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be　a　poet　or　maker；　should　not　only　put　words　together　but　make



stories；　and　as　I　have　no　invention；　I　took　some　fables　of　esop；　which



I　had　ready　at　hand　and　knew；　and　turned　them　into　verse。　Tell



Evenus　this；　and　bid　him　be　of　good　cheer；　that　I　would　have　him



come　after　me　if　he　be　a　wise　man；　and　not　tarry；　and　that　to…day　I　am



likely　to　be　going；　for　the　Athenians　say　that　I　must。



　　Simmias　said：　What　a　message　for　such　a　man！　having　been　a



frequent　companion　of　his；　I　should　say　that；　as　far　as　I　know　him；　he



will　never　take　your　advice　unless　he　is　obliged。



　　Why；　said　Socrates；…is　not　Evenus　a　philosopher？



　　I　think　that　he　is；　said　Simmias。



　　Then　he；　or　any　man　who　has　the　spirit　of　philosophy；　will　be



willing　to　die；　though　he　will　not　take　his　own　life；　for　that　is　held



not　to　be　right。



　　Here　he　changed　his　position；　and　put　his　legs　off　the　couch　on　to



the　ground；　and　during　the　rest　of　the　conversation　he　remained



sitting。



　　Why　do　you　say；　inquired　Cebes；　that　a　man　ought　not　to　take　his　own



life；　but　that　the　philosopher　will　be　ready　to　follow　the　dying？



　　Socrates　replied：　And　have　you；　Cebes　and　Simmias；　who　are



acquainted　with　Philolaus；　never　heard　him　speak　of　this？



　　I　never　understood　him；　Socrates。



　　My　words；　too；　are　only　an　echo；　but　I　am　very　willing　to　say　what　I



have　heard：　and　indeed；　as　I　am　going　to　another　place；　I　ought　to



be　thinking　and　talking　of　the　nature　of　the　pilgrimage　which　I　am



about　to　make。　What　can　I　do　better　in　the　interval　between　this　and



the　setting　of　the　sun？



　　Then　tell　me；　Socrates；　why　is　suicide　held　not　to　be　right？　as　I



have　certainly　heard　Philolaus　affirm　when　he　was　staying　with　us　at



Thebes：　and　there　are　others　who　say　the　same；　although　none　of　them



has　ever　made　me　understand　him。



　　But　do　your　best；　replied　Socrates；　and　the　day　may　come　when　you



will　understand。　I　suppose　that　you　wonder　why；　as　most　things　which



are　evil　may　be　accidentally　good；　this　is　to　be　the　only　exception



（for　may　not　death；　too；　be　better　than　life　in　some　cases？）；　and　why；



when　a　man　is　better　dead；　he　is　not　permitted　to　be　his　own



benefactor；　but　must　wait　for　the　hand　of　another。



　　By　Jupiter！　yes；　indeed；　said　Cebes；　laughing；　and　speaking　in　his



native　Doric。



　　I　admit　the　appearance　of　inconsistency；　replied　Socrates；　but　there



may　not　be　any　real　inconsistency　after　all　in　this。　There　is　a



doctrine　uttered　in　secret　that　man　is　a　prisoner　who　has　no　right



to　open　the　door　of　his　prison　and　run　away；　this　is　a　great　mystery



which　I　do　not　quite　understand。　Yet　I；　too；　believe　that　the　gods　are



our　guardians；　and　that　we　are　a　possession　of　theirs。　Do　you　not



agree？



　　Yes；　I　agree　to　that；　said　Cebes。



　　And　if　one　of　your　own　possessions；　an　ox　or　an　ass；　for　example



took　the　liberty　of　putting　himself　out　of　the　way　when　you　had



given　no　intimation　of　your　wish　that　he　should　die；　would　you　not



be　angry　with　him；　and　would　you　not　punish　him　if　you　could？



　　Certainly；　replied　Cebes。



　　Then　there　may　be　reason　in　saying　that　a　man　should　wait；　and　not



take　his　own　life　until　God　summons　him；　as　he　is　now　summoning　me。



　　Yes；　Socrates；　said　Cebes；　there　is　surely　reason　in　that。　And　yet



how　can　you　reconcile　this　seemingly　true　belief　that　God　is　our



guardian　and　we　his　possessions；　with　that　willingness　to　die　which　we



were　attributing　to　the　philosopher？　That　the　wisest　of　men　should



be　willing　to　leave　this　service　in　which　they　are　ruled　by　the　gods



who　are　the　best　of　rulers　is　not　reasonable；　for　surely　no　wise　man



thinks　that　when　set　at　liberty　he　can　take　better　care　of　himself



than　the　gods　take　of　him。　A　fool　may　perhaps　think　this…he　may



argue　that　he　had　better　run　away　from　his　master；　not　considering



that　his　duty　is　to　remain　to　the　end；　and　not　to　run　away　from　the



good；　and　that　there　is　no　sense　in　his　running　away。　But　the　wise　man



will　want　to　be　ever　with　him　who　is　better　than　himself。　Now　this；



Socrates；　is　the　reverse　of　what　was　just　now　said；　for　upon　this　view



the　wise　man　should　sorrow　and　the　fool　rejoice　at　passing　out　of



life。



　　The　earnestness　of　Cebes　seemed　to　please　Socrates。　Here；　said　he；



turning　to　us；　is　a　man　who　is　always　inquiring；　and　is　not　to　be



convinced　all　in　a　moment；　nor　by　every　argument。



