By Jupiter! yes, indeed, said Cebes, laughing, and speaking in his native Doric.

I admit the appearance of inconsistency, replied Socrates, but there may not be any real inconsistency after all in this. There is a doctrine uttered in secret that man is a prisoner who has no right to open the door of his prison and run away; this is a great mystery which I do not quite understand. Yet I, too, believe that the gods are our guardians, and that we are a possession of theirs. Do you not agree?

Yes, I agree to that, said Cebes. And if one of your own possessions, an ox or an ass, for example took the liberty of putting himself out of the way when you had given no intimation of your wish that he should die, would you not be angry with him, and would you not punish him if you could? Certainly, replied Cebes. Then there may be reason in saying that a man should wait, and not take his own life until God summons him, as he is now summoning me. (...)

Καὶ ὁ Κέβης ἠρέμα ἐπιγελάσας͵ Ἴττω Ζεύς͵ ἔφη͵ τῇ αὑτοῦ φωνῇ εἰπών.

Καὶ γὰρ ἂν δόξειεν͵ ἔφη ὁ Σωκράτης͵ οὕτω γ΄ εἶναι ἄλογον· οὐ μέντοι ἀλλ΄ ἴσως γ΄ ἔχει τινὰ λόγον. ὁ μὲν οὖν ἐν ἀπορρήτοις λεγόμενος περὶ αὐτῶν λόγος͵ ὡς ἔν τινι φρουρᾷ ἐσμεν οἱ ἄνθρωποι καὶ οὐ δεῖ δὴ ἑαυτὸν ἐκ ταύτης λύειν οὐδ΄ ἀποδιδράσκειν͵ μέγας τέ τίς μοι φαίνεται καὶ οὐ ῥᾴδιος διιδεῖν· οὐ μέντοι ἀλλὰ τόδε γέ μοι δοκεῖ͵ ὦ Κέβης͵ εὖ λέγεσθαι͵ τὸ θεοὺς εἶναι ἡμῶν τοὺς ἐπιμελουμένους καὶ ἡμᾶς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους ἓν τῶν κτημάτων τοῖς θεοῖς εἶναι. ἢ σοὶ οὐ δοκεῖ οὕτως;

Ἔμοιγε͵ φησὶν ὁ Κέβης. Οὐκοῦν͵ ἦ δ΄ ὅς͵ καὶ σὺ ἂν τῶν σαυτοῦ κτημάτων εἴ τι αὐτὸ ἑαυτὸ ἀποκτεινύοι͵ μὴ σημήναντός σου ὅτι βούλει αὐτὸ τεθνάναι͵ χαλεπαίνοις ἂν αὐτῷ καί͵ εἴ τινα ἔχοις τιμωρίαν͵ τιμωροῖο ἄν; Πάνυ γ΄͵ ἔφη. Ἴσως τοίνυν ταύτῃ οὐκ ἄλογον μὴ πρότερον αὑτὸν ἀποκτεινύναι δεῖν͵ πρὶν ἀνάγκην τινὰ θεὸς ἐπιπέμψῃ͵ ὥσπερ καὶ τὴν νῦν ἡμῖν παροῦσαν. (...)