Book I. AGRICULTURE OF THE ROMANS. 17 



robbers, and the boundaries planted with useful trees. Tlie interior of the farm was not 

 subdivided by enclosures, which were seldom used but for their gardens, and to form 

 parks in the villas of the wealthy. 



73. The soil preferred by Columella and all the Roman authors is tlie fat and free, 

 as producing the greatest crops, and requiring the least culture ; next, fat stiff soil ; 

 then stiff and lean soil, that can be watered ; and, last of all, lean dry soil. 



74. The state of a farm preferred by Cato and some other writers is that of pasture, 

 meadow, and watered grass-lands, as yielding produce at least expense ; and lands under 

 vines and olives, as producing the greatest profit according to the expense. Tlie opinions 

 of the Roman agriculturalists, however, seem to disagree on the subject of meadows, 

 apparently from confounding a profitable way of management, with a capacity of yielding 

 great profit with superior management, and none without. 



75. The ivord Villa originally denoted a farm-house and its appurtenances. In the first 

 age of the commonwealth, these were very plain and small, suitable to the plain manners 

 of the people, and adapted to the small size of their farms : but, when the Romans had 

 extended their empire, when they had become rich and luxurious, and particular persons 

 were possessed of large landed estates, then the villas became large and magnificent. In 

 the time of Valerius Maximus, there were villas that covered more ground than was in 

 the estates of some of the ancient nobles. " Now," says he, " those think themselves 

 very much confined, whose houses are not more extensive than the fields of Cincinnatus." 

 {^Val. Max., lib. iv. cap. 4. sect. 7.) In tlie days of Cato, it is probable that they had 

 begun to extend their villas considerably, which makes him give a caution to the proprie- 

 tors of land not to be rash in building. He recommends to them to sow and plant in 

 their youth, but not to build till somewhat advanced in years. His words are remark- 

 able : " A landliolder," says he, " should apply himself to the planting of his fields early 

 in his youth ; but he ought to think long before he builds. He ought not to think 

 about planting ; but he ought to do it. "When he is about thirty-six years of age, he 

 may build, provided his fields are planted." {Cat., cap. 3.) 



76. Men should plant in their youth, and not build till their fields are planted ; and even 

 then ought " not to be in a hurry, but take time to consider. It is best, according to the 

 proverb, to profit by the folly of others." (Plin. A^ut. Hist., lib. xviii. cap. 5.) Tlie rea- 

 son why these authors recommend greater attention to planting than building is, that the 

 labouring oxen in Italy, in the time of the Romans, were fed, for several months in. the 

 year, with leaves and mast ; and the vine, the fig, the olive, and oUier trees, were cul- 

 tivated for their fruit. 



77. Build in such a manner that your villa may not be too small for your farm, nor your 

 farm too small for your villa. (Cat., cap. 3.) Varro assigns proper reasons for this. " In 



not attending," says he, " to the measure of the farm, many have gone wrong. Some 

 have made the villa much smaller, and others much larger than the farm required. One 

 of these is contrary to a man's interest, and the other hurtful to the produce of his lands. 

 For we both build and repair the larger buildings at a greater expense than is necessary ; 

 and, when the buildings are less than what the farm requires, the fruits are in danger of 

 being destroyed." (Var. de R. li., lib. i. cap. 11.) Columella expresses himself to the 

 same purpose, and mentions two persons in particular who had fallen into each of the 

 extremes. " I remember," says he, " that many have erred in this point, as these most 

 excellent men did, L. LucuUus and Q. Scaevola, one of whom built a villa much larger, 

 and the other much less than the farm required." {Col., lib. i. cap. 4.) 



78. Pliny, noticing the above remark of Cato's, observes that Lucullus had thereby rendered Iiimself 

 liable to the chastisement of the censors, having less occasion to plough his lands than to clean his house. 

 " In this case," says he, " to plough less than to sweep, was a foundation for the chastisement of the 

 censors." {FUn. Nat. Hist., lib. xviii. cap. 6.) 



79. Proportion the exj)ense of the building to the rent, or the profits arising from the 

 farm. " An edifice should be built according to the value of the farm and fortune of 

 tlie master, which, immoderately undertaken, it is commonly more diflficult to support 

 than to build, 'fhe largeness of it should be so estimated, that, if any thing shall happen 

 to destroy it, it may be rebuilt by one, or at most by two years' rent or profits of the farm 

 in which it is placed." {Pal., lib. i. tit. 8.) 



80. The position of the villa, and the situation of its different parts, are also noticed by 

 some of these authors. " Some art," says Pliny, " is required in this. C. Marius, of a 

 very mean family, seven times consul, placed a villa in the lands of Misenum, with such 

 skill in the contrivance, that Sylla Felix said, that all others in this respect were blind, 

 when compared to him." {Plin. A^at. Hist., lib. xviii. cap. 7.) All of them advise that 

 it shall not be placed near a marsh, nor fronting a river. Pliny cites the authority of 

 Homer for this. Varo says, that such a situation is cold in winter and unhealthful in 

 summer ; that, in such a place, there are many small insects which, though invisible, enter 

 the body at the mouth and nostrils, and occasion diseases. ( Var. de R. R., lib. i. tit. 12.) 

 Palladius gives reasons of the same kind. {Pal., lib. i. tit. 7.) Besides tliis, Varro 



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