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NOTES ON THE CRITO By now Socrates has been in prison for a month.

The reason for the delay in his execution is that a sacred mission to the island of Delos in honour of Apollo has taken the previous month to be completed and no one could be killed during this mission. It is possible that it would have suited everyone if Socrates had chosen this period of time to escape. He is now in his cell at dawn with his follower and friend, Crito. Socrates wakes up very relaxed and calm. He says to Crito that at his age you might as well accept death calmly. Crito has news for him that the boat from Delos has been seen and will probably arrive today. This means that he will die the next day. So Crito urges him to escape and says that it is still not too late to do this. He is upset that he will lose such a good friend and that people will think ill of him for not arranging Socrates' escape. Socrates tells him not to worry about what people think it really does not matter. Crito goes on trying to persuade him. Crito argues that bribes can very easily be arranged, the money has already been organized by friends and admirers. He also says that there are plenty of places that he could go to where he would be welcomed. He also points out that it is wrong to throw away his life when he could escape, especially for his children who will be deprived orphans and his friends who will seem like cowards. He begs him to change his mind. Socrates argues strongly against this course of action. These are his points: 1 Never mind what the majority of people think. You should only worry about what is right, like an athlete listening just to his trainer, not to everyone else. 2 It is not enough "just to live, the really important thing is to live well". So if something is right we must do it, even if our life is threatened. 3 Likewise we must not do something wrong, even if our life is threatened, and no matter what the provocation. 4 He imagines what the voice of the Laws of Athens would say to him if they could speak now. They would say that he must not

break them. 5 The Laws would say that by staying in Athens for 70 years and bringing up his children there Socrates was implicitly agreeing to abide by its laws. 6 The Laws would say that if they suited Socrates his whole life, he can't just break them now because they suddenly don't suit him.

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