Chap. 7.] ARRANGEMENTS FOE A FARM-HOUSE. 13 



fond of selling. The same, too, with his remark, that in his 

 youth a landowner should begin to plant without delay, hut 

 that he ought not to build until the land is fully brought into 

 cultivation, and then only a little at a time : and that the best 

 plan is, as the common proverb has it, " To profit by the folly 

 of others ; >>55 taking due care, however, that the keeping up of 

 a farm-house does not entail too much expense. Still, how- 

 ever, those persons are guilty of no falsehood who are in the 

 habit of saying that a proprietor who is well housed comes all 

 the oftener to his fields, and that " the master's forehead is 

 of more use than his back." 56 



CHAP. 7. (6.) THE PROPER ARRANGEMENTS FOR A FARM-HOUSE. 



Che proper plan to be pursued is this : 57 the farm-house must 

 not be unsuitable for the farm, nor the farm for the house ; and 

 we must be on our guard against following the examples of L. 

 Lucullus and Q. Scaevola, who, though living in the same age, 

 fell into the two opposite extremes ; for whereas the farm-house 

 of Scaevola was not large enough for the produce of his farm, 

 the farm of Lucullus was not sufficiently large for the house he 

 built upon it ; an error which gave occasion to the reproof of 

 the censors, that on his farm there was less of ground for 

 ploughing than of floor for sweeping. The proper arrange- 

 ments for a farm-house are not to be made without a certain 

 degree of skill. C. Marius, who was seven times consul, was 

 the last person who had one built at Misenum;* 8 but he erected 

 it with such a degree of that artistic skill which he had dis- 

 played in castrametation, that Sylla Felix 89 even made the 

 remark, that in comparison with Marias, all the others had 

 been no better than blind. 60 



It is generally agreed, that a farm-house ought neither to 

 be built near a marsh, nor with a river in front of it ; for, as 



55 " Aliena insania f'rui." We have a saying to a similar effect : " Fools 

 build houses, and wise men buy them." 



56 " Frons domini plus prodest quam occipitium." See Cato, De Re 

 Rust. c. 4 ; also Phaedrus, B. iv. Fab. 19. 



57 Cato, c. 3. Varro and Columella give the same advice. 



58 See B. iii. c. 9. 



59 Sylla the Fortunate, the implacable enemy of Marius. 



60 Because, though the last comer, he had obtained the best site in the 

 locality. 



