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the name of the man, who in the dialogues with his companions is recorded somewhere to have said the following: 6.10.1 10.

AGAIN CONCERNING THE SAME THING; FROM THE WRITINGS OF BARDESANES "According to nature, man is born, is nourished, matures, begets, eats, drinks, sleeps, grows old, dies, and this is true of every man and every 6.10.2 irrational animal. And the other animals, being psychical and produced wholly by conjunction, are carried along almost entirely according to nature. A lion eats flesh and defends itself when wronged, and for this reason all lions eat flesh and defend themselves; and lambs eat grass and do not touch meat, and when wronged 6.10.3 they do not defend themselves; and the same way is true for all of them. A scorpion eats earth and harms those who have not harmed it, striking with a poison-injecting sting; and the same evil is in all scorpions. An ant by nature knows the coming of winter and, toiling all summer, sets aside food for itself; and similarly all ants work. 6.10.4 A bee cultivates honey, from which it also is nourished; and the same cultivation is found in all bees. And I could have set out for you many kinds of animals, which, being unable to depart from their nature, could have provided you much wonder, but I thought it sufficient to make the demonstration from the examples before us, that the other animals, in their sameness and difference, are willingly carried along by necessity according to the nature given 6.10.5 to each, but men alone, having the 6.10.5 exceptional gift of both mind and the reason which is expressed from it, follow nature in their commonality, as I said before, but in their exceptionality they do not live according to 6.10.6 nature. For the food of all is not one; for some are nourished like lions, others like lambs, not having one form of clothing, not one custom, not one law of life among them, not one impulse of desire for things, but each man according to his own will chooses a life for himself, not imitating his neighbor, except in those things he wishes. 6.10.7 For his freedom is not subject to slavery, and if ever he serves willingly, 6.10.8 this too is part of his freedom, the ability to serve willingly. How many men, and especially of the Alans, like wild animals devour meat without tasting bread, and not because they do not have it, but because they do not want it? Others do not taste meat, like tame animals; others eat only fish; and others do not taste fish, even if they are starving. Some drink water, others drink wine, and others 6.10.9 drink strong drink. And in short, there is a great difference of foods and drinks in humanity, differing even in the eating of vegetables and fruits. But also, some, like scorpions and asps, do wrong without being wronged; others, like the other animals, defend themselves when wronged; others plunder like wolves and steal like weasels; others like lambs and sheep are driven by their own kind and do not wrong those who wrong them; and some are called 6.10.10 good, others evil, and others just. Whence it is possible to understand that man is not led entirely according to nature (for what shall we say is his nature?), but is carried along partly by nature, and partly by choice. Therefore he has praise and blame and condemnation in matters of choice, but in matters of nature he is blameless, not by mercy, but by reason." 6.10.11 And he says next: "Men have established different laws in each country, some written, and some unwritten; of which I will narrate, as I know and as I remember, beginning 6.10.12 from the origin of the world. It is a law among the Seres that no one should murder, nor commit fornication, nor steal, nor worship idols, and in that vast country one cannot see a temple, nor a prostitute, nor an adulteress so named, nor a thief being dragged to trial, nor a murderer, nor one who has been murdered. 6.10.13 for the fiery one has not compelled the free will of anyone

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ὄνομα τῷ ἀνδρί, ὃς ἐν τοῖς πρὸς τοὺς ἑταίρους διαλόγοις τάδε πη μνημονεύεται φάναι· 6.10.1 ιʹ.

