite of myself my tears rolled down in floods, so
I wrapped my face in my cloak and wept for myself; for it was not
for him that I wept, but for my own misfortune in being deprived of
such a friend. Crito had got up and gone away even before I did
because he could not restrain his tears. But Apollodorus, who had
been weeping all the time before, then wailed aloud in his grief and
made us all break down, except Socrates himself. But he said,
'What conduct Is this, you strange men! I sent the women away
chiefly for this very reason that they might not behave in this
absurd way; for I have heard that it is best to die in silence. Keep
quiet and be brave.' Then we were ashamed and controlled our
tears.He walked about and, when he said his legs were heavy, lay
down on his back, for such was. the advice of the attendant. The
man who had administered the poison laid his hands on him and
after a while examined his feet and legs, then pinched his foot hard
and asked if he felt it. He said 'No'; then after that, his thighs; and
passing upwards in this way he showed us that he was growing cold
and rigid. And again he touched him and said that when it reached
his heart, he would be gone. The chill had now reached the region
about the groin, and uncovering his face, which had been covered,
he said - and these were his last words 'Crito, we owe a cock to
Aesculapius. Pay it and do not neglect it.' 'That', said Crito, 'shall
be done; but see if you have anything else to say.' To this question
he made no reply, but after a little while he moved; the attendant
uncovered him; his eyes were fixed. And Crito when he saw it,
closed his mouth and eyes.
Such was the end, Echecrates, of our friend, who was, as we may
say, of all those of his time whom we have known, the best and
wisest and most righteous man.
