Agricola, Georgius, De re metallica, 1912/1950

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              homicides, warfare, brothers are maddened against brothers, a
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              children against parents.”</s>
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              <s>This from Naumachius also pleases them:</s>
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              <s>“Gold and silver are but dust, like the stones that lie scattered
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              the pebbly beach, or on the margins of the rivers.”</s>
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              <s>On the other hand, they censure these verses of Euripides:</s>
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              <s>“Plutus is the god for wise men: all else is mere folly and at t
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              same time a deception in words.”</s>
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              <s>So in like manner these lines from Theognis:</s>
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              <s>“O Plutus, thou most beautiful and placid god! whilst I have th
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              however bad I am, I can be regarded as good.”</s>
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              <s>They also blame Aristodemus, the Spartan, for these words:</s>
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              <s>“Money makes the man; no one who is poor is either good
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              honoured.”</s>
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              <s>And they rebuke these songs of Timocles:</s>
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              <s>“Money is the life and soul of mortal men. </s>
              <s>He who has n
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              heaped up riches for himself wanders like a dead man amongst t
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              living.”</s>
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              <s>Finally, they blame Menander when he wrote:</s>
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              <s>“Epicharmus asserts that the gods are water, wind, fire, earth, su
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              and stars. </s>
              <s>But I am of opinion that the gods of any use to us are silv
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              and gold; for if thou wilt set these up in thy house thou mayest se
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              whatever thou wilt. </s>
              <s>All things will fall to thy lot; land, houses, slav
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              silver-work; moreover friends, judges, and witnesses. </s>
              <s>Only give free
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              for thus thou hast the gods to serve thee.”</s>
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              <s>But besides this, the strongest argument of the detractors is that t
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              fields are devastated by mining operations, for which reason forme
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              Italians were warned by law that no one should dig the earth for metals a
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              so injure their very fertile fields, their vineyards, and their olive grov
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              Also they argue that the woods and groves are cut down, for there is need
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              an endless amount of wood for timbers, machines, and the smelting of meta
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              And when the woods and groves are felled, then are exterminated the bea
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              and birds, very many of which furnish a pleasant and agreeable food for ma
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              Further, when the ores are washed, the water which has been used pois
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              the brooks and streams, and either destroys the fish or drives them awa
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              Therefore the inhabitants of these regions, on account of the devastation
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              their fields, woods, groves, brooks and rivers, find great difficulty in procur
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              the necessaries of life, and by reason of the destruction of the timber th
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              are forced to greater expense in erecting buildings. </s>
              <s>Thus it is said, it
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              clear to all that there is greater detriment from mining than the value
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              the metals which the mining produces.</s>
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              <s>So in fierce contention they clamour, showing by such examples
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              follow that every great man has been content with virtue, and despis
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              metals. </s>
              <s>They praise Bias because he esteemed the metals mer
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              as fortune's playthings, not as his real wealth. </s>
              <s>When his enemies h
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              captured his native Priene, and his fellow-citizens laden with precious thin
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              </s>
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