o Socrates doubtless dates from this incident.
He treasured it up against him, and afterwards, when he was one of the
Thirty and associated with Charicles as their official lawgiver, (17)
he framed the law against teaching the art of words (18) merely from a
desire to vilify Socrates. He was at a loss to know how else to lay hold
of him except by levelling against him the vulgar charge (19) against
philosophers, by which he hoped to prejudice him with the public. It
was a charge quite unfounded as regards Socrates, if I may judge from
anything I ever heard fall from his lips myself or have learnt about him
from others. But the animus of Critias was clear. At the time when the
Thirty were putting citizens, highly respectable citizens, to death
wholesale, and when they were egging on one man after another to the
commission of crime, Socrates let fall an observation: "It would be
sufficiently extraordinary if the keeper of a herd of cattle (20) who
was continually thinning and impoverishing his cattle did not admit
himself to be a sorry sort of herdsman, but that a ruler of the state
who was continually thinning and impoverishing the citizens should
neither be ashamed nor admit himself to be a sorry sort of ruler was
more extraordinary still." The remark being reported to the government,
Socrates was summoned by Critias and Charicles, who proceeded to point
out the law and forbade him to converse with the young. "Was it open to
him," Socrates inquired of the speaker, "in case he failed to understand
their commands in any point, to ask for an explanation?"

(17) Lit. "Nomothetes." See "Hell." II. iii. 2; Dem. 706. For
Charicles see Lys. "c. Eratosth." S. 56; Aristot. "Pol." v. 6. 6.

(18) See Diog. Laert. II. v. ("Socr.")

(19) i.e. {to ton etto logon kreitto poiein}, "of making the worse
appear the better cause." Cf. Arist. "Clouds."

(20) See Dio Chrys. "Or." 43.

"Certainly," the two assented.

Then Socrates: I am prepared to obey the laws, but to avoid
transgression of the law through ignorance I need instruction: is it on
the supposition that the art of words tends to correctness of statement
or to incorrectness that you bid us abstain from it? for if the former,
it is clear we must abstain from speaking correctly, but if the latter,
our endeavour should be to amend our speech.

To which Charicles, in a fit of temper, retorted: In consideration of
your ignorance, (21) Socrates, we will frame the proh