国外英文文学系列 Oeconomicus.docx

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1、国外英文文学系列 OeconomicusChapter 1I once heard him2 discuss the topic of economy3 after the following manner. Addressing Critobulus,4 he said: Tell me, Critobulus, is “economy,” like the words “medicine,” “carpentry,” “building,” “smithying,” “metal-working,” and so forth, the name of a particular kind o

2、f knowledge or science?Crit. Yes, I think so.Soc. And as, in the case of the arts just named, we can state the proper work or function of each, can we (similarly) state the proper work and function of economy?Crit. It must, I should think, be the business of the good economist5 at any rate to manage

3、 his own house or estate well.Soc. And supposing another mans house to be entrusted to him, he would be able, if he chose, to manage it as skilfully as his own, would he not? since a man who is skilled in carpentry can work as well for another as for himself: and this ought to be equally true of the

4、 good economist?Crit. Yes, I think so, Socrates.Soc. Then there is no reason why a proficient in this art, even if he does not happen to possess wealth of his own, should not be paid a salary for managing a house, just as he might be paid for building one?Crit. None at all: and a large salary he wou

5、ld be entitled to earn if, after paying the necessary expenses of the estate entrusted to him, he can create a surplus and improve the property.Soc. Well! and this word “house,” what are we to understand by it? the domicile merely? or are we to include all a mans possessions outside the actual dwell

6、ing-place?6Crit. Certainly, in my opinion at any rate, everything which a man has got, even though some portion of it may lie in another part of the world from that in which he lives,7 forms part of his estate.Soc. “Has got”? but he may have got enemies?Crit. Yes, I am afraid some people have got a

7、great many.Soc. Then shall we say that a mans enemies form part of his possessions?Crit. A comic notion indeed! that some one should be good enough to add to my stock of enemies, and that in addition he should be paid for his kind services.Soc. Because, you know, we agreed that a mans estate was ide

8、ntical with his possessions?Crit. Yes, certainly! the good part of his possessions; but the evil portion! no, I thank you, that I do not call part of a mans possessions.Soc. As I understand, you would limit the term to what we may call a mans useful or advantageous possessions?Crit. Precisely; if he

9、 has things that injure him, I should regard these rather as a loss than as wealth.Soc. It follows apparently that if a man purchases a horse and does not know how to handle him, but each time he mounts he is thrown and sustains injuries, the horse is not part of his wealth?Crit. Not, if wealth impl

10、ies weal, certainly.Soc. And by the same token land itself is no wealth to a man who so works it that his tillage only brings him loss?Crit. True; mother earth herself is not a source of wealth to us if, instead of helping us to live, she helps us to starve.Soc. And by a parity of reasoning, sheep a

11、nd cattle may fail of being wealth if, through want of knowledge how to treat them, their owner loses by them; to him at any rate the sheep and the cattle are not wealth?Crit. That is the conclusion I draw.Soc. It appears, you hold to the position that wealth consists of things which benefit, while

12、things which injure are not wealth?Crit. Just so.Soc. The same things, in fact, are wealth or not wealth, according as a man knows or does not know the use to make of them? To take an instance, a flute may be wealth to him who is sufficiently skilled to play upon it, but the same instrument is no be

13、tter than the stones we tread under our feet to him who is not so skilled . . . unless indeed he chose to sell it?Crit. That is precisely the conclusion we should come to.8 To persons ignorant of their use9 flutes are wealth as saleable, but as possessions not for sale they are no wealth at all; and

14、 see, Socrates, how smoothly and consistently the argument proceeds,10 since it is admitted that things which benefit are wealth. The flutes in question unsold are not wealth, being good for nothing: to become wealth they must be sold.Yes! (rejoined Socrates), presuming the owner knows how to sell t

15、hem; since, supposing again he were to sell them for something which he does not know how to use,11 the mere selling will not transform them into wealth, according to your argument.Crit. You seem to say, Socrates, that money itself in the pockets of a man who does not know how to use it is not wealt

16、h?Soc. And I understand you to concur in the truth of our proposition so far: wealth is that, and that only, whereby a man may be benefited. Obviously, if a man used his money to buy himself a mistress, to the grave detriment of his body and soul and whole estate, how is that particular money going

