Medieval aristocrats did not live in a consumer society like our own, but they were still tempted into over-spending by the prevailing ethics which encouraged such economically dangerous virtues as generosity. The need for balance, for a combination of magnanimity and prudence, runs as a theme through medieval thinking on economic subjects. Grosseteste's Rules, written in the 1240s supposedly for the instruction of a countess, advise making a survey of the manors, to find out how much produce and cash was available. The household would therefore be run on a scale appropriate to the estate's resources. The need to achieve balance and moderation continues through the instructions on management. The aim was to live economically but not cheaply. There must be many servants and they should be well-dressed and of good character: ‘faithful, diligent, chaste, honest and useful’; discipline among them should be maintained, and theft and waste avoided. The treatise assumes that honour accrues from generosity and hospitality. The lord or lady must attend meals, sitting in the middle of the high table, ‘that your presence … is made manifest to all’, handing out morsels personally to guests in a courteous fashion, while at the same time two officers were set to supervise the staff, which would ‘earn you great fear and reverence’. The object seemed to be to present a superficial sociability to the outside world, while behind the scenes a constant coercion kept underlings in control.