Agricola, Georgius, De re metallica, 1912/1950

Page concordance

< >
Scan Original
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
< >
page |< < of 679 > >|
    <archimedes>
      <text>
        <body>
          <chap>
            <p type="main">
              <s>
                <pb pagenum="26"/>
              where he may always be in sight of the workmen and always take care that
                <lb/>
              none neglect their duties, or else he should live in the neighbourhood, so
                <lb/>
              that he may frequently inspect his mining works. </s>
              <s>Then he may send word
                <lb/>
              by a messenger to the workmen that he is coming more frequently than
                <lb/>
              he really intends to come, and so either by his arrival or by the intimation
                <lb/>
              of it, he so frightens the workmen that none of them perform their duties
                <lb/>
              otherwise than diligently. </s>
              <s>When he inspects the mines he should praise the
                <lb/>
              diligent workmen and occasionally give them rewards, that they and the
                <lb/>
              others may become more zealous in their duties; on the other hand, he
                <lb/>
              should rebuke the idle and discharge some of them from the mines and
                <lb/>
              substitute industrious men in their places. </s>
              <s>Indeed, the owner should
                <lb/>
              frequently remain for days and nights in the mine, which, in truth, is no
                <lb/>
              habitation for the idle and luxurious; it is important that the owner who
                <lb/>
              is diligent in increasing his wealth, should frequently himself descend into
                <lb/>
              the mine, and devote some time to the study of the nature of the veins and
                <lb/>
              stringers, and should observe and consider all the methods of working, both
                <lb/>
              inside and outside the mine. </s>
              <s>Nor is this all he ought to do, for sometimes
                <lb/>
              he should undertake actual labour, not thereby demeaning himself, but in
                <lb/>
              order to encourage his workmen by his own diligence, and to teach
                <lb/>
              them their art; for that mine is well conducted in which not only the
                <lb/>
              foreman, but also the owner himself, gives instruction as to what ought to
                <lb/>
              be done. </s>
              <s>A certain barbarian, according to Xenophon, rightly remarked
                <lb/>
              to the King of Persia that “the eye of the master feeds the horse,”
                <emph type="sup"/>
              2
                <emph.end type="sup"/>
              for the
                <lb/>
              master's watchfulness in all things is of the utmost importance.</s>
            </p>
            <p type="main">
              <s>When several share together the expenditure on a mine, it is convenient
                <lb/>
              and useful to elect from amongst their own number a mine captain, and
                <lb/>
              also a foreman. </s>
              <s>For, since men often look after their own interests but
                <lb/>
              neglect those of others, they cannot in this case take care of their own without
                <lb/>
              at the same time looking after the interests of the others, neither can they
                <lb/>
              neglect the interests of the others without neglecting their own. </s>
              <s>But if
                <lb/>
              no man amongst them be willing or able to undertake and sustain the bur­
                <lb/>
              dens of these offices, it will be to the common interest to place them in the
                <lb/>
              hands of most diligent men. </s>
              <s>Formerly indeed, these things were looked
                <lb/>
              after by the mining prefect
                <emph type="sup"/>
              3
                <emph.end type="sup"/>
              , because the owners were kings, as Priam, who
                <lb/>
              owned the gold mines round Abydos, or as Midas, who was the owner of
                <lb/>
              those situated in Mount Bermius, or as Gyges, or as Alyattes, or as Croesus,
                <lb/>
              who was the owner of those mines near a deserted town between Atarnea
                <lb/>
              and Pergamum
                <emph type="sup"/>
              4
                <emph.end type="sup"/>
              ; sometimes the mines belonged to a Republic, as, for
                <lb/>
                <lb/>
              </s>
            </p>
          </chap>
        </body>
      </text>
    </archimedes>
Impressum