[12] He foresaw that nothing could go well if the agents in his weightiest affairs were not what they ought to be, while, if they were, everything would prosper.

This charge, therefore, he took upon his own shoulders, and he was persuaded that the training he demanded of others should also be undergone by himself.

No man could rouse others to noble deeds if he fell short of what he ought to be himself.

[13] The more he pondered the matter, the more he felt the need of leisure, if he were to deal worthily with the highest matters.
It was, he felt, impossible to neglect the revenues, in view of the enormous funds necessary for so vast an empire, yet he foresaw that if he was always to be occupied with the multitude of his possessions he would never have time to watch over the safety of the whole.

[14] As he pondered how he could compass both objects, the prosperity of the finances and the leisure he required, the old military organisation came into his mind.