Euthyphro 1

Euthyphro: What strange thing has happened, Socrates (Ti/ new&teron, w} Sw&kraej, ge/gonen), that you have left your accustomed haunts in the Lyceum (o3ti su\ ta\j e0n Lukei/w| katalipw_n diatriba\j) and are now haunting the portico where the king archon sits (e0nqa/de nu=n diatri/beij peri\ th\n basile/wj stoa/n;)? For it cannot be that you have an action before the king (ou0 ga/r pou kai\ soi/ ge di/kh tij ou]sa tugxa/nei pro\j to\n basile/a), as I have (w#sper e0moi/).

Socrates: Our Athenians, Euthyphro, do not call it an action (Ou1toi dh\ A0qhnai=oi/ ge, w} Eu0qu/fron, di/khn au0th\n kalou=sin), but an indictment (a0lla\ grafh/n).

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Translation H. N. Fowler, Loeb Classical Library. John Burnet says in his ‘Introductory Note’: ‘The situation assumed in the Euthyphro is that indicated at the end of the Theaetetus (a much later dialogue), where Socrates says he has an appointment at the Hall of the “King” with reference to a charge brought against him by Meletus (210d1) nu=n me\n ou]n a0panthte/on moi ei0j th\n tou= basile/wj stoa\n e0pi\ th\n Melh/tou grafh\n h3n me ge/graptai (John McDowell translates: ‘Well, now I must go to the King’s Porch to face the charge Meletus has brought against me.’ Clarendon Plato Series.).’

Burnet further notes: ‘The basileu/j was the second of the nine archons, and had succeeded to the religious functions of the ancient kings. All the most ancient public sacrifices were therefore performed by him. Otherwise, since he was now appointed by lot and for a single year, his duties were rather formal and administrative. In particular, he was responsible for the Eleusinia.’ (Plato, Euthyphro, Apology of Socrates, Crito, edited with notes by John Burnet, Clarendon Paperbacks, Oxford University Press 1924, reprinted 2002.)

Apart from this valuable information, Burnet says in his ‘Introductory Note’: ‘As Euthyphro too had a case before the “King”, and as, at the end of the dialogue, he suddenly remembers another engagement (15e3), we must suppose that his business here is over for the present, and that he is coming out of the basi/leioj stoa/ when he sees Socrates.’

This is wrong. If we are to understand Euthyphro’s ‘For now I am in a hurry to go somewhere (nu=n ga\r speu/dw poi), and it is time for me to go away (kai/ moi w#ra a0pie/nai)’, we must see it in connection with Socrates’ preceding words, with which Socrates dismissed the whole preceding discussion, asking Euthyphro to start all over again: ‘Then we must begin again at the beginning (E0c a0rxh=j a1ra h9mi=n pa/lin skepte/on) and ask what holiness is (ti/ e0sti to\ o3sion) … But now I am sure you think you know what is holy and what is not (nu=n de\ eu] oi]da o3ti safw~j oi1ei ei0de/nai to/ te o3sion kai\ mh/). So tell me (ei0pe\ ou]n), most excellent Euthyphro (w} be/ltiste Eu0qu/fron), and do not conceal your thought (kai\ mh\ a0pokru/yh| o3 ti au0to\ h9gei=).’ Instead of complying with Socrates’ request, Euthyphro hastened away. And there are good reasons to believe that Euthyphro, profoundly shaken by Socrates’ arguments, never returned to the King archon: ‘When Euthyphro had indicted his father for manslaughter, Socrates, after some conversation with him on piety, diverted him from his purpose (Eu0qu/frona de\ tw~| patri\ graya/menon cenoktoni/aj di/khn peri\ o9si/ou tina dialexqei\j a0ph/gage)’. (Diogenes Laertius II. 29)

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Euthyphro: What (Ti/ fh/|j;)? Somebody has, it seems, brought an indictment against you (grafh\n se/ tij, w(j e1oike, ge/graptai;); for I don’t accuse you of having brought one against anyone else (ou0 ga\r e0kei=no/ ge katagnw&somai, w(j ju\ e3teron).

Socrates: Certainly not (Ou0 ga\r ou]n).

Euthyphro: But someone else against you (A0lla\ se\ a1lloj;)?

Socrates: Quite so (Pa/nu ge).

Euthyphro: Who is he (Ti/j ou[toj;)?

