Oeconomicus
by Xenophon
Chapter 1
I once heard him2 discuss the topic of economy3 after the following manner. Addressing Critobulus,4 he said: Tell me, Critobulus, is “economy,” like the words “medicine,” “carpentry,” “building,” “smithying,” “metal-working,” and so forth1, the name of a particular kind of knowledge or science?
Crit. Yes, I think so.
Soc. And as, in the case of the arts just named, we can state the proper work or function of each, can we (similarly) state the proper work and function of economy?
Crit. It must, I should think, be the business of the good economist5 at any rate to manage his own house or estate well.
Soc. And supposing another man’s house to be entrusted3 to him, he would be able, if he chose, to manage it as skilfully4 as his own, would he not? since a man who is skilled in carpentry can work as well for another as for himself: and this ought to be equally true of the good economist2?
Crit. Yes, I think so, Socrates.
Soc. Then there is no reason why a proficient5 in this art, even if he does not happen to possess wealth of his own, should not be paid a salary for managing a house, just as he might be paid for building one?
Crit. None at all: and a large salary he would be entitled to earn if, after paying the necessary expenses of the estate entrusted to him, he can create a surplus and improve the property.
Soc. Well! and this word “house,” what are we to understand by it? the domicile merely? or are we to include all a man’s possessions outside the actual dwelling-place?6
Crit. Certainly, in my opinion at any rate, everything which a man has got, even though some portion of it may lie in another part of the world from that in which he lives,7 forms part of his estate.
Soc. “Has got”? but he may have got enemies?
Crit. Yes, I am afraid some people have got a great many.
Soc. Then shall we say that a man’s enemies form part of his possessions?
Crit. A comic notion indeed! that some one should be good enough to add to my stock of enemies, and that in addition he should be paid for his kind services.
Soc. Because, you know, we agreed that a man’s estate was identical with his possessions?
Crit. Yes, certainly! the good part of his possessions; but the evil portion! no, I thank you, that I do not call part of a man’s possessions.
Soc. As I understand, you would limit the term to what we may call a man’s useful or advantageous7 possessions?
Crit. Precisely8; if he has things that injure him, I should regard these rather as a loss than as wealth.
Soc. It follows apparently9 that if a man purchases a horse and does not know how to handle him, but each time he mounts he is thrown and sustains injuries, the horse is not part of his wealth?
Crit. Not, if wealth implies weal, certainly.
Soc. And by the same token land itself is no wealth to a man who so works it that his tillage only brings him loss?
Crit. True; mother earth herself is not a source of wealth to us if, instead of helping10 us to live, she helps us to starve.
Soc. And by a parity11 of reasoning, sheep and cattle may fail of being wealth if, through want of knowledge how to treat them, their owner loses by them; to him at any rate the sheep and the cattle are not wealth?
Crit. That is the conclusion I draw.
Soc. It appears, you hold to the position that wealth consists of things which benefit, while things which injure are not wealth?
Crit. Just so.
Soc. The same things, in fact, are wealth or not wealth, according as a man knows or does not know the use to make of them? To take an instance, a flute12 may be wealth to him who is sufficiently13 skilled to play upon it, but the same instrument is no better than the stones we tread under our feet to him who is not so skilled . . . unless indeed he chose to sell it?
Crit. That is precisely the conclusion we should come to.8 To persons ignorant of their use9 flutes14 are wealth as saleable, but as possessions not for sale they are no wealth at all; and see, Socrates, how smoothly15 and consistently the argument proceeds,10 since it is admitted that things which benefit are wealth. The flutes in question unsold are not wealth, being good for nothing: to become wealth they must be sold.
Yes! (rejoined Socrates), presuming the owner knows how to sell them; since, supposing again he were to sell them for something which he does not know how to use,11 the mere6 selling will not transform them into wealth, according to your argument.
Crit. You seem to say, Socrates, that money itself in the pockets of a man who does not know how to use it is not wealth?
Soc. And I understand you to concur16 in the truth of our proposition so far: wealth is that, and that only, whereby a man may be benefited. Obviously, if a man used his money to buy himself a mistress, to the grave detriment17 of his body and soul and whole estate, how is that particular money going to benefit him now? What good will he extract from it?
Crit. None whatever, unless we are prepared to admit that hyoscyamus,12 as they call it, is wealth, a poison the property of which is to drive those who take it mad.
Soc. Let money then, Critobulus, if a man does not know how to use it aright — let money, I say, be banished18 to the remote corners of the earth rather than be reckoned as wealth.13 But now, what shall we say of friends? If a man knows how to use his friends so as to be benefited by them, what of these?
Crit. They are wealth indisputably, and in a deeper sense than cattle are, if, as may be supposed, they are likely to prove of more benefit to a man than wealth of cattle.
Soc. It would seem, according to your argument, that the foes19 of a man’s own household after all may be wealth to him, if he knows how to turn them to good account?14
Crit. That is my opinion, at any rate.
Soc. It would seem, it is the part of a good economist15 to know how to deal with his own or his employer’s foes so as to get profit out of them?
Crit. Most emphatically so.
Soc. In fact, you need but use your eyes to see how many private persons, not to say crowned heads, do owe the increase of their estates to war.
