§50ΣΩ. ἐκ τούτων δὴ ἄθρει.
Socrates: Deliberate then from these premises.
ἀπιόντες ἐνθένδε ἡμεῖς μὴ πείσαντες τὴν πόλιν πότερον κακῶς τινας ποιοῦμεν, καὶ ταῦτα οὓς ἥκιστα δεῖ, ἢ οὔ;
By departing from here without persuading the city, are we doing evil to some people, and that too to those whom we least ought to, or not?
καὶ ἐμμένομεν οἷς ὡμολογήσαμεν δικαίοις οὖσιν ἢ οὔ;
And do we stand by what we agreed to be just, or not?
ΚΡ. οὐκ ἔχω, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἀποκρίνασθαι πρὸς ὃ ἐρωτᾷς· οὐ γὰρ ἐννοῶ.
Crito: I cannot answer what you ask, Socrates; for I do not understand.
ΣΩ. ἀλλʼ ὧδε σκόπει.
Socrates: Well, look at it this way.
εἰ μέλλουσιν ἡμῖν ἐνθένδε εἴτε ἀποδιδράσκειν, εἴθʼ ὅπως δεῖ ὀνομάσαι τοῦτο, ἐλθόντες οἱ νόμοι καὶ τὸ κοινὸν τῆς πόλεως ἐπιστάντες ἔροιντο· εἰπέ μοι, ὦ Σώκρατες, τί ἐν νῷ ἔχεις ποιεῖν;
If, as we are about to run away from here—or whatever this should be called—the Laws and the Commonwealth of the city should come and stand before us and ask: "Tell me, Socrates, what do you have in mind to do?
ἄλλο τι ἢ τούτῳ τῷ ἔργῳ ᾧ ἐπιχειρεῖς διανοῇ τούς τε νόμους ἡμᾶς ἀπολέσαι καὶ σύμπασαν τὴν πόλιν τὸ σὸν μέρος;
By this deed which you are attempting, are you intending anything other than to destroy both us, the Laws, and the whole city as far as you are concerned?
ἢ δοκεῖ σοι οἷόν τε ἔτι ἐκείνην τὴν πόλιν εἶναι καὶ μὴ ἀνατετράφθαι, ἐν ᾗ ἂν αἱ γενόμεναι δίκαι μηδὲν ἰσχύωσιν ἀλλὰ ὑπὸ ἰδιωτῶν ἄκυροί τε γίγνωνται καὶ διαφθείρωνται; τί ἐροῦμεν, ὦ Κρίτων, πρὸς ταῦτα καὶ ἄλλα τοιαῦτα;
Or does it seem possible to you that a city can still exist and not be overturned, in which the judgements rendered have no force but are made invalid and destroyed by private individuals?" What shall we say, Crito, to these and other such questions?
πολλὰ γὰρ ἄν τις ἔχοι, ἄλλως τε καὶ ῥήτωρ, εἰπεῖν ὑπὲρ τούτου τοῦ νόμου ἀπολλυμένου ὃς τὰς δίκας τὰς δικασθείσας προστάττει κυρίας εἶναι.
For anyone, especially a rhetorician, would have much to say on behalf of this destroyed law which orders that judgements once decided must be valid.
ἢ ἐροῦμεν πρὸς αὐτοὺς ὅτι
ἠδίκει γὰρ ἡμᾶς ἡ πόλις καὶ οὐκ ὀρθῶς τὴν δίκην ἔκρινεν;
Or shall we say to them: 'For the city did us an injustice and did not judge the case correctly'?
ταῦτα ἢ τί ἐροῦμεν;
Shall we say this, or what?
ΚΡ. ταῦτα νὴ Δία, ὦ Σώκρατες.
Crito: This, by Zeus, Socrates!
ΣΩ. τί οὖν ἂν εἴπωσιν οἱ νόμοι· ὦ Σώκρατες, ἦ καὶ ταῦτα ὡμολόγητο ἡμῖν τε καὶ σοί, ἢ ἐμμενεῖν ταῖς δίκαις αἷς ἂν ἡ πόλις δικάζῃ; εἰ οὖν αὐτῶν θαυμάζοιμεν λεγόντων, ἴσως ἂν εἴποιεν ὅτι
ὦ Σώκρατες, μὴ θαύμαζε τὰ λεγόμενα ἀλλʼ ἀποκρίνου, ἐπειδὴ καὶ εἴωθας χρῆσθαι τῷ ἐρωτᾶν τε καὶ ἀποκρίνεσθαι.
Socrates: What if the Laws should then say: "Socrates, was this also agreed between us and you, or was it to stand by the judgements which the city decrees?" If we should express surprise at their saying this, they might perhaps say: "Socrates, do not wonder at what we say, but answer, since you are accustomed to make use of questioning and answering.
φέρε γάρ, τί ἐγκαλῶν ἡμῖν καὶ τῇ πόλει ἐπιχειρεῖς ἡμᾶς ἀπολλύναι;
Come then, what charge do you bring against us and the city that you attempt to destroy us?
οὐ πρῶτον μέν σε ἐγεννήσαμεν ἡμεῖς, καὶ διʼ ἡμῶν ἔλαβε τὴν μητέρα σου ὁ πατὴρ καὶ ἐφύτευσέν σε;
Did we not, first of all, give you birth, and through us did your father take your mother and beget you?
φράσον οὖν, τούτοις ἡμῶν, τοῖς νόμοις τοῖς περὶ τοὺς γάμους, μέμφῃ τι ὡς οὐ καλῶς ἔχουσιν; οὐ μέμφομαι,
φαίην ἄν.
Tell us then, do you find any fault with those of us, the laws concerning marriage, that they are not good?" "I find no fault," I would say.
ἀλλὰ τοῖς περὶ τὴν τοῦ γενομένου τροφήν τε καὶ παιδείαν ἐν ᾗ καὶ σὺ ἐπαιδεύθης;
"Well then, what about the laws concerning the nourishment and education of the newborn, in which you too were educated?
ἢ οὐ καλῶς προσέταττον ἡμῶν οἱ ἐπὶ τούτῳ τεταγμένοι νόμοι, παραγγέλλοντες τῷ πατρὶ τῷ σῷ σε ἐν μουσικῇ καὶ γυμναστικῇ παιδεύειν; καλῶς,
φαίην ἄν.
Or did those of us laws appointed for this not direct well, when they commanded your father to educate you in music and gymnastics?" "They directed well," I would say.
εἶεν.
"Very well.
ἐπειδὴ δὲ ἐγένου τε καὶ ἐξετράφης καὶ ἐπαιδεύθης, ἔχοις ἂν εἰπεῖν πρῶτον μὲν ὡς οὐχὶ ἡμέτερος ἦσθα καὶ ἔκγονος καὶ δοῦλος, αὐτός τε καὶ οἱ σοὶ πρόγονοι;
Since you were born and brought up and educated, could you say, first of all, that you were not ours, both our offspring and our slave, you yourself and your ancestors?
καὶ εἰ τοῦθʼ οὕτως ἔχει, ἆρʼ ἐξ ἴσου οἴει εἶναι σοὶ τὸ δίκαιον καὶ ἡμῖν, καὶ ἅττʼ ἂν ἡμεῖς σε ἐπιχειρῶμεν ποιεῖν, καὶ σοὶ ταῦτα ἀντιποιεῖν οἴει δίκαιον εἶναι;
And if this is so, do you think that justice is on equal terms for you and us, and do you think it is just for you to do in return whatever we might attempt to do to you?"