Page:History of Greece Vol VIII.djvu/500

 478 mSTORY OF GREECE. indeed, had been enforced by Anytus, 1 in his accusing argument, in reference to acquittal generally, even before he heard the defence : whereas his condemnation, and the feelings with which he met it, have shed double and triple lustre over his whole life and character. Prefaced by this exposition of the feelings of Sokrates, the " Platonic Defence " becomes not merely sublime and impressive, but also the manifestation of a rational and consistent purpose. It does, indeed, include a vindication of himself against two ouk of the three counts of the indictment ; against the charge of not believing in the recognized gods of Athens, and that of corrupting the youth ; respecting the second of the three, whereby he was charged with religious innovation, he says little or nothing. But it bears no resemblance to the speech of one standing on his trial, with the written indictment concluding " Penalty, Death," hang- ing up in open court before him. On the contrary, it is an emphatic lesson to the hearers, embodied in the frank outpouring of a fearless and self-confiding conscience. It is undertaken, from the beginning, because the law commands ; with a faint wish, and even not an unqualified wish, but no hope, that it may succeed. 2 Sokrates first replies to the standing antipathies against him without, arising from the number of enemies whom his cross-examining elenchus had aroused against him, and from those false reports which the Aristophanic " Clouds " had con- tributed so much to circulate. In accounting for the rise of these antipathies, he impresses upon the dikasts the divine mission under which he was acting, not without considerable doubts whether they will believe him to be in earnest ; 3 and gives that interesting exposition of his ; ntellectual campaign, against " the conceit of knowledge without the reality," of which I have already 1 Plato, Apol. Sok. c. 17, p. 29, C. 2 Plato, Apol. Sok. c. 2, p. 19, A. BouAot/z^v pev ovv av TOVTO ovro yevea- dai. etri afieivov Kai vulv KOI kfiol, Kal ir^eov T'L (ie Troirjaai unohoyovitevov aiuai 6s avrb ^aXeTrov elvai, KOI ov iraw fie hav&uvei olov kari. *O/^uf 6e rovro fiev ITU b-Kt) ru> -&eu tt.ov, ry <5e vdtiij ireiaTsov Kal inro^oyriTEOV. ev [tevToi tore, naaav vfj.iv TTJV uhf/deiav epu. Again, c. 28, p. 37, E 'Edv Te yap Xeyw, ore T(J> i9eu aireidelv rovr 1 iarl, Kal <5td rovr' a dj'etv, ov TtEiieade poi. (if flpuvvo/iv<j).
 * Plato, Apol. Sok. c. 5, p. 20, D. Kal lau; fiev dofu naiv i/tuv TOI&W