第 3 节
作者:卖吻      更新:2024-04-09 19:51      字数:9322
  contributor of five minae'19' will on the same principle get more than a
  third;'20' while the majority of Athenians will get more than cent per cent
  on their contribution。 That is to say; a subscription of one mina'21' will
  put the subscriber in possession of nearly double that sum;'22' and that;
  moreover;   without   setting   foot   outside   Athens;   which;   as   far   as   human
  affairs go; is as sound and durable a security as possible。
  '15' 〃A good substantial property。〃
  '16'   Or;   〃on   the   other   hand;   I   affirm   that   the   outlay   necessary   to
  form     the   capital   for  my    present    project    will  be   more    remunerative
  than any other that can be named。〃 As to the scheme itself see                       Grote;
  〃Plato;〃 III。 ch。 xxxix。; Boeckh; op。 cit。 (pp。 4; 37; 136;                 600 seq。 Eng。
  tr。)   Cf。   Demosth。   〃de   Sym。〃   for   another   scheme;   354          B。C。;   which
  shows      the  〃sound    administrative      and   practical         judgment〃       of  the
  youthful orator as compared with 〃the benevolent                      dreams and ample
  public largess in which Xenophon here indulges。〃                      Grote; op。 cit。 p。
  601。
  '17' L40:12:4 = 1000 drachmae。
  '18'   I。e。   exactly   18   or   nearly   20   per   cent。   The   following   table   will
  make the arithmetic clear:
  6   ob。   =   1  drachma                      10    minae    =   6000    ob。
  100 dr。 = 1 mina                                         = 1000 dr。              600 ob。 =
  1 mina        1000 dr。:180 dr。::100:18 therefore nearly 1/5                  3 ob。 (a day)
  x     360     =    1080     ob。    p。a。                  =     nearly     20     per    cent。
  =    180 dr。 p。a。
  As   to   the   3   obols   a   day   (=   180   dr。   p。a。)   which   as   an Athenian
  citizen he is entitled to; see Grote; op。 cit。 p。 597: 〃There will                     be a
  regular distribution among all   citizens; per head and                    equally。 Three
  oboli; or half a drachma; will be allotted daily to                   each; to poor and
  10
  … Page 11…
  On Revenues
  rich alike〃 'on the principle of the Theorikon'。                     〃For the poor citizens
  this will provide a comfortable                 subsistence; without any contribution
  on their part; the poverty               now prevailing will thus be alleviated。 The
  rich;   like   the   poor;       receive   the   daily   triobolon   as   a   free   gift;   but   if
  they compute it              as interest for their investments; they will find that
  the rate of          interest is full and satisfactory; like the rate on bottomry。〃
  11
  … Page 12…
  On Revenues
  Zurborg;   〃Comm。〃   p。   25;   Boeckh;
  op。 cit。 IV。 xxi。 (p。 606; Eng。                                                   tr。);
  and Grote's note; op。 cit。 p。 598。
  '19' = L20:6:3 = 500 drachmae。
  '20' = I。e。 36 per cent。
  '21' = L4:1:3 = 100 drachmae。
  '22' I。e。 180 per cent。
  Moreover; I am of opinion that if the names of contributors were to be
  inscribed as benefactors for all time; many foreigners would be induced to
  contribute; and possibly not a few states; in their desire to obtain the right
  of   inscription;   indeed   I   anticipate   that   some   kings;'23'   tyrants;'24'   and
  satraps will display a keen desire to share in such a favour。
  '23' Zurborg suggests (p。 5)   〃Philip or Cersobleptes。〃 Cf。 Isocr。  〃On
  the Peace;〃 S。 23。
  '24' I。e。 despotic monarchs。
  To come to the point。 Were such a capital once furnished; it would be a
  magnificent plan to build lodging…houses for the benefit of shipmasters in
  the neighbourhood of the harbours; in addition to those which exist; and
  again; on the same principle; suitable places of meeting for merchants; for
  the purposes'25' of buying and selling; and thirdly; public lodging…houses
  for persons visiting the city。 Again; supposing dwelling…houses and stores
  for vending goods were fitted up for retail dealers in Piraeus and the city;
  they   would   at   once   be   an   ornament   to   the   state   and   a   fertile   source   of
  revenue。 Also it seems to me it would be a good thing to try and see if; on
