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Echecrates: Were you with Socrates yourself, Phaedo, on the day when he drank the poison in prison, or did you hear about it from someone else? Phaedo: I was there myself, Echecrates. Echecrates: Then what did he say before his death? and how did he die? I should like to hear, for nowadays none of the Phliasians go to Athens at all, and no stranger has come from there for a long time,

who could tell us anything definite about this matter, except that he drank poison and died, so we could learn no further details. Phaedo: Did you not even hear about the trial and how it was conducted? Echecrates: Yes, some one told us about that, and we wondered that although it took place a long time ago, he was put to death much later. Now why was that, Phaedo?