BOOK I. 11. 5-in. 3 



thickets. But such a situation as we desire is hard to 

 find and, being uncommon, it falls to the lot of few ; 

 the next best is one which possesses most of these 

 qualities, and one is passable which lacks the fewest 

 of them. 



III. Porcius Cato, indeed, held the opinion that in 

 the inspection of farm land two considerations were 

 of chief importance — the wholesomeness of the 

 climate, and the fruitfulness of the region ;" and 

 that if either of these were wanting and one had 

 the desire none the less to live there, he had lost 

 his senses and should be turned over to his legal 

 guardians.^ For no one in his right mind should go 

 to the expense of cultivating barren soil, and, on the 

 other hand, in an unhealthful climate, no matter how 

 fruitful and rich the soil, the owner cannot live to 

 the harvest ; for where the reckoning must be made 

 with Orcus,'' not only the han'esting of the crops 

 but also the life of the husbandmen is uncertain, or 

 rather death is more certain than gain. After these 

 two primary considerations he added, as deserving no 

 less attention, the following : the road, the water, 

 and the neighbourhood. A handy road contributes 

 much to the worth of land : first and most important, 

 the actual presence of the owner, who will come and 

 go more cheerfully if he does not have to dread 

 discomfort on the journey ; and secondly its con- 

 venience for bringing in and carrying out the 

 necessaries — a factor which increases the value of 

 stored crops and lessens the expense of bringing 



and gentiles (members of the same gens) were legal guardians 

 in cases of lunacy; cf. Frag. XII Tab. ap. Cicero, De Inv. 

 II. 50 (148), SI FVRIOSVS ESCIT AGNATVIVI GENTILIVM- 

 QVE IN EO PECVNIAQVE EIVS POTESTAS ESTO. 

 « I.e. with Death. Cf. Varro, R.R. I. 4. 3. 



43 



