Strauss on Xenophon's Socrates Xenophon's Socratic Discourse: An ...

STRAUSS ON XENOPHON
quite badly (cf. 131 with 157-158). Even if she did not, "what
Xenophon's Socrates reports about Ischomachos and his wife," i.e.,
what Ischomahos was led by Socrates to tell him on this subject, "is
perfectly compatible" with such a result (158). And Socrates'
awareness of this fact, even at the time of their conversation, is
shown by his frequent questions to Ischomachos regarding his wife's
reactions to his instructions. Now, if Ischomachos's deficiencies as
an educator were merely private or particular failings on his part,
having nothing to do with his being the model of a perfect
gentleman, they would not have merited the attention given to them
by Socrates, Xenophon and <strong>Strauss</strong>.
In the context of the Oeconomicus, perhaps the most striking
manifestation of Ischomachos's gentlemanliness is his being interested
in increasing his wealth by noble and just means alone
(134). Shortly after he has made this clear, he urges his wife "to do as
well as she can what the gods have enabled her to do by bringing her
forth, and what in addition the law praises" (134-135). According to
<strong>Strauss</strong>, "It is not surprising that immediately after the limitation of
the increase of wealth to its noble and just increase, the law should
make its first appearance in the Oeconomicus" (135). In expecting
such an appearance, <strong>Strauss</strong> does not have in mind the law's undoubted
concern to regulate or limit the pursuit of gain. (See the
passage referred to on 135 n.12). The law which Ischomachos refers
to is that which "puts the stamp of the noble" on certain actions
(137). It is not "merely the law laid down by the Athenian
legislator" but " an unwritten law, traces of which are found in a
variety of codes" (135). It is the law which establishes what is noble
and base in the sense that the gentleman recognizes nobility and
baseness; it is thus a comprehensive code which regulates the life of
the gentleman and forms his outlook. (One can say that what is in
question here is the noble or base by law, the conventionally noble
and base, so long as one keeps in mind that Ischomachos is far from
looking at law with the critical eye of a pre-Socratic philosopher.
The nobility in question is compatible with-whether or not its
demands can be reduced to-the requirements of life as a free man,
citizen of a free commonwealth 131, 161.) Among other things, it
forms his outlook on marriage, the proper relation between man and
wife and the proper role of the wife. It prescribes, for example, that
marriage has more to do with the mutual management of a
household (its noble and just increase) and of children than with eros
or "sleeping together" (133-134; 137; cf. 155). But a doubt may arise
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