友情提示:如果本网页打开太慢或显示不完整,请尝试鼠标右键“刷新”本网页!
合租小说网 返回本书目录 加入书签 我的书架 我的书签 TXT全本下载 『收藏到我的浏览器』

the economist-第10部分

快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部! 如果本书没有阅读完,想下次继续接着阅读,可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能!


le of ridicule (not on the lips of a grave man perhaps; but of some facetious witling) to hear me say it; a beauty like the cadence of sweet music'36' dwells even in pots and pans set out in neat array: and so; in general; fair things ever show more fair when orderly bestowed。 The separate atoms shape themselves to form a choir; and all the space between gains beauty by their banishment。 Even so some sacred chorus;'37' dancing a roundelay in honour of Dionysus; not only is a thing of beauty in itself; but the whole interspace swept clean of dancers owns a separate charm。'38'

'34' Or; 〃coffers;〃 〃cupboards;〃 〃safes。〃

'35' Cf。 〃Anab。〃 III。 ii。 19; 〃firmly planted on terra firma。〃

'36' Or; 〃like the rhythm of a song;〃 {euruthmon}。 See Mr。 Ruskin's     most appropriate note (〃Bib。 Past。〃 i。 59); 〃A remarkable word; as     significant of the complete rhythm ({ruthmos}) whether of sound or     motion; that was so great a characteristic of the Greek ideal (cf。     xi。 16; {metarruthmizo});〃 and much more equally to the point。

'37' 〃Just as a chorus; the while its dancers weave a circling dance。〃

'38' Or; 〃contrasting with the movement and the mazes of the dance; a     void appears serene and beautiful。〃

〃The truth of what I say; we easily can test; my wife;〃 I added; 〃by direct experiment; and that too without cost at all or even serious trouble。'39' Nor need you now distress yourself; my wife; to think how hard it will be to discover some one who has wit enough to learn the places for the several things and memory to take and place them there。 We know; I fancy; that the goods of various sorts contained in the whole city far outnumber ours many thousand times; and yet you have only to bid any one of your domestics go buy this; or that; and bring it you from market; and not one of them will hesitate。 The whole world knows both where to go and where to find each thing。

'39' Lit。 〃now whether these things I say are true (i。e。 are facts);     we can make experiment of the things themselves (i。e。 of actual     facts to prove to us)。〃

〃And why is this?〃 I asked。 〃Merely because they lie in an appointed place。 But now; if you are seeking for a human being; and that too at times when he is seeking you on his side also; often and often shall you give up the search in sheer despair: and of this again the reason? Nothing else save that no appointed place was fixed where one was to await the other。〃 Such; so far as I can now recall it; was the conversation which we held together touching the arrangement of our various chattels and their uses。



IX

Well (I replied); and did your wife appear; Ischomachus; to lend a willing ear to what you tried thus earnestly to teach her?

Isch。 Most certainly she did; with promise to pay all attention。 Her delight was evident; like some one's who at length has found a pathway out of difficulties; in proof of which she begged me to lose no time in making the orderly arrangement I had spoken of。

And how did you introduce the order she demanded; Ischomachus? (I asked)。

Isch。 Well; first of all I thought I ought to show her the capacities of our house。 Since you must know; it is not decked with ornaments and fretted ceilings;'1' Socrates; but the rooms were built expressly with a view to forming the most apt receptacles for whatever was intended to be put in them; so that the very look of them proclaimed what suited each particular chamber best。 Thus our own bedroom;'2' secure in its position like a stronghold; claimed possession of our choicest carpets; coverlets; and other furniture。 Thus; too; the warm dry rooms would seem to ask for our stock of bread…stuffs; the chill cellar for our wine; the bright and well…lit chambers for whatever works or furniture required light; and so forth。

'1' Or; 〃curious workmanship and paintings。〃 See 〃Mem。〃 III。 viii。 10。     Cf。 Plat。 〃Rep。〃 vii。 529 B; 〃Hipp。 maj。〃 298 A。 See Becker;     〃Charicles;〃 Exc。 i。 111。

'2' Or; 〃the bridal chamber。〃 See Becker; op。 cit。 p。 266。 Al。 〃our     store…chamber。〃 See Hom。 〃Od。〃 xxi。 9:

{be d' imenai thalamonde sun amphipoloisi gunaixin eskhaton; k。t。l。}

〃And she (Penelope) betook her; with her handmaidens; to the treasure…chamber in the uttermost part of the house; where lay the treasures of her lord; bronze and gold and iron well wrought。〃 Butcher and Lang。 Cf。 〃Od。〃 ii。 337; 〃Il。〃 vi。 288。

Next I proceeded to point out to her the several dwelling…rooms; all beautifully fitted up for cool in summer and for warmth in winter。'3' I showed her how the house enjoyed a southern aspect; whence it was plain; in winter it would catch the sunlight and in summer lie in shade。'4' Then I showed her the women's apartments; separated from the men's apartments by a bolted door;'5' whereby nothing from within could be conveyed without clandestinely; nor children born and bred by our domestics without our knowledge and consent'6'no unimportant matter; since; if the act of rearing children tends to make good servants still more loyally disposed;'7' cohabiting but sharpens ingenuity for mischief in the bad。

