off ill-humours," as we should say.

Why then (Ischomachus replied), my habit is to rise from bed betimes,
when I may still expect to find at home this, that, or the other friend,
whom I may wish to see. Then, if anything has to be done in town, I set
off to transact the business and make that my walk; [12] or, if there is
no business to do in town, my serving-boy leads my horse to the farm;
I follow, and so make the country-road my walk, which suits my purpose
quite as well, or better, Socrates, perhaps, than pacing up and down the
colonnade. [13] Then when I have reached the farm, where mayhap some of
my men are planting trees, or breaking fallow, sowing or getting in the
crops, I inspect their various labours with an eye to every detail,
and, whenever I can improve upon the present system, I introduce reform.
After this, as a rule, I mount my horse and take a canter. I put
him through his paces, suiting these, as far as possible, to those
inevitable in war [14]--in other words, I avoid neither steep slope [15]
nor sheer incline, neither trench nor runnel, only giving my utmost heed
the while so as not to lame my horse while exercising him. When that
is over, the boy gives the horse a roll, [16] and leads him homewards,
taking at the same time from the country to town whatever we may chance
to need. Meanwhile I am off for home, partly walking, partly running,
and having reached home I take a bath and give myself a rub; [17] and
then I breakfast--a repast which leaves me neither empty nor replete,
[18] and will suffice to last me through the day.

[12] See "Mem." III. xiii. 5.

[13] {xusto}--the xystus, "a covered corridor in the gymnasium where
the athletes exercised in winter." Vitruv. v. 11. 4; vi. 7. 5. See
Rich, "Companion," s.n.; Becker, op. cit. p. 309. Cf. Plat.
"Phaedr." 227--Phaedrus loq.: "I have come from Lysias the son of
Cephalus, and I am going to take a walk outside the wall, for I
have been sitting with him the whole morning; and our common
friend Acumenus advises me to walk in the country, which he says
is more invigorating than to walk in the courts."--Jowett.

[14] See "Horsemanship," iii. 7 foll.; ib. viii.; "Hipparch," i. 18.

[15] "Slanting hillside."

[16] See "Horsemanship," v. 3; Aristoph. "Clouds," 32.

[17] Lit. "scrape myself clean" (with the {stleggis} or strigil). Cf.
Aristoph. "Knights," 580. See Becker, op. cit. p. 150.

[18] See "Lac. Pol.