(11) (The timid, fawn-like creature.) See Lecky, "Hist. of Eur.
Morals," ii. 305. For the metaphor cf. Dem. "Olynth." iii. 37. 9.
(12) Lit. "woman." Cf. N. T. {gunai}, St. John ii. 4; xix. 26.
(13) Or, "our interests will centre in them; it will be a blessing we
share in common to train them that they shall fight our battles,
and..."
(14) Cf. "Mem." II. ii. 13. Holden cf. Soph. "Ajax." 567; Eur.
"Suppl." 918.
(15) Or reading {epenegke} with Cobet, "brought with you in the way of
dowry."
(16) Or, "to the joint estate."
Thus I addressed her, Socrates, and thus my wife made answer: "But how can I assist you? what is my ability? Nay, everything depends on you. My business, my mother told me, was to be sober-minded!" (17)
(17) "Modest and temperate," and (below) "temperance."
"Most true, my wife," I replied, "and that is what my father said to me. But what is the proof of sober-mindedness in man or woman? Is it not so to behave that what they have of good may ever be at its best, and that new treasures from the same source of beauty and righteousness may be most amply added?"
"But what is there that I can do," my wife inquired, "which will help to increase our joint estate?"
"Assuredly," I answered, "you may strive to do as well as possible what Heaven has given you a natural gift for and which the law approves."
"And what may these things be?" she asked.
"To my mind they are not the things of least importance," I replied, "unless the things which the queen bee in her hive presides over are of slight importance to the bee community; for the gods" (so Ischomachus assured me, he continued), "the gods, my wife, would seem to have exercised much care and judgment in compacting that twin system which goes by the name of male and female, so as to secure the greatest possible advantage (18) to the pair. Since no doubt the underlying principle of the bond is first and foremost to perpetuate through procreation the races of living creatures; (19) and next, as the outcome of this bond, for human beings at any rate, a provision is made by which they may have sons and daughters to support them in old age.
(18) Reading {oti}, or if with Br. {eti... auto}, "with the further
intent it should prove of maximum advantage to itself."
(19) Cf. (Aristot.) "Oecon." i. 3.
"And again, the way of life of human beings, not being maintained like that of cattle (20) in the open air, obviously demands roofed homesteads. But if these same human beings are to have anything to bring in under cover, some one to carry out these labours of the field under high heaven (21) must be found them, since such operations as the breaking up of fallow with the plough, the sowing of seed, the planting of trees, the pasturing and herding of flocks, are one and all open-air employments on which the supply of products necessary to life depends.