Book 1, Chapter 40

95 “Let us therefore despise all such nonsense—what milder name can I give such frivolity?—and place the whole power of living well in strength and greatness of soul, in contempt and disregard for all human circumstances, and in every virtue. As things are, the most enfeebling thoughts make us womanish, so that, if death approaches before we have attained what the Chaldean astrologers promised us, we feel robbed of some great blessings, cheated and deserted.

96 “But if expectation and longing keep our souls in suspense, tormenting and troubling us—immortal gods, how pleasant must that journey be whose end will leave no further care or anxiety! How Theramenes delights me! What a lofty spirit he has! Though we weep when we read of him, that illustrious man does not die pitiably. Thrown into prison by order of the Thirty Tyrants, he drank down the poison as though thirsty, then flung the remainder from his cup so that it rang. At the sound he smiled and said, ‘I drink this to handsome Critias,’ who had been his bitterest enemy. For the Greeks <at> their drinking parties usually name the person to whom they are about to pass the cup. This excellent man jested with his last breath, when death had already entered and possessed his breast; and he truly foretold for the man to whom he had drunk the poison that death which followed shortly afterward.

“Who would praise this great soul’s composure in the very act of dying, if he judged death an evil?

97 “For a few years later Socrates goes to the same prison and the same cup, through a crime of his judges matching the tyrants’ crime against Theramenes. What, then, is the speech that Plato represents him as making before his judges, once he has been sentenced to death?”

95 “So let’s dismiss all this nonsense—what milder name can I give such foolishness?—and base a good life entirely on strength and greatness of spirit, on disregarding and looking down on all human circumstances, and on every form of virtue. As things stand, our thoughts are so soft that we lose our manliness. If death comes before the Chaldeans’ promises have been fulfilled, we feel we’ve been robbed of some great benefits, cheated and abandoned.

96 “When hope and longing keep us on edge, when we torment and distress ourselves, immortal gods, what a delightful journey that must be whose end puts every worry and anxiety behind us! Theramenes fills me with admiration. What spirit he shows! Reading his story brings tears, yet there’s nothing pitiable in this great man’s death. The Thirty Tyrants had him imprisoned. He drank the poison down as if quenching a thirst, then tossed the remainder from his cup, making it ring. With that sound he smiled: ‘Here’s a drink for handsome Critias.’ Critias had been his bitterest persecutor. At Greek drinking parties it’s customary to name the next person to receive the cup. This excellent man could joke even as he drew his last breath, with death already lodged deep in his breast. His poisoned toast truly foretold the death of the man he toasted: that death followed soon afterward.

“Who would praise this great man’s composure in the very act of dying if he thought death was bad?

97 “Only a few years pass, and Socrates enters that same prison to drink from that same cup. His judges act as criminally as the tyrants acted against Theramenes. What words, then, does Plato put into his mouth before the judges, once the death sentence has been passed?”