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servants to you who have made them so. He has subjected to you the herds of horses, and taking the proud horse, who knows not how to bear a rider, you reshape it with skill, you free it from its boldness, you stop its caperings, and you bend its neck, stretched high, into a curve, and make its face nod downwards, and teach it a rhythm of gait, and an orderly movement of its hooves, and a swift run when needed, and you make the beast from the herd tame to the hand, and persuade it to endure your voice and hand. He who is much your superior in both strength and speed endures even your whips. He bears your threats, and fears, and by what he does he acknowledges his servitude. This one even hunts with you when you are hunting, and fights alongside you when you are warring, and moves with force against your opponents. And if you should wish to flee, he exchanges his courage for cowardice, and turns, and flees, and being carried with speed, frees you from your pursuers. And being ordered to charge against the front of a phalanx, he does not disobey, nor being commanded to retreat does he gainsay; but he knows one rule of safety, the law of his rider. And why do I speak of the horse, and the ass, and the camel? For already even the elephant, the greatest of land animals, is willing to obey you, he who is able with his trunk to pull up the largest of trees by the roots, and he does not consider his strength, he does not reflect on his power, he does not see the bulk of his body, which in its size imitates certain hills; but he endures your dominion. And you, sitting, command (for I call you "nature"), and he does what is commanded; and even if he receives a reward for the spectacle from the spectators, he offers it to you, using his trunk as a sort of pair of tongs. This one also fights alongside you when you are warring, and receiving many archers upon its back, it prepares them to shoot at the enemy as from a kind of tower, and going against the phalanxes, it terrifies and breaks them easily, and scatters the hoplites. Do not be displeased, then, at having a small body, but consider how great are the animals that endure to serve it, and readily praise him who subjected them, and for this very reason confess your thanks to the Maker. For being provident for your soul's salvation, he did not bestow upon you a very large body, so that you, excelling in both respects, might not fall into diabolical arrogance. For if, even 83.637 though your body is small, you rage and rave against the creator, what would you not have done, if you had also received this size? But now, your smallness teaches you to be sober-minded, and to know the Maker; and the gift of reason consoles the smallness of your body; for through this you lead and carry away the nature of irrational creatures, the flocks of sheep, the herds of goats, the herds of swine, the herds of horses, burden-bearing nomadic camels, the mixed nature of fowls and mules. And some are set before you for a feast, and make your table sumptuous, and provide for you every kind of luxury, and supply you with the materials for all sorts of garments; while others carry corn and bear wood, and transport the supplies of other necessities. Some dogs hunt with you, others act as fellow shepherds, and others become guardians of the house; trusting in their sleeplessness, shepherds get a share of sleep; having them as helpers, a few men endure to pasture many sheep; for they endure to face danger not only for their masters, but also for the sheep, and they fight for the shepherds, and fight eagerly with wolves, and being wounded, they do not endure to flee ignobly, but by their barking they call the shepherds to their aid. And the dog does these things, not having reason as its teacher, but being adorned with a certain natural superiority. This one, being ordered by the hunter to track game, both perceives the smells, and following these accurately as if they were certain tracks, does not desist until he finds the prey; and having found it, and bound it with its teeth and claws, does not partake of the prey,