17、to benefit him now? What good will he extract from it?Crit. None whatever, unless we are prepared to admit that hyoscyamus,12 as they call it, is wealth, a poison the property of which is to drive those who take it mad.Soc. Let money then, Critobulus, if a man does not know how to use it aright let

18、money, I say, be banished to the remote corners of the earth rather than be reckoned as wealth.13 But now, what shall we say of friends? If a man knows how to use his friends so as to be benefited by them, what of these?Crit. They are wealth indisputably, and in a deeper sense than cattle are, if, a

19、s may be supposed, they are likely to prove of more benefit to a man than wealth of cattle.Soc. It would seem, according to your argument, that the foes of a mans own household after all may be wealth to him, if he knows how to turn them to good account?14Crit. That is my opinion, at any rate.Soc. I

20、t would seem, it is the part of a good economist15 to know how to deal with his own or his employers foes so as to get profit out of them?Crit. Most emphatically so.Soc. In fact, you need but use your eyes to see how many private persons, not to say crowned heads, do owe the increase of their estate

21、s to war.Crit. Well, Socrates, I do not think, so far, the argument could be improved on;16 but now comes a puzzle. What of people who have got the knowledge and the capital17 required to enhance their fortunes, if only they will put their shoulders to the wheel; and yet, if we are to believe our se

22、nses, that is just the one thing they will not do, and so their knowledge and accomplishments are of no profit to them? Surely in their case also there is but one conclusion to be drawn, which is, that neither their knowledge nor their possessions are wealth.Soc. Ah! I see, Critobulus, you wish to d

23、irect the discussion to the topic of slaves?Crit. No indeed, I have no such intention quite the reverse. I want to talk about persons of high degree, of right noble family18 some of them, to do them justice. These are the people I have in my minds eye, gifted with, it may be, martial or, it may be,

24、civil accomplishments, which, however, they refuse to exercise, for the very reason, as I take it, that they have no masters over them.Soc. No masters over them! but how can that be if, in spite of their prayers for prosperity and their desire to do what will bring them good, they are still so sorel

25、y hindered in the exercise of their wills by those that lord it over them?Crit. And who, pray, are these lords that rule them and yet remain unseen?Soc. Nay, not unseen; on the contrary, they are very visible. And what is more, they are the basest of the base, as you can hardly fail to note, if at l

26、east you believe idleness and effeminacy and reckless negligence to be baseness. Then, too, there are other treacherous beldames giving themselves out to be innocent pleasures, to wit, dicings and profitless associations among men.19 These in the fulness of time appear in all their nakedness even to

27、 them that are deceived, showing themselves that they are after all but pains tricked out and decked with pleasures. These are they who have the dominion over those you speak of and quite hinder them from every good and useful work.Crit. But there are others, Socrates, who are not hindered by these

28、indolences on the contrary, they have the most ardent disposition to exert themselves, and by every means to increase their revenues; but in spite of all, they wear out their substance and are involved in endless difficulties.20Soc. Yes, for they too are slaves, and harsh enough are their taskmaster

29、s; slaves are they to luxury and lechery, intemperance and the wine-cup along with many a fond and ruinous ambition. These passions so cruelly belord it over the poor soul whom they have got under their thrall, that so long as he is in the heyday of health and strong to labour, they compel him to fe

30、tch and carry and lay at their feet the fruit of his toils, and to spend it on their own hearts lusts; but as soon as he is seen to be incapable of further labour through old age, they leave him to his gray hairs and misery, and turn to seize on other victims.21 Ah! Critobulus, against these must we

31、 wage ceaseless war, for very freedoms sake, no less than if they were armed warriors endeavouring to make us their slaves. Nay, foemen in war, it must be granted, especially when of fair and noble type, have many times ere now proved benefactors to those they have enslaved. By dint of chastening, t

32、hey have forced the vanquished to become better men and to lead more tranquil lives in future.22 But these despotic queens never cease to plague and torment their victims in body and soul and substance until their sway is ended.2The conersation was resumed by Critobulus, and on this wise. He said: I

