Apology, Crito, and Phaedo of Socrates | Page 4

this indictment against me. Well. What, then, do they
who charge me say in their charge? For it is necessary to read their
deposition as of public accusers. "Socrates acts wickedly, and is
criminally curious in searching into things under the earth, and in the
heavens, and in making the worse appear the better cause, and in
teaching these same things to others." Such is the accusation: for such
things you have yourselves seen in the comedy of Aristophanes, one

Socrates there carried about, saying that he walks in the air, and acting
many other buffooneries, of which I understand nothing whatever. Nor
do I say this as disparaging such a science, if there be any one skilled in
such things, only let me not be prosecuted by Melitus on a charge of
this kind; but I say it, O Athenians! because I have nothing to do with
such matters. And I call upon most of you as witnesses of this, and
require you to inform and tell each other, as many of you as have ever
heard me conversing; and there are many such among you. Therefore
tell each other, if any one of you has ever heard me conversing little or
much on such subjects. And from this you will know that other things
also, which the multitude assert of me, are of a similar nature.
4. However not one of these things is true; nor, if you have heard from
any one that I attempt to teach men, and require payment, is this true.
Though this, indeed, appears to me to be an honorable thing, if one
should be able to instruct men, like Gorgias the Leontine, Prodicus the
Cean, and Hippias the Elean. For each of these, O Athenians! is able,
by going through the several cities, to persuade the young men, who
can attach themselves gratuitously to such of their own fellow-citizens
as they please, to abandon their fellow-citizens and associate with them,
giving them money and thanks besides. There is also another wise man
here, a Parian, who, I hear, is staying in the city. For I happened to visit
a person who spends more money on the sophists than all others
together: I mean Callias, son of Hipponicus. I therefore asked him, for
he has two sons, "Callias," I said, "if your two sons were colts or calves,
we should have had to choose a master for them, and hire a person who
would make them excel in such qualities as belong to their nature; and
he would have been a groom or an agricultural laborer. But now, since
your sons are men, what master do you intend to choose for them? Who
is there skilled in the qualities that become a man and a citizen? For I
suppose you must have considered this, since you have sons. Is there
any one," I said, "or not?" "Certainly," he answered. "Who is he?" said
I, "and whence does he come? and on what terms does he teach?" He
replied, "Evenus the Parian, Socrates, for five minae." And I deemed
Evenus happy, if he really possesses this art, and teaches admirably.
And I too should think highly of myself, and be very proud, if I
possessed this knowledge, but I possess it not, O Athenians.

5. Perhaps, one of you may now object: "But, Socrates, what have you
done, then? Whence have these calumnies against you arisen? For
surely if you had not busied yourself more than others, such a report
and story would never have got abroad, unless you had done something
different from what most men do. Tell us, therefore, what it is, that we
may not pass a hasty judgment on you." He who speaks thus appears to
me to speak justly, and I will endeavor to show you what it is that has
occasioned me this character and imputation. Listen, then: to some of
you perhaps I shall appear to jest, yet be assured that I shall tell you the
whole truth. For I, O Athenians! have acquired this character through
nothing else than a certain wisdom. Of what kind, then, is this wisdom?
Perhaps it is merely human wisdom. For in this, in truth, I appear to be
wise. They probably, whom I have just now mentioned, possessed a
wisdom more than human, otherwise I know not what to say about it;
for I am not acquainted with it, and whosoever says I am, speaks falsely,
and for the purpose of calumniating me. But, O Athenians! do not cry
out against me, even though I should seem to you to speak somewhat
arrogantly. For the account which I am going to give you is not my
own; but I shall refer to an authority whom you will deem worthy of
credit. For