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8/66 Secondly, there are the professed accusers, who are but the mouth- piece of the others. The accusations of both might be summed up in a formula. The first say, 'Socrates is an evil-doer and a curious person, searching into things under the earth and above the heav- en; and making the worse appear the better cause, and teaching all this to others.’ The second, 'Socrates is an evil-doer and corrupter of the youth, who does not receive the gods whom the state re- ceives, but introduces other new divinities.' These last words ap- pear to have been the actual indictment (compare Xen. Mem.); and the previous formula, which is a summary of public opinion, as- sumes the same legal style. The answer begins by clearing up a confusion. In the representa- tions of the Comic poets, and in the opinion of the multitude, he had been identified with the teachers of physical science and with the Sophists. But this was an error. For both of them he professes a respect in the open court, which contrasts with his manner of speaking about them in other places. (Compare for Anaxagoras, Phaedo, Laws; for the Sophists, Meno, Republic, Tim., Theaet., Soph., etc.) But at the same time he shows that he is not one of them. Of natural philosophy he knows nothing; not that he des- pises such pursuits, but the fact is that he is ignorant of them, and never says a word about them. Nor is he paid for giving instruc- tion— that is another mistaken notion:— he has nothing to teach. But he commends Evenus for teaching virtue at such a 'moderate' rate as five minae. Something of the 'accustomed irony,’ which may perhaps be expected to sleep in the ear of the multitude, is lurking here. He then goes on to explain the reason why he is in such an evil name. That had arisen out of a peculiar mission which he had taken upon himself. The enthusiastic Chaerephon (probably in an- ticipation of the answer which he received) had gone to Delphi and asked the oracle if there was any man wiser than Socrates; and the