26 BOOK II. 



where he may always be in sight of the workmen and always take care that 

 V none neglect their duties, or else he should live in the neighbourhood, so 

 that he may frequently inspect his mining works. Then he may send word 

 by a messenger to the workmen that he is coming more frequently than 

 he really intends to come, and so either by his arrival or by the intimation 

 of it, he so frightens the workmen that none of them perform their duties 

 otherwise than dihgently. When he inspects the mines he should praise the 

 diligent workmen and occasionally give them rewards, that they and the 

 others may become more zealous in their duties ; on the other hand, he 

 should rebuke the idle and discharge some of them from the mines and 

 substitute industrious men in their places. Indeed, the owner should 

 frequently remain for days and nights in the mine, which, in truth, is no 

 habitation for the idle and luxurious ; it is important that the owner who 

 is diligent in increasing his wealth, should frequently himself descend into 

 the mine, and devote some time to the study of the nature of the veins and 

 stringers, and should observe and consider all the methods of working, both 

 inside and outside the mine. Nor is this all he ought to do, for sometimes 

 he should undertake actual labour, not thereby demeaning himself, but in 

 order to encourage his workmen by his own diligence, and to teach 

 them their art ; for that mine is well conducted in which not only the 

 foreman, but also the owner himself, gives instruction as to what ought to 

 be done. A certain barbarian, according to Xenophon, rightly remarked 

 to the King of Persia that " the eye of the master feeds the horse,"* for the 

 master's watchfulness in all things is of the utmost importance. 



When several share together the expenditure on a mine, it is convenient 

 and useful to elect from amongst their own number a mine captain, arA 

 also a foreman. For, since men often look after their own interests but 

 neglect those of others, they cannot in this case take care of their own without 

 at the same time looking after the interests of the others, neither can they 

 neglect the interests of the others without neglecting their own. But if 

 no man amongst them be willing or able to undertake and sustain the bur- 

 dens of these offices, it will be to the common interest to place them in the 

 hands of most diligent men. Formerly indeed, these things were looked 

 after by the mining prefect', because the owners were kings, as Priam, who 

 owned the gold mines round Abydos, or as Midas, who was the owner of 

 those situated in^Mount Bermius, or as Gyges, or as Alyattes, or as Croesus, 

 who was the owner of those mines near a deserted town between Atarnea 

 and Pergamum* ; sometimes the mines belonged to a RepubUc, as, for 



•Xenophon. Oeconomicus xii., 20. " ' I approve,' said Ischomachus, ' of the bar- 

 " barian's answer to the King who found a good horse, and, wishing to fatten it as soon as 

 " possible, asked a man with a good reputation for horsemanship what would do it ? ' The 

 " man's reply was : ' Its master's eye.' " 



*Praefeclus Metallorum. In Saxony this official was styled the Berghaupimann. For 

 further information see page 94 and note on page 78. 



*This statement is either based upon Apollodorus, whom Agricola does not mention 

 among his authorities, or on Strabo, whom he does so include. The former in his work on 

 Mythology makes such a statement, for which Strabo (xiv., 5, 28) takes him to task as 

 follows : " With this vain intention they collected the stories related by the Scepsian 



