§304ΣΩ. τοῦτο μὲν οὖν τοῦ πράγματος σφῶν τὸ σοφὸν πρὸς μὲν τὸ ταχὺ παραδιδόναι καλόν, ἐναντίον δʼ ἀνθρώπων διαλέγεσθαι οὐκ ἐπιτήδειον, ἀλλʼ ἄν γέ μοι πείθησθε, εὐλαβήσεσθε μὴ πολλῶν ἐναντίον λέγειν, ἵνα μὴ ταχὺ ἐκμαθόντες ὑμῖν μὴ εἰδῶσιν χάριν.
SOCRATES: 'Now, this wise part of their business is indeed beautiful for imparting quickly, but it is not suitable for discussing in front of people; but if you will listen to me, be careful not to speak in front of many, lest having quickly learned it they should feel no gratitude to you.
ἀλλὰ μάλιστα μὲν αὐτὼ πρὸς ἀλλήλω μόνω διαλέγεσθον· εἰ δὲ μή, εἴπερ ἄλλου του ἐναντίον, ἐκείνου μόνου ὃς ἂν ὑμῖν διδῷ ἀργύριον.
Rather, if possible, let the two of you discuss only with each other; otherwise, if in front of anyone else, let it be only in front of him who gives you money.
τὰ αὐτὰ δὲ ταῦτα, ἐὰν σωφρονῆτε, καὶ τοῖς μαθηταῖς συμβουλεύσετε, μηδέποτε μηδενὶ ἀνθρώπων διαλέγεσθαι ἀλλʼ ἢ ὑμῖν τε καὶ αὑτοῖς· τὸ γὰρ σπάνιον, ὦ Εὐθύδημε, τίμιον, τὸ δὲ ὕδωρ εὐωνότατον, ἄριστον ὄν, ὡς ἔφη Πίνδαρος.
And these same things, if you are wise, you will also advise your disciples, never to discuss with any human being except you and themselves; for what is rare, O Euthydemus, is precious, but water is cheapest, though it is the best, as Pindar said.
ἀλλʼ ἄγετε, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ, ὅπως κἀμὲ καὶ Κλεινίαν τόνδε παραδέξεσθον. ταῦτα, ὦ Κρίτων, καὶ ἄλλα ἄττα ἔτι βραχέα διαλεχθέντες ἀπῇμεν.
But come,' I said, 'see that you admit both me and this Cleinias here.' Having discussed these and some other short matters, Crito, we departed.
σκόπει οὖν ὅπως συμφοιτήσεις παρὰ τὼ ἄνδρε, ὡς ἐκείνω φατὸν οἵω τε εἶναι διδάξαι τὸν ἐθέλοντʼ ἀργύριον διδόναι, καὶ οὔτε φύσιν οὔθʼ ἡλικίαν ἐξείργειν οὐδεμίαν—ὃ δὲ καὶ σοὶ μάλιστα προσήκει ἀκοῦσαι, ὅτι οὐδὲ τοῦ χρηματίζεσθαί φατον διακωλύειν οὐδέν—μὴ οὐ παραλαβεῖν ὁντινοῦν εὐπετῶς τὴν σφετέραν σοφίαν. ΚΡ. καὶ μήν, ὦ Σώκρατες, φιλήκοος μὲν ἔγωγε καὶ ἡδέως ἄν τι μανθάνοιμι, κινδυνεύω μέντοι κἀγὼ εἷς εἶναι τῶν οὐχ ὁμοίων Εὐθυδήμῳ, ἀλλʼ ἐκείνων ὧν δὴ καὶ σὺ ἔλεγες, τῶν ἥδιον ἂν ἐξελεγχομένων ὑπὸ τῶν τοιούτων λόγων ἢ ἐξελεγχόντων.
Consider, then, how you will attend school with the two men, since they say they are able to teach anyone who is willing to pay money, and that neither nature nor any age excludes anyone—and what is especially fitting for you to hear, they say that even making money does not prevent anyone from easily receiving their wisdom.' CRITO: 'Indeed, Socrates, I am a lover of hearing and would gladly learn something; I risk, however, being one of those who are not like Euthydemus, but of those whom you were just mentioning, who would more gladly be refuted by such arguments than refute.
ἀτὰρ γελοῖον μέν μοι δοκεῖ εἶναι τὸ νουθετεῖν σε, ὅμως δέ, ἅ γʼ ἤκουον, ἐθέλω σοι ἀπαγγεῖλαι.
Although it seems ridiculous to me to admonish you, nevertheless, I wish to report to you what I heard.
