§36τὸ μὲν μὴ ἀγανακτεῖν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, ἐπὶ τούτῳ τῷ γεγονότι, ὅτι μου κατεψηφίσασθε, ἄλλα τέ μοι πολλὰ συμβάλλεται, καὶ οὐκ ἀνέλπιστόν μοι γέγονεν τὸ γεγονὸς τοῦτο, ἀλλὰ πολὺ μᾶλλον θαυμάζω ἑκατέρων τῶν ψήφων τὸν γεγονότα ἀριθμόν.
To my not being angry, gentlemen of Athens, at this thing that has happened—that you voted to condemn me—many other things contribute, and this outcome was not unexpected by me, but I wonder much more at the number of votes on each side.
οὐ γὰρ ᾠόμην ἔγωγε οὕτω παρʼ ὀλίγον ἔσεσθαι ἀλλὰ παρὰ πολύ· νῦν δέ, ὡς ἔοικεν, εἰ τριάκοντα μόναι μετέπεσον τῶν ψήφων, ἀπεπεφεύγη ἄν.
For I, at least, did not think it would be by so little, but by a great deal; but now, as it seems, if only thirty of the votes had fallen the other way, I should have been acquitted.
Μέλητον μὲν οὖν, ὡς ἐμοὶ δοκῶ, καὶ νῦν ἀποπέφευγα, καὶ οὐ μόνον ἀποπέφευγα, ἀλλὰ παντὶ δῆλον τοῦτό γε, ὅτι εἰ μὴ ἀνέβη Ἄνυτος καὶ Λύκων κατηγορήσοντες ἐμοῦ, κἂν ὦφλε χιλίας δραχμάς, οὐ μεταλαβὼν τὸ πέμπτον μέρος τῶν ψήφων.
At any rate, from Meletus, as it seems to me, I have been acquitted even now; and not only have I been acquitted, but it is clear to everyone that if Anytus and Lycon had not come forward to accuse me, he would even have been fined a thousand drachmas, since he would not have obtained a fifth part of the votes.
τιμᾶται δʼ οὖν μοι ὁ ἀνὴρ θανάτου.
And so the man proposes death as my penalty.
εἶεν· ἐγὼ δὲ δὴ τίνος ὑμῖν ἀντιτιμήσομαι, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι;
Well then; and what counter-penalty shall I propose to you, gentlemen of Athens?
ἢ δῆλον ὅτι τῆς ἀξίας;
Or is it clear that it should be what I deserve?
τί οὖν;
What then?
τ τί ἄξιός εἰμι παθεῖν ἢ ἀποτεῖσαι, ὅτι μαθὼν ἐν τῷ βίῳ οὐχ ἡσυχίαν ἦγον, ἀλλʼ ἀμελήσας ὧνπερ οἱ πολλοί, χρηματισμοῦ τε καὶ οἰκονομίας καὶ στρατηγιῶν καὶ δημηγοριῶν καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀρχῶν καὶ συνωμοσιῶν καὶ στάσεων τῶν ἐν τῇ πόλει γιγνομένων, ἡγησάμενος ἐμαυτὸν ῷ ὄντι ἐπιεικέστερον εἶναι ἢ ὥστε εἰς ταῦτʼ ἰόντα σῴζεσθαι, ἐνταῦθα μὲν οὐκ ᾖα οἷ ἐλθὼν μήτε ὑμῖν μήτε ἐμαυτῷ ἔμελλον μηδὲν ὄφελος εἶναι, ἐπὶ δὲ τὸ ἰδίᾳ ἕκαστον ἰὼν εὐεργετεῖν τὴν μεγίστην εὐεργεσίαν, ὡς ἐγώ φημι, ἐνταῦθα ᾖα, ἐπιχειρῶν ἕκαστον ὑμῶν πείθειν μὴ πρότερον μήτε τῶν ἑαυτοῦ μηδενὸς ἐπιμελεῖσθαι πρὶν ἑαυτοῦ ἐπιμεληθείη ὅπως ὡς βέλτιστος καὶ φρονιμώτατος ἔσοιτο, μήτε τῶν τῆς πόλεως, πρὶν αὐτῆς τῆς πόλεως, τῶν τε ἄλλων οὕτω κατὰ τὸν αὐτὸν τρόπον ἐπιμελεῖσθαι—τί οὖν εἰμι ἄξιος παθεῖν τοιοῦτος ὤν;
What do I deserve to suffer or to pay, because in my life I did not keep quiet, but neglecting the things that the majority care for—money-making, household management, military commands, public speaking, and the other offices, conspiracies, and factions that arise in the city—thinking myself in truth too honest to survive if I went into these things, I did not go to those places where, if I went, I was going to be of no use either to you or to myself; but going to each of you individually to confer what I say is the greatest benefit, there I went, trying to persuade each of you not to care for any of his possessions before caring for himself, so that he might be as good and wise as possible, nor to care for the things of the city before caring for the city itself, and to care for other things in the same way —what then do I deserve to suffer, being such a man?
