HIS DEFENCE. 47 spoken. He then goes into the indictment, questions Melitus in open court, and dissects his answers. Having rebutted the charge of irreligion, he reverts again to the imperative mandate of the gods under which he is acting, " to spend his life in the search for wisdom, and in examining himself as well as others ; " a mandate, which if he were to disobey, he would be then justly amenable to the charge of irreligion j 1 and he announces to the dikasts distinctly, that, even if they were now to acquit him, he neither could nor would relax in the course which he had been pursuing. 2 He considers that the mission imposed upon him is among the greatest blessings ever conferred by the gods upon Athens. 3 He deprecates those murmurs of surprise or dis- pleasure, which his discourse evidently called forth more than once, 4 though not so much on his own account as on that of the dikasts, who will be benefited by hearing him, and who will hurt themselves and their city much more than him, if they should now pronounce condemnation. 5 It was not on his own account that he sought to defend himself, but on account of the Athenians, lest they by condemning him should sin against the gracious blessing of the god ; they would not easily find such another, if they should put him to death. Though his mission had spurred him on to indefatigable activity in individual collo- quy, yet the divine sign had always forbidden him from taking active part in public proceedings ; on the two exceptional occa- sions when he had stood publicly forward, once under the democracy, once under the oligarchy, he had shown the same resolution as at present ; not to be deterred by any terrors from that course which he believed to be just. 7 Young men were 1 Plato, Apol. Sok. c. 17, p. 29, A. 2 Plato Apol. Sok. c. 17, p. 30, B. 3 Plato, Apol. Sok. c. 17, p. 30, A, B. olofiai ovdev KU i'ftlv fiel yevicrdai TI TTJV kp/v T<!> i9e virrjpEaiav. 4 Plato, Apol. Sok. c. 18, p. 30, B.
- Plato, Apol. Sok. c. 18, p. 30, B. not yup, uf ty& olftai, bvij
(ixotJopref iiiv fy/e UTTOKTEIVJ/TE TOIOVTOV wra olov ey& Aeyo, OVK (SAut/fcre f/ vfidf avrov?. 8 Plato, Apol. Sok. c. 18, p. 30, E. Tro/WoO deu tyti vncp tyavrov uiroto- yfia&at, u( rtf uv olotro, u.7.7. {jirip iifiuv /*>? TI H-apuprriTE KEpl rrjv rri tieov 66aiv vfj.lv Ijiov KaTaTpriQiffaftev' ' iuv ytip ipe unoKre'vTjie, ov TOIOVTOV ei'pjjaeTs, etc. 7 Plato, Apol. Sok. c. 20. 21, p. 33.
