Apollodorus Tells the Story

Apollodorus: 172a I think I am not unprepared for what you are asking about. As it happens, the day before yesterday I was going up to town from my home in Phalerum, when one of my acquaintances caught sight of me from behind, a long way off, and called out to me, joking as he called: "Hey, you from Phalerum! Apollodorus! Won't you wait?" So I stopped and waited. And he said: "Apollodorus, I was looking for you only the other day. I wanted to hear all about the gathering at Agathon's, 172b when Socrates and Alcibiades and the rest were there at the dinner — what the speeches about love were. Someone else was telling me about them, who had heard it from Phoenix the son of Philip, and he said you knew too. But he could not tell me anything clearly. So you tell me; you are the right person to report the words of your friend. But first," he said, "tell me: were you at this gathering yourself, or not?" And I said: "It certainly looks as though your informant told you nothing 172c clear, if you think the gathering you are asking about took place so recently that I could have been there." "I did think so," he said. "How could that be, Glaucon?" I said. "Don't you know that Agathon has not lived in Athens for many years, and that it is not yet three years since I began to spend my time with Socrates and made it my business to know everything he says or does each day? 173a Before that I used to run about wherever chance took me, thinking I was doing something, and I was more wretched than anyone — no less than you are now, thinking that one should do anything rather than philosophy." And he said: "Don't mock me, but tell me when this gathering took place." And I told him: "When we were still boys, when Agathon won with his first tragedy, the day after he and his chorus held the sacrifice for the victory." "A long time ago, then, it seems," he said. "But who told you about it? Socrates himself?" 173b "No, by Zeus," I said, "the same man who told Phoenix. It was Aristodemus of Cydathenaeum, a little man who always went barefoot. He had been at the gathering, for he was one of the most devoted lovers of Socrates at that time, I believe. But I have also since asked Socrates about some of the things I heard from him, and he agreed that it was as Aristodemus told it." "Then why not tell it to me?" he said. "The road into town is just the thing for talking and listening as we go."

So as we went along we talked about it, 173c and that is why, as I said at the beginning, I am not unprepared. If I must tell it to you as well, I must do so. For my part, whenever I am making speeches about philosophy myself or hearing others make them, quite apart from thinking I am benefited, I enjoy it immensely. But when I hear other kinds of talk, especially your sort, the talk of rich men and moneymakers, I am vexed myself and I pity you, my friends, because you think you are doing something 173d when you are doing nothing. And perhaps you in turn think me unfortunate, and I believe you think so truly. But I do not think it of you: I know it.

Companion: You are always the same, Apollodorus. You are always speaking ill of yourself and of others, and you seem to me to think that absolutely everyone is wretched except Socrates, beginning with yourself. How you ever came by the nickname "the Softy" I do not know. In your talk you are always like this: savage with yourself and with everyone except Socrates.

Apollodorus: 173e My dearest friend, is it not plain that because I think like this about myself and about you, I must be mad and out of my mind?

Companion: It is not worth quarrelling about that now, Apollodorus. Do what we asked you and do not refuse: tell us what the speeches were.

Apollodorus: Well, they were something like this — but no, 174a I had better try to tell it to you from the beginning, just as Aristodemus told it.