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δοῦλά σοι ταῦτα πεποιηκότι. Αὐτός σοι τῶν ἵππων ὑπέταξε τὰς ἀγέλας, καὶ γαυριῶντα τὸν ἵππον λαμβάνων, καὶ φέρειν ἐπιβάτην οὐκ ἐπιστάμενον, τῇ τέχνῃ μεταρυθμίζεις, τοῦ τε θράσους ἐλευθεροῖς, τά τε σκιρτήματα παύεις, καὶ τὸν εἰς ὕψος τεταμένον αὐχένα, καμπυλοειδῶς ἐπικάμπτεις, καὶ κάτω νεύειν παρασκευάζεις τὸ πρόσωπον, καὶ ῥυθμὸν διδάσκεις βαδίσματος, καὶ ὁπλῶν μετάθεσιν εὔτακτον, καὶ δρόμον ὀξὺν ὅταν δέῃ, καὶ χειροήθη τὸν ἀγελαῖον ποιεῖς, καὶ τῆς σῆς ἀνέχεσθαι φωνῆς καὶ χειρὸς ἀναπείθεις. Ἀν έχεταί σου καὶ μαστίγων ὁ πολλῷ σου κρείττων καὶ ῥώμῃ καὶ τάχει. Φέρει σου τὰς ἀπειλὰς, καὶ δέδιε, καὶ δι' ὧν δρᾷ τὴν δουλείαν ὁμολογεῖ. Οὗτός σοι καὶ θηρῶντι συνθηρεύει, καὶ πολεμοῦντι συναγωνίζεται, καὶ κατὰ τῶν ἀντιπάλων μετὰ ῥύμης χωρεῖ. Κἂν φεύγειν ἐθελήσῃς, δειλιῶν μεταβάλλει τὸ θράσος, καὶ τρέπεται, καὶ φεύγει, καὶ σὺν τάχει φερόμενος, τῶν διωκόντων ἐλευθεροῖ. Καὶ οὔτε κατὰ μετώπου φάλαγγος ὁρμᾷν κελευόμενος ἀπειθεῖ, οὔτε δραπε τεύειν ἐπιταττόμενος ἀντιλέγει· ἀλλ' ἕνα οἶδεν ὅρον σωτηρίας, τοῦ ἐπιβάτου τὸν νόμον. Καὶ τί λέγω ἵππον, καὶ ὄνον, καὶ κάμηλον; Ἤδη γάρ σοι καὶ ἐλέφας, τῶν χερσαίων ζώων τὸ μέγιστον, ὑπακούειν ἐθέλει, ὁ καὶ τὰ μέγιστα τῶν δένδρων ἀνασπᾶσαι πρόῤῥιζα τῇ προνομαίᾳ δυνάμενος, καὶ οὐ λογίζεται τὴν ἰσχὺν, οὐκ ἐνθυμεῖται τὴν ῥώμην, οὐχ ὁρᾷ τὸν ὄγκον τοῦ σώματος, ὃς γηλόφους τινὰς τῷ μεγέθει μιμεῖται· ἀλλὰ τῆς σῆς δεσποτείας ἀνέχεται. Καὶ σὺ μὲν καθήμενος ἐπιτάττεις (σὲ γὰρ καλῶ τὴν φύ σιν), ὁ δὲ ποιεῖ τὸ κελευόμενον· κἂν τὸν μισθὸν δὲ τῆς θεωρίας παρὰ τῶν θεωρούντων δέξηται, σοὶ τοῦτον τῇ προνομαίᾳ οἷόν τινι λαβίδι κεχρημένος ὀρέγει. Τοῦτό σοι καὶ πολεμοῦντι συναγωνίζεται, καὶ πολλοὺς τοξότας ἐπὶ τοῦ νώτου δεχόμενον, οἷον ἀπό τινος πύργου βάλλειν τοὺς ἐναντίους παρασκευά ζει, καὶ ταῖς φάλαγξιν ἐπιὸν, δεδίττεται καὶ ῥή γνυσι ῥᾳδίως, καὶ τοὺς ὁπλίτας σκεδάννυσι. Μὴ τοί νυν δυσχεραίνῃς μικρὸν ἔχων τὸ σῶμα, ἀλλὰ σκόπη σον ἡλίκα τούτῳ ζῶα δουλεύειν ἀνέχεται, καὶ τὸν ὑποτάξαντα προθύμως ἀνύμνησον, καὶ δι' αὐτὸ δὲ τοῦτο χάριν ὁμολόγησον τῷ Ποιητῇ. Τῆς γὰρ ψυχι κῆς σου προμηθούμενος σωτηρίας, μέγα σοι λίαν οὐ περιτέθεικε σῶμα, ἵνα μὴ κατ' ἄμφω πλεονεκτῶν, εἰς τὴν διαβολικὴν ἀλαζονείαν ἐκπέσῃς. Εἰ γὰρ καὶ 83.637 μικροῦ σου τοῦ σώματος ὄντος, μέμηνας καὶ λυττᾷς κατὰ τοῦ κτίσαντος, τί οὐκ ἂν ἔδρασας, εἰ καὶ τοῦτο τὸ μέγεθος ἔλαβες; Νῦν δὲ, ἡ μὲν βραχύτης διδάσκει σε σωφρονεῖν, καὶ γνωρίζειν τὸν Ποιητήν· τοῦ δὲ λόγου τὸ δῶρον, τὸ βραχὺ παραμυθεῖται τοῦ σώμα τος· διὰ τούτου γὰρ ἄγεις καὶ φέρεις τῶν ἀλόγων τὴν φύσιν, τὰ ποίμνια, τὰ αἰπόλια, τὰ συφόρβια, τῶν ἵππων τὰς ἀγέλας, καμήλους νομάδας ἀχθοφορούσας, τὴν μικτὴν τῶν ὀρνέων καὶ ἡμιόνων φύσιν. Καὶ τὰ μὲν εἰς θοίνην σοι πρόκειται, καὶ πολυτελῆ σοι ποιεῖ τὴν τράπεζαν, καὶ παντοδαπήν σοι πραγ ματεύεται τὴν χλιδὴν, καὶ παντοίων ἐσθημάτων χορηγεῖ σοι τὰς ὕλας· τὰ δὲ, σιτηγεῖ καὶ ξυλο φορεῖ, καὶ τῶν ἄλλων ἀναγκαίων μετακομίζει τὰς χρείας. Κύνες οἱ μὲν συνθηρῶσιν, οἱ δὲ συμποιμαί νουσιν, οἱ δὲ φύλακες γίνονται τῆς οἰκίας· τῇ τούτων ἀγρυπνίᾳ θαῤῥοῦντες οἱ ποιμένες, ὕπνου μεταλαγχά νουσι· τούτους ἔχοντες συνεργοὺς, ὀλίγοι πολλὰ νέ μειν ἀνέχονται πρόβατα· προκινδυνεύειν γὰρ, οὐ μόνον τῶν δεσποτῶν, ἀλλὰ καὶ τῶν προβάτων ἀν έχονται, καὶ τῶν ποιμένων ὑπερμαχοῦσι, καὶ τοῖς λύκοις διαμάχονται προθύμως, καὶ τιτρωσκόμενοι φεύγειν ἀγεννῶς οὐκ ἀνέχονται, τῇ δὲ ὑλακῇ τοὺς ποιμένας εἰς ἐπικουρίαν καλοῦσι. Καὶ ταῦτα ὁ κύων δρᾷ, οὐκ ἔχων λόγον διδάσκαλον, ἀλλὰ φυσικῇ τινι πλεονεξίᾳ κεκοσμημένος. Οὗτος ἰχνεῦσαι θήραν ὑπὸ τοῦ κυνηγέτου κελευόμενος, καὶ τῶν ὀσμῶν ἀντιλαμ βάνεται, καὶ ταύταις οἷον ἴχνεσί τισι κατ' ἀκρίβειαν ἑπόμενος, οὐ πρότερον ἀφίσταται, ἕως οὗ εὕρῃ τὸ θήραμα· εὑρὼν δὲ, καὶ τοῖς ὀδοῦσι καὶ τοῖς ὄνυξι δήσας, οὐ μεταλαμβάνει τῆς θήρας,