τῶν ἀφʼ ὑμῶν ἀπιόντων ἴσθʼ ὅτι προσελθών τίς μοι περιπατοῦντι, ἀνὴρ οἰόμενος πάνυ εἶναι σοφός, τούτων τις τῶν περὶ τοὺς λόγους τοὺς εἰς τὰ δικαστήρια δεινῶν,
ὦ Κρίτων,
ἔφη,
οὐδὲν ἀκροᾷ τῶνδε τῶν σοφῶν;
Know that as we were leaving, someone came up to me as I was walking, a man who thinks himself to be very wise, one of those who are clever at arguments for the law courts.
—οὐ μὰ τὸν Δία, ἦν δʼ ἐγώ· οὐ γὰρ οἷός τʼ ἦ προσστὰς κατακούειν ὑπὸ τοῦ ὄχλου. —
καὶ μήν,
ἔφη,
ἄξιόν γʼ ἦν ἀκοῦσαι. —τί δέ; ἦν δʼ ἐγώ. —
ἵνα ἤκουσας ἀνδρῶν διαλεγομένων οἳ νῦν σοφώτατοί εἰσι τῶν περὶ τοὺς τοιούτους λόγους. —κἀγὼ εἶπον· τί οὖν ἐφαίνοντό σοι; —
τί δὲ ἄλλο,
ἦ δʼ ὅς,
ἢ οἷάπερ ἀεὶ ἄν τις τῶν τοιούτων ἀκούσαι ληρούντων καὶ περὶ οὐδενὸς ἀξίων ἀναξίαν σπουδὴν ποιουμένων; (οὑτωσὶ γάρ πως καὶ εἶπεν τοῖς ὀνόμασιν).
"O Crito," he said, "do you not listen at all to these wise men?" —"No, by Zeus," I said, "for I was not able to stand near and hear because of the crowd." —"And yet," he said, "it was well worth hearing." —"Why so?" I said. —"So that you might have heard men discussing who are now the wisest in such arguments." —And I said, "What then did they seem to you?" —"What else," he said, "than what one would always hear such people babbling and making worthless fuss about worthless things?" (for that is roughly how he spoke in those very words).
—καὶ ἐγώ, ἀλλὰ μέντοι, ἔφην, χαρίεν γέ τι πρᾶγμά ἐστιν ἡ φιλοσοφία. §305ΚΡ.
ποῖον,
ἔφη,
χαρίεν, ὦ μακάριε;
And I said, "But nevertheless, philosophy is a charming thing." CRITO: '"What sort of charming thing," he said, "O blessed man?
οὐδενὸς μὲν οὖν ἄξιον.
Indeed, it is worth nothing.
ἀλλὰ καὶ εἰ νῦν παρεγένου, πάνυ ἄν σε οἶμαι αἰσχυνθῆναι ὑπὲρ τοῦ σεαυτοῦ ἑταίρου· οὕτως ἦν ἄτοπος, ἐθέλων ἑαυτὸν παρέχειν ἀνθρώποις οἷς οὐδὲν μέλει ὅτι ἂν λέγωσιν, παντὸς δὲ ῥήματος ἀντέχονται.
And if you had been present now, I think you would have been very much ashamed for your companion; he was so strange, wishing to offer himself to men who care nothing about what they say, but cling to every word.
καὶ οὗτοι, ὅπερ ἄρτι ἔλεγον, ἐν τοῖς κράτιστοί εἰσι τῶν νῦν.
And these, as I was just saying, are among the most powerful of today.
ἀλλὰ γάρ, ὦ Κρίτων,
ἔφη,
τὸ πρᾶγμα αὐτὸ καὶ οἱ ἄνθρωποι οἱ ἐπὶ τῷ πράγματι διατρίβοντες φαῦλοί εἰσιν καὶ καταγέλαστοι. ἐμοὶ δέ, ὦ Σώκρατες, τὸ πρᾶγμα ἐδόκει οὐκ ὀρθῶς ψέγειν οὔθʼ οὗτος οὔτʼ εἴ τις ἄλλος ψέγει· τὸ μέντοι ἐθέλειν διαλέγεσθαι τοιούτοις ἐναντίον πολλῶν ἀνθρώπων ὀρθῶς μοι ἐδόκει μέμφεσθαι. ΣΩ. ὦ Κρίτων, θαυμάσιοί εἰσιν οἱ τοιοῦτοι ἄνδρες.
But indeed, O Crito," he said, "the business itself and the men who spend their time on it are worthless and ridiculous." But to me, Socrates, he seemed to criticize the business not rightly, nor does anyone else who criticizes it; however, to wish to discuss with such people in front of many men, he seemed to me to find fault rightly.' SOCRATES: 'O Crito, such men are wonderful.
