CICUTA is also used, chiefly among the ancients, for the juice or liquor expressed from the above plant, being the common poison wherewith the state criminals at Athens were put to death: Though some have suggested, that the poisonous draught to which the Athenians doomed their criminals was an inspissated juice compounded of the juice of cicuta, and some other corrosive herbs.
Socrates drank the cicuta.—Plato, in his dialogue on the immortality of the soul, observes, that "The executioner advised Socrates not to talk, for fear of causing the cicuta to operate too slowly." M. Petit, in his Observationes Miscellaneæ, remarks, that this advertisement was not given by the executioner out of humanity, but to save the cicuta: for he was only allowed to much poison per ann. which, if he exceeded, he was to furnish at his own expence. This construction is confirmed by a passage in Plutarch: the executioner who administered the cicuta to Phocion, not having enough, Phocion gave him money to buy more; observing by the way, "that it was odd enough, that at Athens a man must pay for every thing, even his own death."
CID (Roderigo Dias le), a Castilian officer, who
was very successful against the Moors, under Ferdinand II. king of Castile; but whose name would hardly have been remembered, if Corneille had not made his passion for Chimene the subject of an admired tragedy, founded on a simple but affecting incident. The Cid is desperately in love with Chimene, daughter of the Count de Gomes: but he is at variance with the Count; and being challenged by him, kills him in a duel. The conflict between love and honour in the breast of Chimene, who at length pardons and marries the Cid, forms the beauty of the piece. He died in 1098.