ἀγαθόν τι, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, εἰ δεῖ γε κατὰ τὴν ἀξίαν τῇ ἀληθείᾳ τιμᾶσθαι· καὶ ταῦτά γε ἀγαθὸν τοιοῦτον ὅτι ἂν πρέποι ἐμοί.
Something good, gentlemen of Athens, if I must propose what I truly deserve; and moreover, a good of such a kind as would be fitting for me.
τί οὖν πρέπει ἀνδρὶ πένητι εὐεργέτῃ δεομένῳ ἄγειν σχολὴν ἐπὶ τῇ ὑμετέρᾳ παρακελεύσει;
What, then, is fitting for a poor man who is a benefactor and who needs leisure for your exhortation?
οὐκ ἔσθʼ ὅτι μᾶλλον, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, πρέπει οὕτως ὡς τὸν τοιοῦτον ἄνδρα ἐν πρυτανείῳ σιτεῖσθαι, πολύ γε μᾶλλον ἢ εἴ τις ὑμῶν ἵππῳ ἢ συνωρίδι ἢ ζεύγει νενίκηκεν Ὀλυμπίασιν· ὁ μὲν γὰρ ὑμᾶς ποιεῖ εὐδαίμονας δοκεῖν εἶναι, ἐγὼ δὲ εἶναι, καὶ ὁ μὲν τροφῆς οὐδὲν δεῖται, ἐγὼ δὲ δέομαι.
There is nothing more fitting, gentlemen of Athens, than that such a man should be given his meals in the Prytaneum, much more so than if any of you has won a victory at Olympia with a single horse or a pair or a chariot; for he makes you seem to be happy, but I make you be so; and he has no need of sustenance, but I need it.
§37εἰ οὖν δεῖ με κατὰ τὸ δίκαιον τῆς ἀξίας τιμᾶσθαι, τούτου τιμῶμαι, ἐν πρυτανείῳ σιτήσεως.
If, therefore, I must propose a penalty according to what is just and deserved, I propose this: maintenance in the Prytaneum.
ἴσως οὖν ὑμῖν καὶ ταυτὶ λέγων παραπλησίως δοκῶ λέγειν ὥσπερ περὶ τοῦ οἴκτου καὶ τῆς ἀντιβολήσεως, ἀπαυθαδιζόμενος· τὸ δὲ οὐκ ἔστιν, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, τοιοῦτον ἀλλὰ τοιόνδε μᾶλλον.
Perhaps, in saying this, I seem to you to be speaking in a similar way as about pity and supplication, out of stubbornness; but it is not so, gentlemen of Athens, but rather like this.
πέπεισμαι ἐγὼ ἑκὼν εἶναι μηδένα ἀδικεῖν ἀνθρώπων, ἀλλὰ ὑμᾶς τοῦτο οὐ πείθω· ὀλίγον γὰρ χρόνον ἀλλήλοις διειλέγμεθα.
I am convinced that I do not intentionally wrong any human being, but I cannot convince you of this; for we have conversed with each other only for a short time.
ἐπεί, ὡς ἐγᾦμαι, εἰ ἦν ὑμῖν νόμος, ὥσπερ καὶ ἄλλοις ἀνθρώποις, περὶ θανάτου μὴ μίαν ἡμέραν μόνον κρίνειν ἀλλὰ πολλάς, ἐπείσθητε ἄν· νῦν δʼ οὐ ῥᾴδιον ἐν χρόνῳ ὀλίγῳ μεγάλας διαβολὰς ἀπολύεσθαι.
For, I think, if you had a law, as other people have, not to decide a capital case in a single day but over many days, you would have been convinced; but now it is not easy in a short time to do away with great slanders.
πεπεισμένος δὴ ἐγὼ μηδένα ἀδικεῖν πολλοῦ δέω ἐμαυτόν γε ἀδικήσειν καὶ κατʼ ἐμαυτοῦ ἐρεῖν αὐτὸς ὡς ἄξιός εἰμί του κακοῦ καὶ τιμήσεσθαι τοιούτου τινὸς ἐμαυτῷ.
Being convinced, then, that I wrong no one, I am far from wronging myself and saying of myself that I deserve some evil, and proposing any such penalty for myself.
