Management of farms and slaves 57 



bilia. The Economicus deals directly with the subject. A significant 

 passage throws light on the condition of rural Attica at the end of the 

 fifth century BC. The speaker Ischomachus tells 1 how his father made 

 money by judicious enterprise. He bought up farms that were let down 

 or derelict, got them into good order, and sold them at a profit when 

 improved. Clearly he was a citizen, able to deal in real estate, and a 

 capitalist. There can hardly be a doubt that he operated by the use 

 of slave-labour on a considerable scale. All through the Economicus 

 slavery is presupposed, but the attitude of Xenophon is characteristically 

 genial and humane. The existence of a slave-market 2 , where you may 

 buy likely men, even skilled craftsmen, is assumed. But the most 

 notable feature of the book is the seriousness with which the responsi- 

 bility of the master 3 is asserted. There is no querulous evasion of the 

 issue by laying the blame of failure on the incorrigible vices of slaves. 

 Prosperity will depend on securing good service: good service cannot 

 be secured by any amount of chains and punishments, if the master be 

 slack and fitful : both in the house and on the farm, good sympathetic 

 discipline, fairly and steadily enforced, is the secret of success. Care- 

 lessness malingering and desertion must be prevented or checked. 

 And to achieve this is the function of the economic art, operating 

 through the influence of hope rather than fear. The training of slaves 4 

 is a matter needing infinite pains on the part of the master and mistress. 

 She must train her housekeeper (rapia) as he trains his steward 

 (eVtr/ooTro?), and both are to act in a humane and kindly spirit. Yet 

 the strictly animal view of slaves 6 appears clearly in a passage where 

 the training of slaves is compared with that of horses or performing 

 dogs. 'But it is possible to make men more obedient by mere instruc- 

 tion (KOI Xoyp), pointing out that it is to their interest to obey: in 

 dealing with slaves the system which is thought suitable for training 

 beasts has much to recommend it as a way of teaching obedience. For 

 by meeting their appetites with special indulgence to their bellies you 

 may contrive to get much out of them.' We gather that the better and 

 more refined type of Athenian gentleman with a landed estate, while 

 averse to inhumanity, and aware that slaves were human, still regarded 

 his slaves as mere chattels. His humanity is prompted mainly by self- 

 interest. As for rights, they have none. 



The system of rewards and punishments on the estate of course 

 rests wholly on the master's will. The whole success of the working 

 depends on the efficiency of the steward or stewards. Accordingly the 

 passage in which Ischomachus explains how he deals with these trusted 

 slaves is of particular interest. Having carefully trained a man, he 



1 Econ 20 22 foil. 2 Econ 12 3. 3 Econ 3 1-5, 5 15, 16, 12 19. 



4 Econ 7-9, 12-14, 21. 6 Econ 13 9, cf 9 5. 





