---
title: "Oeconomicus · Οἰκονομικός"
author: "Xenophon"
translator: "Edgar Carew Marchant"
languages: [grc, en]
shelf: "Classical Greek"
section: 13 of 21
url: https://scriptura.si/works/xenophon-economics/13/
cite: "Xenophon, tr. Edgar Carew Marchant, Oeconomicus · Οἰκονομικός, section 13. Scriptura (scriptura.si), https://scriptura.si/works/xenophon-economics/13/"
---

# Oeconomicus · Οἰκονομικός

*Xenophon, tr. Edgar Carew Marchant*

Socrates on running a household and a farm, through the gentleman Ischomachus and his young wife.

> Greek: ed. Edgar Carew Marchant, from the Perseus Digital Library (canonical-greekLit, tlg0032.tlg003, CC BY-SA 4.0).

> English: Edgar Carew Marchant, from the Perseus Digital Library (tlg0032.tlg003.perseus-eng2). Notes are not included.

> Rows follow the references the two texts share (books, chapters and sections), cut where both reach the end of a sentence.

## 13. Chapter 13

Source: https://scriptura.si/works/xenophon-economics/13/ · cite a paragraph as https://scriptura.si/works/xenophon-economics/13/#p-N

[¶0] 1. When you have impressed on a man, I resumed, the necessity of careful attention to the duties you assign to him, will he then be competent to act as bailiff, or must he learn something besides, if he is to be efficient?

> Greek: 1. ὅταν ⟨δὲ⟩ παραστήσῃς τινί, ἔφην ἐγώ, τοῦτο καὶ πάνυ ἰσχυρῶς, ὅτι δεῖ ἐπιμελεῖσθαι ὧν ἂν σὺ βούλῃ, ἦ ἱκανὸς ἤδη ἔσται ὁ τοιοῦτος ἐπιτροπεύειν, ἤ τι καὶ ἄλλο προσμαθητέον αὐτῷ ἔσται, εἰ μέλλει ἐπίτροπος ἱκανὸς ἔσεσθαι;

[¶1] 2. Of course, answered Ischomachus, he has still to understand what he has to do, and when and how to do it. Otherwise how could a bailiff be of more use than a doctor who takes care to visit a patient early and late, but has no notion of the right way to treat his illness?

> Greek: 2. ναὶ μὰ Δίʼ, ἔφη ὁ Ἰσχόμαχος, ἔτι μέντοι λοιπὸν αὐτῷ ἐστι γνῶναι ὅ τι τε ποιητέον καὶ ὁπότε καὶ ὅπως, εἰ δὲ μή, τί μᾶλλον ἐπιτρόπου ἄνευ τούτων ὄφελος ἢ ἰατροῦ ὃς ἐπιμελοῖτο μὲν κάμνοντός τινος πρῴ τε ἰὼν καὶ ὀψέ, ὅ τι δὲ συμφέρον τῷ κάμνοντι ποιεῖν εἴη, τοῦτο μὴ εἰδείη;

[¶2] 3. Well, but suppose he has learned how farm-work is to be done, will he want something more yet, or will your man now be a perfect bailiff? I think he must learn to rule the labourers.

> Greek: 3. ἐάν γε μὴν καὶ τὰ ἔργα μάθῃ ὡς ἔστιν ἐργαστέα, ἔτι τινός, ἔφην ἐγώ, προσδεήσεται, ἢ ἀποτετελεσμένος ἤδη οὗτός σοι ἔσται ἐπίτροπος; ἄρχειν γε, ἔφη, οἶμαι δεῖν αὐτὸν μαθεῖν τῶν ἐργαζομένων.

[¶3] 4. And do you train your bailiffs to be competent to rule too? Yes, I try, anyhow. And pray tell me how you train them to be rulers of men. By a childishly easy method, Socrates. I daresay you’ll laugh if I tell you.

