| The first excerpt represents the past or something you must release, and is drawn from On Revenues by Xenophon: "For the poor citizens this will provide a comfortable
subsistence, without any contribution on their part; the poverty
now prevailing will thus be alleviated. The rich, like the poor,
receive the daily triobolon as a free gift; but if they compute it
as interest for their investments, they will find that the rate of
interest is full and satisfactory, like the rate on bottomry."
Zurborg, "Comm." p. 25; Boeckh, op. cit. IV. xxi. (p. 606, Eng.
tr.); and Grote's note, op. cit. p. 598.
[19] = L20:6:3 = 500 drachmae.
[20] = I.e. 36 per cent.
[21] = L4:1:3 = 100 drachmae.
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The second excerpt represents the present or the deciding factor of the moment, and is drawn from Misalliance by George Bernard Shaw: that money is my own: not one of those transactions has the smallest
interest for me or anyone else in the world but him; and even he
couldnt stand it if he had to do it all himself. And I'm envied:
aye, envied for the variety and liveliness of my job, by the poor
devil of a bookkeeper that has to copy all my entries over again.
Fifty thousand entries a year that poor wretch makes; and not ten out
of the fifty thousand ever has to be referred to again; and when all
the figures are counted up and the balance sheet made out, the boss
isnt a penny the richer than he'd be if bookkeeping had never been
invented. Of all the damnable waste of human life that ever was
invented, clerking is the very worst.
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The third excerpt represents the future or something you must embrace, and is drawn from Trooper Peter Halket of Mashonaland by Olive Schreiner: Besides," said Peter, bending over and talking in the manner of one who
imparts secret and important information; "you see, if we don't help the
Armenians the Russians would; and we," said Peter, looking exceedingly
knowing, "we've got to prevent that: they'd get the land; and it's on the
road to India. And we don't mean them to. I suppose you don't know much
about politics in Palestine?" said Peter, looking kindly and patronisingly
at the stranger.
"If these men," said the stranger, "would rather be free, or be under the
British Government, than under the Chartered Company, why, when they resist
the Chartered Company, are they more rebels than the Armenians when they
resist the Turk? Is the Chartered Company God, that every knee should bow
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