§2.1.1τὸν οἰκονομεῖν μέλλοντά τι κατὰ τρόπον τῶν τε τόπων, περὶ οὓς ἂν πραγματεύηται, μὴ ἀπείρως ἔχειν, καὶ τῇ φύσει εὐφυῆ εἶναι καὶ τῇ προαιρέσει φιλόπονόν τε καὶ δίκαιον· ὅ τι γὰρ ἂν ἀπῇ τούτων τῶν μερῶν, πολλὰ διαμαρτήσεται περὶ τὴν πραγματείαν ἣν μεταχειρίζεται.
Anyone who intends to manage any estate in a proper manner must not be inexperienced in the localities with which he is concerned, and must be naturally gifted, and in his choices both industrious and just; for if any of these parts is lacking, he will make many mistakes in the business he undertakes.
οἰκονομίαι δέ εἰσι τέσσαρες, ὡς ἐν τύπῳ διελέσθαι ʽτὰς γὰρ ἄλλας εἰς τοῦτο ἐμπιπτούσας εὑρήσομεν̓, βασιλική σατραπική πολιτική ἰδιωτική.
There are four types of household management, to classify them in broad outline (for we shall find that all other types fall under these): the Royal, the Satrapic, the Civic, and the Private.
§2.1.2τούτων δὲ μεγίστη μὲν καὶ ἁπλουστάτη ἡ βασιλική,, ποικιλωτάτη δὲ καὶ ῥᾴστη ἡ πολιτική, ἐλαχίστη δὲ καὶ ποικιλωτάτη ἡ ἰδιωτική.
Of these, the Royal is the greatest and simplest,, while the Civic is the most varied and easiest, and the Private is the smallest and most varied.
ἐπικοινωνεῖν μὲν τὰ πολλὰ ἀλλήλαις ἀναγκαῖόν ἐστιν· ὅσα δὲ μάλιστα διʼ αὐτῶν ἑκάστῃ συμβαίνει, ταῦτα ἐπισκεπτέον ἡμῖν ἐστιν.
While it is necessary that they share many things in common with one another, we must inspect those things that especially occur in each of them.
πρῶτον μὲν τοίνυν τὴν βασιλικὴν ἴδωμεν.
First, then, let us look at the Royal.
ἔστι δὲ αὕτη δυναμένη μὲν τὸ καθόλου, εἴδη δὲ ἔχουσα τέσσαρα· περὶ νόμισμα, περὶ τὰ ἐξαγώγιμα, περὶ τὰ εἰσαγώγιμα, περὶ τὰ ἀναλώματα.
This is comprehensive in its scope, but has four departments: concerning coinage, exports, imports, and expenditures.
§2.1.3τούτων δὲ ἕκαστον περὶ τὸ νόμισμα λέγω ποῖον καὶ πότε τίμιον ἢ εὔωνον ποιητέον, περὶ δὲ τὰ ἐξαγώγιμα καὶ εἰσαγώγιμα πότε καὶ τίνα παρὰ τῶν σατραπῶν ἐν τῇ ταγῇ ἐκλαβόντι αὐτῷ λυσιτελήσει διατίθεσθαι, περὶ δὲ τὰ ἀναλώματα τίνα περιαιρετέον καὶ πότε, καὶ πότερον δοτέον νόμισμα εἰς τὰς δαπάνας ἢ ἃ τῷ νομίσματι ὤνια.
Concerning each of these: in regard to coinage, I mean what kind and when it should be made of high value or cheap; in regard to exports and imports, when and what goods it will be profitable for the king himself to dispose of after receiving them from the satraps in the levy; and in regard to expenditures, which should be abolished and when, and whether money should be paid for expenses or goods purchasable with money.
§2.1.4δεύτερον δὲ τὴν σατραπικήν.
Secondly, the Satrapic.
ἔστι δὲ ταύτης εἴδη ἓξ τῶν προσόδων ἀπὸ γῆς, ἀπὸ τῶν ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ ἰδίων γινομένων, ἀπὸ ἐμπορίων, ἀπὸ τελῶν, ἀπὸ βοσκημάτων, ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων.
Of this there are six kinds of revenue: from land, from private resources produced in the territory, from trade, from taxes, from livestock, and from other sources.
αὐτῶν δὲ τούτων πρώτη μὲν καὶ κρατίστη ἡ ἀπὸ τῆς γῆς ʽαὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἣν οἱ μὲν ἐκφόριον, οἱ δὲ δεκάτην προσαγορεύουσιν̓, δευτέρα δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων γινομένη, οὗ μὲν χρυσίον, οὗ δὲ ἀργύριον, οὗ δὲ χαλκός, οὗ δὲ ὁπόσα δύναται γίνεσθαι, τρίτη δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐμπορίων τετάρτη δὲ καὶ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν κατὰ γῆν τε καὶ ἀγοραίων τελῶν γινομένη, πέμπτη δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν βοσκημάτων, ἐπικαρπία τε καὶ δεκάτη καλουμένη, ἕκτη δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων, ἐπικεφάλαιόν τε καὶ χειρωνάξιον προσαγορευομένη.
