Alasdair Gray - Old Men in Love

PRESIDENT: Attention. I’m going to read the charge again. Socrates opposes the Gods of the Athenian state, sets up a false god of his own and uses it to corrupt young men, right? You’ve all seen enough today to make up your minds about this so I want no swithering. When I give the word all free men who agree with that charge will raise their hands and keep them up till I say so. No half lifting a hand and looking round to see if you’re in the majority. If you’ve doubts, give the accused the benefit of them. We’re doing a parliamentary job today so there must be no idiotic don’t knows. Citizens who think Socrates guilty will now raise their right hands.

Many jurors at once raise their hands and then a great many. Anytus paces restlessly back and forth beside his chair. Socrates sits back in his with thoughtfully pursed lips. A few of his disciples glumly imitate his calm, the rest are frankly worried. Court officials, after counting hands and conferring with assistants, confer with each other. One writes figures on a card, gives it to the President.

PRESIDENT: Hands down. Four hundred and seventy eight of you support the charge. That means four hundred and twenty one disagree and Socrates is guilty by a fifty eight majority. The guilt of the accused having thus been proved, we must now vote for an appropriate punishment. What do you propose, Anytus?

ANYTUS: ( facing the jury ) You know what I want. Socrates must be silenced and death is the one sure way of doing it. But if he proposes banishment instead, and you vote for that, I will be satisfied. Either way Athens will be rid of him. You have seen him treat this trial as a joke! He has treated you, a jury representing the whole Athenian state, as a joke. This moral philosopher thinks the legal process of a democratic state is a laughing matter. So if he suggests it, and you prefer it, let him leave here for his beloved Sparta, or even Persia where most of the enemies we banish find a home. He’s a famous man! Every city which hates ours will welcome him. But not for long, I think. Only the democracy of Athens could have borne such a man as long as you have. I propose the hemlock. ( He sits down )

PRESIDENT: Your turn, Socrates.

Socrates has sat smiling and shaking his head while the three disciples who helped the teller have tried to persuade him of something. He stands and moves to centre stage saying: — SOCRATES: Banishment. Banishment. No you won’t get rid of me that way. ( faces jury with hands folded on stick ) Anytus is right: only a democracy could have put up with me. I am a democratic growth and at my age I refuse to be transplanted. I profited by our laws so I will die by them, if that is what you want. But the law requires me to propose an alternative to capital punishment so by rejecting banishment I will have to propose a fine. I can’t possibly pay more than I have here. Here it is in my pocket — one minae — not a coin of great value. Will it do? ( holds it out in palm of hand )

Jeers and catcalls from jurors. The President covers his eyes with his hands. Plato from the side of the stage starts desperately waving his hands and shouting.

PLATO: Socrates!. . Men of Athens, I propose –

SOCRATES: ( loudly over Plato’s voice ) Men of Athens, my young friend here wants to tell you that he and other rich pals of mine will pay the state a large fine on my behalf. I won’t tell you how much because it might tempt you into perverting the course of justice. But for me to propose a fine of even one small coin is an admission of guilt so I withdraw that offer, and before I make another let me say something about Anytus, who I have heard with more sympathy and respect than he will ever believe.

Anytus regards our country, doesn’t he? as a giant man whose strength is the strength of everyone in it and whose wisdom is as great as all our intelligences put together. And it could be that. If we truly loved each other it would be that. But we don’t work together, we compete — the rich with the poor, businesses with businesses, trades with trades, sex with sex. We have only truly co-operated when at war: at war with Persia or Sparta or small states sick of us taxing them. When not at war our peace is more like the fixity of wrestlers with holds on each other too tight to be broken. So instead of Athens being a vigorous intelligent giant MAN it is like a huge fat horse with rheumatic joints which likes lying all day on the hillside listening to its stomach rumble. Anytus called me a parasite, I agree. I am a very special kind of blood-sucker, a gadfly sent by God the Father — who loves you — to sting your fatty complacency and goad you into healthy mental exercize. You need me. I need you. While I live I will not be silenced, so I propose the following punishment. For the rest of my life let me dine in the council refectory next door to this chamber, eating free of charge. Olympic athletes have that privilege — give it to me. My job is more important. That is my final offer.

He goes back to his seat and sits down with folded arms. A storm of hissing and jeers has arisen from most parts of the council chamber. The president stands up, says loudly, —

PRESIDENT: Will the tellers please go to their places. .

The hissing continues.

PRESIDENT: ( distressed ) Please shut up. I’ve got something to say that may be out of order but I’ve got to say it. . listen here!

Silence falls.

PRESIDENT: Isn’t there an explanation for Socrates’ very peculiar attitude? Isn’t there something lacking in him ( taps brow ) up here? That’s what I think. He seems to have no sense of self preservation. Might that be a reason for. . preserving him?

Socrates is highly amused. Several jurors shout “Out of order!”

PRESIDENT: ( shrugging ) Just an idea I had. Alright. Those who want the death penalty raise their right hands.

A forest of hands are immediately raised. The counting process is carried out as formerly, though there can no be no doubt of the verdict. Socrates looks absent-mindedly out over the jurors’ heads, his mouth open as when we first saw him on the hilltop. The President, sighing, addresses the court.

PRESIDENT: Anytus wins by a hundred and forty nine majority. That means five hundred and twenty four of you want him poisoned with hemlock, three hundred and seventy five would rather see him fed at public expense. Is there anything you want to say, Socrates, before we have you jailed? ( louder, noticing Socrates still seems absent minded ) Socrates! Have you any last words for the Athenian public?

SOCRATES: ( rousing himself ) Yes, quite a few.

He sits up and talks placidly at first, later becoming animated in a very ordinary way. He is now the only perfectly happy man in the court.

SOCRATES: Do you remember what the old physicist Anaxagoras said when the Athenian people condemned him to death for heresy? He said, “Nature has done that already — and them too.” ( he chuckles ) But a third of you don’t want me dead so I’d like to cheer those good friends up a bit. Dying won’t hurt me. A man is only badly hurt by his own bad actions and death now may do me good. I’m seventy and still intelligent, but in a few years I might have gone stupid and started setting bad examples, like many old people do. Remember too that mine will be a civilized execution. Instead of being left to rot in a dungeon or nailed to a cross I will die among friends, drinking painless poison while at rest in a clean bed. As for after death, nobody alive knows anything about it and it’s stupid to fear what we don’t know. Death is either endless, dreamless sleep — a remarkably good thing as all people who can’t sleep know — or something different that is equally good. If our souls are immortal and live after our body dies they must have lived before it was born, so we have all lived many lives, died many deaths and will continue doing it. May I remind you that Hell is not part of every religion? Greeks only started imagining it when we began working slaves to death in our silver mines. I haven’t exploited anyone so I’m not worried.