ἀτὰρ οὔπω οἶδα ὅτι μέλλω ἐρεῖν.
But I do not yet know what I am going to say.
ποτέρων ἦν ὁ προσελθών σοι καὶ μεμφόμενος τὴν φιλοσοφίαν;
Of which class was the one who approached you and found fault with philosophy?
πότερον τῶν ἀγωνίσασθαι δεινῶν ἐν τοῖς δικαστηρίοις, ῥήτωρ τις, ἢ τῶν τοὺς τοιούτους εἰσπεμπόντων, ποιητὴς τῶν λόγων οἷς οἱ ῥήτορες ἀγωνίζονται; ΚΡ. ἥκιστα νὴ τὸν Δία ῥήτωρ, οὐδὲ οἶμαι πώποτʼ αὐτὸν ἐπὶ δικαστήριον ἀναβεβηκέναι· ἀλλʼ ἐπαΐειν αὐτόν φασι περὶ τοῦ πράγματος νὴ τὸν Δία καὶ δεινὸν εἶναι καὶ δεινοὺς λόγους συντιθέναι. ΣΩ. ἤδη μανθάνω· περὶ τούτων καὶ αὐτὸς νυνδὴ ἔμελλον λέγειν.
Was he of those clever at competing in the law courts, some orator, or of those who send such people in, a writer of the speeches with which the orators compete?' CRITO: 'Least of all, by Zeus, is he an orator, nor do I think he has ever yet gone up to a law court; but they say he understands the business, by Zeus, and is clever and composes clever speeches.' SOCRATES: 'Now I understand; it is about these very men that I myself was just now going to speak.
οὗτοι γάρ εἰσιν μέν, ὦ Κρίτων, οὓς ἔφη Πρόδικος μεθόρια φιλοσόφου τε ἀνδρὸς καὶ πολιτικοῦ, οἴονται δʼ εἶναι πάντων σοφώτατοι ἀνθρώπων, πρὸς δὲ τῷ εἶναι καὶ δοκεῖν πάνυ παρὰ πολλοῖς, ὥστε παρὰ πᾶσιν εὐδοκιμεῖν ἐμποδὼν σφίσιν εἶναι οὐδένας ἄλλους ἢ τοὺς περὶ φιλοσοφίαν ἀνθρώπους.
For these are indeed, O Crito, the ones whom Prodicus said are on the borderland between a philosopher and a politician; and they think themselves to be the wisest of all human beings, and in addition to being so, they also seem so to very many, so that their being in high repute among all is hindered by no others than those concerned with philosophy.
ἡγοῦνται οὖν, ἐὰν τούτους εἰς δόξαν καταστήσωσιν μηδενὸς δοκεῖν ἀξίους εἶναι, ἀναμφισβητήτως ἤδη παρὰ πᾶσιν τὰ νικητήρια εἰς δόξαν οἴσεσθαι σοφίας πέρι.
They think, therefore, that if they place these latter in a reputation of being worth nothing, they will then undisputedly carry off the prizes for victory in reputation concerning wisdom among all.
εἶναι μὲν γὰρ τῇ ἀληθείᾳ σφᾶς σοφωτάτους, ἐν δὲ τοῖς ἰδίοις λόγοις ὅταν ἀποληφθῶσιν, ὑπὸ τῶν ἀμφὶ Εὐθύδημον κολούεσθαι.
For they think they are in truth the wisest, but when they are cornered in private discussions, they are cut down by Euthydemus and his followers.
σοφοὶ δὲ ἡγοῦνται εἶναι πάνυ—εἰκότως· μετρίως μὲν γὰρ φιλοσοφίας ἔχειν, μετρίως δὲ πολιτικῶν, πάνυ ἐξ εἰκότος λόγου—μετέχειν γὰρ ἀμφοτέρων ὅσον ἔδει, ἐκτὸς δὲ ὄντες κινδύνων καὶ ἀγώνων καρποῦσθαι τὴν σοφίαν.
They think they are very wise—and naturally; for they have a moderate acquaintance with philosophy, and a moderate acquaintance with politics, quite reasonably (so they think)—for they share in both as much as was necessary, and being outside of dangers and contests, they enjoy the fruits of wisdom.' CRITO: 'What then?
ΚΡ. τί οὖν; δοκοῦσί σοί τι, ὦ Σώκρατες, λέγειν;
Do they seem to you to say anything of weight, Socrates?
οὐ γάρ τοι ἀλλὰ ὅ γε λόγος ἔχει τινὰ εὐπρέπειαν τῶν ἀνδρῶν.
For indeed the speech of the men has a certain plausibility.'