Socrates: I don’t know the man very well myself, Euthyphro (Ou0d’ au0to\j pa/nu ti gignw&skw, w} Eu0qu/fron, to\n a1ndra), for he seems to be a young and unknown person (ne/oj ga/r ti/j moi fai/netai kai\ a0gnw&j). His name, however, is Meletus, I believe (o0noma/zousi me/ntoi au0to/n, w(j e0gw}|mai, Me/lhton). And he is of the deme of Pitthus (e1sti de\ tw~n dh/mwn Pitqeu/j), if you remember any Pitthian Meletus (ei1 tina nw~| e1xeij Pitqe/a Me/lhton), with long hair (oi[on tetano/trixa) and only a little beard (kai\ ou0 pa/nu a0ge/neion), but with a hooked nose (e0pi/grupon de/).

Euthyphro: I don’t remember him (Ou0k e0nnow~), Socrates (w} Sw&kratej). But what sort of an indictment has he brought against you (a0lla\ dh\ ti/na grafh/n se ge/graptai;)?

Socrates: What sort (H#ntina;)? No mean one (ou0k a0gennh=), it seems to me (e1moige dokei=); for the fact that, young as he is (to\ ga\r ne/on o1nta), he has apprehended so important a matter (tosou=ton pra=gma e0gnohke/nai) reflects no small credit upon him (ou0 fau=lo/n e0stin). For he says he knows (e0kei=noj ga/r, w#j fhsin, oi]de) how the youth are corrupted (ti/na tro/pon oi9 ne/oi diafqei/rontai) and who those are who corrupt them (kai\ ti/nej oi9 diafqei/rontej au0tou/j). He must be a wise man (kai\ kinduneu/ei sofo/j tij ei]nai); who seeing my lack of wisdom (kai\ th\n e0mh\n a0maqi/an katidw&n) and that I am corrupting his fellows (w(j diafqei/rontoj tou\j h9likiw&taj au0tou=), comes to the State, as a boy runs to his mother, to accuse me (e1rxetai kathgorh/swn mou w(j pro\j mhte/ra pro\j th\n po/lin). And he seems to me to be the only one of the public men who begins in the right way (kai\ fai/netai/ moi tw~n politikw~n mo/noj a1rxesqai o0rqw~j); for the right way is to take care of the young men first (o0rqw~j ga/r e0sti tw~n ne/wn prw~ton e0pimelhqh=nai), to make them as good as possible (o3pwj e1sontai o3 ti a1ristoi), just as a good husbandman (w#sper gewrgo\n a0gaqo/n) will naturally take care of the young plants first (tw~n ne/wn futw~n ei0ko\j prw~ton e0pimelhqh=nai) and afterwards of the rest (meta\ de\ tou=to kai\ tw~n a1llwn). And so Meletus (kai\ dh\ kai\ Me/lhtoj), perhaps (i1swj), is first clearing away us (prw~ton me\n h9ma=j e0kkaqai/rei) who corrupt the young plants (tou\j tw~n ne/wn ta\j bla/staj diafqei/rontaj), as he says (w#j fhsin); then after this (e1peita meta\ tou=to), when he has turned his attention to the older men (dh=lon o3ti tw~n presbute/rwn e0pimelhqei/j), he will bring countless most precious blessings upon the State (plei/stwn kai\ megi/stwn a0gaqw~n ai1tioj th=| po/lei genh/setai), – at least, that is the natural outcome of the beginning he has made (w#j ge to\ ei0ko\j cumbh=nai e0k toiau/thj a0rxh=j a0rcame/nw|).

Euthyphro: ‘I hope it may be so (Bouloi/mhn a1n), Socrates (w} Sw&kratej); but I fear (a0l’ o0rrwdw~) the opposite may result (mh\ tou0nanti/on ge/nhtai). For it seems to me that he begins injuring the State at its very heart (a0texnw~j ga/r moi dokei= a0f’ e9sti/aj a1rxesqai kakourgei=n th\n po/lin), when he undertakes to harm you (e0pixeirw~n a0dikei=n se/). Now tell me (kai/ moi le/ge), what does he say you do (ti/ kai\ poiou=nta/ se/ fhsi) that corrupts the young (diafqei/rein tou\j ne/ouj;)?

Socrates: Absurd things (A1topa), my friend (w} qauma/sie), at first hearing (w(j ou3tw g’ a0kou=sai). For he says I am (fhsi\ ga/r me) a maker of gods (poihth\n ei]nai qew~n); and because I make new gods (kai\ w(j kainou\j poiou=nta qeou/j) and do not believe in the old ones (tou\j d’a0rxai/ouj ou0 nomi/zonta), he indicted me for the sake of these old ones (e0gra/yato tou/twn au0tw~n e3neka), as he says (w#j fhsin).

