Page:The Dialogues of Plato v. 2.djvu/202

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PHAEDO.


PERSONS OF THE DIALOGUE.

Phaedo, who is the narrator
of the Dialogue to
Echerates of Philus.
Apollodorus.
Simmias.
Cebes.
Socrates. Crito.
Attendant of the Prison.


Scene:—The Prison of Socrates.


Place of the Narration:—Phlius.


Steph. 57 Phaedo.
Echecrates, Phaedo.
Echecrates. Were you yourself, Phaedo, in the prison with Socrates on the day when he drank the poison?

Phaedo. Yes, Echecrates, I was.

Ech. I should so like to hear about his death. What did he say in his last hours? We were informed that he died by taking poison, but no one knew anything more; for no Phliasian ever goes to Athens now, and it is along time since any stranger from Athens has found his way hither; so that we had no clear account.

58 Phaed. Did you not hear of the proceedings at the trial?

Ech. Yes; some one told us about the trial, and we could not understand why, having been condemned, he should have been put to death, not at the time, but long afterwards. What was the reason of this?

The death of Socrates was deferred by the holy season of the mission to Delos. Phaed. An accident, Echecrates: the stern of the ship which the Athenians send to Delos happened to have been crowned on the day before he was tried.

Ech. What is this ship?

Phaed. It is the ship in which, according to Athenian tradition, Theseus went to Crete when he took with him the to

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