To the Thessalians it is seemly for a man to select horses and mules from a herd himself and train them, and also to take one of the cattle and slaughter, skin and cut it up himself, but in Sicily these tasks are disgraceful and the work of slaves. (12) To the Macedonians it appears to be seemly for young girls, before they are married, to fall in love and to have intercourse with a man, but when a girl is married it is a disgrace. (As far as the Greeks are concerned it is disgraceful at either time.) (13) To the Thracians it is an ornament for young girls to be tattooed but with others tattoo-marks are a punishment for those who do wrong. And the Scythians think it seemly that who (ever) kills a man should scalp him and wear the scalp on his horse's bridle, and, having gilded the skull (or) lined it with silver, should drink from it and make a libation to the gods. Among the Greeks, no one would be willing to enter the same house as a man who had behaved like that. (14) The Massagetes cut up their parents and eat them, and they think that to be buried in their children is the most beautiful grave imaginable, but in Greece, if anyone did such a thing, he would be driven out of the country and would die an ignominious death for having committed such disgraceful and terrible deeds

(5) (And) further, if a tool is corroded or blunted or broken, this is good for the blacksmith but bad for everyone else. And certainly if a pot gets smashed, this is good for the potters, but bad for everyone else. And if shoes are worn out and ripped apart, this is good for the cobbler but bad for everyone else.