Agricola, Georgius, De re metallica, 1912/1950

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