Crit. Well, Socrates, I do not think, so far, the argument could be improved on;16 but now comes a puzzle. What of people who have got the knowledge and the capital17 required to enhance their fortunes, if only they will put their shoulders to the wheel; and yet, if we are to believe our senses, that is just the one thing they will not do, and so their knowledge and accomplishments20 are of no profit to them? Surely in their case also there is but one conclusion to be drawn21, which is, that neither their knowledge nor their possessions are wealth.
Soc. Ah! I see, Critobulus, you wish to direct the discussion to the topic of slaves?
Crit. No indeed, I have no such intention — quite the reverse. I want to talk about persons of high degree, of right noble family18 some of them, to do them justice. These are the people I have in my mind’s eye, gifted with, it may be, martial22 or, it may be, civil accomplishments, which, however, they refuse to exercise, for the very reason, as I take it, that they have no masters over them.
Soc. No masters over them! but how can that be if, in spite of their prayers for prosperity and their desire to do what will bring them good, they are still so sorely hindered in the exercise of their wills by those that lord it over them?
Crit. And who, pray, are these lords that rule them and yet remain unseen?
Soc. Nay23, not unseen; on the contrary, they are very visible. And what is more, they are the basest of the base, as you can hardly fail to note, if at least you believe idleness and effeminacy and reckless negligence24 to be baseness. Then, too, there are other treacherous25 beldames giving themselves out to be innocent pleasures, to wit, dicings and profitless associations among men.19 These in the fulness of time appear in all their nakedness even to them that are deceived, showing themselves that they are after all but pains tricked out and decked with pleasures. These are they who have the dominion26 over those you speak of and quite hinder them from every good and useful work.
Crit. But there are others, Socrates, who are not hindered by these indolences — on the contrary, they have the most ardent27 disposition28 to exert themselves, and by every means to increase their revenues; but in spite of all, they wear out their substance and are involved in endless difficulties.20
Soc. Yes, for they too are slaves, and harsh enough are their taskmasters; slaves are they to luxury and lechery29, intemperance30 and the wine-cup along with many a fond and ruinous ambition. These passions so cruelly belord it over the poor soul whom they have got under their thrall31, that so long as he is in the heyday32 of health and strong to labour, they compel him to fetch and carry and lay at their feet the fruit of his toils33, and to spend it on their own heart’s lusts34; but as soon as he is seen to be incapable35 of further labour through old age, they leave him to his gray hairs and misery36, and turn to seize on other victims.21 Ah! Critobulus, against these must we wage ceaseless war, for very freedom’s sake, no less than if they were armed warriors37 endeavouring to make us their slaves. Nay, foemen in war, it must be granted, especially when of fair and noble type, have many times ere now proved benefactors38 to those they have enslaved. By dint39 of chastening, they have forced the vanquished40 to become better men and to lead more tranquil41 lives in future.22 But these despotic queens never cease to plague and torment42 their victims in body and soul and substance until their sway is ended.
收听单词发音 |
1
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
economist
|
|
| n.经济学家，经济专家，节俭的人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
entrusted
|
|
| v.委托，托付( entrust的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
skilfully
|
|
| adv. (美skillfully)熟练地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
proficient
|
|
| adj.熟练的，精通的；n.能手，专家 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
mere
|
|
| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
advantageous
|
|
| adj.有利的；有帮助的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
precisely
|
|
| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
helping
|
|
| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
parity
|
|
| n.平价，等价，比价，对等 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
flute
|
|
| n.长笛；v.吹笛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
sufficiently
|
|
| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
flutes
|
|
| 长笛( flute的名词复数 )； 细长香槟杯（形似长笛） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
smoothly
|
|
| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
concur
|
|
| v.同意，意见一致，互助，同时发生 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
detriment
|
|
| n.损害；损害物，造成损害的根源 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
banished
|
|
| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
foes
|
|
| 敌人，仇敌( foe的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
accomplishments
|
|
| n.造诣；完成( accomplishment的名词复数 )；技能；成绩；成就 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
drawn
|
|
| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
martial
|
|
| adj.战争的，军事的，尚武的，威武的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
nay
|
|
| adv.不；n.反对票，投反对票者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
negligence
|
|
| n.疏忽，玩忽，粗心大意 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
treacherous
|
|
| adj.不可靠的，有暗藏的危险的；adj.背叛的，背信弃义的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
dominion
|
|
| n.统治，管辖，支配权；领土，版图 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
ardent
|
|
| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
disposition
|
|
| n.性情，性格；意向，倾向；排列，部署 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
lechery
|
|
| n.好色；淫荡 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
intemperance
|
|
| n.放纵 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
thrall
|
|
| n.奴隶；奴隶制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
heyday
|
|
| n.全盛时期，青春期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
toils
|
|
| 网 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
lusts
|
|
| 贪求（lust的第三人称单数形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
incapable
|
|
| adj.无能力的，不能做某事的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
misery
|
|
| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
warriors
|
|
| 武士，勇士，战士( warrior的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
benefactors
|
|
| n.捐助者，施主( benefactor的名词复数 )；恩人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
dint
|
|
| n.由于，靠；凹坑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
vanquished
|
|
| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
tranquil
|
|
| adj. 安静的, 宁静的, 稳定的, 不变的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
torment
|
|
| n.折磨；令人痛苦的东西(人)；vt.折磨；纠缠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |