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SOCRATES:  I will tell you。  I am to die on the day after the arrival of

the ship?



CRITO:  Yes; that is what the authorities say。



SOCRATES:  But I do not think that the ship will be here until to…morrow;

this I infer from a vision which I had last night; or rather only just now;

when you fortunately allowed me to sleep。



CRITO:  And what was the nature of the vision?



SOCRATES:  There appeared to me the likeness of a woman; fair and comely;

clothed in bright raiment; who called to me and said:  O Socrates;



'The third day hence to fertile Phthia shalt thou go。'  (Homer; Il。)



CRITO:  What a singular dream; Socrates!



SOCRATES:  There can be no doubt about the meaning; Crito; I think。



CRITO:  Yes; the meaning is only too clear。  But; oh! my beloved Socrates;

let me entreat you once more to take my advice and escape。  For if you die

I shall not only lose a friend who can never be replaced; but there is

another evil:  people who do not know you and me will believe that I might

have saved you if I had been willing to give money; but that I did not

care。  Now; can there be a worse disgrace than thisthat I should be

thought to value money more than the life of a friend?  For the many will

not be persuaded that I wanted you to escape; and that you refused。



SOCRATES:  But why; my dear Crito; should we care about the opinion of the

many?  Good men; and they are the only persons who are worth considering;

will think of these things truly as they occurred。



CRITO:  But you see; Socrates; that the opinion of the many must be

regarded; for what is now happening shows that they can do the greatest

evil to any one who has lost their good opinion。



SOCRATES:  I only wish it were so; Crito; and that the many could do the

greatest evil; for then they would also be able to do the greatest good

and what a fine thing this would be!  But in reality they can do neither;

for they cannot make a man either wise or foolish; and whatever they do is

the result of chance。



CRITO:  Well; I will not dispute with you; but please to tell me; Socrates;

whether you are not acting out of regard to me and your other friends:  are

you not afraid that if you escape from prison we may get into trouble with

the informers for having stolen you away; and lose either the whole or a

great part of our property; or that even a worse evil may happen to us? 

Now; if you fear on our account; be at ease; for in order to save you; we

ought surely to run this; or even a greater risk; be persuaded; then; and

do as I say。



SOCRATES:  Yes; Crito; that is one fear which you mention; but by no means

the only one。



CRITO:  Fear notthere are persons who are willing to get you out of

prison at no great cost; and as for the informers they are far from being

exorbitant in their demandsa little money will satisfy them。  My means;

which are certainly ample; are at your service; and if you have a scruple

about spending all mine; here are strangers who will give you the use of

theirs; and one of them; Simmias the Theban; has brought a large sum of

money for this very purpose; and Cebes and many others are prepared to

spend their money in helping you to escape。  I say; therefore; do not

hesitate on our account; and do not say; as you did in the court (compare

Apol。); that you will have a difficulty in knowing what to do with yourself

anywhere else。  For men will love you in other places to which you may go;

and not in Athens only; there are friends of mine in Thessaly; if you like

to go to them; who will value and protect you; and no Thessalian will give

you any trouble。  Nor can I think that you are at all justified; Socrates;

in betraying your own life when you might be saved; in acting thus you are

playing into the hands of your enemies; who are hurrying on your

destruction。  And further I should say that you are deserting your own

children; for you might bring them up and educate them; instead of which

you go away and leave them; and they will have to take their chance; and if

they do not meet with the usual fate of orphans; there will be small thanks

to you。  No man should bring children into the world who is unwilling to

persevere to the end in their nurture and education。  But you appear to be

choosing the easier part; not the better and manlier; which would have been

more becoming in one who professes to care for virtue in all his actions;

like yourself。  And indeed; I am ashamed not only of you; but of us who are

your friends; when I reflect that the whole business will be attributed

entirely to our want of courage。  The trial need never have come on; or

might have been managed differently; and this last act; or crowning folly;

will seem to have occurred through our negligence and cowardice; who might

have saved you; if we had been good for anything; and you might have saved

yourself; for there was no difficulty at all。  See now; Socrates; how sad

and discreditable are the consequences; both to us and you。  Make up your

mind then; or rather have your mind already made up; for the time of

deliberation is over; and there is only one thing to be done; which must be

done this very night; and if we delay at all will be no longer practicable

or possible; I beseech you therefore; Socrates; be persuaded by me; and do

as I say。



SOCRATES:  Dear Crito; your zeal is invaluable; if a right one; but if

wrong; the greater the zeal the greater the danger; and therefore we ought

to consider whether I shall or shall not do as you say。  For I am and

always have been one of those natures who must be guided by reason;

whatever the reason may be which upon reflection appears to me to be the

best; and now that this chance has befallen me; I cannot repudiate my own

words:  the principles which I have hitherto honoured and revered I still

honour; and unless we can at once find other and better principles; I am

certain not to agree with you; no; not even if the power of the multitude

could inflict many more imprisonments; confiscations; deaths; frightening

us like children with hobgoblin terrors (compare Apol。)。  What will be the

fairest way of considering the question?  Shall I return to your old

argument about the opinions of men?we were saying that some of them are

to be regarded; and others not。  Now were we right in maintaining this

before I was condemned?  And has the argument which was once good now

proved to be talk for the sake of talkingmere childish nonsense?  That is

what I want to consider with your help; Crito:whether; under my present

circumstances; the argument appears to be in any way different or not; and

is to be allowed by me or disallowed。  That argument; which; as I believe;

is maintained by many persons of authority; was to the effect; as I was

saying; that the opinions of some men are to be regarded; and of other men

not to be regarded。  Now you; Crito; are not going to die to…morrowat

least; there is no human probability of this; and therefore you are

disinterested and not liable to be deceived by the circumstances in which

you are placed。  Tell me then; whether I am right in saying that some

opinions; and the opinions of some men only; are to be valued; and that

other opinions; and the opinions of other men; are not to be valued。  I ask

you whether I was right in maintaining this?



CRITO:  Certainly。



SOCRATES:  The good are to be regarded; and not the bad?



CRITO:  Yes。



SOCRATES:  And the opinions of the wise are good; and the opinions of the

unwise are evil?



CRITO:  Certainly。



SOCRATES:  And what was said about another matter?  Is the pupil who

devotes himself to the practice of gymnastics supposed to attend to the

praise and blame and opinion of every man; or of one man onlyhis

physician or trainer; whoever he may be?



CRITO:  Of one man only。



SOCRATES:  And he ought to fear the censure and welcome the praise of that

one only; and not of the many?



CRITO:  Clearly so。



SOCRATES:  And he ought to act and train; and eat and drink in the way

which seems good to his single master who has understanding; rather than

according to the opinion of all other men put together?



CRITO:  True。



SOCRATES:  And if he disobeys and disregards the opinion and approval of

the one; and regards the opinion of the many who have no understanding;

will he not suffer evil?



CRITO:  Certainly he will。



SOCRATES:  And what will the evil be; whither tending and what affecting;

in the disobedient person?



CRITO:  Clearly; affecting the body; that is what is destroyed by the evil。



SOCRATES:  Very good; and is not this true; Crito; of other things which we

need not separately enumerate?  In questions of just and unjust; fair and

foul; good and evil; which are the subjects of our present consultation;

ought we to follow the opinion of the many and to fear them; or the opinion

of the one man who has understanding? ought we 

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