Thus I grow little corn merely because the good
fathers will not let me grow a great deal. I cultivate first
one piece of land, then another. On my farm, as throughout
the Agro Romano, cultivation is but a passing accident; and
so long as this continues, the country will be unhealthy.
"I raise cattle, which, as you will presently see, is
sometimes a profitable pursuit, sometimes quite the
contrary. On the whole of my farm I have no shelter for my
cattle. I asked the monks to build me some sheds, offering
to pay an increased rent in proportion to outlay. The monk
who acts as the man of business of the convent, shrugged his
shoulders. 'What can you be thinking of?' he said; 'you know
we have only a life interest in the property. To comply with
your request, we must spend our income for the benefit of
our successors: and what care we for our successors? No, we
look to the present usufruct; the future is no concern of
ours--we have no children!' And the friar is right. Well, he
went on to say that I was at liberty to build at my own cost
as many sheds as I liked, which of course would belong to
the convent at the expiration of my lease. I replied that I
had no objection to erect the sheds, if the convent would
grant me a lease of reasonable length. But just then it
occurred to me very opportunely, that the canon law does not
recognize leases for more than three years, and that on the
very day when my sheds were completed, the pious fathers
might find it convenient to pick a quarrel with me.
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