Euthyphro: I understand (Manqa/nw), Socrates (w} Sw&kratej); it is because you say that divine monitor keeps coming to you (o3ti dh\ su\ to\ daimo/nion fh\|j sautw~| e9ka/stote gi/gnesqai). So he has brought the indictment against you for making innovations in religion (w(j ou]n kainotomou=nto/j sou peri\ ta\ qei=a ge/graptai tau/thn th\n grafh/n), and he is going into court to slander you (kai\ w(j diabalw~n dh\ e1rxetai ei0j to\ dikasth/rion), knowing that slanders on such subjects are readily accepted by the people (ei0dw_j o3ti eu0dia/bola ta\ toiau=ta pro\j tou\j pollou/j). Why, they even laugh at me and say I am crazy when I say anything in the assembly about divine things and foretell future to them (kai\ e0mou= ga/r toi, o3tan ti le/gw e0n th=| e0kklhsi/a| peri\ tw~n qei/wn, prole/gwn au0toi=j ta\ me/llonta, katagelw~sn w(j mainome/nou). And yet there is not one of the things I have foretold that is not true (kai/toi ou0de\n o3ti ou0k a0lhqe\j ei1rhka w{n proei=pon); but thy are jealous of all such men as you and I are (a0ll’ o3mwj fqonou=sin h9mi=n pa=si toi=j toiou/toij). However, we must not be disturbed (a0ll’ ou0de\n au0tw~n xrh\ fronti/zein), but must come to close quarters with them (a0ll’ o9mo/se i0e/nai).

Socrates: My dear Euthyphro (W} fi/le Eu0qu/fron), their ridicule is perhaps of no consequence (a0lla\ to\ me\n katagelasqh=nai i1swj ou0de\n pra=gma). For the Athenians (A0qhnai/oij ga/r toi), I fancy (w(j e0moi\ dokei=), are not much concerned (ou0 sfo/dra me/lei), if they think a man is clever (a1n tina deino\n oi1wntai ei]nai), provided he does not impart his clever notions to others (mh\ me/ntoi didaskaliko\n th=j au9tou= sofi/aj); but when they think he makes others to be like himself (o4n d’ a2n kai\ a1llouj oi1wntai poiei=n toiou/touj), they are angry with him (qumou=ntai), either through jealousy (ei1t’ ou]=n fqo/nw|), as you say (w(j su\ le/geij), or for some other reason (ei1te di’ a1llo ti).

Euthyphro: I do not much desire to test their sentiments toward me in this matter (Tou/tou ou]n pe/ri o3pwj pote\ pro\j e0me\ e1xousin, ou0 pa/nu e0piqumw~ peiraqh=nai).

Socrates: No, for perhaps they think that you are reserved (I!swj ga\r su\ me\n dokei=j spa/nion seauto\n pare/xein) and unwilling to impart your wisdom (kai\ dida/skein ou0k e0qe/lein th\n seautou= sofi/an). But I fear that because of my love of men (e0gw_ de\ fobou=mai, mh\ u9po\ filanqrwpi/aj) they think that I not only pour myself out copiously to anyone and everyone without payment (dokw~ au0toi=j o3 ti per e1xw e0kkexume/nwj panti\ a1ndri\ le/gein ou0 mo/non a1neu misqou=), but that I would even pay something myself (a0lla\ kai\ prostiqei=j h9de/wj), if anyone would listen to me (ei1 ti/j mou e0qe/loi a0kou/ein). Now if (ei0 me\n ou]n), as I was saying just now (o4 nu=n dh\ e1legon), they were to laugh at me (me/lloie/n mou katagela=n), as you say they do at you (w#sper su\ fh\|j sautou=), it would not be at all unpleasant to pass the time in the court with jests and laughter (ou0de\n a2n ei1h a0hde\j pai/zontaj kai\ gelw~ntaj e0n tw~| dikasthri/w| diagagei=n); but if they are in earnest (ei0 de\ spouda/sontai), then only soothsayers like you can tell how this will end (tou=t’ h1dh o3ph| a0pobh/setai a1dhlon plh\n u9mi=n toi=j ma/ntesin).

Euthyphro: Well. Socrates, perhaps it won’t amount to much (A0ll’ i1swj ou0de\n e1stai, w} Sw&kratej, pra=gma), and you will bring your case to a satisfactory ending (a0lla\ su/ te kata\ nou=n a0gwniei= th\n di/khn), as I think I shall mine (oi]mai de\ kai\ e0me\ th\n e0mh/n).