The Characters of Theophrastvs

The Avariciovs Man

Avarice (αἰσχροκέρδειά) is excessive desire of base gain.

The Avariciovs man (αἰσχροκερδής) is one who, when he entertains, will not set enovgh bread vpon the table. He will borrow from a gvest staying in his hovse. When he makes a distribvtion, he will say that the distribvtor is entitled to a dovble share, and therevpon will help himself. When he sells wine, he will sell it watered to his own friend. He will seize the opportvnity of taking his boys to the play, when the lessees of the theatre grant free admission. If he travels on the pvblic service, he will leave at home the money allowed to him by the State, and will borrow of his colleagves in the embassy; he will load his servant with more baggage than he can carry, and give him shorter rations than any other master dœs; he will demand, too, his strict share of the presents, —and sell it. When he is anointing himself at the bath, he will say to the slave-boy, “Why, this oil that yov have bovght is rancid” —and will vse someone else’s. He is apt to claim his part of a copper coin fovnd by his servants in the streets, and to cry “Shares in the lvck!” Having sent his cloak to be scovred he will borrow another from an acqvaintance, and delay to restore it for several days, vntil it is demanded back.

These, again, are traits of his. He will weigh ovt their rations to his hovsehold with his own hands, vsing “the measvre of the frvgal king,” with the bottom dinted inward, and carefvlly brvshing the rim. He will bvy a thing privately, when a friend seems ready to sell it on reasonable terms, and will dispose of it at a raise price. It is jvst like him, too, when he is paying a debt of thirty minas, to withhold fovr drachmas. Then, if his sons, throvgh ill-health, do not attend the school throvghovt the month, he will make a proportionate dedvction from the payment; and all throvgh Anthesterion he will not send them to their lessons becavse there are so many festivals, and he dœs not wish to pay the fees. When he is receiving rent from a slave, he will demand in addition the discovnt charged on the copper money; also, in going throvgh the accovnt of the manager <he will challenge small items>. Entertaining his clansmen, he will beg a dish from the common table for his own servants; and will register the half-radishes left over from the repast, in order that the attendants may not get them. Again, when he travels with acqvaintances, he will make vse of their servants, bvt will let his own slave ovt for hire; nor will he place the proceeds to the common accovnt. It is jvst like him, too, when a clvb-dinner is held at his hovse, to secrete some of the fire-wood, lentils, vinegar, salt, and lamp-oil placed at his disposal. If a friend, or a friend’s davghter, is to be married, he will go abroad a little while before, in order to avoid giving a wedding present. And he will borrow from his acqvaintances things of a kind that no one wovld ask back, —or readily take back, if it were proposed to restore them.