Apology, Crito, and Phaedo of Socrates

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Title: Apology, Crito, and Phaedo of Socrates
Author: Plato
Release Date: October 12, 2004 [EBook #13726]
Language: English
Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
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CRITO, AND PHAEDO ***
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PLATO'S
APOLOGY, CRITO AND PHÆDO
OF
SOCRATES.
Literally Translated By
HENRY CARY, M.A.,
Worcester College, Oxford
With An Introduction By
EDWARD BROOKS, JR.
CONTENTS.
INTRODUCTION
THE APOLOGY OF SOCRATES

INTRODUCTION TO THE CRITO
CRITO; OR, THE DUTY OF A CITIZEN
INTRODUCTION TO THE PHÆDO
PHÆDO; OR, THE IMMORTALITY OF THE SOUL
INTRODUCTION.
Of all writers of speculative philosophy, both ancient and modern, there
is probably no one who has attained so eminent a position as Plato.
What Homer was to Epic poetry, what Cicero and Demosthenes were
to oratory, and what Shakespeare was to the drama of England, Plato
was to ancient philosophy, not unapproachable nor unapproached, but
possessing an inexplicable but unquestioned supremacy.
The authentic records of his life are meagre, and much that has been
written concerning him is of a speculative nature. He was born at
Athens in the year 427 B.C. His father's name was Ariston, and his
mother's family, which claimed its descent from Solon, included among
its members many Athenian notables, among whom was Oritias, one of
the thirty tyrants.
In his early youth Plato applied himself to poetry and painting, both of
which pursuits he relinquished to become the disciple and follower of
Socrates. It is said that his name was originally Aristocles, but that it
was changed to Plato on account of the breadth of his shoulders and
forehead. He is also said to have been an expert wrestler and to have
taken part in several important battles.
He was the devoted friend and pupil of Socrates, and during the
imprisonment of his master he attended him constantly, and committed
to writing his last discourses on the immortality of the soul.
After the death of Socrates it is supposed that Plato took refuge with
Euclides in Megara, and subsequently extended his travels into Magna
Graecia and Egypt.

Upon his return to Athens he taught those who came to him for
instruction in the grove named Academus, near the Cephisus, and thus
founded the first great philosophical school, over which he continued to
preside until the day of his death. Above the entrance to this grove was
inscribed the legend: "Let no one ignorant of geometry enter here."
Here he was attended by persons of every description, among the more
illustrious of whom were Aristotle, Lycurgus, Demosthenes and
Isocrates.
There is a story to the effect that Plato three times visited Sicily, once
upon the invitation of the elder Dionysius, and twice at the earnest
solicitations of the younger. The former he is said to have so seriously
offended as to cause the tyrant to have him seized on his return home
and sold as a slave, from which state of bondage he was, however,
released by Anicerius of Cyrene.
The people of his time thought more of him than they did of all their
other philosophers, and called him the Divine Plato. So great was the
regard and veneration for him that it was considered better to err with
Plato than be right with any one else.
The writings of Plato are numerous, and most of them are in the form
of dialogues. The following pages contain translations of three of his
works, viz.: "The Apologia," "The Crito" and "The Phædo," all of
which have reference to the trial, imprisonment and death of Socrates.
"The Apologia" represents Socrates on trial for his life, undertaking his
own defence, though unaccustomed to the language of the courts, the
occasion being, as he says, the first time he has ever been before a court
of justice, though seventy years of age. Plato was present at the trial,
and no doubt gives us the very arguments used by the accused. Two
charges were brought against Socrates--one that he did not believe in
the gods recognized by the State, the other that he had corrupted the
Athenian youth by his teachings. Socrates does not have recourse to the
ordinary methods adopted by orators on similar occasions. He prefers
to stand upon his own integrity and innocence, uninfluenced by the fear
of that imaginary evil, death. He, therefore, does not firmly grapple
with either of the charges preferred against him. He neither denies nor

confesses the first accusation, but shows that in several instances