BOOK II 

 CONCERNING CATTLE 



INTRODUCTION 



I Good reason had our great ancestors for setting the 

 Romans of the country above those of the town. 

 For, just as in the country those who live and work 

 inside the farmhouse are of slacker fibre than those 

 who work on the land, so those who led the sed- 

 entary life of a town were accounted by our an- 



( oestors a feebler folk than those who tilled the fields. 



Accordingly, in dividing their year they arranged 



for the transaction of city business every ninth day 



only,' giving the remaining seven days of each 



week " to the cultivation of the fields. And as 



ng as they maintained this custom two ends 



' Nonts modo diehus. We should say every eighth day. The 



Roman reckoning was inclusive of the first and last day of 



any period of time. Thus nudius tertius for the day before 



^terday, etc. This method of counting has persisted amongst 



c Latin races to some extent ; cf. the French and Italian for 



fortnight, quinze jours and quindici giomi. Varro alludes to 



me nundinae {novem dinae) or market-day, which was the last 



day of the eight-day week. On it the country folk ceased work 



in the fields, and came to Rome to buy or sell in the market, 



^oU to hear public announcements ; especially with regard to 



I^HiKfui and the business to be conducted at them. 

 I. 



