Trader’s education

Chapter III T rader’ s education When thinking about the knowledge a trader should possess, how extensive it should be and what it should be about, I feel overwhelmed by the task because of how complex it appears to be. If our desire is to raise an exemplary and honorable trader, we must have in mind that such a man is necessarily very versatile, and thus able to understand anyone and make an appearance in any social circle. Since we wish to outline only the knowledge that is so essential that no trader can go without it, I will mention only that which is particularly necessary due to the nature of the trading profession. Some are ignorant to the extent that they despise a learned trader and so rude to demand that a trader should not know Latin. In contrast, I claim that a trader must not only be skilled at writing, calculus, book keeping etc., but must also know Latin and oratory, which is highly important, for he who knows grammar is able to understand a contract, which is something traders sign every day. He should also be able to understand an order or recognize a benefit, and, above all, knowing grammar makes him a keen negotiator. It allows him to u nderstand people of different nationalities, for Latin is the language of many nations and peoples, such as Hungarians, Germans, the French and many others. It enables him to understand issues pertaining to the Catholic faith, such as mass, prayer and scriptures, which he would wish to read out of his own piety. The knowledge of Latin grammar makes him worthy and befitting to the company of gentlemen,

dignitaries and other men of excellence, and excellence implies being different from and above common people. Having the knowledge of oratory is necessary because it not only enhances one’s eloquence in Latin but also in the vernacular, which is a huge asset for any trader. It is a prerequisite for writing most admirable letters. If necessary, traders can carry out a (long) correspondence as well a s be the one to commence it. Serious and hard working traders are not and must not be like a needle. A needle is the most worthless tool of all, for it can do nothing but sew. Instead, they must be versatile and skilled at various honorable trades, should the need arise, for we are not only born for our own sake but also for the sake of our country as well as our friends, as Cicero says. There are also those who are envoys to princes, gentlemen and authorities and if they are not naturally inclined neither toward books nor oratory, they appear as no better than mere savages or animals. They lack a spice of excellence and as food is unfit to be food without a pinch of salt, an ignorant soul cannot be knowledgeable. This is the meaning of T olomeo’s saying: “The man who fails to acquire knowledge is more common than an animal, lower than a plant and less worthy than lifeless rocks, for he neglects his perfection. “ And Solomon says: “Wherefore I wished, and understanding was given me: and I called upon God, and the spirit of wisdom came upon me: And I preferred her before kingdoms and thrones, and esteemed riches nothing in companion of her. Neither did I compare unto her any precious stones for all gold in comparison of her, is a little sand, and silver in respect to her shall be counted as clay. I loved her above health and beauty, and chose to have her instead of light.” Theologians

claim that, if Adam had not committed the sin, people would differ in their knowledge, although certain equality would exist among them. Thus, the wise men say that there are two ways to have the upper hand. The first one is that of slave owners and the second of those whose knowledge exceeds everyone else’s and are thus superior. Aristippus answers the question about the difference between the learned and the ignorant: “It is the same as between a tamed horse and a wild one.” In the word of Diogenes: “Everything is in God’s possession, they befriended wisdom, and since friends share everything, the wise have it all.” King Phillip, who wrote to Aristotle when his son Alexander was born, displayed this quality: “Know that I have fathered a son. W e rejoice not at the mere thought that he has been born but that his birth takes place at the time of your life so he might live as taught by you and thus become a ruler worthy of the royal honor.” And indeed, as Alexander, his son, was taught philosophy by Aristotle, when he got news that Aristotle published his work, he declared in embarrassment that it had seemed more dignified to be unlike other men. Similarly, King Antigonus wrote to Zenon that he values more his dignity than a king’s because of the wisdom he has. Ptolemy Philadelphus founded a library containing seven hundred thousand volumes. Zenon was thirty years old when he discovered the value of books and realized the delusions he had upheld as a mere commoner. This is what Diogenes Laertius and Aulus Gellius speak of. Nonetheless, some ignorant men are so senseless as to despise those who are knowledgeable. These are, most commonly, unlearned simpletons whose inferiority causes them frustration

and so they find fulfillment in such raving. The ignorant are generally evil, as the Philosopher says: “Every ignorant is evil” , and evil is contrary to goodness, which is a virtue. Thus, there is no greater war waged in this world but that between the foolish and the wise or between learned and ignorant. And as water cannot coexist peacefully with fire, in the same way the ignorant cannot find a common ground with the learned ones. In general, educated, knowledgeable men are always scorned and despised among common simpletons. He suffers persecution if not death. Such has been the faith of many, Socrates, for one. Not only had his contemporaries viewed him as a man of extraordinary mind, but also Apollo’s oracle pronounced him the wisest of all men. Still, many were envious of his intellectual accomplishments and as a result, he was forced to drink a poisonous liquid that was the death of him. Dante was banished from his hometown to meet his death in Ravenna. There are many similar examples from both ancient and more recent history but we will not risk boring the readers, and the fact is that these were already mentioned at a different point and after all, it is not closely linked to the subject matter of our discussion. Being highly appreciative of such excellence, a Christian synod declared that all laymen must be well educated so that they are able to discern truth from lie and thus have access to religious sciences. Paragraph 37, “Why then” . As a result, it was decided to introduce liberal arts in some churches, paragraph 37, “In those outside” . Those arts are grammar (Latin), rhetoric and logic. W e limit the number of these necessary arts, not because there are no others that would certainly prove beneficial for every trader if he mastered them,

but because the world today is so decadent that traders are not only less educated than they should be but also reluctant to improve their knowledge. Moreover, what is even worse and nastier, those who know something are mocked and laughed at. It is a pleasure to be a philosopher among philosophers, an orator and a historian among orators and historians, a logician among logicians, a theologian among theologians, trader among traders, or courtier among courtiers. Since the trader is the most versatile person who, more than any other kind of people, meets men of various backgrounds and status, he needs to learn some other skills other than those mentioned above, skills that are mastered best in practice. Cosmography, for example, is something that the trader should study in order to be familiar with the names of cities, regions, provinces and particular countries, and particularly because he needs to be informed about trade usages, practices, fees and available commodities that are being delivered and transported from different parts of the world. If he does not have this information, he has no knowledge of what a particular season is good for in a certain region. Additionally, he must know about distances, venues and coasts. He must be skilled at reading charts so that he can rent a ship and provide adequate insurance. All this is of vital importance for a trader. Furthermore, as for other relevant and useful knowledge, the trader can benefit from knowing philosophy and the nature of things, exploring nature itself as well as human nature, temper and physiognomy. It would also be befitting that he is skilled at logic because this implies the ability to discern what is true and what a lie is and to refute invalid arguments and syllogisms, for

there are men who are sophists by nature. In a way, the knowledge of astrology would be the most applicable one for a trader because it would enable him to know in advance how wheat will yield, olives etc., and to foresee pests, wars etc. As the old proverb goes: “Make me an augur, and I will make you rich.” It is certainly a fact that a trader can benefit from studying theology, knowing the laws, canons and the foundations of our faith. Being a lawyer would definitely do him no harm for he would know how to guard himself against someone’s evil intentions and to defend his rights. This particular matter could be discussed infinitely and we would conclude that a trader should acquire all the knowledge a common man would, with the exception of folk tales that science disapproves of. Therefore, it is no wonder that only few deserve to be taken for true traders.