§1.6.1εἴδη δὲ τοῦ οἰκονόμου τέτταρα ἃ δεῖ ἔχειν περὶ τὰ χρήματα.
There are four capacities of the householder which he must possess regarding property.
καὶ γὰρ τὸ κτᾶσθαι δυνατὸν χρὴ εἶναι καὶ φυλάττειν· εἰ δὲ μή, οὐδὲν ὄφελος τοῦ κτᾶσθαι· τῷ γὰρ ἠθμῷ ἀντλεῖν τοῦτʼ ἔστιν, καὶ ὁ λεγόμενος τετρημένος πίθος.
For it is necessary to be able to acquire and to preserve; otherwise, there is no benefit in acquiring, for this is to draw water with a sieve, or the proverbially leaking jar.
ἔτι δὲ καὶ εἶναι κοσμητικὸν τῶν ὑπαρχόντων καὶ χρηστικόν· τούτων γὰρ ἕνεκα κἀκείνων δεόμεθα.
Furthermore, he must also be capable of organizing existing possessions and of using them; for it is for the sake of these (organization and use) that we need those others (acquisition and preservation).
§1.6.2διῃρῆσθαι δὲ δεῖ τούτων ἕκαστον, καὶ πλείω τὰ κάρπιμα εἶναι τῶν ἀκάρπων, καὶ τὰς ἐργασίας οὕτω νενεμῆσθαι, ὅπως μὴ ἅμα κινδυνεύσωσιν ἅπασιν.
Each of these must be distinguished, and the productive assets must be more than the unproductive, and the tasks must be so distributed that they do not all run risks at the same time.
πρὸς δὲ φυλακὴν τοῖς τε Περσικοῖς συμφέρει χρῆσθαι καὶ τοῖς Λακωνικοῖς.
For preservation, it is advantageous to employ both Persian and Laconian methods.
καὶ ἡ Ἀττικὴ δὲ οἰκονομία χρήσιμος· ἀποδιδόμενοι γὰρ ὠνοῦνται, καὶ ἡ τοῦ ταμιείου θέσις οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν ταῖς μικροτέραις οἰκονομίαις.
The Attic system of household management is also useful; for they buy by selling, and the establishment of a storehouse does not exist in smaller households.
§1.6.3Περσικὰ δὲ ἦν τὸ πάντα τετάχθαι, καὶ πάντʼ ἐφορᾶν αὐτόν, καθʼ ὃ ἔλεγε Δίων περὶ Διονυσίου· οὐδεὶς γὰρ ἐπιμελεῖται ὁμοίως τῶν ἀλλοτρίων καὶ τῶν οἰκείων, ὥστε ὅσα ἐνδέχεται, διʼ ἑαυτοῦ ποιεῖσθαι χρὴ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν.
The Persian method was that everything should be arranged, and that the master should oversee everything himself, according to what Dion said of Dionysius; for no one cares for another's property as they do for their own, so that as far as possible, one should carry out the oversight through oneself.
καὶ τὸ τοῦ Πέρσου καὶ τὸ τοῦ Λίβυος ἀπόφθεγμα εὖ ἂν ἔχοι.
Both the saying of the Persian and that of the Libyan would be apt.
ὁ μὲν γὰρ ἐρωτηθεὶς τί μάλιστα ἵππον πιαίνει,
"ὁ τοῦ δεσπότου ὀφθαλμός"
ἔφη· ὁ δὲ Λίβυς ἐρωτηθεὶς ποία κόπρος ἀρίστη,
"τὰ τοῦ δεσπότου ἴχνη"
ἔφη. §1.6.4ἐπισκεπτέον οὖν τὰ μὲν αὐτόν, τὰ δὲ τὴν γυναῖκα, ὡς ἑκατέροις διαιρεῖται τὰ ἔργα τῆς οἰκονομίας.
For the former, on being asked what fattens a horse most, said, "The master's eye"; while the Libyan, on being asked what kind of manure is best, said, "The master's footprints." Therefore, the master himself must inspect some things, and his wife others, as the duties of the household are divided between them.
καὶ τοῦτο ποιητέον ἐν μικραῖς οἰκονομίαις ὀλιγάκις, ἐν δʼ ἐπιτροπευομέναις πολλάκις.
And this should be done rarely in small households, but often in those managed by overseers.
οὐ γὰρ οἷόν τε μὴ καλῶς ὑποδεικνύντος καλῶς μιμεῖσθαι, οὔτʼ ἐν τοῖς ἄλλοις, οὔτʼ ἐν ἐπιτροπείᾳ, ὡς ἀδύνατον μὴ ἐπιμελῶν δεσποτῶν ἐπιμελεῖς εἶναι τοὺς ἐφεστῶτας.
For it is impossible to imitate well if the master does not set a good example, either in other matters or in management, just as it is impossible for those in charge to be careful when the masters are careless.
