Page:Masterpieces of Greek Literature (1902).djvu/413

383 CRITO 383

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 mat- ter ? Is the pupil who devotes himself to the prac- tice of gymnastics supposed to attend to the praise and blame and opinion of every man, or of one man only — his 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 tend- ing 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 consul- tation, 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 not to fear and rever-