Off. 1.42.1Iam dē artificiīs et quaestibus, quī līberālēs habendī, quī sordidī sint, haec ferē accēpimus.Now concerning trades and means of livelihood, which are to be thought gentlemanly and which mean, this is roughly what we have been taught. Off. 1.42.1Prīmum improbantur iī quaestūs, quī in odia hominum incurrunt, ut portitōrum, ut faenerātōrum.First, those means of livelihood are condemned which incur men's hatred, such as those of customs officers and moneylenders. Off. 1.42.1Illīberālēs autem et sordidī quaestūs mercennāriōrum omnium, quōrum operae, nōn quōrum artēs emuntur;Ungentlemanly too and mean are the livelihoods of all hired workers, whose labour, not whose skill, is bought; Off. 1.42.1est enim in illīs ipsa mercēs auctōrāmentum servitūtis.for in their case the very wage is a pledge of servitude. Off. 1.42.1Sordidī etiam putandī, quī mercantur ā mercātōribus, quod statim vēndant;Mean too must be considered those who buy from merchants to sell again immediately; Off. 1.42.1nihil enim prōficiant, nisi admodum mentiantur;for they would make no profit unless they lied a great deal; Off. 1.42.1nec vērō est quicquam turpius vānitāte.and nothing indeed is more shameful than falsehood. Off. 1.42.1Opificēsque omnēs in sordidā arte versantur;And all craftsmen are engaged in a mean trade; Off. 1.42.1nec enim quicquam ingenuum habēre potest officīna.for a workshop can have nothing gentlemanly about it.
Off. 1.42.1Minimēque artēs eae probandae, quae ministrae sunt voluptātum: " Cētāriī, laniī, coquī, fartōrēs, piscātōrēs, " ut ait Terentius;And least of all are those trades to be approved which serve pleasures: 'fishmongers, butchers, cooks, poulterers, fishermen', as Terence says; Off. 1.42.1adde hūc, sī placet, unguentāriōs, saltātōrēs tōtumque lūdum tālārium.add to these, if you please, perfumers, dancers and the whole troupe of the variety stage. Off. 1.42.151Quibus autem artibus aut prūdentia maior īnest aut nōn mediocris ūtilitās quaeritur, ut medicīna, ut architectūra, ut doctrīna rērum honestārum, eae sunt iīs, quōrum ōrdinī conveniunt, honestae.But those arts in which either greater wisdom is involved or no ordinary benefit is sought, such as medicine, architecture and the teaching of honourable subjects, are honourable for those whose rank they suit. Off. 1.42.151Mercātūra autem, sī tenuis est.Trade, however, if it is on a small scale, Off. 1.42.151sordida putanda est;must be considered mean; Off. 1.42.151sīn magna et cōpiōsa, multa undique apportāns multīsque sine vānitāte impertiēns, nōn est admodum vituperanda, atque etiam, sī satiāta quaestū vel contenta potius, ut saepe ex altō in portum, ex ipsō portū sē in agrōs possessiōnēsque contulit, vidētur iūre optimō posse laudārī.but if it is large and plentiful, importing many things from everywhere and distributing them to many without misrepresentation, it is not greatly to be censured; and indeed, if, sated or rather content with its gains, it has betaken itself, as it often has from the high sea into harbour, from the harbour itself to lands and estates, it seems with every right to deserve praise.
Off. 1.42.151Omnium autem rērum, ex quibus aliquid acquīritur, nihil est agrī cultūrā melius, nihil ūberius, nihil dulcius, nihil homine līberō dignius;But of all the occupations from which some gain is acquired, none is better than agriculture, none more fruitful, none more pleasant, none more worthy of a free man; Off. 1.42.151dē quā quoniam in Catōne Maiōre satis multa dīximus, illim assūmēs, quae ad hunc locum pertinēbunt.and since I have said enough about it in my Cato the Elder, you will take from there whatever bears on this topic.