33、 think I take your meaning fully, Socrates, about these matters; and for myself, examining my heart, I am further satisfied, I have sufficient continence and self-command in those respects. So that if you will only advise me on what I am to do to improve my estate, I flatter myself I shall not be hi

34、ndered by those despotic dames, as you call them. Come, do not hesitate; only tender me what good advice you can, and trust me I will follow it. But perhaps, Socrates, you have already passed sentence on us we are rich enough already, and not in need of any further wealth?Soc. It is to myself rather

35、, if I may be included in your plural “we,” that I should apply the remark. I am not in need of any further wealth, if you like. I am rich enough already, to be sure. But you, Critobulus, I look upon as singularly poor, and at times, upon my soul, I feel a downright compassion for you.At this view o

36、f the case, Critobulus fell to laughing outright, retorting: And pray, Socrates, what in the name of fortune do you suppose our respective properties would fetch in the market, yours and mine?If I could find a good purchaser (he answered), I suppose the whole of my effects, including the house in wh

37、ich I live, might very fairly realise five minae23 (say twenty guineas). Yours, I am positively certain, would fetch at the lowest more than a hundred times that sum.Crit. And with this estimate of our respective fortunes, can you still maintain that you have no need of further wealth, but it is I w

38、ho am to be pitied for my poverty?Soc. Yes, for my property is amply sufficient to meet my wants, whereas you, considering the parade you are fenced about with, and the reputation you must needs live up to, would be barely well off, I take it, if what you have already were multiplied by three.Pray,

39、how may that be? Critobulus asked.Why, first and foremost (Socrates explained), I see you are called upon to offer many costly sacrifices, failing which, I take it, neither gods nor men would tolerate you; and, in the next place, you are bound to welcome numerous foreigners as guests, and to enterta

40、in them handsomely; thirdly, you must feast your fellow-citizens and ply them with all sorts of kindness, or else be cut adrift from your supporters.24 Furthermore, I perceive that even at present the state enjoins upon you various large contributions, such as the rearing of studs,25 the training of

41、 choruses, the superintendence of gymnastic schools, or consular duties,26 as patron of resident aliens, and so forth; while in the event of war you will, I am aware, have further obligations laid upon you in the shape of pay27 to carry on the triearchy, ship money, and war taxes28 so onerous, you w

42、ill find difficulty in supporting them. Remissness in respect of any of these charges will be visited upon you by the good citizens of Athens no less strictly than if they caught you stealing their own property. But worse than all, I see you fondling the notion that you are rich. Without a thought o

43、r care how to increase your revenue, your fancy lightly turns to thoughts of love,29 as if you had some special license to amuse yourselef. . . . That is why I pity and compassionate you, fearing lest some irremediable mischief overtake you, and you find yourself in desperate straits. As for me, if

44、I ever stood in need of anything, I am sure you know I have friends who would assist me. They would make some trifling contribution trifling to themselves, I mean and deluge my humble living with a flood of plenty. But your friends, albeit far better off than yourself, considering your respective st

45、yles of living, persist in looking to you for assistance.Then Critobulus: I cannot gainsay what you have spoken, Socrates, it is indeed high time that you were constituted my patronus, or I shall become in very truth a pitiable object.To which appeal Socrates made answer: Why, you yourself must sure

46、ly be astonished at the part you are now playing. Just now, when I said that I was rich, you laughed at me as if I had no idea what riches were, and you were not happy till you had cross-examined me and forced me to confess that I do not possess the hundredth part of what you have; and now you are i

47、mploring me to be your patron, and to stint no pains to save you from becoming absolutely and in very truth a pauper.30Crit. Yes, Socrates, for I see that you are skilled in one lucrative operation at all events the art of creating a surplus. I hope, therefore, that a man who can make so much out of

48、 so little will not have the slightest difficulty in creating an ample surplus out of an abundance.Soc. But do not you recollect how just now in the discussion you would hardly let me utter a syllable31 while you laid down the law: if a man did not know how to handle horses, horses were not wealth to him at any rate; nor land, nor sheep, nor money, nor anything else, if he did not know how to use them? And yet these are the very sources of revenue from which incomes are derived; and how do you expect me to know the use of any of them who never possessed a single one of the