I have often wondered by what
 arguments those who drew up the indictment against
 Socrates could
 persuade the Athenians that his life was forfeit to the state. The
 indictment against him was to this effect:
 Socrates is guilty
 of rejecting the gods acknowledged by the state and of bringing in
 strange deities: he is also guilty of corrupting the youth. First then, that he rejected the gods
 acknowledged by the state — what evidence did they produce of that?
 He offered sacrifices constantly, and made no secret of it, now in
 his home, now at the altars of the state temples, and he made use of
 divination with as little secrecy. Indeed it had become notorious
 that Socrates claimed to be
 guided by the deity: That immanent divine
 something, as
 Cicero terms it,
 which Socrates claimed
 as his peculiar possession. it was out of this claim, I
 think, that the charge of bringing in strange deities arose. He was no more bringing in anything strange than are other believers
 in divination, who rely on augury, oracles, coincidences and
 sacrifices. For these men’s belief is not that the birds or the folk
 met by accident know what profits the inquirer, but that they are
 the instruments by which the gods make this known; and that was
 Socrates ’ belief
 too. Only, whereas most men say that the birds or the folk they meet
 dissuade or encourage them,
 Socrates said what he
 meant: for he said that the deity gave him a sign. Many of his
 companions were counselled by him to do this or not to do that in
 accordance with the warnings of the deity: and those who followed
 his advice prospered, and those who rejected it had cause for
 regret. And yet who would not admit that he wished to appear neither a knave
 nor a fool to his companions? but he would have been thought both,
 had he proved to be mistaken when he alleged that his counsel was in
 accordance with divine revelation. Obviously, then, he would not
 have given the counsel if he had not been confident that what he
 said would come true. And who could have inspired him with that
 confidence but a god? And since he had confidence in the gods, how
 can he have disbelieved in the existence of the gods?