apology   

other four went to Salamis and fetched Leon, but I went quietly home.
For which I might have lost my life, had not the power of the Thirty
shortly afterwards come to an end. And to this many will witness.
Now do you really imagine that I could have survived all these years,
if I had led a public life, supposing that like a good man I had
always supported the right and had made justice, as I ought, the first
thing? No, indeed, men of Athens, neither I nor any other. But I have
been always the same in all my actions, public as well as private, and
never have I yielded any base compliance to those who are slanderously
termed my disciples or to any other. For the truth is that I have no
regular disciples: but if anyone likes to come and hear me while I am
pursuing my mission, whether he be young or old, he may freely come.
Nor do I converse with those who pay only, and not with those who do
not pay; but anyone, whether he be rich or poor, may ask and answer me
and listen to my words; and whether he turns out to be a bad man or a
good one, that cannot be justly laid to my charge, as I never taught
him anything. And if anyone says that he has ever learned or heard
anything from me in private which all the world has not heard, I
should like you to know that he is speaking an untruth.
But I shall be asked, Why do people delight in continually conversing
with you? I have told you already, Athenians, the whole truth about
this: they like to hear the cross-examination of the pretenders to
wisdom; there is amusement in this. And this is a duty which the God
has imposed upon me, as I am assured by oracles, visions, and in every
sort of way in which the will of divine power was ever signified to
anyone. This is true, O Athenians; or, if not true, would be soon
refuted. For if I am really corrupting the youth, and have corrupted
some of them already, those of them who have grown up and have become
sensible that I gave them bad advice in the days of their youth should
come forward as accusers and take their revenge; and if they do not
like to come themselves, some of their relatives, fathers, brothers,
or other kinsmen, should say what evil their families suffered at my
hands. Now is their time. Many of them I see in the court. There is
Crito, who is of the same age and of the same deme with myself; and
there is Critobulus his son, whom I also see. Then again there is
Lysanias of Sphettus, who is the father of Aeschines - he is present;
and also there is Antiphon of Cephisus, who is the father of Epignes;
and there are the brothers of several who have associated with me.
There is Nicostratus the son of Theosdotides, and the brother of
Theodotus (now Theodotus himself is dead, and therefore he, at any
rate, will not seek to stop him); and there is Paralus the son of
Demodocus, who had a brother Theages; and Adeimantus the son of
Ariston, whose brother Plato is present; and Aeantodorus, who is the
brother of Apollodorus, whom I also see. I might mention a great many
others, any of whom Meletus should have produced as witnesses in the
course of his speech; and let him still produce them, if he has
forgotten - I will make way for him. And let him say, if he has any
testimony of the sort which he can produce. Nay, Athenians, the very
opposite is the truth. For all these are ready to witness on behalf of
the corrupter, of the destroyer of their kindred, as Meletus and
Anytus call me; not the corrupted youth only - there might have been a
motive for that - but their uncorrupted elder relatives. Why should
they too support me with their testimony? Why, indeed, except for the
sake of truth and justice, and because they know that I am speaking
the truth, and that Meletus is lying.
Well, Athenians, this and the like of this is nearly all the defence
which I have to offer. Yet a word more. Perhaps there may be someone
who is offended at me, when he calls to mind how he himself, on a
similar or even a less serious occasion, had recourse to prayers and
supplications with many tears, and how he produced his children in
court, which was a moving spectacle, together with a posse of his
relations and friends; whereas I, who am probably in danger of my
life, will do none of these things. Perhaps this may come into his
mind, and he may be set against me, and vote in anger because he is