The dialogues of Plato in five volumes, Vol. 2 (of 5) : $b Translated into English with analyses and introductions
Plato · en
In any way that you like; but you must get hold of me,
and take care that I do not run away from you. Then he
turned to us, and added with a smile:—I cannot make Crito
believe that I am the same Socrates who have been talking
and conducting the argument; he fancies that I am the other
Socrates whom he will soon see, a dead body—and he asks,
How shall he bury me? And though I have spoken many
words in the endeavour to show that when I have drunk the
poison I shall leave you and go to the joys of the blessed,—these
words of mine, with which I was comforting you and
myself, have had, as I perceive, no effect upon Crito. And
therefore I want you to be surety for me to him now, as
at the trial he was surety to the judges for me: but let
the promise be of another sort; for he was surety for me
to the judges that I would remain, and you must be my
surety to him that I shall not remain, but go away and
depart; and then he will suffer less at my death, and not be
grieved when he sees my body being burned or buried. I
would not have him sorrow at my hard lot, or say at the
burial, Thus we lay out Socrates, or, Thus we follow him to
the grave or bury him; for false words are not only evil in
themselves, but they infect the soul with evil. Be of good
cheer then, my dear Crito, and say that you are burying my
body only, and do with that whatever is usual, and what you 116
think best.
[Sidenote: _Socrates is ready to depart._]
[Sidenote: He takes leave of his family.]
When he had spoken these words, he arose and went
into a chamber to bathe; Crito followed him and told us to
wait. So we remained behind, talking and thinking of the
subject of discourse, and also of the greatness of our sorrow;
he was like a father of whom we were being bereaved, and
we were about to pass the rest of our lives as orphans.
When he had taken the bath his children were brought to
him—(he had two young sons and an elder one); and the
women of his family also came, and he talked to them and
gave them a few directions in the presence of Crito; then
he dismissed them and returned to us.
[Sidenote: The humanity of the jailer.]