Socrates, An excellent philosopher, sonne of Sophriscus the Mason, and Phænareta a midwife: who being first studious in naturall Philosophie, finally gaue himselfe to morall philosophie, reaching openly vertue, and so diligentlye ensued it in his liuing, and in disputing was fo sharpe and so sure agaynst them that were called Sophistæ, that Apollo being demaunded who was the wisest man liuing, aunswered Socrates. He was maister to Plato, Xenophon, Xenocrates, and other the greatest Philosophers at that tyme liuing. Besides his excellencie in vertue and knowledge, he was of a rare and maruaylous nature. For he moughte sustayne labour, colde, hunger and thyrst, aboue anye man at that time, as Alcibiades declareth in Plato. Hee affirmed that there was alwayes with him a spirite or spirituall power called Dæmonium, the which as often as he was mooued to doe any thing not conuenient or necessarie, that spirite touched him, and did prohibite him to doe it. Vnder sharpe and merye tauntes in the fourme of argument called Inductio, hee caused men to perceiue their ignoraunce, where before they thought themselues to be wise. Finallye being enuied of them which did then beare chiefe rule in Athens, he was accused of Anytus, Melissus the Poet, and Lycon the Oratour, that he spake agaynste their Gods and corrupted their children with peruerse doctrine: but hee contemning death, would suffer no man to speake for him, and so drinking poyson with a ioyous countenaunce, and saying to Anytus, I bring thee good luck, died incontinent. But soone after the people were so sorie for his death, that of his accusers, some they slue, and some they exyled, and didde set vp openly the Image of Socrates made of Copper. He was before the incarnation of Christ 367yeares.
Lewis and Short: Latin dictionary
Sōcrătes, is, m., = *swkra/ths. I.The celebrated Greek philosopher: parens philosophiae, Cic. Fin. 2, 1, 1: fons et caput philosophiae, id. de Or. 1, 10, 42: ab Apolline omnium sapientissimus dictus, id. Ac. 1, 4, 16; Plaut. Ps. 1, 5, 50.—Voc. Socrate, bis, Cic. Fragm. p. 477 Orell.—As an appellative, in the plur.: ut exsistant ... Socratae simul et Antisthenae et Platones multi, Gell. 14, 1, 29; cf. Lachm. ad Lucr. 2, p. 50. —Hence, Sōcrătĭcus, a, um, adj., = *swkratiko/s, of or belonging to Socrates, Socratic: philosophi, Cic. Off. 1, 29, 104: viri, id. Att. 14, 9, 1: domus, Hor. C. 1, 29, 14: sermones, Cic. de Or. 3, 18, 67; Hor. C. 3, 21, 9: lepor subtilitasque, Cic. Rep. 1, 10, 16: chartae, Hor. A. P. 310: sinus, i. e.
devoted to philosophy
, Pers. 5, 37: Xenophon, Nep. Ages. 1: cinaedi (in reference to Alcibiades, the favorite of Socrates), Juv. 2, 10.—As subst.: Sōcrătĭci, ōrum, m., the followers or disciples of Socrates, Cic. de Or. 3, 16, 61 sq.; id. Off. 1, 1, 2 et saep.—II.A Greek painter, Plin. 35, 11, 40, 137.—III.A Greek sculptor, Plin. 36, 5, 4, 32.