Symposium

220ato go without food, the others were nothing at holding out¹ — and again at feasts he alone was able to enjoy them, both in other ways and at drinking: though he was not willing, whenever he was compelled he beat everyone; and, what is most marvellous of all, no one among human beings has ever seen Socrates drunk. Of that, then, I think, the proof will come very soon too.² And again, as for his feats of endurance against the winter — for the winters there are dreadful — he did marvels, both in 220b other ways and once, when there was a frost of the most dreadful kind, and everyone either did not go out of doors, or, if anyone went out, was wrapped up in marvellous quantities, with shoes on and feet wound in felt and sheepskins, this man went out amid all this wearing just such a cloak as he was used to wear before, and barefoot he walked across the ice more easily than the others in their shoes;³ and the soldiers eyed 220c him askance, as though he were despising them. So much for that.

And what a thing this was, again, the strong man did and bore,⁴

there once with the army, is worth hearing. For, having fallen to thinking about something there at dawn, he stood looking into it, and when it did not go forward for him, he did not let go but stood seeking.⁵ And by now it was midday, and the people noticed, and, marvelling, one said to another that Socrates had been standing since dawn pondering something. Finally some of the Ionians, when it was evening, after dining — 220d for then, at least, it was summer — brought out their pallets and at the same time slept in the cool and watched him, to see whether he would stand through the night too. And he stood until it was dawn and the sun rose; then he went off and away, having said a prayer to the sun.⁶ And if you want, in the battles — for this, at least, it is just to render him — for when there was the battle after which