SOCRATES. 



Socrates himfelf, however, allows that fhe poffefTed many 

 domeftic virtues ; and towards the clofe of his life, and 

 during his imprifonment, (he exprefled great affeftion for 

 her huftjand ; and, indeed, after twenty years' experience, 

 it would have been Itrange, if it had been otherwife. On 

 all occailons, however, at home and abroad, he maintained 

 an unruffled equanimity of temper ; always exercifmg that 

 felf-command, which is founded on virtuous principles, and 

 ftrengthened by refleftion and habit. In this refpeft he 

 was the more praife-worthy, as he himfelf acknowledges, 

 that he was, in his natural difpofition, prone to vice, but 

 that he had fubdued his inclinations by the power of reafon 

 and philofophy. This divine power of reafon was pro- 

 bably the genius, or demon, which, from time to time, 

 gave him inftruftion. Without admitting every thing 

 which his difciples have faid on this fubjeft, it is poffible 

 that Socrates might, in fome degree, be influenced by fuper- 

 ititious creduhty, concerning this demon ; for Xenophon 

 exprefsly attefts, that he believed that the gods fometimes 

 communicate to men the knowledge of future events, and 

 that, on thi« principle, he encouraged the practice of divi- 

 nation. 



It was one of the maxims of Socrates, " that a wife man 

 will worfhip the gods according to the inftitutions of the 

 Hate to which he belongs." He taught, however, a doc- 

 trine concerning religion much more pure and rational, than 

 that which was delivered to the people by the priefts, and 

 he reprobated the popular fables concerning the gods. 

 Convinced of the weaknefs of the human underltanding, 

 and perceiving that the pride of philofophy had led his 

 predecefTors into futile fpeculations on the nature and origin 

 of things, he judged it mod confident with true wifdom 

 to fpeak with caution and reverence concerning the divine 

 nature. Neverthelefs, there can be no doubt that, whilft 

 he did not deny the exiltence of inferior divinities, he ac- 

 knowledged the being and providence of one Supreme 

 Deity, and paid homage, with a pious mind, to the fovereign 

 power. 



In fine, Socrates, both on account of his abilities as a 

 moral preceptor, and on account of his perfonal merit, un- 

 queftionably deferves to be ranked in the firll order of 

 human beings. " The man," fays Xenophon, " whofe me- 

 moirs I have written, was fo pious, that he undertook 

 nothing without a(king counfel of the gods ; fo juft, that 

 he never did the fmallelt injury to any one, but rendered 

 efiential fervices to many ; fo temperate, that he never pre- 

 ferred pleafure to virtue ; and fo wife, that he was able, 

 even in the moll difBciiIt cafes, without advice, to judge 

 what was expedient and right. He was eminently qualified 

 to affilt others by his counlel ; to penetrate into men's 

 charafters ; to reprehend them for their vices ; and to excite 

 them to the praftice of virtue. Having found all thefe 

 excellencies in Socrates, I have ever eileemed him the moll 

 virtuous and the happieft of men." 



Socrates, notwithftanding the fuperiority of his talents, 

 the excellence of his charafter, and the number of his fol- 

 \ lowers, who venerated and eiteemed him, had many enemies. 

 They were chiefly intereited Sophifls (fee Sophist), whofe 

 influence and whofe emoluments were dimimflied in confe- 

 quence of the prevalence of his doftrines and precepts. In 

 order to degrade him in the eftimation of the Athenian 

 youth, and to reftrain his popularity, they engaged Arif- 

 tophanes, the firil buffoon of the age, to write a comedy, 

 in which Socrates (hould be the principal charafter. Arif- 

 tophanes, pleafed with fo promifing an occafion of dif- 

 claying his low and malignant wit, undertook the tafk, 



and produced the comedy of " The Clouds," flill extant in 

 his works. In this piece Socrates is introduced hanging 

 in a ba(ket in the air, and thence pouring forth abfurdity 

 and profanenefs. The philofopher, though he feldom 

 vifitcd the theatre, except when the tragedies of Euri- 

 pides were performed, attended the reprefentation of this 

 play, at a time when the houfe was crowded with ftrangers, 

 who happened to be at Athens during the celebration of a 

 Bacchanalian feftival. When the performer, who repre- 

 fented Socrates, appeared upon the ftage, a general whifper 

 pafled along the benches on which the ftrangers fat, to 

 inquire who the perfon was whom the poet meant to fatirize. 

 Socrates, who had taken his ftation in one of the mo(t 

 public parts of the theatre, obferved this circumftance ; and 

 immediately, with great coolnefs, rofe up, to gratify the 

 curiofity of the audience, and continued ftanding during 

 the remainder of the reprefentation. One of the fpeftators, 

 allonilhed at the magnanimity which this aftion difcovered, 

 afl<ed him, whether he did not feel himfelf mucli chagrined, 

 to be thus held up to public derifion. " By no means," 

 replied Socrates, " I am only a holt at a public feltiva!, 

 where I provide a large company with entertainment." 



Thefe efforts of envy and malice, however, were not 

 of long duration. When Ariitophanes attempted, the year 

 following, to renew the piece with alterations and additions, 

 the reprefentation was fo much difcouraged, that he was 

 obliged to difcontinue it. The confequence was, that the 

 Sophifts, and other opponents of Socrates, who appear to 

 have made ufe of the expedient of the theatrical reprefenta- 

 tion, in order to found the inclinations of the public, chofe 

 to poftpone the farther profecution of their malignant in- 

 tention to a more favourable opportunity. 



From this time, Socrates continued, for many years, to 

 profecute his laudable defign of inftrufting and reforming 

 his fellow-citizens. But as he pcrfevered in oppofing every 

 kind of political corruption and oppreflion, both under the 

 democracy and oligarchy, the number of his enemies in- 

 creafed, and a conipiracv, which had been long concerted 

 againit his life, was refumed. Clandeltine arts were ufed, 

 after the diffolution of the tyranny, to excite a general 

 prejudice againll him. The people were induftrioufly re- 

 minded, that Cntias, who had been one of the molt cruel 

 of the thirty tyrants, and Alcibiades, who had infulted 

 religion by defacing the public Itatues of Mercury, and 

 performing a mock reprefentation of the Eleufinian myf- 

 teries, had, in their youth, been difciples of Socrates. 

 The minds of the people being thus inflamed, a diredl accu- 

 fation was preferred againft Socrates before the fupreme 

 court of judicature. His accufers were Anytus, a leather- 

 dreffer, who had long entertained a perfonal enmity againft 

 Socrates, for reprehending his avarice, in depriving his fons 

 of the benefits of learning, that they might purfue the 

 gains of trade ; Melitus, a young rhetorician, who was 

 capable of undertaking any thing for the fake of gain ; and 

 Lycon, who was glad of an opportunity of difplaying his 

 talents. The accufation, which was delivered to the 

 fenate under the name of Melitus, was this : " Melittts, 

 fon of Melitus, of the tribe of Pythos, accufeth Socrates, 

 fon of Sophronifcus, of the tribe of Alopece. Socrates 

 violates the laws, in not acknowledging the gods which 

 the ftate acknowledges, and by introducing new divinities. 

 He alfo violates the laws by corrupting the youth. Be his 

 punifhment death." 



This charge was delivered upon oath to the fenate, and 

 Crito, a friend of Socrates, became f^rety for his ap 

 pearance on the day of trial. Aaytus, foon afterwards, 



ient 