τί δείσας;
Fearing what?
ἦ μὴ πάθω τοῦτο οὗ Μέλητός μοι τιμᾶται, ὅ φημι οὐκ εἰδέναι οὔτʼ εἰ ἀγαθὸν οὔτʼ εἰ κακόν ἐστιν;
That I should suffer that which Meletus proposes for me, which I say I do not know whether it is good or bad?
ἀντὶ τούτου δὴ ἕλωμαι ὧν εὖ οἶδά τι κακῶν ὄντων τούτου τιμησάμενος;
Should I, instead of this, choose something from among those things which I know well to be evils, and propose that as a penalty?
πότερον δεσμοῦ;
Imprisonment, perhaps?
καὶ τί με δεῖ ζῆν ἐν δεσμωτηρίῳ, δουλεύοντα τῇ ἀεὶ καθισταμένῃ ἀρχῇ, τοῖς ἕνδεκα;
And why should I live in prison, enslaved to the ever-established authority, the Eleven?
ἀλλὰ χρημάτων καὶ δεδέσθαι ἕως ἂν ἐκτείσω;
But then a fine, and imprisonment until I pay it?
ἀλλὰ ταὐτόν μοί ἐστιν ὅπερ νυνδὴ ἔλεγον· οὐ γὰρ ἔστι μοι χρήματα ὁπόθεν ἐκτείσω.
But that is the same thing I just said; for I have no money with which to pay.
ἀλλὰ δὴ φυγῆς τιμήσωμαι;
But then, should I propose exile?
ἴσως γὰρ ἄν μοι τούτου τιμήσαιτε.
For perhaps you might accept this penalty.
πολλὴ μεντἄν με φιλοψυχία ἔχοι, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι, εἰ οὕτως ἀλόγιστός εἰμι ὥστε μὴ δύνασθαι λογίζεσθαι ὅτι ὑμεῖς μὲν ὄντες πολῖταί μου οὐχ οἷοί τε ἐγένεσθε ἐνεγκεῖν τὰς ἐμὰς διατριβὰς καὶ τοὺς λόγους, ἀλλʼ ὑμῖν βαρύτεραι γεγόνασιν καὶ ἐπιφθονώτεραι, ὥστε ζητεῖτε αὐτῶν νυνὶ ἀπαλλαγῆναι· ἄλλοι δὲ ἄρα αὐτὰς οἴσουσι ῥᾳδίως;
Indeed, great love of life would possess me, gentlemen of Athens, if I were so irrational as not to be able to reason that you, who are my fellow citizens, were not able to bear my ways and my words, but that they have become too heavy and too odious for you, so that you now seek to be rid of them; and will others, then, bear them easily?
πολλοῦ γε δεῖ, ὦ ἄνδρες Ἀθηναῖοι.
Far from it, gentlemen of Athens.
καλὸς οὖν ἄν μοι ὁ βίος εἴη ἐξελθόντι τηλικῷδε ἀνθρώπῳ ἄλλην ἐξ ἄλλης πόλεως ἀμειβομένῳ καὶ ἐξελαυνομένῳ ζῆν.
A fine life it would be for me, a man of my age, to go into exile, changing from one city to another, and being driven out from one after another.
εὖ γὰρ οἶδʼ ὅτι ὅποι ἂν ἔλθω, λέγοντος ἐμοῦ ἀκροάσονται οἱ νέοι ὥσπερ ἐνθάδε· κἂν μὲν τούτους ἀπελαύνω, οὗτοί με αὐτοὶ ἐξελῶσι πείθοντες τοὺς πρεσβυτέρους· ἐὰν δὲ μὴ ἀπελαύνω, οἱ τούτων πατέρες δὲ καὶ οἰκεῖοι διʼ αὐτοὺς τούτους.
For I know well that wherever I go, the young men will listen to my speaking, just as they do here; and if I drive them away, they themselves will drive me out by persuading their elders; and if I do not drive them away, their fathers and relatives will drive me out because of them.
ἴσως οὖν ἄν τις εἴποι· σιγῶν δὲ καὶ ἡσυχίαν ἄγων, ὦ Σώκρατες, οὐχ οἷός τʼ ἔσῃ ἡμῖν ἐξελθὼν ζῆν; τουτὶ δή ἐστι πάντων χαλεπώτατον πεῖσαί τινας ὑμῶν.
Perhaps, then, someone might say: "But Socrates, by keeping quiet and leading a silent life, will you not be able to live when you have gone away from us?" This is the hardest of all things to persuade some of you.