> Greek: 4. ἦ οὖν, ἔφην ἐγώ, καὶ σὺ ἄρχειν ἱκανοὺς εἶναι παιδεύεις τοὺς ἐπιτρόπους; πειρῶμαί γε δή, ἔφη ὁ Ἰσχόμαχος. καὶ πῶς δή, ἔφην ἐγώ, πρὸς τῶν θεῶν τὸ ἀρχικοὺς εἶναι ἀνθρώπων παιδεύεις; φαύλως, ἔφη, πάνυ, ὦ Σώκρατες, ὥστε ἴσως ἂν καὶ καταγελάσαις ἀκούων.

[¶4] 5. Oh, but it is certainly not a laughing matter, Ischomachus. For anyone who can make men fit to rule others can also teach them to be masters of others; and if he can make them fit to be masters, he can make them fit to be kings. So anyone who can do that seems to me to deserve high praise rather than laughter.

> Greek: 5. οὐ μὲν δὴ ἄξιόν γʼ, ἔφην ἐγώ, τὸ πρᾶγμα καταγέλωτος, ὦ Ἰσχόμαχε. ὅστις γάρ τοι ἀρχικοὺς ἀνθρώπων δύναται ποιεῖν, δῆλον ὅτι οὗτος καὶ δεσποτικοὺς ἀνθρώπων δύναται διδάσκειν, ὅστις δὲ δεσποτικοὺς δύναται ποιεῖν, καὶ βασιλικούς. ὥστε οὐ καταγέλωτός μοι δοκεῖ ἄξιος εἶναι ἀλλʼ ἐπαίνου μεγάλου ὁ τοῦτο δυνάμενος ποιεῖν.

[¶5] 6. Well now, Socrates, other creatures learn obedience in two ways—by being punished when they try to disobey, and by being rewarded when they are eager to serve you.

> Greek: 6. οὐκοῦν, ἔφη, ὦ Σώκρατες, τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ζῷα ἐκ δυοῖν τούτοιν τὸ πείθεσθαι μανθάνουσιν, ἔκ τε τοῦ ὅταν ἀπειθεῖν ἐπιχειρῶσι κολάζεσθαι καὶ ἐκ τοῦ ὅταν προθύμως ὑπηρετῶσιν εὖ πάσχειν.

[¶6] 7. Colts, for example, learn to obey the horsebreaker by getting something they like when they are obedient, and suffering inconvenience when they are disobedient, until they carry out the horsebreaker’s intentions.

> Greek: 7. οἵ τε γοῦν πῶλοι μανθάνουσιν ὑπακούειν τοῖς πωλοδάμναις τῷ ὅταν μὲν πείθωνται τῶν ἡδέων τι αὐτοῖς γίγνεσθαι, ὅταν δὲ ἀπειθῶσι πράγματα ἔχειν, ἔστʼ ἂν ὑπηρετήσωσι κατὰ γνώμην τῷ πωλοδάμνῃ·

[¶7] 8. Puppies, again, are much inferior to men in intelligence and power of expression; and yet they learn to run in circles and turn somersaults and do many other tricks in the same way; for when they obey they get something that they want, and when they are careless, they are punished.

> Greek: 8. καὶ τὰ κυνίδια δὲ πολὺ τῶν ἀνθρώπων καὶ τῇ γνώμῃ καὶ τῇ γλώττῃ ὑποδεέστερα ὄντα ὅμως καὶ περιτρέχειν καὶ κυβιστᾶν καὶ ἄλλα πολλὰ μανθάνει τῷ αὐτῷ τούτῳ τρόπῳ. ὅταν μὲν γὰρ πείθηται, λαμβάνει τι ὧν δεῖται, ὅταν δὲ ἀμελῇ, κολάζεται.

[¶8] 9. And men can be made more obedient by word of mouth merely, by being shown that it is good for them to obey. But in dealing with slaves the training thought suitable for wild animals is also a very effective way of teaching obedience; for you will do much with them by filling their bellies with the food they hanker after. Those of an ambitious disposition are also spurred on by praise, some natures being hungry for praise as others for meat and drink.

