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This reading comes from the Cave’s

The Best of Hesiod’s Theogony & Works and Days

(where it appears as chapter twelve of the Works and Days).

__________

LEAD A WIFE TO YOUR house when the time is right. Neither too many years before thirty nor too many years after—this is the marriage season for you.

May the woman be four years past puberty. Marry her in the fifth year. Mary a young girl, a virgin, so that you can teach her diligent habits. [700] Most of all, marry a woman who lives near you. Look into all the details first so that your marriage will not be a joke to your neighbors. A man wins nothing better than a good wife and nothing more horrible than a bad one—a greedy parasite who roasts her man without fire, even though he is strong, and brings him to premature old age.

Be careful to watch out for the vengeful eye of the blessed gods.

Do not make a friend equal to a brother. If you do, then do not wrong him first, cheating him with lies while speaking kindly. But if he says something contrary to your desire, or if he does something, then don’t forget to pay him back double. Even so, if he is led once again to friendship and is willing to hand over the customary penalty, then receive him. The man is worthless who keeps making new friends. How you appear should be consistent with how you think.

Do not be known for having too many strangers come through your house or none at all. Be neither the companion of worthless men, nor be the one who wrangles with noble men.

Never venture to reproach a man for destructive, spirit-wasting poverty, the gift of the blessed ones who always are.

The best treasure human beings can have is a tongue [720] that is used sparingly. The tongue’s greatest boon is to move according to measure. But if you say what is wrong, then you will quickly hear a bigger wrong about yourself.

Do not be ill-mannered at a feast where there are many guest-friends. The boon is the greatest and the cost is the least when the feast is shared by all.

So ends Reading 12, “Relations with Others – Wife, Friends & Brothers.” See you in Reading 13, “Dealing with the Gods – and Other Matters of Grave Concern.”