BOOK I.

19

alone she uses her beauty aright, but if she lives wantonly and is a victimof passion, she misuses her beauty. In like manner, a youth who devoteshimself to learning and cultivates the liberal arts, uses his genius rightly.But he who dissembles, lies, cheats, and deceives by fraud and dishonesty,misuses his abilities. Now, the man who, because they are abused, denies thatwine, strength, beauty, or genius are good things, is unjust and blasphemoustowards the Most High God, Creator of the World ; so he who would removemetals from the class of blessings also acts unjustly and blasphemouslyagainst Him. Very true, therefore, are the words which certain Greekpoets have written, as Pindar :

“ Money glistens, adorned with virtue ; it supplies the means bywhich thou mayest act well in whatever circumstances fate mayhave in store for thee .” 26And Sappho:

“ Without the love of virtue gold is a dangerous and harmful guest,but when it is associated with virtue, it becomes the source and heightof good.”

And Callimachus:

“ Riches do not make men great without virtue ; neither do virtuesthemselves make men great without some wealth.”

And Antiphanes :

“ Now, by the “gods, why is it necessary for a man to grow rich ?Why does he desire to possess much money unless that he may, asmuch as possible, help his friends, and sow the seeds of a harvest ofgratitude, sweetest of the goddesses .” 27

Having thus refuted the arguments and contentions of adversaries,let us sum up the advantages of the metals. In the, first place, they areuseful to the physician, for they furnish liberally the ingredients for medi-cines, by which wounds and ulcers are cured, and even plagues ; so thatcertainly if there were no other reasons why we should explore the depths ofthe earth, we should for the sake of medicine alone dig in the mines. Again,the metals are of use to painters, because they yield certain pigments which,when united with the painter’s slip, are injured less than others by the moisturefrom without. Further, mining is useful to the architects, for thus is foundmarble, which is suitable not only for strengthening large buildings, butalso for decoration. It is, moreover, helpful to those whose ambition urgesthem toward immortal glory, because it yields metals from which are madecoins, statues, and other monuments, which, next to literary records, give menm a sense immortality. The metals are useful to merchants with very great cause,for, as I have stated elsewhere, the use of money which is made from metals ismuch more convenient to mankind than the old system of exchange of commodi-ties. In short, to whom are the metals not of use ? In very truth, even the worksof art, elegant, embellished, elaborate, useful, are fashioned in various shapes bythe artist from the metals gold, silver, brass, lead, and iron. How few artists

27A ln * da u 0 l y m P■ “•> 58-60.

7 Antiphanes, 4.