Alasdair Gray - Old Men in Love

SOCRATES: What does best mean, Critias?

CRITIAS: Preventing civil war. Everyone wants to forget the conditions in which my party took power. We were managing a conquered and bankrupt state. In other cities the working classes would have starved or emigrated or sold themselves into slavery, but not the free men of Athens! They had been spoiled by two generation of cheap food, full employment, pensions for the disabled and free theatre tickets. Pericles was to blame. He paid for all that out of the Empire. We had no Empire and our workmen had forgotten how to suffer. To prevent rebellion our dictatorship needed money, and fast. We sold the new harbour at a tenth of the building cost. We confiscated the wealth of rich foreigners, then the wealth of rich tradesmen, then the wealth of our critics. Who squealed, or course. So we executed them. Nasty! Very nasty! But we restored the economy and kept Athens intact.

ANYTUS: You kept your fortunes intact! And enlarged them! And you were already our richest citizens!

CRITIAS: Your crowd profited! When you saw our brutal, necessary, unpopular work had stabilized the economy you started a civil war with us, won it and grabbed the credit and the benefits.

SOCRATES: Has this argument anything to do with me?

CRITIAS: Not much. Your notions led me into politics but they were no good once I arrived there.

SOCRATES: ( placidly ) Thank you, Critias.

ANYTUS: Yes, thank you, Critias! The jury will note that Socrates led you into politics but stayed firmly outside them.

SOCRATES: ( placidly ) Bravo, Anytus.

Critias retires.

ANYTUS: I thank God that Alcibiades and Critias — the traitor and the dictator — are figures from the dead past. Which doesn’t mean they won’t come back — if we aren’t very careful. Meanwhile, since most of us have sons, let us see his effect on a young fellow of today. ( yelling ) Come here Phoebus!

From the edge of the group of Socrates’ friends a thin, dishevelled figure detaches himself and slouches onto the stage. He bows mockingly once or twice to the jury then hunches his shoulders, folds his arms and looks up sideways at his father with a mixture of fear and obstinacy.

ANYTUS: Tell the jury what you feel about me.

PHOEBUS: ( gently ) I. . I hate you, Dad.

ANYTUS: ( nodding ) Tell the jury why.

PHOEBUS: You’re a rich man, Dad. You could afford to give me a horse. Why should I work in your stinking tannery handling their hides?

ANYTUS: I did that when I was your age. Tell them why you hate honest toil.

PHOEBUS: I’d rather. . learn, yes learn about. . things.

ANYTUS: ( glaring at Socrates ) What things?

PHOEBUS: Reasons, mainly. Why make shoe leather if I haven’t exactly found what feet are for? Walking, of course, everybody knows that but walking where? Nobody really knows where they’re going or what living is for. I want to see more life before I make a living. The sons of rich men usually do. Beauty, geometry, tragedy, racehorses, you can afford to give me some, why don’t you?

ANYTUS: ( harshly ) And Socrates?

PHOEBUS: I love him as much, almost, as I hate you. ( he laughs uneasily ) He doesn’t jeer when I say things but I mostly just listen. Anybody can do that, nobody has to pay. He’s very like me. He knows you dads and bosses and bullies are a lot of shams. That’s why you’re afraid of us. He thinks a lot, but he doesn’t take thinking seriously, he listens to his demon, like I do. Though he’s luckier than me. My demon says some very nasty things. ( he shivers ) He drinks too, does Socrates, wine by the bucket and never gets drunk, they say. Just like me. None of you have noticed I’m drunk. Have you? Couldn’t have. Come here. Otherwise ( to Socrates, quietly ) would you ask him to let me go home?

Socrates makes a small gesture of appeal to Anytus, who continues glaring at him stonily. Phoebus looks pleadingly to his father, then the president, then the jury who he addresses wildly and feebly.

PHOEBUS: Men of Athens, what is matter? Why is there pressure? Single uniform unchanging solid concentric whirlpools of energy, Socrates is calm about that because nothing matters, money, clothes, work, people, politics, Gods are all filth to him that’s why he’s calm, no? ( he looks at Socrates ) — Not now. Now he’s looking calm but I can see he’s not. Why have you stopped being calm, Socrates? ( aghast ) Are you starting to think I’m dreadful too?

ANYTUS: ( desperately yelling ) Do you want to ask the witness any questions?

Socrates looks with deep pity on father and son who both now look gaunt and dishevelled.

SOCRATES: ( gently ) Let him go home Anytus.

Anytus waves his hand and Phoebus stumbles off. With an effort, Anytus brings his emotions under control and addresses the jury.

ANYTUS: I have one thing in common with my son. My appearance here is unattractive. I am asking for the death of a cheerful, vigorous, charming, charming old man but you know I’m not bloodthirsty. I drew up the act of oblivion by which nobody in Athens is punished for his political past and that act is still in force. I called Alcibiades and Critias to remind you of the sickness Socrates is spreading around him even now. It is doubt — doubt of the great simple truths our mothers and fathers taught us — respect for God and respect for law. If this doubt is wisdom ; it is evil wisdom which cannot come from God because it destroys ordinary people’s understanding. Those who have heard him argue know what I mean. By steps which seem so sensible you can’t remember them afterwards he brings you to admit that nothing you’re sure of is right. A paralysis creeps over your brain. Mature citizens know what to do, they leave him and don’t come back. But if you’re young you’re in danger. Young men attract him and he attracts them! This numbing of the thinking process, this rational destruction of reason releases the demon in them, the demon which is normally held down by the laws of God and the laws of our state. So, as you have seen, the brave young soldier becomes a reckless traitor. And the practical businessman becomes a ruthless tyrant. And weaklings become selfish, shameless parasites and spongers. As for his intellectual disciples, once again, look at them! Look at that. . crowd! ( he points ) Our great comic playwright described them — “They disagree with each other but have one thing in common — they fit in with nobody else.” Socrates is now going to speak to you. Don’t let his charm distract you from what you know already. Don’t let his eloquence make you forget what you have seen here, just now! ( he points at Socrates, who stares back in astonishment ) I fear that man, because I honour God and love civilization! I ask you to defend Athens, her religion and her sons by silencing him.

Loud, civilized applause. The president has been greatly impressed by Anytus’ peroration.

PRESIDENT: Your turn Socrates. Defend yourself.

Socrates stands, leans sideways on his stick and scratches his head.

SOCRATES: I don’t know, men of Athens, how that speech struck you but it convinced me, before I remembered the chap Anytus was supposed to be denouncing is me. He didn’t. He warned you against my eloquence, I’ve got none, that’s why I hardly ever pipe up in parliament. This is my first speech to such a huge number, and please don’t worry about my famous charm. Perhaps I could charm you all if I had more time but Athenian trials are rapid affairs. In Sparta, now, a trial on a capital charge takes two or three days –