Socrates

ANITUS:

You couldn't draw a better conclusion. Go bring your accusation to the second judge, who is an excellent philosopher. I will answer for it.

You will soon defeat your enemy Socrates.

NONOTI: Milord, I am not his enemy. I am only annoyed that he's got too great a reputation, and all that I am doing is for the glory of Ceres, and the good of the country.

ANITUS:

Go, I tell you. Hurry up. Well, wise Chomos, what have you done?

CHOMOS:

Milord, not having found anything to reprove in Socrates' writings,

I've adroitly accused him of thinking contrary to what he says. I

point out the venom in what he says.

ANITUS: Marvelous. Take that piece to the fourth judge. He's a man who lacks common sense and will understand you perfectly. And you, Bertios?

BERTIOS: Milord, here's my last paper on chaos. I show, cleverly passing from chaos to the Olympic games, that Socrates is perverting the youth.

ANITUS: Admirable! Go on my behalf to the seventh judge and tell him that I commend Socrates to him. Fine, here's Melitus already, the Chief of the Eleven coming forward. There's no beating around the bush to be done with him. We know each other, too well.

(Exit Bertios and Chomos, enter Melitus.)

ANITUS:

Your honor, the judge, a word. Socrates must be destroyed.

MELITUS:

Your Reverence, the Priest, I've been pondering it for a long while.

Let's unite on this point and we will be less embroiled on the rest.

ANITUS: I know quite well we hate each other. But while detesting each other, we must unite to govern the republic.

MELITUS: Agreed. No one can hear us here. I know that you are a fraud. You don't look on me as an honest man. I cannot injure you because you are a high priest. You cannot ruin me because I am the leading judge, But Socrates could hurt either of us by unmasking us. You and I must begin by compassing his death and then we will see how we can exterminate each other at the first opportunity.

ANITUS:

No one could say it better.

(Aside) Hum! How I'd like to hold this rascal from the Areopagus on an altar, arms hanging on one side, legs over the other, so as to open his stomach with my golden knife and consult his liver at my ease.

MELITUS: (aside) Will I ever get this gallows bird of a High Priest in jail and make him drink a pint of Hemlock at my pleasure?

ANITUS: There now, my dear chap, there are your comrades who are coming forward. I've prepared the mood of the people.

MELITUS: Very fine, my dear ally. Count on me as yourself at this moment. But the grudge still remains.

(Some judges pass through the porticoes. Anitus whispers in Melitus' ear.)

DRIXA, TERPANDRE, ACROS: Justice! Justice! Scandal, impiety! Justice, justice! Irreligion, impiety! Justice!

ANITUS:

What's all this, my friends? Of what are you complaining?

DRIXA, TERPANDRE, ACROS:

Justice! In the name of the people.

MELITUS:

Against whom?

DRIXA, TERPANDRE, ACROS:

Against Socrates.

MELITUS: Ah! ah! Against Socrates? It's not the first time he's been complained of. What's he done?

ACROS:

I don't know anything about it.

TERPANDRE:

They say that he gives money to girls to get married.

ACROS:

Yes. He's corrupting the youth.

DRIXA: He's impious. He never offers gifts to Ceres. He says there's too much gold and too much useless money in the temples. That the poor are dying of hunger and that they must be helped.

ACROS: Yes, he says that the priests of Ceres sometimes get drunk. It's true, he's impious.

DRIXA: He's a heretic. He denies the plurality of the gods. He's a deist. He believes only in one God. He's an atheist.

MELITUS: Now these are very grave accusations and very credible. They've already informed me of all that you are telling us.

ANITUS:

If such horrors are allowed to go unpunished, the state is in danger.

Minerva will withhold her aid from us.

DRIXA:

Yes, Minerva without doubt. I heard him make jokes about the owl of

Minerva.

MELITUS: About the owl of Minerva! Oh! Heavens! Aren't you of the opinion he should be put in prison immediately?

JUDGES: (together)

Yes, in prison. Right away. In prison!

MELITUS:

Ushers! Take Socrates to prison immediately.

DRIXA:

And there let him be burned without having been heard.

ONE OF THE JUDGES:

Ah! He must at least be heard! We cannot infringe the law.

ANITUS: What this fine, pious man means is – he must be heard, but one cannot be surprised by what he says. For you know these philosophers are diabolically clever. Where we bring harmony, they disturb all the Estates.

MELITUS:

To prison! to prison!

(Xantippe, Sophronine, Aglaea enter. Then Socrates, enchained.)

XANTIPPE: Ah, mercy! They are dragging my husband to prison. Honorable judges, aren't you ashamed to treat a man of his age thus? What evil could he do? He is incapable of it. Alas, he's more stupid than bad. Gentlemen, take pity on him. Indeed, I told you, my husband, that you would get yourself into some bad business. That's what comes of dowering girls. How unhappy I am!

SOPHRONINE: Ah, gentlemen. Respect his age and his virtue. Put me in irons. I am ready to give my liberty and my life for his.

AGLAEA: Yes. We will go to prison in place of him. We will die for him if need be. Don't seek the life of the greatest of men. Take us for your victims.

MELITUS:

You see how he corrupts the youth!

SOCRATES: Cease, my wife; cease, my children to set yourselves up in opposition to the will of heaven. It is manifesting itself through the organ of the laws. Whoever resists the law is unworthy of being a citizen. God wished that I be put in irons; I submit to his decrees without a murmur. In my house, in Athens, in a prison cell, I am equally free. And in you I see so much sincere gratitude, so much friendship that I am still happy. What does it matter whether Socrates sleeps in his room or in an Athenian prison? Everything is in the eternal order of things and my will must be there.

MELITUS: Let them take away this dialectician. That's how they all are. They press you with arguments right under the gallows.

ANITUS: Gentlemen, what has just been said touches me. This man shows good disposition. I flatter myself I am able to convert him. Let me speak to him a moment in private. And order his wife and these young people to retire.

A JUDGE: We indeed wish it, venerable Anitus. You can speak to him before he appears before our tribunal.

(They exit leaving Socrates alone with Anitus.)

ANITUS:

Virtuous Socrates, my heart bleeds to see you in this condition.

SOCRATES:

You actually have a heart?

ANITUS:

Yes, and I am ready to do everything for you.

SOCRATES:

Really? I'm convinced you've done much already.

ANITUS: Listen. Your situation is more dangerous than you think. It goes to your life.

SOCRATES:

Then it's a question of a little thing.

ANITUS: It's little to your intrepid and sublime soul. To the eyes of those who cherish, as I do, your virtue, it's everything. Believe me, with whatever philosophy your souls may be armed, it is hard to perish by execution. That's not all: your reputation which must be dear to you will be tarnished throughout the centuries. Not only will all the bigots laugh over your death, they will insult you, light the pyre on which you will burn if they burn you, tighten the rope if they strangle you, grind the Hemlock if they poison you. But they will render your memory execrable to the entire future. You can easily avoid such a funereal end. I will answer for saving your life, and even will have you declared by the judges to be the wisest of men, as you were by the oracle of Apollo. It's only a question of giving me your pupil Aglaea. With the dowry you are giving her, understood. We can easily break off her marriage with Sophronine. You will enjoy a peaceable and honorable old age and the gods and goddesses will bless you.

SOCRATES:

Guards! Take me to prison without further delay.

(They lead him away.)

ANITUS: This man is incorrigible. It's not my fault. I have nothing to reproach myself with. He must be abandoned to his reprobate opinions and allowed to die unrepentant.

CURTAIN