1. Under Athenian law, in certain cases, including Socrates’, the defendant had the right to propose an alternative penalty to that proposed by the prosecutors. This alternative might well be accepted by the court, if it was reasonable, but Socrates’proposal was so outrageous (Plato, Apology of Socrates, 35e-38b) that, as he says here, he deliberately courted death.

2. One of Socrates’ accusers: see p. 37.

3. That is, men like prophets.

4. The district around Delphi, where Apollo’s famous oracle was.