§26ταῦτα ἐγώ σοι οὐ πείθομαι, ὦ Μέλητε, οἶμαι δὲ οὐδὲ ἄλλον ἀνθρώπων οὐδένα·
I do not believe you in this, Meletus, and I think no other human being does either.
ἀλλʼ ἢ οὐ διαφθείρω, ἢ εἰ διαφθείρω, ἄκων, ὥστε σύ γε κατʼ ἀμφότερα ψεύδῃ.
For either I do not corrupt, or if I do corrupt, it is involuntarily, so that in either case you are lying.
εἰ δὲ ἄκων διαφθείρω, τῶν τοιούτων ἁμαρτημάτων οὐ δεῦρο νόμος εἰσάγειν ἐστίν, ἀλλὰ ἰδίᾳ λαβόντα διδάσκειν καὶ νουθετεῖν·
And if I corrupt involuntarily, the law does not require you to bring people here for such involuntary errors, but to take them aside privately to instruct and admonish them.
δῆλον γὰρ ὅτι ἐὰν μάθω, παύσομαι ὅ γε ἄκων ποιῶ.
For it is clear that if I learn, I shall cease doing what I do involuntarily to the detriment of society.
σὺ δὲ συγγενέσθαι μέν μοι καὶ διδάξαι ἔφυγες καὶ οὐκ ἠθέλησας, δεῦρο δὲ εἰσάγεις, οἷ νόμος ἐστὶν εἰσάγειν τοὺς κολάσεως δεομένους ἀλλʼ οὐ μαθήσεως.
But you avoided associating with me and instructing me, and were unwilling to do so, but you bring me here, where the law requires you to bring those who need punishment, not instruction.
ἀλλὰ γάρ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοῦτο μὲν ἤδη δῆλον οὑγὼ ἔλεγον, ὅτι Μελήτῳ τούτων οὔτε μέγα οὔτε μικρὸν πώποτε ἐμέλησεν.
But indeed, Athenian gentlemen, this is already clear, as I was saying, that Meletus has never cared either much or little about these matters.
ὅμως δὲ δὴ λέγε ἡμῖν, πῶς με φῂς διαφθείρειν, ὦ Μέλητε, τοὺς νεωτέρους;
But tell us nevertheless, Meletus, in what way do you say I corrupt the youth?
ἢ δῆλον δὴ ὅτι κατὰ τὴν γραφὴν ἣν ἐγράψω θεοὺς διδάσκοντα μὴ νομίζειν οὓς ἡ πόλις νομίζει, ἕτερα δὲ δαιμόνια καινά;
Is it not clearly, according to the indictment you wrote, by teaching them not to acknowledge the gods whom the state acknowledges, but other new spiritual beings?
οὐ ταῦτα λέγεις ὅτι διδάσκων διαφθείρω;
Do you not say that it is by teaching this that I corrupt them?
πάνυ μὲν οὖν σφόδρα ταῦτα λέγω.
Meletus: I say this most emphatically.
πρὸς αὐτῶν τοίνυν, ὦ Μέλητε, τούτων τῶν θεῶν ὧν νῦν ὁ λόγος ἐστίν, εἰπὲ ἔτι σαφέστερον καὶ ἐμοὶ καὶ τοῖς ἀνδράσιν τουτοισί.
Socrates: Then, Meletus, by these very gods of whom we are now speaking, speak still more clearly both to me and to these gentlemen here.
ἐγὼ γὰρ οὐ δύναμαι μαθεῖν πότερον λέγεις διδάσκειν με νομίζειν εἶναί τινας θεούς—καὶ αὐτὸς ἄρα νομίζω εἶναι θεοὺς καὶ οὐκ εἰμὶ τὸ παράπαν ἄθεος οὐδὲ ταύτῃ ἀδικῶ —οὐ μέντοι οὕσπερ γε ἡ πόλις ἀλλὰ ἑτέρους, καὶ τοῦτʼ ἔστιν ὅ μοι ἐγκαλεῖς, ὅτι ἑτέρους, ἢ παντάπασί με φῂς οὔτε αὐτὸν νομίζειν θεοὺς τούς τε ἄλλους ταῦτα διδάσκειν.
