4P Li gç(' TRANSACTIONS

VOL. 47, PT. 5, 19571 ORESME'S VERSION AND ENGLISH TRANSLATION 809
opinion et aparance, Ia communication ne peut durer. Et
donques bien vivre est requis a cite.
T. Item, bien vivre est la cause pourquoi les gens
conviennent et conversent ensemble. Et la chose qui est
cause de cc que quciconques chose est et est laicte, celle
chose est substance de cc de quoi cite est cause.
G. Quant ii dit est la substance, cc est a dire qu'elIe est
neccessaire a cc quc tele chose soit, et dolt estre exprimee
en la diflInition de cue. Et donques bien vivre, qui est la
principal cause pourquoi Fen // (330a) communique civilemerit,
doit estre mis en la diffinition de cite. Apres ii
conclut queue ordre ont ces sciences.
T. Et pour cc appert qu'yconomique est premiere
devant )olitique et son cevre aussi; car irtaison est partie
de cite.
G. Et donques yconomique precede politique pource que
maison de quoi cite traicte est exprimee en la diffinition
de cite dont traicte politique. Et aussi pource que maison
est partie de cite et Ia partie precede Ic tout en ordre de
generation, combien que Ic tout soit devant sa partie en
ordre de perfection.
T. Et donques convient veoir et considerer de yconomie
et queue est Ic cevre dc elle.
2. On secont chap itre ii met en general les parties matericks
de niaison et traicte en especial de la partie appellee
I possession.
T. De maison est partie cc qu'a humain entendement
et aussi possession est partie de maison.
G, 11 entent par niaison communité domestiquc oveques
les appartenances.
T. Et comme ainsi soit que de chescune chose Ia nature
est trouvee par cognoissance en ses parties tres
petites, sernblablenient est ii de maison.
G. Car de chescune chose qui est composee la cognoissance
de ses parties la fait cognoistre et donques convient
ii cognoistre les parties de maison. Et pour cc ii dit apres:
T. Et de cc disoit tin appellé Esyodus qu'en maison
convient que le seigneur soit premierement et la femme
et Ic heuf qui are la terre. Et ceste chose, cc est assavoir
ic beuf, est premierement pour grace et affin d'avoir
nourrissement et l'autre chose, cc est la femme, est pour
grace des en- / (330b) fans.
G. Pour les concevoir et nourrir. Et si comme ii appert
ou premier chapitre (IC Politiques, Ic beuf qui are est es
povres gens en lieu (Ic ministre ou de serf. Et donques ces
.iii. parties sunt neccessaires a meson q UelcOfl(IUe, tttnt soit
petite ou povre, cc est assavoir Ic seigneur et sa femme et
qui les serve. Car la femme ne dolt pas estre serve, si
comme ii appert ou premier chapitre de Politiquc.r' Et 2
se aucune de ces iii. choses defailloit en on hostel cc ne
seroit pas maison complectement et proprenient scIon la
premiere institution naturele, nies seroit matson iniparfecte
ott dinilnute et conime chose mutilee et tronchie. Item,
pluseurs autres choses et parties stint neccessaires ou con-
either in fact or in their own opinion and estimation, their
life together cannot endure. Therefore, good living is necessary
to a city.
T. Moreover, good living is the purpose for which
people come together and live together. And that which
is the cause of the existence of something or causes
something to be (lone, this is the very essence of the
thing of which it is the cause.
G. When he says is the very essence, this means that it
is actually necessary in order that the thing may exist, and
it must he expressed in the definition of the thing. And
therefore, good living, which is the major cause why people
// (330a) live together in civil society, must be expressed
in the definition of a city. Afterwards he concludes
what is the sequential order of these fields of knowledge.
T. Therefore, it appears that economics precedes
politics and that its activities are prior in time, because
the household is a part of the city.
G. Thus economics precedes politics because the household
with which it is concerned is expressed in the definition
of a city, which is the concern of politics. And also
because a household is a part of a city and the part precedes
the whole in the process of generation, although the
whole supersedes its part in the process of perfection.
T. Therefore it is appropriate to consider the Subject
of economics and to investigate its operations.
2. In the second chapter he explains in general the material
elements of the household and discusses particularly
that part ca/led possessions.
T. The component elements of a household are: (1)
beings possessed of human understanding and (2)
goods and chattels.
G. By household he means the domestic community with
the appurtenances.
T. And since it is a rule that the nature of each thing
is disclosed by a knowledge of its smallest parts, just
so is it with respect to a household.
G. Because a knowledge of the constituent parts of any
complex thing provides a knowledge of the whole and thus
we need to know the component parts of a household.
Wherefore he goes on to say:
T. And on this subject, a man by the name of Hesiod
stated that a household requires first of all a master and
then the wife and the ox to plow the land. And the
last item, that is, the ox is primarily for the purpose of
producing food and the wife is to provide children. /
(330b) G. To give birth to them and to feed them.
And as it is pointed out in Politics I, 1 [ 12521) 11, quoting
Hesiod. Works and days. 4051, in it poor household, the ox
that does the ploughing takes the place of a worker or serf.
And thus these three items are essential to any household
whatsoever, regardless of its size or wealth—that is, the
master, the wife and someone to help them. For the wife
must not be a servant, as is shown in Politics I, 1 [12521)
1 1.
And if anyone of these three things is lacking, the
household would not be complete and perfect according to
natural law, but would be imperfect and a miniature, as it
were, a mutilated and truncated household. Several other