in their intentions; for all these are useful to those
who make a point of getting money, as in the contrivance
of Thales the Milesian (which was certainly a gainful
one, but as it was his it was attributed to his wisdom,
though the method he used was a general one, and would
universally succeed), when they reviled him for his
poverty, as if the study of philosophy was useless:
for they say that he, perceiving by his skill in astrology
that there would be great plenty of olives that year,
while it was yet winter, having got a little money,
he gave earnest for all the oil works that were in
Miletus and Chios, which he hired at a low price, there
being no one to bid against him; but when the season
came for making oil, many persons wanting them, he
all at once let them upon what terms he pleased; and
raising a large sum of money by that means, convinced
them that it was easy for philosophers to be rich if
they chose it, but that that was not what they aimed
at; in this manner is Thales said to have shown his
wisdom. It indeed is, as we have said, generally
gainful for a person to contrive to make a monopoly
of anything; for which reason some cities also take
this method when they want money, and monopolise their
commodities. There was a certain person in Sicily
who laid out a sum of money which was deposited in
his hand in buying up all the iron from the iron merchants;
so that when the dealers came from the markets to
purchase, there was no one had any to sell but himself;
and though he put no great advance upon it, yet by
laying out fifty talents he made an hundred. When
Dionysius heard this he permitted him to take his
money with him, but forbid him to continue any longer
in Sicily, as being one who contrived means for getting
money inconsistent with his affairs. This man’s
view and Thales’s was exactly the same; both
of them contrived to procure a monopoly for themselves:
it is useful also for politicians to understand these
things, for many states want to raise money and by
such means, as well as private families, nay more so;
for which reason some persons who are employed in
the management of public affairs confine themselves
to this province only.
There are then three parts of domestic government,
the masters, of which we have already treated, the
fathers, and the husbands; now the government of the
wife and children should both be that of free persons,
but not the [I259b] same; for the wife should be treated
as a citizen of a free state, the children should
be under kingly power; for the male is by nature superior
to the female, except when something happens contrary
to the usual course of nature, as is the elder and
perfect to the younger and imperfect. Now in the
generality of free states, the governors and the governed
alternately change place; for an equality without
any preference is what nature chooses; however, when
one governs and another is governed, she endeavours
