The Roman Guide to Slave Management by Jerry Toner Page B

outsiders bought for money.
    Occasionally, however, I do have to refuse to allow the formation of a lasting relationship. This is usually because I consider the union to be between slaves with negativecharacteristics or between malcontents who would only use the relationship as an opportunity to foment even greater unrest. In this case, I sell one of the pair to prevent anything going on behind my back. Thankfully, this is rare and perhaps a third of all my slaves are married in the non-legal sense, although if they ever become free their marriages will be recognised in law.
    More casual sexual relations are difficult to regulate. There are usually insufficient women to go round in my country estates and so they need to be shared out. I divide off the slave women’s quarters from the men’s quarters by means of a bolted door, so that nothing untoward can go on. This ensures that the slaves do not have children without my approval. Frequent sexual activity weakens the males for their daily work, which in the farm is vigorous and physical. So what I do is occasionally allow the male slaves access to the women’s quarters, not so rarely as to cause discontent and not so frequently as to cause a decline in productivity.
    Generally I prefer to manage my slaves’ relationships and assign a longer-term partner to them. This enables me to select pairings that will, in my opinion, work well both practically and in the issue of child-rearing. It is an advantage for all to have children. I grant any slave woman of mine who has given birth to three live sons exemption from work. To a woman who has produced more than three male heirs I give her her freedom. Strangely, the moral of the Aesop fable of the dove and the crow states that ‘the most pitiful slaves are those who beget children in servitude’. I presume this is because they fear that their children will be sold off and the family brokenup as a result. This is something I rarely do except in cases of ill discipline.
    Breeding slaves is a useful and profitable exercise but you should bear in mind that it does involve capital outlay and is time-consuming. It is simple enough when dealing with farm slaves. Since they stay on the farm all day all that is required is for a female to be assigned to them. It is more complicated when it comes to shepherds who tend the flocks in the mountain valleys and woodlands. They shelter in makeshift huts and lead a rugged existence. It is therefore advisable to send women along with them for company and to prepare them food, but make sure that they are strong and capable of surviving in such a harsh environment. They often seem to do just as good a job as the menfolk, tending to the herd, fetching firewood, or managing their huts. When it comes to feeding their offspring, I merely remark that they suckle them while they work, carrying logs and babies at the breast at the same time. It just goes to show how soft and contemptible new mothers are today, who lie about for days under mosquito nets to recuperate.
    The head-slave – or bailiff or overseer, as you might also call them – should be treated with more generosity when it comes to women as a reward and incentive for their loyalty. He should be given a woman companion not only to keep him company but, as we have seen, as a help to him in the execution of his important tasks. The overseer should be warned not to become intimate with a member of the household without your say-so, and much less with an outsider, since you will want to ensure that his partner is capable of performing this importantrole. I like to invite my bailiffs to dine with me to discuss possible partners, as a way of making them feel included in such an important decision for all of us.
    When selecting such a woman, who will in effect be the farm’s manageress, you should consider the woman who has shown the greatest moderation when it comes to food, wine, sleep and sex. Also, choose one who seems to have the best