> Greek: 9. ἀνθρώπους δʼ ἔστι πιθανωτέρους ποιεῖν καὶ λόγῳ, ἐπιδεικνύοντα ὡς συμφέρει αὐτοῖς πείθεσθαι, τοῖς δὲ δούλοις καὶ ἡ δοκοῦσα θηριώδης παιδεία εἶναι πάνυ ἐστὶν ἐπαγωγὸς πρὸς τὸ πείθεσθαι διδάσκειν· τῇ γὰρ γαστρὶ αὐτῶν ἐπὶ ταῖς ἐπιθυμίαις προσχαριζόμενος ἂν πολλὰ ἁνύτοις παρʼ αὐτῶν. αἱ δὲ φιλότιμοι τῶν φύσεων καὶ τῷ ἐπαίνῳ παροξύνονται. πεινῶσι γὰρ τοῦ ἐπαίνου οὐχ ἧττον ἔνιαι τῶν φύσεων ἢ ἄλλαι τῶν σίτων τε καὶ ποτῶν.

[¶9] 10. Now these are precisely the things that I do myself with a view to making men more obedient; but they are not the only lessons I give to those whom I want to appoint my bailiffs. I have other ways of helping them on. For the clothes that I must provide for my work-people and the shoes are not all alike. Some are better than others, some worse, in order that I may reward the better servant with the superior articles, and give the inferior things to the less deserving.

> Greek: 10. ταῦτά τε οὖν, ὅσαπερ αὐτὸς ποιῶν οἶμαι πιθανωτέροις ἀνθρώποις χρῆσθαι, διδάσκω οὓς ἂν ἐπιτρόπους βούλωμαι καταστῆσαι καὶ τάδε συλλαμβάνω αὐτοῖς· ἱμάτιά τε γὰρ ἃ δεῖ παρέχειν ἐμὲ τοῖς ἐργαστῆρσι καὶ ὑποδήματα οὐχ ὅμοια πάντα ποιῶ, ἀλλὰ τὰ μὲν χείρω, τὰ δὲ βελτίω, ἵνα ᾖ τὸν κρείττω τοῖς βελτίοσι τιμᾶν, τῷ δὲ χείρονι τὰ ἥττω διδόναι.

[¶10] 11. For I think it is very disheartening to good servants, Socrates, when they see that they do all the work, and others who are not willing to work hard and run risks when need be, get the same as they.

> Greek: 11. πάνυ γάρ μοι δοκεῖ, ἔφη, ὦ Σώκρατες, ἀθυμία ἐγγίγνεσθαι τοῖς ἀγαθοῖς, ὅταν ὁρῶσι τὰ μὲν ἔργα διʼ αὑτῶν καταπραττόμενα, τῶν δὲ ὁμοίων τυγχάνοντας ἑαυτοῖς τοὺς μήτε πονεῖν μήτε κινδυνεύειν ἐθέλοντας, ὅταν δέῃ.

[¶11] 12. For my part, then, I don’t choose to put the deserving on a level with the worthless, and when I know that my bailiffs have distributed the best things to the most deserving, I commend them; and if I see that flattery or any other futile service wins special favour, I don’t overlook it, but reprove the bailiff, and try to show him, Socrates, that such favouritism is not even in his own interest.

> Greek: 12. αὐτός τε οὖν οὐδʼ ὁπωστιοῦν τῶν ἴσων ἀξιῶ τοὺς ἀμείνους τοῖς κακίοσι τυγχάνειν, τούς τε ἐπιτρόπους, ὅταν μὲν εἰδῶ διαδεδωκότας τοῖς πλείστου ἀξίοις τὰ κράτιστα, ἐπαινῶ, ἂν δὲ ἴδω ἢ κολακεύμασί τινα προτιμώμενον ἢ καὶ ἄλλῃ τινὶ ἀνωφελεῖ χάριτι, οὐκ ἀμελῶ, ἀλλʼ ἐπιπλήττω καὶ πειρῶμαι διδάσκειν, ὦ Σώκρατες, ὅτι οὐδʼ αὑτῷ σύμφορα ταῦτα ποιεῖ.