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must in no wise slacken or fall short of his ability; for when a man
so does; it is manifest; I presume; that at the moment he is not
honouring the gods。 You must then honour the gods; not with
shortcoming but according to your ability; and having so done; be of
good cheer and hope to receive the greatest blessings。 For where else
should a man of sober sense look to receive great blessings if not
from those who are able to help him most; and how else should he hope
to obtain them save by seeking to please his helper; and how may he
hope to please his helper better than by yielding him the amplest
obedience?

'28' Or; 〃and that law; I presume; is universal which says; Let a
    man;〃 etc。; and for the maxim see above; 〃Anab。〃 III。 ii。 9。

By such wordsand conduct corresponding to his wordsdid Socrates
mould and fashion the hearts of his companions; making them at once
more devout and more virtuous。'29'

'29' Or; 〃sounder of soul and more temperate as well as more pious。〃


IV

But indeed'1' with respect to justice and uprightness he not only made
no secret of the opinion he held; but gave practical demonstration of
it; both in private by his law…abiding and helpful behaviour to
all;'2' and in public by obeying the magistrates in all that the laws
enjoined; whether in the life of the city or in military service; so
that he was a pattern of loyalty to the rest of the world; and on
three several occasions in particular: first; when as president
(Epistates) of the assembly he would not suffer the sovereign people
to take an unconstitutional vote;'3' but ventured; on the side of the
laws; to resist a current of popular feeling strong enough; I think;
to have daunted any other man。 Again; when the Thirty tried to lay
some injunction on him contrary to the laws; he refused to obey; as
for instance when they forbade his conversing with the young;'4' or
again; when they ordered him and certain other citizens to arrest a
man to be put to death;'5' he stood out single…handed on the ground
that the injunctions laid upon him were contrary to the laws。 And
lastly; when he appeared as defendant in the suit instituted by
Meletus;'6' notwithstanding that it was customary for litigants in the
law courts to humour the judges in the conduct of their arguments by
flattery and supplications contrary to the laws;'7' notwithstanding
also that defendants owed their acquittal by the court to the
employment of such methods; he refused to do a single thing however
habitual in a court of law which was not strictly legal; and though by
only a slight deflection from the strict path he might easily have
been acquitted by his judges;'8' he preferred to abide by the laws and
die rather than transgress them and live。

'1' L。 Dindorf suspects 'SS。 1…6; {'Alla men 。 。 。 pollakis}'; ed。
    Lips。 1872。 See also Praef。 to Ox。 ed。 p。 viii。

'2' Or; 〃by his conduct to all; which was not merely innocent in the
    eye of law and custom but positively helpful。〃

'3' See above; I。 i。 18; 〃Hell。〃 I。 vii。 14; 15; Grote; 〃H。 G。〃 viii。
    272。

'4' See above; I。 ii。 35。

'5' Leon of Salamis。 See 〃Hell。〃 II。 iii。 39; Plat。 〃Apol。〃 32 C;
    Andoc。 〃de Myst。〃 46。

'6' See above; I。 i。 1; Plat。 〃Apol。〃 19 C。

'7' Kuhner cf。 Quintil。 VI。 i。 7: 〃Athenis affectus movere etiam per
    praeconem prohibatur orator〃; 〃Apol。〃 4; Plat。 〃Apol。〃 38 D; E。

'8' See Grote; 〃H。 G。〃 viii。 p。 663 foll。

These views he frequently maintained in conversation; now with one and
now with another; and one particular discussion with Hippias of
Elis'9' on the topic of justice and uprightness has come to my
knowledge。'10'

'9' For this famous person see Cob。 〃Pros。 Xen。〃 s。n。; Plat。 〃Hipp。
    maj。〃 148; Quint。 xii。 11; 21; Grote; 〃H。 G。〃 viii。 524。

'10' Or; 〃I can personally vouch for。〃

Hippias had just arrived at Athens after a long absence; and chanced
to be present when Socrates was telling some listeners how astonishing
it was that if a man wanted to get another taught to be a shoemaker or
carpenter or coppersmith or horseman; he would have no doubt where to
send him for the purpose: 〃People say;〃'11' he added; 〃that if a man
wants to get his horse or his ox taught in the right way;'12' the
world is full of instructors; but if he would learn himself; or have
his son or his slave taught in the way of right; he cannot tell where
to find such instruction。〃

'11' L。 Dindorf; after Ruhnken and Valckenar; omits this sentence
    {phasi de tines 。 。 。 didaxonton}。 See Kuhner ad loc。 For the
    sentiment see Plat。 〃Apol。〃 20 A。

'12' Cf。 〃Cyrop。〃 II。 ii。 26; VIII。 iii。 38; also 〃Horsem。〃 iii。 5;
    〃Hunting;〃 vii。 4。

Hippias; catching the words; exclaimed in a bantering tone: What!
still repeating the same old talk;'13' Socrates; which I used to hear
from you long ago?

