Euthyphro 2

Socrates: What is your case, Euthyphro (E!stin de\ dh/ soi, w} Eu0qu/fron, ti/j h9 di/kh;)? Are you defending or prosecuting (feu/geij au0th\n h2 diw&keij;)?

Euthyphro: Prosecuting (Diw&kw).

Socrates: Whom (Ti/na;)?

Euthyphro: Such a man that they think I am insane because I am prosecuting him (O$n diw&kwn au] dokw~ mai/nesqai).

Socrates: Why? Are you prosecuting one who has wings to fly away with (Ti/ de/; peto/meno/n tina diw&keij;)?

***

H. N. Fowler, the translator, has a useful note on ‘prosecuting’: ‘The Greek word [diw&kw] has much the same meaning as the Latin prosequor, from which the English “prosecute” is derived, “follow”, “pursue”, and is at the same time the technical term for “prosecute”.’

***

Euthyphro: No flying for him at his ripe old age (Pollpou= ge dei= pe/tesqai, o3j ge tugxa/nei w_n eu] ma/la presbu/thj).

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

Euthyphro: My father (O( e0mo\j path/r).

Socrates: Your father, my dear man (O( so/j, w} be/ltiste;)?

Euthyphro: Certainly (Pa/nu me\n ou]n).

Socrates: But what is the charge (E!stin de\ ti/ to\ e1gklhma), and what is the suit about (kai\ ti/noj h9 di/kh;)?

Euthyphro: Murder, Socrates (Fo/nou, w} Sw&kratej).

Socrates: Heracles! (H(ra/kleij!) Surely Euthyphro (h] pou, w} Eu0qu/fron), most people do not know (a0gnoei=tai u9po\ tw~n pollw~n) where the right lies (o3ph| pote\ o0rqw~j e1xei); for I fancy it is not everyone who can rightly do what you are doing (ou0 ga\r oi]mai/ ge tou= e0pituxo/ntoj o0rqw_j au0to\ pra=cai), but only one who is very far advanced in wisdom (a0lla\ po/rrw pou h1dh sofi/aj e0lau/nontoj).

Euthyphro: Very far indeed, Socrates, by Zeus (Po/rw me/ntoi nh\ Di/a, w} Sw&kratej).

Socrates: Is the one who was killed by your father a relative (E1stin de\ dh\ tw~n oi0kei/wn tij o9 teqnew_j u9po\ tou= sou= patro/j;)? But of course he was (h2 dh=la dh/); for you would not bring a charge of murder against him on a stranger’s account (ou0 ga\r a2n pou/ ge u9pe\r a0llotri/ou e0pech/|eisqa fo/nou au0tw~|).

