The True Story vs. Myth of Witchcraft. William Godwin

It must be surprising to us, that a man like Socrates should be arraigned in a country like Athens upon a capital accusation. He was charged with instilling into the youth a disobedience to their duties, and propagating impiety to the Gods, faults of which he was notoriously innocent. But the plot against him was deeply laid, and is said to have been twenty years in the concoction. And he greatly assisted the machinations of his adversaries, by the wonderful firmness of his conduct upon his trial, and his spirited resolution not to submit to any thing indirect and pusillanimous. He defended himself with a serene countenance and the most cogent arguments, but would not stoop to deprecation and intreaty. When sentence was pronounced against him, this did not induce the least alteration of his conduct. He did not think that a life which he had passed for seventy years with a clear conscience, was worth preserving by the sacrifice of honour. He refused to escape from prison, when one of his rich friends had already purchased of the jailor the means of his freedom. And, during the last days of his life, and when he was waiting the signal of death, which was to be the return of a ship that had been sent with sacrifices to Delos, he uttered those admirable discourses, which have been recorded by Xenophon and Plato to the latest posterity.

      But the question which introduces his name into this volume, is that of what is called the demon of Socrates. He said that he repeatedly received a divine premonition of dangers impending over himself and others; and considerable pains have been taken to ascertain the cause and author of these premonitions. Several persons, among whom we may include Plato, have conceived that Socrates regarded himself as attended by a supernatural guardian who at all times watched over his welfare and concerns.

But the solution is probably of a simpler nature. Socrates, with all his incomparable excellencies and perfections, was not exempt from the superstitions of his age and country. He had been bred up among the absurdities of polytheism. In them were included, as we have seen, a profound deference for the responses of oracles, and a vigilant attention to portents and omens. Socrates appears to have been exceedingly regardful of omens. Plato tells us that this intimation, which he spoke of as his demon, never prompted him to any act, but occasionally interfered to prevent him or his friends from proceeding in any thing that would have been attended with injurious consequences. ⁹⁹ Sometimes he described it as a voice, which no one however heard but himself; and sometimes it shewed itself in the act of sneezing. If the sneezing came, when he was in doubt to do a thing or not to do it, it confirmed him; but if, being already engaged in any act, he sneezed, this he considered as a warning to desist. If any of his friends sneezed on his right hand, he interpreted this as a favourable omen; but, if on his left, he immediately relinquished his purpose. ¹⁰⁰ Socrates vindicated his mode of expressing himself on the subject, by saying that others, when they spoke of omens, for example, by the voice of a bird, said the bird told me this, but that he, knowing that the omen was purely instrumental to a higher power, deemed it more religious and respectful to have regard only to the higher power, and to say that God had graciously warned him. ¹⁰¹ One of the examples of this presage was, that, going along a narrow street with several companions in earnest discourse, he suddenly stopped, and turned another way, warning his friends to do the same. Some yielded to him, and others went on, who were encountered by the rushing forward of a multitude of hogs, and did not escape without considerable inconvenience and injury. ¹⁰² In another instance one of a company among whom was Socrates, had confederated to commit an act of assassination. Accordingly he rose to quit the place, saying to Socrates, “I will be back presently.” Socrates, unaware of his purpose, but having received the intimation of his demon, said to him earnestly, “Go not.” The conspirator sat down. Again however he rose, and again Socrates stopped him. At length he escaped, without the observation of the philosopher, and committed the act, for which he was afterwards brought to trial. When led to execution, he exclaimed, “This would never have happened to me, if I had yielded to the intimation of Socrates.” ¹⁰³ In the same manner, and by a similar suggestion, the philosopher predicted the miscarriage of the Athenian expedition to Sicily under Nicias, which terminated with such signal disaster. ¹⁰⁴ This feature in the character of Socrates is remarkable, and may shew the prevalence of superstitious observances, even in persons whom we might think the most likely to be exempt from this weakness.

22. De Natura Deorum, Lib. I, c. 38.

23. Plato, De Republica, Lib. X, sub finem.

24. Batrachos, v. 1032.

25. De Arte Poetica, v.391.

26. Memoires de l’Academie des Inscriptions, Tom. V, p. 117.

27. De Arte Poetica, v. 391, 2, 3.

28. Virgil, Georgiea, Lib. IV. v. 461, et seqq.

29. Georgiea, iv, 525.

30. Metamorphoses, xi, 55.

31. Philostratus, Heroica, cap. v.

32. Horat, de Arte Poetica, v. 394. Pausanias.

33. Odyssey, Lib. XI, v. 262.

34. Statius, Thebais, Lib. X. v. 599.

35. Ibid, Lib. IV, v. 599.

36. Ibid, Lib. IV, v. 409, et seqq.

37. Lib. IV, c. 36.

38. Iamblichus.

39. Julius Firmicus, apud Scaliger, in Eusebium.

40. Iamblichus, Vita Pythagorae.

41. Pluto, Charmides.

42. Chronological Account of Pythagoras and his Contemporaries.

43. Laertius, Lib. VIII, c. 3.

44. Lloyd, ubi supra.

45.