§1.6.5ἐπεὶ δὲ ταῦτα καὶ καλὰ πρὸς ἀρετὴν καὶ ὠφέλιμα πρὸς οἰκονομίαν, ἐγείρεσθαι χρὴ πρότερον δεσπότας οἰκετῶν καὶ καθεύδειν ὕστερον· καὶ μηδέποτε ἀφύλακτον οἰκίαν εἶναι, ὥσπερ πόλιν· ὅσα τε δεῖ ποιεῖν μήτε νυκτὸς μήτε ἡμέρας παριέναι· τό τε διανίστασθαι νύκτωρ· τοῦτο γὰρ καὶ πρὸς ὑγίειαν καὶ οἰκονομίαν καὶ φιλοσοφίαν χρήσιμον.
Since these practices are both noble for virtue and useful for household management, masters should rise before their servants and go to sleep after them; and a house, like a city, should never be left unguarded; and whatever needs to be done should not be neglected, whether by night or by day; and one should rise during the night, for this is useful for health, household management, and philosophy.
§1.6.6ἐν μὲν οὖν ταῖς μικραῖς κτήσεσιν ὁ Ἀττικὸς τρόπος τῆς διαθέσεως τῶν ἐπικαρπιῶν χρήσιμος· ἐν δὲ ταῖς μεγάλαις, διαμερισθέντων καὶ τῶν πρὸς ἐνιαυτὸν καὶ τῶν κατὰ μῆνα δαπανωμένων, ὁμοίως δὲ καὶ περὶ σκευῶν χρήσεως τῶν καθʼ ἡμέραν καὶ τῶν ὀλιγάκις, ταῦτα παραδοτέον τοῖς ἐφεστῶσιν.
In small properties, then, the Attic method of disposing of the produce is useful; but in large ones, after dividing what is spent yearly and what is spent monthly, and likewise regarding the use of daily and occasional utensils, these must be delivered to those in charge.
ἐπὶ τούτοις καὶ τὴν ἐπίσκεψιν αὐτῶν διά τινος χρόνου ποιητέον, ἵνα μὴ λανθάνῃ τὸ σῳζόμενον καὶ τὸ ἐλλεῖπον.
In addition to these, one must also make an inspection of them from time to time, so that what is preserved and what is lacking may not escape notice.
§1.6.7οἰκίαν δὲ πρός τε τὰ κτήματα ἀποβλέποντα κατασκευαστέον καὶ πρὸς ὑγίειαν καὶ πρὸς εὐημερίαν αὐτῶν·
And a house must be built with a view to possessions and to the health and well-being of its occupants.
λέγω δὲ κτήματα μέν, οἷον καρποῖς καὶ ἐσθῆτι ποία συμφέρει, καὶ τῶν καρπῶν ποία ξηροῖς καὶ ποία ὑγροῖς, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων κτημάτων ποία ἐμψύχοις καὶ ποία ἀψύχοις, καὶ δούλοις καὶ ἐλευθέροις, καὶ γυναιξὶ καὶ ἀνδράσι, καὶ ξένοις καὶ ἀστοῖς.
By "with a view to possessions," I mean, for example, what kind of house is advantageous for crops and clothing, and of the crops, what kind is suitable for dry ones and what for wet ones, and of other possessions, what is suitable for living things and what for inanimate things, and for slaves and free men, and for women and men, and for strangers and citizens.
καὶ πρὸς εὐημερίαν δὲ καὶ πρὸς ὑγίειαν δεῖ εἶναι, εὔπνουν μὲν τοῦ θέρους, εὐήλιον δὲ τοῦ χειμῶνος.
It must also be built with a view to well-being and health, being airy in summer and sunny in winter.
§1.6.8εἴη δʼ ἂν ἡ τοιαύτη κατάβορρος οὖσα καὶ μὴ ἰσοπλατής.
Such a house would be facing north and not equal in width.
δοκεῖ δὲ καὶ ἐν ταῖς μεγάλαις οἰκονομίαις χρήσιμος εἶναι θυρωρός, ὃς ἂν ᾖ ἄχρηστος τῶν ἄλλων ἔργων, πρὸς τὴν σωτηρίαν τῶν εἰσφερομένων καὶ ἐκφερομένων.
It seems also that in large households a doorkeeper, who is useless for other tasks, is useful for the preservation of what is brought in and carried out.
πρὸς εὐχρηστίαν δὲ σκευῶν τὸ Λακωνικόν· χρὴ γὰρ ἓν ἕκαστον ἐν τῇ αὑτοῦ χώρᾳ κεῖσθαι· οὕτω γὰρ ἂν ἕτοιμον ὂν οὐ ζητοῖτο.
For the convenient use of utensils, the Laconian method is best; for each single thing should lie in its own place, for thus, being ready, it would not be sought.