  the   principle   on   which   at   present   the   state   possesses   public   warships;   it
  would not be possible to secure public merchant vessels; to be let out on
  the security of guarantors just like any other public property。 If the plan
  were found feasible this public merchant navy would be a large source of
  extra revenue。
  '25' Reading; with Zurborg; {epi one te}。
  12
  … Page 13…
  On Revenues
  IV
  I  come   to   a  new   topic。  I  am  persuaded   that   the  establishment   of   the
  silver mines on a proper footing'1' would be followed by a large increase
  in wealth apart from the other sources of revenue。 And I would like; for
  the benefit of those who may be ignorant; to point out what the capacity of
  these mines really is。 You will then be in a position to decide how to turn
  them to better account。 It is clear; I presume; to every one that these mines
  have for a very long time been in active operation; at any rate no one will
  venture to fix the date at which they first began to be worked。'2' Now in
  spite of the fact that the silver ore has been dug and carried out for so long
  a time; I would ask you to note that the mounds of rubbish so shovelled
  out are but a fractional portion of the series of hillocks containing veins of
  silver;   and   as   yet   unquarried。   Nor   is   the   silver…bearing   region   gradually
  becoming       circumscribed。      On   the  contrary    it  is  evidently   extending     in
  wider   area   from  year   to   year。 That   is to say;  during the   period in   which
  thousands   of   workers'3'   have   been   employed   within   the   mines   no   hand
  was ever stopped for want of work to do。 Rather; at any given moment; the
  work to be done was more than enough for the hands employed。 And so it
  is to…day with the owners of slaves working in the mines; no one dreams
  of   reducing     the  number     of   his  hands。    On   the   contrary;   the   object   is
  perpetually to acquire as many additional hands as the owner possibly can。
  The fact is that with few hands to dig and search; the find of treasure will
  be small; but with an increase in labour the discovery of the ore itself is
  more than proportionally increased。 So much so; that of all operations with
  which I am acquainted; this is the only one in which no sort of jealousy is
  felt at   a further development of the industry。'4'  I   may  go a   step   farther;
  every proprietor of a farm will be able to tell you exactly how many yoke
  of oxen are sufficient for the estate; and how many farm hands。 To send
  into   the   field   more   than   the   exact   number   requisite   every   farmer   would
  consider   a   dead   loss。'5'   But   in   silver   mining   'operations'   the   universal
  complaint is the want of hands。 Indeed there is no analogy between this
  and   other   industries。   With   an   increase   in   the   number   of   bronze…workers
  articles   of   bronze   may   become   so   cheap   that   the   bronze…worker   has   to
  13
  … Page 14…
  On Revenues
  retire   from   the    field。   And   so   again   with    ironfounders。      Or   again;   in  a
  plethoric condition of the corn and wine market these fruits of the soil will
  be   so   depreciated   in   value   that   the   particular   husbandries   cease   to   be
  remunerative; and many a farmer will give up his tillage of the soil and
  betake   himself      to   the  business   of    a  merchant;     or   of  a  shopkeeper;      to
  banking or money…lending。 But the converse is the case in the working of
  silver; there the larger the quantity of ore discovered and the greater the
  amount   of   silver   extracted;   the   greater   the   number   of   persons   ready   to
  engage in the operation。 One more illustration: take the case of movable
  property。 No one when he has got sufficient furniture for his house dreams
  of   making   further   purchases   on   this   head;   but   of   silver   no   one   ever   yet
  possessed so much that he was forced to cry 〃enough。〃 On the contrary; if
  ever anybody does become possessed of an immoderate amount he finds
  as much pleasure in digging a hole in the ground and hoard