"But what is there that I can do," my wife inquired, "which will help
to increase our joint estate?"

"Assuredly," I answered, "you may strive to do as well as possible
what Heaven has given you a natural gift for and which the law
approves."

"And what may these things be?" she asked.

"To my mind they are not the things of least importance," I replied,
"unless the things which the queen bee in her hive presides over are
of slight importance to the bee community; for the gods" (so
Ischomachus assured me, he continued), "the gods, my wife, would seem
to have exercised much care and judgment in compacting that twin
system which goes by the name of male and female, so as to secure the
greatest possible advantage[18] to the pair. Since no doubt the
underlying principle of the bond is first and foremost to perpetuate
through procreation the races of living creatures;[19] and next, as
the outcome of this bond, for human beings at any rate, a provision is
made by which they may have sons and daughters to support them in old
age.

[18] Reading {oti}, or if with Br. {eti . . . auto}, "with the further
intent it should prove of maximum advantage to itself."

[19] Cf. (Aristot.) "Oecon." i. 3.

"And again, the way of life of human beings, not being maintained like
that of cattle[20] in the open air, obviously demands roofed
homesteads. But if these same human beings are to have anything to