EUTHYPHRO THE Dialogue begins with a meeting between Socrates and Euthyphro in the neighbourhood of one of the Courts of Law. E l has So U. What nove ty happened, hat ou a l t crates, t y h ve ef the walls of the Lyceum and are now pacing the ’ King s Portico You surely have not a lawsuit in the Court which sits there i Euth hro Soc. The Athen ans, yp , do i bu in not call my business a su t, t an dic ent : i l but ri i l tm not a c vi , a c m na ’ process . ‘ EU t’ as . How say you H any one brought an indictment against you For I will never believe that you have ’ u i a r bro ght one aga n t anothe person. ’ r i l . E T 800. No, ce ta n y U. hen another ’ has i i ou so. nd cted y Soc. Even 3 PLATO AND SOCRATES ‘ I s l EU. And who Soc. do not my e f, He Eu h hro l . t yp , exact y know the man seems to me a young man and an igno s is I i Meletus . rant one. Hi name , th nk, ou He is of the district of Pitthis. Do y happen to know any Meletus of that d ri ha r ist ct, a man with long smooth i , ‘’ i r t EU. I a th n bea d, and a hook nose him r But do not know , Soc ates. what ’ s his i i s ou r s P i nd ctment again t y , Soc ate 800 i . What is it P A very we ghty and - hi i as s s to . gh p tched one indeed, eem me h s s ul That e, young man as he i , ho d is be master of so great a subject, no m in as s all th g. He knows, he says, in what way the minds of young men are rru th rs s co pted , and who are e pe on who corrupt them. He must be a very wise man ; and looking with displeasure as r r at me, a pe son who, by my e ron eous i s v ews, corrupt young men of his own age, he runs to the City as a boy ru s hi s r l s u n to mothe , and ay an acc i i sat on aga nst me. He seems to me to be the only one of our politicians who 4 PLATO AND SOCRATES is begins at the right end. It quite right to attend to the improvement of u first to the yo ng men , make them good, as the husbandman considers the young M plants as the most important. eletus first l e us will in the p ac mend , who s s u l s spoil, he say , the e yo ng p ant , and then no doubt afterwards attend to the older men, and so do infinite good to the ’ s tate. We cannot fail to see the indignation that is masked under this ironical r e l as r is E p ais , ca m the manne . uthy phro expresses this feeling more di ou r I wish it may so turn t, Soc ates but I am afraid that the opposite result will happen. Those who attack you seem to me to begin the destruction of i ri u r s the c ty by tea ng p the hea th tone. ‘ But ll ha sa s ’ te me, w t he y that you do t what he means by corrupting young ‘ It is re ll sur s 800. a y an ab d tory, my fri . He s s I end ay that make new gods, A 2 5 PLATO AND SOCRATES and do not acknowledge the established ’ ones. E u rs s U. I nde tand, Socrate . He means your Da mon or divine guide ou sa i s that y y accompan e you. And this he makes a point to found his us u i acc ation pon, and br ngs you before u us i o a the Co rt of J t c , knowing th t such accusations produce an efi ect on the a so i is. l u M ny. And t They a gh at me ls r I r r s a o, wheneve p etend to p ophe y, I l s r s ul and yet a way p ophe y tr y. It is all envy : but we mus t not heed ’ them. We Euth hro : r 800. ll, yp pe haps there r r in i l u is no g eat ha m be ng a ghed at . But it seems to me that though the Athenians are not angry with a man s a for being wi e, they re very angry i ma s r w th any one who ke othe s wise. u If they only la gh at me, as you say ou i s l t they do at y , t may be ea y to e them have their laugh and have done with it : but if they take the matter in PLATO AND SOCRATES s know what course thing will take, ’ except for a prophet like you. B I r s ar EU. ut hope, Soc ate , no h m a ou will come of it, and th t y will i I h win w n your cause, and s all i ’ m ne. r Euth hro is Soc. And p ay, yp , what your lawsuit Are you defender or r EU I e m ursu r in s pursue . p e a ca e ’ where it may appear insane to pursue. s Soc . What? are you pursuing ome one ’ He is who has wings like a bird? EU . very far from having wings : for he is ’ r old ‘ is a ve y man . 800. And who i ’ wn t EU. h r ur o My fat e . Soc. Yo ’ ‘ ’ ‘ r? EU ve so . fathe . E n 800. And what is the complaint What is the charge ’ EU. i i s Hom c de, Socrate . Soc . l ss r inl Euth B e me ! Ce ta y, y r ph o, common folks know very little is ri is wro what ght and what ng. For I do not think any common person could have thought such a proceeding right : you must have reached a high ’ i c of is to a p t h w dom see t h t. 7 PLATO AND SOCRATES EU U u l r r . ndo bted y, Soc ates, a ve y hi i ’ gh p tch. S Bu ur oc. t is it one of yo own family who has been killed by your father 1’ Bu i t I need not ask. It is plain t must so. Y u be o would not, on behal f of a r r st ange , have brought such an accu EU. is r s r s It ve y ab urd, Soc ate , that you think it makes any difierence whether the man who is killed is a r r i st anger o a relat ve. You ought to know that all that needs attention is i r l th s, whethe the man that kil ed him was in the right in doing so ; and if he was in ri l h al the ght, to eave im one bu if r s u him t not, to p o ec te even if he be your nearest friend. For in any case you make yourself equally a par taker of his crime if you do not invoke the operation of the Law. As for l the man who is kil ed, he was l ur r r a abo e of mine, who wo ked on my farm at Naxos ; and he being in drink in r r and a age with one of ou servants, 8 PLATO AND SOCRATES l So s ew him. my father bound him and o u m o r hand f ot and p t hi into a c lla , and sent a man hither to inquire of the magistrates what was to be done. And in the mean time took no care of the ri r as su i it p sone , ppos ng that made li r ttle difi erence if a murdere , as he d di was, died : and so he id e. He perished from hunger and cold and confinement before the messenger t returned from the magis rate. And my father and the other ser vants are indignant that I prosecute my r f r i for fathe o hom cide ; , as they say, he di he did not kill the man ; and if d. it w r i u as a matte not worth car ng abo t, the man himself being a murderer : and that it is an impious thing for a son to prosecute his father for homicide. You see, Socrates, they do not know i ’ what is impious and what s pious. The case of homicide is of so miti gated and doubtful a character that there is no great principle of morality involved in the d iscussion of it ; and. 9 PLATO AND SOCRATES r di ussi s acco dingly, the sc on doe not de u of ri bu pend upon the amo nt c me, t on the general question whether it is con ’ sistent with piety to prosecute one s r as ro i ou fathe ; and then, g w ng t of s r i r i i thi , acco d ng to Soc at c hab ts of is im thought, what piety and what is i Euth hro as see s s u for p ety.