by Lieutenant General (Ret.) K. H. Konstantinidis
My late and dear friend Apostolos Gonidellis, a prolific author and a distinguished son of Lesbos, whose works include numerous studies of ancient writers, dedicated to me, among his many fine books, his volume “Theophrastus’ Characters of Melantus of Eresus.”
Today, as I was absent-mindedly looking through my library, I came across it and, among the various human failings, my attention was drawn to avarice. It is a trait that can be found even among wealthy people.
Of course, in my generation—the generation of the 1940s, marked by war and Occupation—frugality was a means of survival, because we never had enough money in our pockets. But even when we eventually acquired some money, we lived with the fear and insecurity that we might lose it all again.
According to Theophrastus, avarice is the lack of generosity in avoiding an expense.
The miser is the kind of man who, if he wins a prize in the tragic contests, dedicates to Dionysus a wooden plaque bearing only his own name.
When an extraordinary contribution is being collected for the city, he leaves the assembly without saying a word.
When he marries off his daughter, he sells the meat from the sacrifice that does not belong to the priests, while the slaves he needs he hires without providing them with food.
If he becomes a trierarch, he puts the captain’s mattresses on the deck, while keeping his own safely stored away.
He is capable of not sending his children to a teacher during the festival of the Muses and claiming that they are ill, simply to avoid paying part of the expenses of the celebration.
When he goes shopping at the market, he carries the meat and vegetables home himself, in his arms.
And when he sends his clothes to be washed, he stays inside the house.
If one of his friends is collecting money for some cause and has already spoken to him about it, as soon as he sees the friend approaching, he changes direction and goes home, first taking a long detour to avoid him.
And although his wife has brought a substantial dowry, he does not hire her a maid. Yet when she comes out of the women’s market laden with goods, he hires a little girl to accompany her.
He wears shoes that are worn almost beyond recognition and claims that, in terms of durability, they are no different from “horn.”
When he gets up in the morning, he cleans the house and the beds of bedbugs himself. And when he sits down, he turns his woollen garment inside out so that it will not wear out.
Commentary
1. Theophrastus calls the refusal to spend illiberality. Aristotle likewise regards the failure to give and the excess of taking as illiberality (Nicomachean Ethics, 1121b): “For misers are illiberal.”
2. Normally, the winner of the dramatic contests at the Dionysia, together with the choregoi and the officials of the tribe, dedicated a bronze tripod bearing all their names. The miser, however, dedicated a wooden tablet.
3. The “epidoseis” were voluntary extraordinary contributions made to meet various needs of the city, and they took their name from the particular public service involved: for example, choregia for the support of the chorus and music, gymnasiarchia for athletics, arrhephoria for the Panathenaia, theorika for the theatre, and trierarchia for the equipment of a trireme, among others.
4. After the sacrifice, once the priests had received their share, the remainder was consumed at a communal feast.
5. The Mouseia were a festival in honour of the Muses. According to the author Apostolos Gonidellis, it was a school celebration, comparable to the modern Feast of the Three Hierarchs.
6. From the time of Solon, efforts had been made to reduce the size of dowries, in order to facilitate the marriage of poor girls. A dowry was to consist of three garments and three containers or small chests containing items of modest value. If a man married a wealthy woman, he was expected to provide her with corresponding comfort and status—for example, a maid to accompany her in public places, at the market, on private visits, and so forth.
7. As someone who is almost a centenarian, I advise those who have means—whether miserly or not—if they cannot leave behind intellectual or spiritual works, to make some donation for a public or charitable purpose. This will bring them longevity and well-being.
Lieutenant General (Ret.) Konstantinos Konstantinidis
Author – Member of the Society of Greek Literary Writers
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