38. For, to begin with what is important, what advantage is it to the world that the mightiest kings are here? What, that there are tyrants, lords, and other innumerable and very illustrious powers? What, that there are generals of the greatest experience in war, skilled in taking cities; soldiers steady and utterly invincible in battles of cavalry, or in fighting hand to hand on foot? What, that there are orators, grammarians, poets, writers, logicians, musicians, ballet-dancers, mimics, actors, singers, trumpeters, flute and reed players? What, that there are runners, boxers, charioteers, vaulters,426    i.e., from one horse to another—desultores. walkers on stilts, rope-dancers, jugglers? What, that there are dealers in salt fish, salters, fishmongers, perfumers, goldsmiths, bird-catchers, weavers of winnowing fans and baskets of rushes? What, that there are fullers, workers in wool, embroiderers, cooks, confectioners, dealers in mules, pimps, butchers, harlots? What, that there are other kinds of dealers? What do the other kinds of professors and arts, for the enumeration of which all life would be too short, contribute to the plan and constitution427    Rationibus et constitutionibus. of the world, that we should believe428    Lit., “it should be believed.” that it could not have been founded without men, and would not attain its completeness without the addition of429    Lit., “unless there were joined.” a wretched and useless being’s exertion?430    So the ms., reading contentio, which Orelli would understand as meaning “contents,” which may be correct. LB. reads conditio—“condition,” ineptly; and Ursinus in the margin, completio—“the filling up.”

XXXVIII. Quid enim prodest mundo, ut ab rebus incipiam seriis, maximos reges hic esse? Quid tyrannos, quid dominos, quid innumeras alias atque amplissimas potestates? Quid rei militaris experientissimos duces capiendarum urbium peritos, in equestribus praeliis aut in pedestri pugna immobiles atque invictissimos milites? Quid oratores, grammaticos, 0868B poetas? quid scriptores, dialecticos, musicos? quid pantomimos, quid mimulos, histriones, cantores, tuba, tibia, calamoque flatantes? Quid cursores, quid pugiles, quadrigarios, desultores, grallatores, funiambulos, praestigiatores? Quid cybiarios , salinatores, 0869A bolonas, unguentarios, aurifices, aucupes, vannorum sirpiarumque vitores? Quid fullones, lanarios, phrygiones, coquos, panchristarios, muliones, lenones, lanios, meretrices? Quid institorum alia genera? Quid professorum, et artium, quibus enumerandis omnis aetas angusta est, rationibus conferunt, et constitutionibus mundi, ut sine hominibus condi non potuisse credatur, nec obtenturus integritatem 0870A sui, nisi ei contentio animalis miseri et supervacui jungeretur?