: ▁ ▁Z eno ▁said ▁that ▁Cr ates ▁was ▁sitting ▁in ▁a ▁sho em aker ’ s ▁shop ▁and ▁reading ▁al oud ▁Arist ot le ’ s ▁Pro tre pt icus , ▁which ▁he ▁had ▁written ▁for ▁Th em ison , ▁the ▁C yp rian ▁king . ▁In ▁it ▁he ▁said ▁that ▁no ▁one ▁had ▁more ▁advantages ▁for ▁being ▁a ▁phil os opher , ▁for ▁he ▁had ▁great ▁wealth ▁so ▁that ▁he ▁could ▁ ▁spend ▁money ▁on ▁this ▁activity ▁and ▁still ▁have ▁his ▁reputation ▁int act . ▁And ▁Z eno ▁said ▁that ▁while ▁Cr ates ▁was ▁reading , ▁the ▁sho em aker ▁was ▁att ent ive ▁but ▁all ▁the ▁while ▁kept ▁on ▁with ▁his ▁st itch ing . ▁And ▁Cr ates ▁said , ▁“ It ▁seems ▁to ▁me , ▁Phil is cus , ▁that ▁I ▁should ▁write ▁a ▁Pro tre pt icus ▁for ▁you , ▁since ▁I ▁see ▁that ▁you ▁have ▁more ▁advantages ▁for ▁being ▁a ▁phil os opher ▁than ▁the ▁man ▁for ▁whom ▁Arist ot le ▁wrote ." ▁ ▁Historic ity ▁ ▁Dou bt ▁Some ▁sch ol ars ▁have ▁suggested ▁that ▁Simon ▁was ▁a ▁purely ▁fict ional ▁figure . E . ▁Z eller , ▁( 1 8 6 8 ), ▁S ocr ates ▁and ▁the ▁S ocr atic ▁School s , ▁trans . ▁O . ▁J . ▁Reich el . ▁Long mans , ▁Green ▁& ▁Co . ▁The ▁central ▁cont ention ▁of ▁his ▁existence ▁is ▁his ▁om ission ▁in ▁the ▁works ▁of ▁Pl ato , ▁X en oph on , ▁and ▁Arist