THE MEMORABLE THOUGHTS OF SOCRATES.docx
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THE MEMORABLE THOUGHTS OF SOCRATES.docx
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THEMEMORABLETHOUGHTSOFSOCRATES
THEMEMORABLETHOUGHTSOFSOCRATES.
BYXENOPHON.
TRANSLATEDBYEDWARDBYSSHE.
CASSELL&COMPANY,Limited:
LONDON,PARIS,NEWYORK&MELBOURNE.
1888.
INTRODUCTION
ThistranslationofXenophon’s“MemorabiliaofSocrates”wasfirstpublishedin1712,andishereprintedfromtherevisededitionof1722. ItsauthorwasEdwardBysshe,whohadproducedin1702“TheArtofEnglishPoetry,”awell-knownworkthatwasnearitsfiftheditionwhenitsauthorpublishedhistranslationofthe“Memorabilia.” Thiswasatranslationthatremainedingoodrepute. Therewasanothereditionofitin1758. Bysshetranslatedthetitleofthebookinto“TheMemorableThingsofSocrates.” Ihavechanged“Things”into“Thoughts,”forwhethertheybesayingsordoings,thewordsanddeedsofawisemanarealikeexpressionsofhisthought.
Xenophonissaidtohavebeen,whenyoung,apupilofSocrates. TwoauthoritieshaverecordedthatintheflightfromthebattleofDeliumintheyearb.c.424,whenXenophonfellfromhishorse,Socratespickedhimupandcarriedhimonhisbackforaconsiderabledistance. p.6ThetimeofXenophon’sdeathisnotknown,buthewasalivesixty-sevenyearsafterthebattleofDelium.
WhenCyrustheYoungerwaspreparingwaragainsthisbrotherArtaxerxesMnemon,KingofPersia,Xenophonwentwithhim. AfterthedeathofCyrusontheplainsofCunaxa,thebarbarianauxiliariesfled,andtheGreekswerelefttoreturnastheycouldfromthefarregionbetweentheTigrisandEuphrates. Xenophonhadtotakepartintheconductoftheretreat,andtellsthestoryofitinhis“Anabasis,”ahistoryoftheexpeditionoftheyoungerCyrusandoftheretreatoftheGreeks. HisreturnintoGreecewasintheyearofthedeathofSocrates,b.c.399,buthisassociationwasnowwiththeSpartans,withwhomhefought,b.c.394,atCoroneia. Afterwardshesettled,andlivedforabouttwentyyears,atScillusinEleiawithhiswifeandchildren. AtScillushewroteprobablyhis“Anabasis”andsomeotherofhisbooks. AtlasthewasdrivenoutbytheEleans. InthebattleofMantineiatheSpartansandAtheniansfoughtasallies,andXenophon’stwosonswereinthebattle;hehadsentthemtoAthensasfellow-combatantsfromSparta. HisbanishmentfromAthenswasrepealedp.7bychangeoftimes,butitdoesnotappearthathereturnedtoAthens. Heissaidtohavelived,andperhapsdied,atCorinth,afterhehadbeendrivenfromhishomeatScillus.
Xenophonwasaphilosophicmanofaction. Hecouldmakehisvaluefeltinacouncilofwar,takepartinbattle—oneofhisbooksisonthedutiesofacommanderofcavalry—andshowhimselfgoodsportsmaninthehunting-field. Hewroteabookuponthehorse;atreatisealsoupondogsandhunting. HebelievedinGod,thoughtearnestlyaboutsocialandpoliticalduties,andpreferredSpartaninstitutionstothoseofAthens. HewrotealifeofhisfriendAgesilausII.,KingofSparta. Hefoundexerciseforhisenergeticmindinwritingmanybooks. Inwritinghewasclearandtothepoint;hispracticalmindmadehisworkinteresting. His“Anabasis”isatruestoryasdelightfulasafiction;his“Cyropædia”isafictionfulloftruths. Hewrote“Hellenica,”thatcarriedonthehistoryofGreecefromthepointatwhichThucydidesclosedhishistoryuntilthebattleofMantineia. HewroteadialoguebetweenHieroandSimonidesuponthepositionofaking,anddealtwiththeadministrationofthelittlerealmofaman’shouseholdinhis“Œconomicus,”adialoguep.8betweenSocratesandCritobulus,whichincludesthepraiseofagriculture. Hewrotealso,likePlato,asymposium,inwhichphilosophersovertheirwinereasonofloveandfriendship,andhepaintsthecharacterofSocrates.
Buthisbestmemorialofhisoldguide,philosopher,andfriendisthiswork,inwhichXenophonbroughttogetherinsimpleanddirectformtheviewsoflifethathadbeenmadecleartohimselfbytheteachingofSocrates. XenophonisthroughoutopposingaplaintaletothefalseaccusationsagainstSocrates. Hedoesnotidealise,buthefeelsstrongly,andheshowsclearlytheworthofthewisdomthattouchesateverypointtheactualconductofthelivesofmen.
H.M.
BOOKI.
CHAPTERI. SOCRATESNOTACONTEMNEROFTHEGODSOFHISCOUNTRY,NORANINTRODUCEROFNEWONES.
IhaveoftenwonderedbywhatshowofargumenttheaccusersofSocratescouldpersuadetheAthenianshehadforfeitedhislifetotheState. Forthoughthecrimeslaiduntohischargewereindeedgreat—“ThathedidnotacknowledgethegodsoftheRepublic;thatheintroducednewones”—and,farther,“haddebauchedtheyouth;”yetnoneofthesecould,intheleast,beprovedagainsthim.
