Jan 18, 2019

You ought to be seated solemnly upon your stately throne

Amasis established the following daily routine for himself. He worked diligently on serious matters of government from dawn until the peak market hour*, but after that he would drink and banter with his drinking companions. His close friends and family were disturbed by this behavior and admonished him: "Sire, you are not conducting yourself properly by pursuing worthless pastimes. You ought to be seated solemnly upon your stately throne, conducting affairs of state throughout the day; that way, the Egyptians would know they were being governed by a competent man, and your reputation would improve. But as it is, you are not acting like a king." Amasis retorted: "When archers need to use their bows, they string them tightly, but when they have finished using them, they relax them. For if a bow remained tightly strung all the time, it would snap and be of no use when someone needed it. The same principle applies to the daily routine of a human being: if someone wants to work seriously all the time and not let himself ease off for his share of play, he will go insane without even knowing it, or at the least suffer a stroke. And it is because I recognize this maxim that I allot a share of my time to each aspect of life." This is how Amasis answered them.

- Herotodus, Histories, Book Two. Peak market hour was from 9 - 10 AM.

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