Euthyphro: It is ridiculous (Geloi=on), Socrates (w} Sw&kratej), that you think it matters (o3ti oi1ei ti diafe/rein) whether the man who was killed was a stranger or a relative (ei1te a0llo/trioj ei1te oi0kei=oj o9 teqnew&j), and do not see that the only thing to consider is (a0ll’ ou0 tou=to mo/non dei= fula/ttein) whether the action of the slayer was justified or not (ei1te e0n di/kh| e1kteinen o9 ktei/naj ei1te mh/), and that if it was justified (kai\ ei0 me\n e0n di/kh|) one ought to let him alone (e0a=n), and if not (ei0 de\ mh/), one ought to proceed against him (e0pecie/nai), even if he share one’s hearth and eat at one’s table (e0a\n o9 ktei&naj sune/stio/j soi kai\ o9motra/pezoj h]|). For the pollution is the same (i1son ga\r to\ mi/asma gi/gnetai) if you associate knowingly with such a man (e0a\n cunh=|jtw~| toiou/tw| cuneidw&j) and do not purify yourself and him (kai\ mh\ a0fosioi=j seauto/n te kai\ e0kei=non) by proceeding against him (th=| di/kh| e0peciw&n). In this case, the man who was killed was a hired workman of mine (e0pei\ o3 ge a0poqanw_n pela/thj tij h]n e0mo/j), and when we were farming at Naxos (kai\ w(j e0gewrgou=men e0n th=| Na/cw|), he was working there on our land (e0qh/teuen e0kei= par’ h9mi=n). Now he got drunk (paroinh/saj ou]n), got angry with one of our house slaves (kai\ o0rgisqei\j tw~n oi0ketw~n tini tw~n h9mete/rwn), and butchered him (a0posfa/ttei au0to/n). So my father bound him hand and foot (o9 ou]n path\r sundh/saj tou\j po/daj kai\ tou\j xei=raj au0tou=), through him into a ditch (katabalw_n e0j ta/fron tina/), and sent a man here to Athens to ask the religious adviser (pe/mpei deu=ro a1ndra peuso/menon tou= e0chghtou=) what he ought to do (o3 ti xrei/h poiei=n). In the mean time he paid no attention to the man as he lay there bound (e0n de\ tou/tw| tw|~ xro/nw| tou= dedeme/nou w)ligw&rei te), and neglected him (kai\ h0me/lei), thinking that he was a murderer (w(j a0ndrofo/nou) and it did not matter (kai\ ou0de\n o2n pra=gma) if he were to die (ei0 kai\ a0poqa/noi). And that is just what happened to him (o3per ou]n kai\ e1paqen). For he died of hunger and cold and his bonds (u9po\ ga\r limou= kai\ r9i/gouj kai\ tw~n desmw~n a0poqnh/|skei) before the messenger came back from the adviser (pri\n to\n a1ggelon para\ tou= e0chgh/tou a0fike/sqai). Now my father and the rest of my relatives are angry with me (tau=ta dh\ ou]n kai\ a0ganaktei= o3 te path\r kai\ oi9 a1lloi oi0kei=oi), because for the sake of this murderer (o3ti e0gw_ u9pe\r tou= a0ndrofo/nou) I am prosecuting my father for murder (tw|~ patri\ fo/nou e0pece/rxomai). For they say he did not kill him (ou1te a0poktei/nanti, w#j fasin e0kei=noi), and if he had killed him never so much (ou1t’ ei0 o3ti ma/lista a0pe/kteinen), yet since the dead man was a murderer (a0ndrofo/nou ge o1ntoj tou= a0poqano/ntoj), I ought not to trouble myself about such a fellow (ou0 dei=n fronti/zein u9pe\r tou= toiou=tou), because it is unholy for a son to prosecute his father for murder (a0no/sion ga\r ei]nai to\ ui9o\n patri\ fo/nou e0pecie/nai). Which shows how little they know what the divine law is in regard to holiness and unholiness (kakw~j ei0do/tej, w} Sw&kratej, to\ qei=on w(j e1xei tou= o9si/ou te pe/ri kai\ tou= a0nosi/ou).

Socrates: But, in the name of Zeus, Euthyphro (Su\ de\ dh\ pro\j Dio/j, w} Eu0qu/fron), do you think your knowledge about divine laws and holiness and unholiness is so exact (ou9twsi\ a0kribw~j oi1ei e0pi/stasqai peri\ tw~n qei/wn, o3ph| e1xei kai\ tw~n o9si/wn te kai\ a0nosi/wn), that, when the facts are (w#ste tou/twn ou3tw praxqe/ntwn) as you say (w(j su\ le/geij), you are not afraid of doing something unholy  yourself in prosecuting your father for murder (ou0 fobei= dikazo/menoj tw~| patri/, o3pwj mh\ au] su\ a0no/sion pra=gma tugxa/nh|j pra/ttwn;)?

Euthyphro: I should be of no use, Socrates (Ou0de\n ga\r a1n mou o1feloj ei1h, w} Sw&kratej), and Euthyphro would be in no way different from other men (ou0de/ tw| a2n diafe/roi Eu0qu/frwn tw~n pollw~n a0nqrw&pwn), if I did not have exact knowledge about all such things (ei0 mh\ ta\ toiau=ta pa/nta a0kribw~j ei0dei/hn).