I may and must pray to the gods that my departure hence be a fortunate one; so I offer this prayer and may it be granted.’ With these words he [Socrates] raised the cup to his lips and very cheerfully drained it. Up to that time most of us had been able to restrain our tears fairly well, but when we . . . saw that he had drunk the poison, we could do so no longer. . . . It was not for him that I wept, but for my own misfortune in being deprived of such a friend. . . . Such was the end . . . of our friend, who was, as we may say, of all of his time whom we have known, the best and wisest and most righteous man.” —Plato, as quoted in Eyewitness to History

What did Socrates mean by “my departure hence”?
a.
his death
c.
his release
b.
his transfer to another jail
d.
his prayer