longs to their enemies. 8. When, therefore, the people understand that mercenary troops do no ill to such as do no wrong, but that they check such as desire to commit violence, succour such as are unjustly treated, and are vigilant and expose themselves to danger for the public safety, how can they do otherwise than contribute with pleasure to their support? Private individuals, indeed, often keep guards for objects of far less moment than these."

CHAPTER XI.

Simonides admonishes Hiero that a sovereign ought to employ his own private resources as much as possible for the public good, and ought to exert himself in every way to promote the prosperity of his dominions.

1. "IT is also incumbent on you, Hiero, not to shrink from expending a portion of your own private revenue on the public service; for it seems to me that what is laid out by a king for public objects is more advantageously bestowed than what is spent on his own private account. 2. Let us consider the point in reference to various particulars. Whether do you think that to have a palace adorned at an enormous expense, or to have your whole metropolis furnished with walls, and temples, and porticoes, and market-places, and harbours, would do you the greater honour ? 3. Or whether would you appear more formidable to your enemies, when you are yourself clad in the finest of armour, or when your whole country is efficiently armed? 4. In which way do you consider that your revenues would be rendered greater, by taking care to make merely your own private property productive, or by contriving that the property of the whole community may be productive? 5. And as to that which is thought to be the most honourable and noble of occupations, the breeding of horses for the chariot-race, whether do you think that you would do yourself the greater honour if you yourself should maintain, and send to the public games, more chariots All the copies have Tapaσráo, which means pillars, or perhaps lonnades. Ernesti and Schneider would read aσтáσi, "porticoes," which seems proferahla

1

Hiero's victories games are celebrated by P'indar.

§ 6-11.]

DUTIES OF A SOVEREIGN.

69

than any other Greek, or if a greater number of men from your country than from any other should breed horses and contend at the games? Whether do you think it more noble to gain a victory by the excellence of your own particular chariot, or through the general prosperity of the city over which you rule? 6. I myself, indeed, think it quite unbecoming to a prince to enter the lists with private individuals; for if you are victorious, you will not be admired, but incur odium, as having extorted the money for your expenses from the substance of many families; and if you are unsuccessful, you will meet with more ridicule than any private individual. 7. I would impress upon you, Hiero, that your proper field of competition is against the rulers of other states, and if you exhibit the state that you govern superior in prosperity to theirs, be assured that you will have triumphed in the most honourable and noble contest that can arise among mankind. 8. And you will thus, in the first place, secure the love of your subjects, which you so much desire; and it will not be one herald only that will proclaim your victory, but all mankind will concur in celebrating your merit. 9. Becoming an object of attention, you will be loved, not merely by a few private individuals, but by numbers of whole communities, and be admired, not only in your own palace, but through the whole world. 10. You will then be able to travel in safety wherever you please, for the purpose of gratifying your curiosity; or you may receive such gratification even while you remain at home; for there will always be numbers of people around you ready to exhibit whatever they have discovered that is either ingenious, or beautiful, or useful, and of such as will be desirous to gratify you.2 11. Every one who is admitted to your presence will be devoted to you, and every one at a distance will long to behold you; so that you will not only be regarded with favour, but sincerely beloved by mankind; and you will be under no necessity of soliciting favours from the objects of your affection, but must submit to be solicited by them. You will have no fear from others, but will excite fear in them, lest you

As at the Olympic games.

By constructing for you hereafter something agreeable or useful; something which may occur to them, or which you yourself may suggest Weiske.

should meet with any harm. 12. You will find your subjects willing to obey you, and see them taking thought of their own accord for your interests. Should any danger chance to threaten you, you will have not only allies, but champions and zealous defenders. You will be thought deserving of innumerable presents, and you will never want a friend to whom you may impart a share of them. You will find all men delighted at your prosperity, and ready to contend for what is yours as earnestly as for what is their own. 13. You will consider all the wealth belonging to your friends as treasures laid up for your own use. Enrich then your friends without fear, Hiero, for by that means you will enrich yourself. Increase the power of your people, for you will thus clothe yourself with power; and secure for it allies,1 14. Esteem your country as your own family; your fellowcitizens as your friends; your friends as your children; and your children as your own life; and study to surpass them all in acts of kindness. 15. For if you go beyond your friends in kind offices, no enemies will be able to stand before you. And if you constantly pursue such a course of conduct, be certain that you will secure the most honourable and blissful possession attainable among mankind; for you will be happy, and not be envied."

* *

Weiske rightly supposes that something is wanting here; to his effect, "for you will thus gain supporters to your own power."

THE ECONOMICUS.

INTRODUCTORY REMARKS.

Or ae philosophy of Socrates, as transmitted to us by Xenophon, it is not the object to investigate the causes, or ascertain the origins, of divine and human things, but, by teaching what is good and honourable, to fit men, individually, for attaining happiness in life, and to instruct communities how to secure prosperity. There are, accordingly, two principal parts of the Socratic philosophy: the ethic, which shows what course of conduct every person must pursue in order to gain a character for virtue and honour; and the political, which teaches by what means individuals may advance a community to the highest state of excellence. But as the master of a family and his household constitute, as it were, a smaller community in the midst of a greater, and as the prosperity of the whole state depends on the proper management of each particular family, a third part, the economic, is added.

The first author that wrote of ethics, politics, and economics, in distinct and separate treatises, was Aristotle. As for Plato, who says that we cannot conceive of virtue or merit in a man or master of a family, unless as subject to the laws of his community, he has included all those three parts of moral philosophy in one book, which he has entitled his "Republic." But it was Xenophon that laid the foundation of this triple division; for in his "Memorabilia " he makes it his object to show the whole scope of the moral teaching of Socrates (though in that work

there is much that relates rather to political or œconomical science); in the "Cyropædia" he illustrates a part of political science; and in the present treatise he discusses œconomy or domestic management.

The dialogue in this book, unlike those in the "Memorabilia,” is written in a certain regular method, and consists of parts carefully put together. We see that the whole work is purposely divided into two parts. The first, which contains a conversation of Socrates with Critobulus, is in place of an introduction, and prepares the reader for what is to follow; the other, which is a dialogue between Ischomachus and Socrates, sets forth the precepts intended to be given concerning the management of a family.

The simple and graceful facility in discussing a subject which we know to have been peculiar, not to the Socrates represented in Plato, but to the Socrates that really lived, is exhibited as clearly in the "Economicus" as in any of Xenophon's other writings. Cicero thought it worthy of being translated into Latin. Breitenbuch

A few other remarks on the "Economicus" may be seen in the "Biographical Notice of Xenophon," prefixed to the preceding volume.