For,astothefirst,“ThathedidnotworshipthedeitieswhichtheRepublicadored,”howcouldthisbemadeoutagainsthim,since,insteadofpayingnohomagetothegodsofhiscountry,hewasfrequentlyseentoassistinsacrificingtothem,bothinhisownfamilyandinthepublictemples?
—perpetuallyworshippingtheminthemostpublic,solemn,andreligiousmanner.
What,inmyopinion,gavehisaccusersaspeciouspretextforallegingagainsthimthatheintroducedp.10newdeitieswasthis—thathehadfrequentlydeclaredinpublichehadreceivedcounselfromadivinevoice,whichhecalledhisDemon. Butthiswasnoproofatallofthematter. AllthatSocratesadvancedabouthisdemonwasnomorethanwhatisdailyadvancedbythosewhobelieveinandpractisedivination;andifSocrates,becausehesaidhereceivedintelligencefromhisgenius,mustbeaccusedofintroducingnewdivinities,soalsomustthey;forisitnotcertainthatthosewhobelieveindivination,andpractisethatbelief,doobservetheflightofbirds,consulttheentrailsofvictims,andremarkevenunexpectedwordsandaccidentaloccurrences?
Buttheydonot,therefore,believethateitherthebirdswhoseflighttheyobserveorthepersonstheymeetaccidentallyknoweithertheirgoodorillfortune—neitherdidSocrates—theyonlybelievethatthegodsmakeuseofthesethingstopresagethefuture;andsuch,too,wasthebeliefofSocrates. Thevulgar,indeed,imagineittobetheverybirdsandthingswhichpresentthemselvestothemthatexcitethemtowhatisgoodforthem,ormakethemavoidwhatmayhurtthem;but,asforSocrates,hefreelyownedthatademonwashismonitor;andhefrequentlytoldhisfriendsbeforehandwhattheyshoulddo,ornotdo,accordingtotheinstructionshehadreceivedfromhisdemon;andtheywhobelievedhim,andfollowedhisadvice,alwaysfoundadvantagebyit;as,onthecontrary,theywhoneglectedhisadmonitions,neverfailedtorepenttheirincredulity. Now,itcannotbedeniedbutthatheoughttohavetakencarenottopasswithhisfriendseitherforaliaroravisionary;andyethowcouldheavoidincurringthatcensureiftheeventshadnotjustifiedthetruthofthethingshepretendedwererevealedtohim?
Itis,p.11therefore,manifestthathewouldnothavespokenofthingstocomeifhehadnotbelievedhesaidtrue;buthowcouldhebelievehesaidtrue,unlesshebelievedthatthegods,whoaloneoughttobetrustedfortheknowledgeofthingstocome,gavehimnoticeofthem?
and,ifhebelievedtheydidso,howcanitbesaidthatheacknowledgednogods?
Helikewiseadvisedhisfriendstodo,inthebestmannertheycould,thethingsthatofnecessitytheyweretodo;but,astothosewhoseeventsweredoubtful,hesentthemtotheoraclestoknowwhethertheyshouldengageinthemornot. Andhethoughtthattheywhodesigntogovernwithsuccesstheirfamiliesorwholecitieshadgreatneedofreceivinginstructionsbythehelpofdivinations;forthoughheindeedheldthateverymanmaymakechoiceoftheconditionoflifeinwhichhedesirestolive,andthat,byhisindustry,hemayrenderhimselfexcellentinit,whetherheapplyhimselftoarchitectureortoagriculture,whetherhethrowhimselfintopoliticsoreconomy,whetherheengagehimselfinthepublicrevenuesorinthearmy,yetthatinallthesethingsthegodshavereservedtothemselvesthemostimportantevents,intowhichmenofthemselvescaninnowisepenetrate. Thushewhomakesafineplantationoftrees,knowsnotwhoshallgatherthefruit;hewhobuildsahousecannottellwhoshallinhabitit;ageneralisnotcertainthatheshallbesuccessfulinhiscommand,noraMinisterofStateinhisministry;hewhomarriesabeautifulwomaninhopesofbeinghappywithherknowsnotbutthatevensheherselfmaybethecauseofallhisuneasinesses;andhewhoentersintoagrandallianceisuncertainwhethertheywithwhomheallieshimselfwillnotatlengthbethecauseofhisruin. p.12ThismadehimfrequentlysaythatitisagreatfollytoimaginethereisnotaDivineProvidencethatpresidesoverthesethings,andthattheycanintheleastdependonhumanprudence. Helikewiseheldittobeaweaknesstoimportunethegodswithquestionswhichwemayresolveourselves;asifweshouldaskthemwhetheritbebettertotakeacoachmanwhoknowshowtodrivethanonewhoknowsnothingofthematter?
whetheritbemoreeligibletotakeanexperiencedpilotthanonethatisignorant?
Inaword,hecounteditakindofimpietytoconsulttheoraclesconcerningwhatmightbenumberedorweighed,becauseweoughttolearnthethingswhichthegodshavebeenpleasedtocapacitateustoknow;butthatweoughttohaverecoursetotheoraclestobeinstructedinthosethatsurpassourknowledge,becausethegodsarewonttodiscoverthemtosuchmenashaverenderedthempropitioustothemselves.
Socratesstayedseldomathome. Inthemorninghewenttotheplacesappointedforwalkingandpublicexercises. Heneverfailedtobeatth
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