Phaedo

Phaedo is a dialogue written by Plato. Phaedo is the fifth and last dialogue detailing the final days of Socrates and contains the death scene. (The first four being Euthyphro, Apology, Crito and Meno). The dialogue is told from the perspective of Phaedo of Elis, a youth who, upon Sparta's sack of Elis had been taken prisoner and enslaved in a boy brothel. Found by Socrates, who had him bought and freed with the help of a wealthy friend, he became his close friend and student. Having been present at Socrates' death bed, Phaedo relates the dialogue to Echecrates, a fellow philosopher. Different from other "last days dialogues", Phaedo is considered as a work of the late Plato.

• "Then is this not a sufficient indication," he said, "if you see a man who is troubled when about to die, that he was not a lover of wisdom but a lover of the body? And the same thus is likely to be both a lover of money and a lover of honor, one or the other of these or both."

• And Crito said, "But I think, Socrates, the sun is still on the mountains and has not yet set. And at the same time I know also others drank it quite late, when the word should be given to them, they have dined and drank quite well, and kept company with some whom they happened to desire. But do not hurry at all; for it is still permitted." And Socrates said, "Naturally, Crito, those do these things, which you say, for they think they gain by doing them, and I naturally shall not do these things; for I think I would not gain anything by drinking it a little later other than to bring on ridicule for myself, clinging to life and sparing it when there is nothing still in it.

• So already the cooling was nearly about his abdomen, and uncovering his head, for he had covered it up, he said, which he really uttered dying, "Crito," he said, "we owe to Asclepius a cock; but pay it and do not neglect it."

• Such was the end, Echecrates, of our companion, a man, as we might say, of those we had experience of at that time who was best and besides most sensible and most just.