ndest
education, and that I take to be the most important matter in the
bringing-up of man or woman.

[6] See Aristot. "Pol." vii. 16. 1335(a). See Newman, op. cit. i. 170
foll.

[7] Or, "surveillance." See "Pol. Lac." i. 3.

[8] Reading {eroito}; or if with Sauppe after Cobet, {eroin}, transl.
"talk as little as possible."

[9] Al. "in reference to culinary matters." See Mahaffy, "Social Life
in Greece," p. 276.

Then all else (said I) you taught your wife yourself, Ischomachus, until
you had made her capable of attending carefully to her appointed duties?

That did I not (replied he) until I had offered sacrifice, and prayed
that I might teach and she might learn all that could conduce to the
happiness of us twain.

Soc. And did your wife join in sacrifice and prayer to that effect?

Isch. Most certainly, with many a vow registered to heaven to become
all she ought to be; and her whole manner showed that she would not be
neglectful of what was taught her. [10]

[10] Or, "giving plain proof that, if the teaching failed, it should
not be from want of due attention on her part." See "Hellenica
Essays," "Xenophon," p. 356 foll.

Soc. Pray narrate to me, Ischomachus, I beg of you, what you first
essayed to teach her. To hear that story would please me more than any
description of the most splendid gymnastic contest or horse-race you
could give me.

Why, Socrates (he answered), when after a time she had become accustomed
to my hand, that is, was tamed [11] sufficiently to play her part in
a discussion, I put to her this question: "Did it ever strike you to
consider, dear wife, [12] what led me to choose you as my wife among
all women, and your parents to entrust you to me of all men? It was
certainly not from any difficulty that might beset either of us to find
another bedfellow. That I am sure is evident to you. No! it was with
deliberate intent to discover, I for myself and your parents in behalf
of you, the best partner of house and children we could find, that I
sought you out, and your parents, acting to the best of their ability,
made choice of me. If at some future time God grant us to have children
born to us, we will take counsel together how best to bring them up, for
that too will be a common interest, [13] and a common blessing if haply
they shall live to fight our battles and we find in them hereafter
support and succour when ourselves are old. [14] But at present there is