'13' This tale is repeated by Dio Chrys。 〃Or。〃 III。 i。 109。 Cf。 Plat。
    〃Gorg。〃 490 E。

Yes (answered Socrates); and what is still more strange; Hippias; it
is not only the same old talk but about the same old subjects。 Now
you; I daresay; through versatility of knowledge;'14' never say the
same thing twice over on the same subject?

'14' Or; 〃such is the breadth of your learning;〃 {polumathes}。 Cf。
    Plat。 〃Hipp。 maj。〃

To be sure (he answered); my endeavour is to say something new on all
occasions。

What (he asked) about things which you know; as for instance in a case
of spelling; if any one asks you; 〃How many letters in Socrates; and
what is their order?〃'15' I suppose you try to run off one string of
letters to…day and to…morrow another? or to a question of arithmetic;
〃Does twice five make ten?〃 your answer to…day will differ from that
of yesterday?

'15' Cf。 〃Econ。〃 viii。 14; Plat。 〃Alc。〃 i。 113 A。

Hipp。 No; on these topics; Socrates; I do as you do and repeat myself。
However; to revert to justice (and uprightness);'16' I flatter myself
I can at present furnish you with some remarks which neither you nor
any one else will be able to controvert。

'16' Or; 〃on the topic of the just I have something to say at present
    which;〃 etc。

By Hera!'17' (he exclaimed); what a blessing to have discovered!'18'
Now we shall have no more divisions of opinion on points of right and
wrong; judges will vote unanimously; citizens will cease wrangling;
there will be no more litigation; no more party faction; states will
reconcile their differences; and wars are ended。 For my part I do not
know how I can tear myself away from you; until I have heard from your
own lips all about the grand discovery you have made。

'17' See above; I。 v。 5。

'18' Or; 〃what a panacea are you the inventor of〃; lit。 〃By Hera; you
    have indeed discovered a mighty blessing; if juries are to cease
    recording their verdicts 'aye' and 'no'; if citizens are to cease
    their wranglings on points of justice; their litigations; and
    their party strifes; if states are to cease differing on matters
    of right and wrong and appealing to the arbitrament of war。〃

You shall hear all in good time (Hippias answered); but not until you
make a plain statement of your own belief。 What is justice? We have
had enough of your ridiculing all the rest of the world; questioning
and cross…examining first one and then the other; but never a bit will
you render an account to any one yourself or state a plain opinion
upon a single topic。'19'

'19' See Plat。 〃Gorg。〃 465 A。

What; Hippias (Socrates retorted); have you not observed that I am in
a chronic condition of proclaiming what I regard as just and upright?

Hipp。 And pray what is this theory'20' of yours on the subject? Let us
have it in words。

'20' {o logos}。

Soc。 If I fail to proclaim it in words; at any rate I do so in deed
and in fact。 Or do you not think that a fact is worth more as evidence
than a word?'21'

'21' Or; 〃is of greater evidential value;〃 〃ubi res adsunt; quid opus
    est verbis?〃

Worth far more; I should say (Hippias answered); for many a man with
justice and right on his lips commits injustice and wrong; but no doer
of right ever was a misdoer or could possibly be。

Soc。 I ask then; have you ever heard or seen or otherwise perceived me
bearing false witness or lodging malicious information; or stirring up
strife among friends or political dissension in the city; or
committing any other unjust and wrongful act?

No; I cannot say that I have (he answered)。

Soc。 And do you not regard it as right and just to abstain from
wrong?'22'

'22' Or; 〃is not abstinence from wrongdoing synonymous with righteous
    behaviour?〃

Hipp。 Now you are caught; Socrates; plainly trying to escape from a
plain statement。 When asked what you believe justice to be; you keep
telling us not what the just man does; but what he does not do。

Why; I thought for my part (answered Socrates) that the refusal to do
wrong and injustice was a sufficient warrent in itself of
righteousness and justice; but if you do not agree; see if this
pleases you better: I assert that what is 〃lawful〃 is 〃just and
righteous。〃

Do you mean to assert (he asked) that lawful and just are synonymous
terms?

Soc。 I do。

I ask (Hippias added); for I do not perceive wha

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