　　And　in　this　case；　added　Simmias；　his　objection　does　appear　to　me



to　have　some　force。　For　what　can　be　the　meaning　of　a　truly　wise　man



wanting　to　fly　away　and　lightly　leave　a　master　who　is　better　than



himself？　And　I　rather　imagine　that　Cebes　is　referring　to　you；　he



thinks　that　you　are　too　ready　to　leave　us；　and　too　ready　to　leave



the　gods　who；　as　you　acknowledge；　are　our　good　rulers。



　　Yes；　replied　Socrates；　there　is　reason　in　that。　And　this



indictment　you　think　that　I　ought　to　answer　as　if　I　were　in　court？



　　That　is　what　we　should　like；　said　Simmias。



　　Then　I　must　try　to　make　a　better　impression　upon　you　than　I　did　when



defending　myself　before　the　judges。　For　I　am　quite　ready　to



acknowledge；　Simmias　and　Cebes；　that　I　ought　to　be　grieved　at　death；



if　I　were　not　persuaded　that　I　am　going　to　other　gods　who　are　wise　and



good　（of　this　I　am　as　certain　as　I　can　be　of　anything　of　the　sort）　and



to　men　departed　（though　I　am　not　so　certain　of　this）；　who　are　better



than　those　whom　I　leave　behind；　and　therefore　I　do　not　grieve　as　I



might　have　done；　for　I　have　good　hope　that　there　is　yet　something



remaining　for　the　dead；　and；　as　has　been　said　of　old；　some　far



better　thing　for　the　good　than　for　the　evil。



　　But　do　you　mean　to　take　away　your　thoughts　with　you；　Socrates？



said　Simmias。　Will　you　not　communicate　them　to　us？…the　benefit　is



one　in　which　we　too　may　hope　to　share。　Moreover；　if　you　succeed　in



convincing　us；　that　will　be　an　answer　to　the　charge　against　yourself。



　　I　will　do　my　best；　replied　Socrates。　But　you　must　first　let　me



hear　what　Crito　wants；　he　was　going　to　say　something　to　me。



　　Only　this；　Socrates；　replied　Crito：　the　attendant　who　is　to　give　you



the　poison　has　been　telling　me　that　you　are　not　to　talk　much；　and　he



wants　me　to　let　you　know　this；　for　that　by　talking　heat　is



increased；　and　this　interferes　with　the　action　of　the　poison；　those



who　excite　themselves　are　sometimes　obliged　to　drink　the　poison　two　or



three　times。



　　Then；　said　Socrates；　let　him　mind　his　business　and　be　prepared　to



give　the　poison　two　or　three　times；　if　necessary；　that　is　all。



　　I　was　almost　certain　that　you　would　say　that；　replied　Crito；　but　I



was　obliged　to　satisfy　him。



　　Never　mind　him；　he　said。



　　And　now　I　will　make　answer　to　you；　O　my　judges；　and　show　that　he　who



has　lived　as　a　true　philosopher　has　reason　to　be　of　good　cheer　when　he



is　about　to　die；　and　that　after　death　he　may　hope　to　receive　the



greatest　good　in　the　other　world。　And　how　this　may　be；　Simmias　and



Cebes；　I　will　endeavor　to　explain。　For　I　deem　that　the　true　disciple



of　philosophy　is　likely　to　be　misunderstood　by　other　men；　they　do



not　perceive　that　he　is　ever　pursuing　death　and　dying；　and　if　this



is　true；　why；　having　had　the　desire　of　death　all　his　life　long；　should



he　repine　at　the　arrival　of　that　which　he　has　been　always　pursuing　and



desiring？



　　Simmias　laughed　and　said：　Though　not　in　a　laughing　humor；　I　swear



that　I　cannot　help　laughing　when　I　think　what　the　wicked　world　will



say　when　they　hear　this。　They　will　say　that　this　is　very　true；　and　our



people　at　home　will　agree　with　them　in　saying　that　the　life　which



philosophers　desire　is　truly　death；　and　that　they　have　found　them



out　to　be　deserving　of　the　death　which　they　desire。



　　And　they　are　right；　Simmias；　in　saying　this；　with　the　exception　of



the　words　〃They　have　found　them　out〃；　for　they　have　not　found　out　what



is　the　nature　of　this　death　which　the　true　philosopher　desires；　or　how



he　deserves　or　desires　death。　But　let　us　leave　them　and　have　a　word



with　ourselves：　Do　we　believe　that　there　is　such　a　thing　as　death？



　　To　be　sure；　replied　Simmias。



　　And　is　this　anything　but　the　separation　of　soul　and　body？　And



being　dead　is　the　attainment　of　this　separation；　when　the　soul



exists　in　herself；　and　is　parted　from　the　body　and　the　body　is



parted　from　the　soul…that　is　death？



　　Exactly：　that　and　nothing　else；　he　replied。



　　And　what　do　you　say　of　another　question；　my　friend；　about　which　I



should　like　to　have　your　opinion；　and　the　answer　to　which　will



probably　throw　light　on　our　present　inquiry：　Do　you　think　that　the



philosopher　ought　to　care　about　the　pleasures…if　they　are　to　be　called



pleasures…of　eating　and　drinking？



　　Certainly　not；　answered　Simmias。



　　And　what　do　you　say　of　the　pleasures　of　love…should　he　care　about



them？



　　By　no　means。



　　And　will　he　thin