For I cannot understand whether you mean that I teach them to believe that there are some gods—and so I myself believe that there are gods and am not a complete atheist, nor am I in this way unjust, though I do not believe in those whom the state believes in but in others, and this is what you charge me with, that I believe in others—or whether you say that I myself do not believe in gods at all and teach others the same.
ταῦτα λέγω, ὡς τὸ παράπαν οὐ νομίζεις θεούς.
Meletus: I say that you do not believe in gods at all.
ὦ θαυμάσιε Μέλητε, ἵνα τί ταῦτα λέγεις;
Socrates: You amazing Meletus, why do you say this?
οὐδὲ ἥλιον οὐδὲ σελήνην ἄρα νομίζω θεοὺς εἶναι, ὥσπερ οἱ ἄλλοι ἄνθρωποι;
Do I not even believe that the sun and moon are gods, as other men do?
μὰ Δίʼ, ὦ ἄνδρες δικασταί, ἐπεὶ τὸν μὲν ἥλιον λίθον φησὶν εἶναι, τὴν δὲ σελήνην γῆν.
Meletus: No, by Zeus, gentlemen of the jury, since he says the sun is stone and the moon is earth.
Ἀναξαγόρου οἴει κατηγορεῖν, ὦ φίλε Μέλητε;
Socrates: Do you think you are accusing Anaxagoras, my dear Meletus?
καὶ οὕτω καταφρονεῖς τῶνδε καὶ οἴει αὐτοὺς ἀπείρους γραμμάτων εἶναι ὥστε οὐκ εἰδέναι ὅτι τὰ Ἀναξαγόρου βιβλία τοῦ Κλαζομενίου γέμει τούτων τῶν λόγων;
And do you so despise these men and think them so illiterate as not to know that the books of Anaxagoras of Clazomenae are full of such theories?
καὶ δὴ καὶ οἱ νέοι ταῦτα παρʼ ἐμοῦ μανθάνουσιν, ἃ ἔξεστιν ἐνίοτε εἰ πάνυ πολλοῦ δραχμῆς ἐκ τῆς ὀρχήστρας πριαμένοις Σωκράτους καταγελᾶν, ἐὰν προσποιῆται ἑαυτοῦ εἶναι, ἄλλως τε καὶ οὕτως ἄτοπα ὄντα;
And indeed, do the youth learn these things from me, which they can occasionally buy for at most a drachma from the orchestra and then laugh at Socrates if he pretends they are his own, especially when they are so bizarre?
ἀλλʼ, ὦ πρὸς Διός, οὑτωσί σοι δοκῶ;
But, by Zeus, is this how I seem to you?
οὐδένα νομίζω θεὸν εἶναι;
Do I believe in no god at all?
οὐ μέντοι μὰ Δία οὐδʼ ὁπωστιοῦν.
Meletus: Indeed not, by Zeus, not in any way whatsoever.
ἄπιστός γʼ εἶ, ὦ Μέλητε, καὶ ταῦτα μέντοι, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκεῖς, σαυτῷ.
Socrates: You are untrustworthy, Meletus, and that too, as it seems to me, even to yourself.
ἐμοὶ γὰρ δοκεῖ οὑτοσί, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πάνυ εἶναι ὑβριστὴς καὶ ἀκόλαστος, καὶ ἀτεχνῶς τὴν γραφὴν ταύτην ὕβρει τινὶ καὶ ἀκολασίᾳ καὶ νεότητι γράψασθαι.
For this man seems to me, Athenian gentlemen, to be completely insolent and undisciplined, and to have written this indictment out of sheer insolence, lack of discipline, and youthful rashness, without any regard for utility.