Proceedingsofbritish

thegrowingfinancialpressurecausedbythefailureofthegreat

Sicilianexpedition,thelandblockadeofAthensandthegradual
destructionofherseapowerintheDeceleanwar,andthecrazyTreorism
ofthe'Thirty\andrememberthatformanyyearsatanyrate

beforehisdeathSocrateshadwhollydevotedhimselftohisspiritual
*

vocation\wecanreadilyseethatnoinferencecanbedrawnfrom

hispovertyin399tothewealthandsocialpositionofhisparentsor
tohisownfinancial

positioninthefirstfortyyearsofhiscareer.

Themorereasonablequestionwouldbehowsuchaman,aftersuch
couldbesomuchasabletokeephimselfsuppliedwithfood

acareer,

andeveninapositiontopayafineofasmuchasaminawithout

askingfortime.AnditisclearthatintheApologySocratesmeans
tosaythathecouldpaythismuchdownonthespot,sincehedoes

supplementtheoffer,aswascustomarywhenanoffendercould
notdischargethepenaltyimmediately,bythesuggestionof
imemnprtisonuntil
thefinehasbeenpaid.
Wemay,Ithink,inferthatthePlatonicnoticesareprobably
asufficientbasisforthestatementsaboutthefamilyofSocrates
whichwefindinthelaterwritersappealedtobyDiogenesLaertius;
inparticularth,ereappearstobenorealevidencethatSocrateshseilmf
not

hadeverfollowedstatuaryoranyothercraft.Plato'sassertions
abouthisyouthandearlymanhoodatleastimplythathehadfrom
thefirstabundantleisuretosatisfyhispassionfor'science',andthe

latestoryofthefiguresoftheGraceswhichwereshowntovisitorsto
AthensastheworkofSocratesproveonlythatthesefigureswere
showninamuchlatertimeassuch,butnothingmore.^Itisalso
worthwhiletonotethatXenophon,whoisstillregardedinwhat
maybecalled'official'quartersassotrustworthyanauthorityon
thefactsofSocrates'life,neverreferstohisparentageornameseither

SophroniscusorPhaenarete,exceptintheonebriefpassagein
Hellenica/,wherehereferstothebehaviourofSocratesintheaffair
ofthetrialofthegeneralswhohadcommandedatArginusae.There
hespeaksofthephilosopherforonceasHcoKpccTTjH^co^pouiaKov

'AQrjvalos*Intheoneotherplaceoutsidehis

Socraticdiscourses'

'

true,asProfessorGardnerremindsme,thatPausaniasappearstohave

*Itis

seenthesestatues

{Paus.i.22.8;ix.35,2).Butintheformerpassageallthat

hesaysisthaj;thegroupwascurrentlyascribedtoSocrates(/catXdpiras'ScoKpdTT)

TToiTJoTaOiP2w(l)poviiTKXoevyovai)SO,thathecanhardlybepresumedtobespeaking
withcertaintyonthepoint.SeethefulldiscussionofthepointinFrazer,
PausaniassDescriptionofGreece,vol.ii,pp.26872,wheretheauthorcomesto

theconclusionthatSocratescertainlydidnotexecutethe'originalrelief,

thoughheadmitsthepossibilittyhathemayhavemadeacopyofit.
PLATO'SBIOGRAPHYOFSOCRATE
AboutSocrates
ThepaperwhichIhavethehonouroflayingbeforemycolleagues
oftheAcademytodayisofthenatureofasimpleexperiment,an

experimentwhichcanmakenoclaimtorepresenttheresultsof
extraordinaryresearchorprofoundspeculation,butis,allthesame,
inmyownopinionwellworththemaking.Itsimmediateinterestis,
nodoubt,forthespecialstudentofthehistoryofphilosophicthought,
butitshouldalsoproveinsomedegreeattractivetoeveryonewho

hasagenuineinterestingreatliterature,inasmuchasitaimsat

throwingsomelightontheliterarymethodsofagreatphilosopher
whowasatthesametimeoneoftheworld'sgreatestliteraryand
dramaticartists.ThequestionoftherelationoftheSocrateswho
figuresastheprotagonistinallthemostwidelyknownofPlato's
prosedramastotheSocrateswhowasaprominentfigureinthe
AthensofthelasthalfofthefifthcenturyB.C.,is,ofcourse,albusteoly
criticalforthehistorianofHellenicthoughtonthefmeundtal
issuesofscience,ethics,andreligion.Itisalsoaquestionof

interesttothestudentofthehistoryofliteraryforms.Evenifwe
indifferenttothewholehistoryoftheactualdevelopmentof

are

scientificthought,wecanhardlyasstudentsofliteraturebeequally

indifferenttothegeneralproblemsuggestedbythesuddenanpcpearin
theearlyyearsofthefourthcenturyofawhollynewtypeof
prosecomposition,the^(OKpariKosXoyosor
'discourseofSocrates*.

Aboutthefactoftheemergenceofthistypeofcompositionjustat
thisparticulardatetherecanbenoconceivabledoubt.Aristotle
commentsonthefactthatthe'Socraticdiscourse isadistinct
'

literaryform,inthePoetics1447b2,whereheassociatesitwiththe
versified mimes ofSophronandXenarchusandcomplainsthatthe
Greeklanguagepossessesnogenericnameforthetype,inasmuchas
theword mime impliestheuseofverse,andisthusonlyappriparote
toonespeciesofaformforwhichproseis,asamatteroffact,
'

'

'

'

suitableamediumasverse.WhatAristotletooktobethedtinsctive

as

characteristicsofthisliteraryformisclearfromthetwo
remarkshemakesaboutit.Inthefirstplacetherecognitionofthe

communityofformbetweenthe mime andthe Socraticdiscourse

impliesthat,inAristotle'sopinion,the Socraticdiscourse isdtinsguished
byits realism'.For,asweknowfromtheancientnotices
'

'

'

'

ofthe'mimes'andcanseeforourselvesfromTheocritus'brilliant

'

'