§48ΚΡ. οὐδαμῶς.
Crito: By no means.
ΣΩ. ἀλλὰ τιμιώτερον;
Socrates: But is it more valuable?
ΚΡ. πολύ γε.
Crito: Very much so.
ΣΩ. οὐκ ἄρα, ὦ βέλτιστε, πάνυ ἡμῖν οὕτω φροντιστέον τί ἐροῦσιν οἱ πολλοὶ ἡμᾶς, ἀλλʼ ὅτι ὁ ἐπαΐων περὶ τῶν δικαίων καὶ ἀδίκων, ὁ εἷς καὶ αὐτὴ ἡ ἀλήθεια.
Socrates: Therefore, my excellent friend, we must not care so much about what the many will say of us, but about what the expert on just and unjust things will say, the one, and truth itself.
ὥστε πρῶτον μὲν ταύτῃ οὐκ ὀρθῶς εἰσηγῇ, εἰσηγούμενος τῆς τῶν πολλῶν δόξης δεῖν ἡμᾶς φροντίζειν περὶ τῶν δικαίων καὶ καλῶν καὶ ἀγαθῶν καὶ τῶν ἐναντίων.
So, in the first place, you do not introduce the matter correctly by proposing that we should care about the opinion of the many concerning just and beautiful and good things, and their opposites.
ἀλλὰ μὲν δή,
φαίη γʼ ἄν τις,
οἷοί τέ εἰσιν ἡμᾶς οἱ πολλοὶ ἀποκτεινύναι. ΚΡ. δῆλα δὴ καὶ ταῦτα· φαίη γὰρ ἄν, ὦ Σώκρατες.
"But indeed," someone might say, "the many are able to put us to death." Crito: That too is clear; for someone might say so, Socrates.
ἀληθῆ λέγεις.
You speak the truth.
ΣΩ. ἀλλʼ, ὦ θαυμάσιε, οὗτός τε ὁ λόγος ὃν διεληλύθαμεν ἔμοιγε δοκεῖ ἔτι ὅμοιος εἶναι καὶ πρότερον·
Socrates: But, my admirable friend, this argument which we have gone through still seems to me to be just as it was before.
καὶ τόνδε δὲ αὖ σκόπει εἰ ἔτι μένει ἡμῖν ἢ οὔ, ὅτι οὐ τὸ ζῆν περὶ πλείστου ποιητέον ἀλλὰ τὸ εὖ ζῆν.
And consider this one in turn, whether it still stands for us or not: that not living is to be valued most of all, but living well.
ΚΡ. ἀλλὰ μένει.
Crito: It still stands.
ΣΩ. τὸ δὲ εὖ καὶ καλῶς καὶ δικαίως ὅτι ταὐτόν ἐστιν, μένει ἢ οὐ μένει;
Socrates: And that living well, beautifully, and justly are the same thing, does that stand or not?
ΚΡ. μένει.
Crito: It stands.
ΣΩ. οὐκοῦν ἐκ τῶν ὁμολογουμένων τοῦτο σκεπτέον, πότερον δίκαιον ἐμὲ ἐνθένδε πειρᾶσθαι ἐξιέναι μὴ ἀφιέντων Ἀθηναίων ἢ οὐ δίκαιον·
Socrates: Then from what has been agreed, this is to be considered: whether it is just for me to try to go out from here without the Athenians letting me go, or not just.
καὶ ἐὰν μὲν φαίνηται δίκαιον, πειρώμεθα, εἰ δὲ μή, ἐῶμεν.
And if it appears just, let us try, but if not, let us let it go.
ἃς δὲ σὺ λέγεις τὰς σκέψεις περί τε ἀναλώσεως χρημάτων καὶ δόξης καὶ παίδων τροφῆς, μὴ ὡς ἀληθῶς ταῦτα, ὦ Κρίτων, σκέμματα ᾖ τῶν ῥᾳδίως ἀποκτεινύντων καὶ ἀναβιωσκομένων γʼ ἄν, εἰ οἷοί τʼ ἦσαν, οὐδενὶ ξὺν νῷ, τούτων τῶν πολλῶν.
As for the considerations you speak of concerning the spending of money, reputation, and the rearing of children, take care, Crito, lest these are truly the considerations of those who easily put people to death and would bring them back to life, if they could, with no sense—namely, the many.
ἡμῖν δʼ, ἐπειδὴ ὁ λόγος οὕτως αἱρεῖ, μὴ οὐδὲν ἄλλο σκεπτέον ᾖ ἢ ὅπερ νυνδὴ ἐλέγομεν, πότερον δίκαια πράξομεν καὶ χρήματα τελοῦντες τούτοις τοῖς ἐμὲ ἐνθένδε ἐξάξουσιν καὶ χάριτας, καὶ αὐτοὶ ἐξάγοντές τε καὶ ἐξαγόμενοι, ἢ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ ἀδικήσομεν πάντα ταῦτα ποιοῦντες·
But for us, since the argument so decides, let us see if we have nothing else to consider than what we were just now saying: whether we shall act justly in paying money and gratitude to those who will lead me out of here, both themselves leading me and being led out, or whether in truth we shall do injustice by doing all these things.
κἂν φαινώμεθα ἄδικα αὐτὰ ἐργαζόμενοι, μὴ οὐ δέῃ ὑπολογίζεσθαι οὔτʼ εἰ ἀποθνῄσκειν δεῖ παραμένοντας καὶ ἡσυχίαν ἄγοντας, οὔτε ἄλλο ὁτιοῦν πάσχειν πρὸ τοῦ ἀδικεῖν.
And if we appear to be doing unjust things, take care lest we ought not to take into account whether we must die if we remain and keep quiet, or suffer anything else whatsoever rather than do injustice.
ΚΡ. καλῶς μέν μοι δοκεῖς λέγειν, ὦ Σώκρατες, ὅρα δὲ τί δρῶμεν.
Crito: You seem to me to speak well, Socrates, but see what we should do.
ΣΩ. σκοπῶμεν, ὦ ἀγαθέ, κοινῇ, καὶ εἴ πῃ ἔχεις ἀντιλέγειν ἐμοῦ λέγοντος, ἀντίλεγε καί σοι πείσομαι·
Socrates: Let us consider it, my good man, in common, and if you have any objection to make when I speak, object, and I will obey you.
εἰ δὲ μή, παῦσαι ἤδη, ὦ μακάριε, πολλάκις μοι λέγων τὸν αὐτὸν λόγον, ὡς χρὴ ἐνθένδε ἀκόντων Ἀθηναίων ἐμὲ ἀπιέναι·
But if not, stop now, my dear friend, telling me the same thing over and over, that I must go away from here against the will of the Athenians.
ὡς ἐγὼ περὶ πολλοῦ ποιοῦμαι πείσας σε ταῦτα πράττειν, ἀλλὰ μὴ ἄκοντος.
For I value it highly to act having persuaded you, but not against your will.
ὅρα δὲ δὴ τῆς σκέψεως τὴν ἀρχὴν ἐάν σοι ἱκανῶς λέγηται, καὶ πειρῶ ἀποκρίνεσθαι τὸ ἐρωτώμενον ᾗ ἂν μάλιστα οἴῃ.
See then the beginning of the inquiry, whether it is adequately stated to you, and try to answer what is asked in the way you think best.