Of these themselves, the first and most important is that from land (which some call rent, and others tithe); the second is that from private resources, where gold, silver, copper, or whatever else can be produced; the third is that from trade; the fourth is that which arises from land and market dues; the fifth is that from livestock, called the right of pasture and tithe; and the sixth is that from other sources, designated as poll-tax and trade-tax.
§2.1.5τρίτον δὲ τὴν πολιτικήν.
Thirdly, the Civic.
ταύτης δὲ κρατίστη μὲν πρόσοδος ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἰδίων ἐν τῇ χώρᾳ γινομένων, εἶτα ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐμπορίων καὶ διαγωγῶν, εἶτα ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἐγκυκλίων.
Of this, the most important revenue is that from private resources produced in the territory, then that from trade and transit dues, and then that from regular taxes.
§2.1.6τέταρτον δὲ καὶ τελευταῖον τὴν ἰδιωτικήν.
Fourthly and lastly, the Private.
αὕτη δέ ἐστιν ἀνώμαλος μὲν διὰ τὸ δεῖν μὴ πρὸς ἕνα σκοπὸν οἰκονομεῖν, ἐλαχίστη δὲ διὰ τὸ καὶ τὰς προσόδους καὶ τὰ ἀναλώματα βραχέα γίνεσθαι.
This is irregular because one must not manage it with a single aim, and it is the smallest because both its revenues and its expenditures are small.
αὐτῆς δὲ ταύτης κρατίστη μὲν πρόσοδος ἡ ἀπὸ γῆς γινομένη, δευτέρα δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ τῶν ἄλλων ἐγκλημάτων, τρίτη δὲ ἡ ἀπὸ ἀργυρίου.
Of this itself, the most important revenue is that which comes from land, the second is that from other properties, and the third is from money.
χωρὶς δὲ τούτων ὃ πάσαις μὲν ἐπικοινωνεῖται ταῖς οἰκονομίαις καὶ προσήκει σκοπεῖν αὐτὸ μὴ παρέργως, μάλιστα δὲ ταύτῃ, τὸ τἀναλώματα μὴ μείζω τῶν προσόδων γίνεσθαι.
Apart from these, a rule which is shared by all kinds of household management, and which one should consider not as a secondary matter, but especially in this one, is that expenditures must not exceed revenues.
§2.1.7ἐπεὶ τοίνυν τὰς διαιρέσεις εἰρήκαμεν, μετὰ τοῦτο πάλιν νοητέον ἡμῖν, ἡ σατραπεία, περὶ ἣν ἂν πραγματευώμεθα, ἢ πόλις, πότερον ἃ πάντα ἄρτι διειλόμεθα ἢ τὰ μέγιστα τούτων εἰ δυνατὴ φέρειν ἐστί, τούτοις χρηστέον· μετὰ δὲ τοῦτο ποῖαι τῶν προσόδων ἢ τὸ παράπαν οὐκ εἰσί, δυναταὶ δʼ εἰσὶ γενέσθαι, ἢ μικραὶ νῦν οὖσαι μείζους οἷαί τινες κατασκευασθῆναι, ἢ τῶν ἀναλωμάτων τῶν νῦν ἀναλουμένων, τίνα τε καὶ πόσα περιαιρεθέντα τὰ ὅλα μηθὲν βλάψει.
Since, then, we have stated the divisions, we must next consider again whether the satrapy or city with which we are concerned is capable of bearing all the things we have just divided, or the greatest of them, and use these; and after this, what revenues either do not exist at all but can be created, or being now small, can be made larger, and of the expenditures now being made, which ones and how many can be abolished without causing any harm to the whole.
§2.1.8τὰ μὲν οὖν περὶ τὰς οἰκονομίας τε καὶ τὰ μέρη τὰ τούτων εἰρήκαμεν· ὅσα δέ τινες τῶν πρότερον πεπράγασιν εἰς πόρον χρημάτων ἢ τεχνικῶς τι διῴκησαν, ἃ ὑπελαμβάνομεν ἀξιόλογα αὐτῶν εἶναι, συναγηόχαμεν.
We have, therefore, spoken of what concerns household managements and their parts; and as many things as certain people of former times have done to provide money, or have managed skillfully, which we considered worthy of record among them, we have collected.
οὐδὲ γὰρ ταύτην τὴν ἱστορίαν ἀχρεῖον ὑπολαμβάνομεν εἶναι. ἔστι γὰρ ὅτε τούτων ἐφαρμόσει τοῖς οἷα ἂν αὐτὸς πραγματεύηται.
For we do not consider even this history to be useless; for there are times when these examples will apply to the kinds of business a person may himself undertake.