ardent love for virtue, the glory, the ornament, and felicity of families
as well as of states? And this being fact (and fact it is, for who can
deny it?), is it not certain that the Republic was extremely obliged to
him, and that she ought to have paid him the highest honours?



CHAPTER III. HOW SOCRATES BEHAVED THROUGH THE WHOLE OF HIS LIFE.


Having, therefore, observed myself that all who frequented him improved
themselves very much in his conversation, because he instructed them no
less by his example than by his discourses, I am resolved to set down, in
this work, all that I can recollect both of his actions and words.

First, then, as to what relates to the service of the gods, he strictly
conformed to the advice of the oracle, who never gives any other answer
to those who inquire of him in what manner they ought to sacrifice to the
gods, or what honours they ought to render to the dead, than that
everyone should observe the customs of his own country. Thus in all the
acts of religious worship Socrates took particular care to do nothing
contrary to the custom of the Republic, and advised his friends to make
that the rule of their devotion to the gods, alleging it to be an
argument of superstition and vanity to dissent from the established
worship.

When he prayed to the gods he besought them only to give him what is
good, because they know better than we do what things are truly good for
us; and he said that men who pray for silver, or for gold, or for the
sovereign authority, made as foolish requests as if they prayed that they