The Memorabilia | Page 3

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Etext prepared by John Bickers, [email protected].

THE MEMORABILIA
By Xenophon

Translated by H. G. Dakyns

Xenophon the Athenian was born 431 B.C. He was a pupil of Socrates.
He marched with the Spartans, and was exiled from Athens. Sparta
gave him land and property in Scillus, where he lived for many years
before having to move once more, to settle in Corinth. He died in 354
B.C.
The Memorabilia is a recollection of Socrates in word and deed, to
show his character as the best and happiest of men.

PREPARER'S NOTE
First Published 1897 by Macmillan and Co. This was typed from
Dakyns' series, "The Works of Xenophon," a four-volume set. The
complete list of Xenophon's works (though there is doubt about some
of these) is:
Work Number of books
The Anabasis 7 The Hellenica 7 The Cyropaedia 8 The Memorabilia 4
The Symposium 1 The Economist 1 On Horsemanship 1 The
Sportsman 1 The Cavalry General 1 The Apology 1 On Revenues 1
The Hiero 1 The Agesilaus 1 The Polity of the Athenians and the
Lacedaemonians 2
Text in brackets "{}" is my transliteration of Greek text into English
using an Oxford English Dictionary alphabet table. The diacritical
marks have been lost.

THE MEMORABILIA
or
Recollections of Socrates

BOOK I
I
I have often wondered by what arguments those who indicted[1]
Socrates could have persuaded the Athenians that his life was justly
forfeit to the state. The indictment was to this effect: "Socrates is guilty
of crime in refusing to recognise the gods acknowledged by the state,
and importing strange divinities of his own; he is further guilty of
corrupting the young."
[1] {oi grapsamenoi} = Meletus (below, IV. iv. 4, viii. 4; "Apol." 11,
19), Anytus ("Apol." 29), and Lycon. See Plat. "Apol." II. v. 18; Diog.
Laert. II. v. (Socr.); M. Schanz, "Plat. Apol. mit deutschen Kemmentar,
Einleitung," S. 5 foll.
In the first place, what evidence did they produce that Socrates refused
to recognise the gods acknowledged by the state? Was it that he did not
sacrifice? or that he dispensed with divination? On the contrary, he was
often to be seen engaged in sacrifice, at home or at the common altars

of the state. Nor was his dependence on divination less manifest.
Indeed that saying of his, "A divinity[2] gives me a sign," was on
everybody's lips. So much so that, if I am not mistaken, it lay at the root
of the imputation that he imported novel divinities; though there was no
greater novelty in his case than in that of other believers in oracular
help, who commonly rely on omens of all sorts: the flight or cry of
birds, the utterances of man, chance meetings,[3] or a victim's entrails.
Even according to the popular conception, it is not the mere fowl, it is
not the chance individual one meets, who knows what things are
profitable for a man, but it is the gods who vouchsafe by such
instruments to signify the same. This was also the tenet of Socrates.
Only, whereas men ordinarily speak of being turned aside, or urged
onwards by birds, or other creatures encountered on the path, Socrates
suited his language to his conviction. "The divinity," said he, "gives me
a sign." Further, he would constantly advise his associates to do this, or
beware of doing that, upon the authority of this same divine voice; and,
as a matter of fact, those who listened to his warnings prospered, whilst
he who turned a deaf ear to them repented afterwards.[4] Yet, it will be
readily conceded, he would hardly desire to present himself to his
everyday companions in the character of either knave or fool. Whereas
he would have appeared to be both, supposing[5] the God-given
revelations had but revealed his own proneness to deception. It is plain
he would not have ventured on forecast at all, but for his belief that the
words he spoke would in fact