BOOK I. IX. 4-8 



honesty than in the others, for the reason that the 

 vine-dresser should do his work in company with others 

 and under supervision, and because the unruly are for 

 the most part possessed of quicker understanding, 

 which is what the nature of this work requires. 

 For it demands of the helper that he be not merely 

 strong but also quick-mtted ; and on this account 

 vineyards are commonly tended by slaves in fetters. 

 Still there is nothing that an honest man of equal 5 

 quickness will not do better than a rogue. 



I have inserted this that no one may think me 

 obsessed of such a notion as to wish to till my land 

 with criminals rather than with honest men. But 

 this too I believe : that the duties of the slaves 

 should not be confused to the point where all take 

 a hand in every task. For this is by no means to 6 

 the advantage of the husbandman, either because 

 no one regards any particular task as his own or 

 because, when he does make an effort, he is 

 performing a service that is not his own but 

 common to all, and therefore shirks his work to a 

 great extent ; and yet the fault cannot be fastened 

 upon any one man because many have a hand in it. 

 For this reason ploughmen must be distinguished 

 from vine-dressers, and vine-dressers from plough- 

 men, and both of these from men of all work. 

 Furthermore, squads should be formed, not to exceed 7 

 ten men each, which the ancients called dectiriae and 

 approved of highly, because that limited number was 

 most conveniently guarded while at work, and the 

 size was not disconcerting to the person in charge as he 

 led the way. Therefoi-e, if the field is of considerable 8 

 extent, such squads should be distributed over 

 sections of it and the work should be so apportioned 



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