'3' See 〃Mem。〃 III。 viii。 8。

'4' See 〃Mem。〃 ib。 9。

'5' 〃By bolts and bars。〃 Lit。 〃a door fitted with a bolt…pin。〃 See     Thuc。 ii。 4; Aristoph。 〃Wasps;〃 200。

'6' Cf。 (Aristot。) 〃Oecon。〃 i。 5; {dei de kai exomereuein tais     teknopoiiais}。

'7' Lit。 〃since (you know) if the good sort of servant is rendered; as     a rule; better disposed when he becomes a father; the base;     through intermarrying; become only more ripe for mischief。〃

When we had gone over all the rooms (he continued); we at once set about distribution our furniture'8' in classes; and we began (he said) by collecting everything we use in offering sacrifice。'9' After this we proceeded to set apart the ornaments and holiday attire of the wife; and the husband's clothing both for festivals and war; then the bedding used in the women's apartments; and the bedding used in the men's apartments; then the women's shoes and sandals; and the shoes and sandals of the men。'10' There was one division devoted to arms and armour; another to instruments used for carding wood; another to implements for making bread; another to utensils for cooking condiments; another to utensils for the bath; another connected with the kneading trough; another with the service of the table。 All these we assigned to separate places; distinguishing one portion for daily and recurrent use and the rest for high days and holidays。 Next we selected and set aside the supplies required for the month's expenditure; and; under a separate head;'11' we stored away what we computed would be needed for the year。'12' For in this way there is less chance of failing to note how the supplies are likely to last to the end。

'8' 〃Movable property;〃 〃meubles。〃

'9' Holden cf。 Plut。 〃De Curios。〃 515 E; {os gar Xenophon legei toi     Oikonomikois; k。t。l。}

'10' Cf。 〃Cyrop。〃 VIII。 ii。 5。 See Becker; op。 cit。 p。 447。

'11' See Cic。 ap。 Col。 who curiously mistranslates {dikha}。

'12' Schneider; etc。; cf。 Aristot。 〃Oecon。〃 i。 6。

And so having arranged the different articles of furniture in classes; we proceeded to convey them to their appropriate places。 That done; we directed our attention to the various articles needed by our domestics for daily use; such as implements or utensils for making bread; cooking relishes; spinning wool; and anything else of the same sort。 These we consigned to the care of those who would have to use them; first pointing out where they must stow them; and enjoining on them to return them safe and sound when done with。

As to the other things which we should only use on feast…days; or for the entertainment of guests; or on other like occasions at long intervals; we delivered them one and all to our housekeeper。 Having pointed out to her their proper places; and having numbered and registered'13' the several sets of articles; we explained that it was her business to give out each thing as required; to recollect to whom she gave them; and when she got them back; to restore them severally to the places from which she took them。 In appointing our housekeeper; we had taken every pains to discover some one on whose self…restraint we might depend; not only in the matters of food and wine and sleep; but also in her intercourse with men。 She must besides; to please us; be gifted with no ordinary memory。 She must have sufficient forethought not to incur displeasure through neglect of our interests。 It must be her object to gratify us in this or that; and in return to win esteem and honour at our hands。 We set ourselves to teach and train her to feel a kindly disposition towards us; by allowing her to share our joys in the day of gladness; or; if aught unkind befell us; by inviting her to sympathise in our sorrow。 We sought to rouse in her a zeal for our interests; an eagerness to promote the increase of our estate; by making her intelligent of its affairs; and by giving her a share in our successes。 We instilled in her a sense of justice and uprightness; by holding the just in higher honour than the unjust; and by pointing out that the lives of the righteous are richer and less servile than those of the unrighteous; and this was the position in which she found herself installed in our household。'14'

'13' Or; 〃having taken an inventory of the several sets of things。〃     Cf。 〃Ages。〃 i。 18; 〃Cyrop。〃 VII。 iv。 12。 See Newman; op。 cit。 i。     171。

'14' Or; 〃and this was the position in which we presently established     her herself。〃

And now; on the strength of all that we had done; Socrates (he added); I addressed my wife; explaining that all these things would fail of use unless she took in charge herself to see that the order of each several part was kept。 Thereupon I taught her that in every well… constituted city the citizens are not content merely to pass good laws; but they further choose them guardians of the laws;'15' whose function as inspectors is to praise the man whose acts are law… abiding; or to mulct some other who offends against the law。 Accordingly; I bade her believe that she; the mistress; was herself to play the part of guardian of the laws to her whole household; examining whenever it seemed good to her; and passing in review the severa
返回目录 上一页 下一页 回到顶部 0 0
快捷操作: 按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页 按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页 按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
温馨提示: 温看小说的同时发表评论,说出自己的看法和其它小伙伴们分享也不错哦!发表书评还可以获得积分和经验奖励,认真写原创书评 被采纳为精评可以获得大量金币、积分和经验奖励哦!