226 VARRO ON FARMING [bk. 



the others, and more skilful than them all, for he 

 who is older and wiser than the rest is more cheer- 



3 fully obeyed by them. He must not, however, be 

 so much older as to be unable through age to stand 

 hard work. For both the aged and the very young 

 bear with difficulty the hardships of travel through 

 forest paths and up steep and rugged mountains, 

 and these hardships are inevitable for those who 

 have herds to drive, especially if these consist of 

 cattle or goats, which like to feed amidst rocks and 

 woods. 



The kind of man chosen should be strong, swift, 

 nimble, with supple limbs; capable not only of 

 following his flock but of defending it from wild 

 beasts and robbers; able to heave loads on to the 

 backs of beasts of burden, to run swiftly forward 



4 and to hurl the javelin. It is not every race that 

 is fitted for dealing with cattle — for instance the 

 Bastulian ^ and Turdulian are of little use, while the 

 Gauls are just the men for it, especially for draught 

 cattle. 



As to purchase, there are six ways of becoming 

 the legal owner of a slave: (i) by legal inheritance; 

 (2) receiving with the proper forms by mancipation ^ 



^ Bastulus et Turdulus. The inhabitants of Granada and 

 Andalusia. Cf. Pomponius Mela, iii, i. 



^ Mancipio. Mancipatior — purchase, per aes et libram was 

 conducted in the presence of six Roman citizens of full age. 

 One of them called libripens (the weigher) held a pair of 

 scales ; the buyer placed a hand on the thing being bought 

 {e.g., slave), and said, "I assert that this slave is mine . . . 

 and he is purchased by me with this piece of money and brazen 