ΕΤΙ ΠΕΡΙ ΤΟΥ ΑΥΤΟΥ· ΕΚ ΤΩΝ ΒΑΡ∆ΗΣΑΝΟΥ «Κατὰ φύσιν ὁ ἄνθρωπος γεννᾶται, τρέφεται, ἀκμάζει, γεννᾷ, ἐσθίει, πίνει, κοιμᾶται, γηρᾷ, ἀποθνήσκει, καὶ τοῦτο παντὸς ἀνθρώπου καὶ παντὸς 6.10.2 ἀλόγου ζῴου. καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ζῷα ψυχικὰ ὄντα καὶ διόλου κατὰ συμπλοκὴν γεγενημένα διόλου σχεδὸν κατὰ φύσιν φέρεται. λέων σαρκοφαγεῖ καὶ ἀμύνεται ἀδικηθεὶς καὶ διὰ τοῦτο πάντες οἱ λέοντες σαρκοφαγοῦσι καὶ ἀμύνονται· καὶ ἀμνάδες χορτοφαγοῦσι καὶ κρεῶν οὐχ ἅπτονται καὶ ἀδικού6.10.3 μεναι οὐκ ἀμύνονται· καὶ ὁ αὐτὸς τρόπος πάσαις. σκορπίος γῆν ἐσθίει καὶ τοὺς μὴ ἀδικήσαντας ἀδικεῖ, κέντρῳ ἰοβόλῳ πλήσσων· καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ κακία πάντων σκορπίων. μύρμηξ κατὰ φύσιν οἶδε χειμῶνος παρουσίαν καὶ δι' ὅλης θερείας κάμνων ἀποτίθεται ἑαυτῷ τροφάς· καὶ ὁμοίως πάντες μύρμηκες ἐργάζον6.10.4 ται. μέλισσα μέλι γεωργεῖ, ἐξ οὗ καὶ τρέφεται· καὶ ἡ αὐτὴ γεωργία πάσαις μελίσσαις. καὶ ἦν πολλὰ εἴδη ἐκθέσθαι ὑμῖν τῶν ζῴων, ἅτινα τῆς φύσεως μὴ δυνάμενα ἐκστῆναι πολὺν θαυμασμὸν παρασχεῖν ὑμῖν ἐδύνατο, ἀλλ' αὐτάρκη ἡγησάμην ἐκ τῶν παρακειμένων τὴν ἀπόδειξιν ποιήσασθαι, ὅτι τὰ μὲν ἄλλα ζῷα κατὰ τὴν κοινότητα καὶ τὴν διαφορὰν κατὰ φύσιν δο6.10.5 θεῖσαν ἑκάστῳ ἐξ ἀνάγκης ἡδέως φέρεται, ἄνθρωποι δὲ μόνοι, τὸ 6.10.5 ἐξαίρετον ἔχοντες τόν τε νοῦν καὶ τὸν ἐκ τούτου προφερόμενον λόγον, κατὰ μὲν τὴν κοινότητα ἕπονται τῇ φύσει, ὡς προεῖπον, κατὰ δὲ τὸ ἐξαίρετον οὐ κατὰ 6.10.6 φύσιν πολιτεύονται. οὐδὲ γὰρ μία βρῶσις ἡ τῶν ἁπάντων· ἄλλοι μὲν γὰρ κατὰ τοὺς λέοντας τρέφονται, ἄλλοι δὲ κατὰ τὰς ἀμνάδας, οὐχ ἓν ἔχοντες σχῆμα φορημάτων, οὐκ ἔθος ἕν, οὐχ εἷς νόμος πολιτείας ἐν αὐτοῖς, οὐ μία κίνησις ἐπιθυμίας τῶν πραγμάτων, ἀλλ' ἕκαστος τῶν ἀνθρώπων κατὰ τὴν ἰδίαν θέλησιν αἱρεῖται ἑαυτῷ βίον, τὸν πλησίον μὴ μιμούμενος, πλὴν ἐν οἷς βούλεται. 6.10.7 τὸ γὰρ ἐλεύθερον αὐτοῦ οὐχ ὑπόκειται δουλείᾳ, καὶ εἴ ποτε ἑκὼν δουλεύσει, 6.10.8 καὶ τοῦτο τῆς ἐλευθερίας αὐτοῦ ἐστι, τὸ δύνασθαι δουλεύειν ἑκόντα. πόσοι τῶν ἀνθρώπων, καὶ μάλιστα τῶν Ἀλαναίων, ὡς τὰ ἄγρια ζῷα κρεοβοροῦσιν ἄρτου μὴ γευόμενοι, καὶ οὐ διὰ τὸ μὴ ἔχειν, ἀλλὰ διὰ τὸ μὴ θέλειν; ἄλλοι κρεῶν οὐ γεύονται ὡς τὰ ἥμερα ζῷα· ἄλλοι ἰχθυοφαγοῦσι μόνον· ἕτεροι δὲ ἰχθύων οὐ γεύονται, οὐδ' ἂν λιμώσσωσιν. οἱ μὲν ὑδροποτοῦσιν, οἱ δὲ οἰνοποτοῦσιν, οἱ 6.10.9 δὲ σικερατίζουσι. καὶ ἁπλῶς πολλὴ διαφορὰ βρωμάτων καὶ πομάτων ἐν τῇ ἀνθρωπότητι, μέχρι καὶ ἐν τῇ τῶν λαχάνων καὶ ὀπωρῶν βρώσει διαφερόμενοι. ἀλλὰ καὶ οἱ μὲν ὡς σκορπίοι καὶ ὡς ἀσπίδες μὴ ἀδικηθέντες ἀδικοῦσιν· οἱ δὲ ὡς τὰ ἄλλα ζῷα ἀδικούμενοι ἀμύνονται· ἕτεροι δὲ ὡς λύκοι ἁρπάζουσι καὶ ὡς γαλαῖ κλέπτουσιν· ἄλλοι δὲ ὡς ἀμνάδες καὶ μηκάδες ὑπὸ τῶν ὁμοιοπαθῶν ἐλαύνονται καὶ τοὺς ἀδικοῦντας οὐκ ἀδικοῦσι· καὶ οἱ μὲν λέγονται 6.10.10 ἀγαθοί, οἱ δὲ κακοί, οἱ δὲ δίκαιοι. ὅθεν ἔστι νοεῖν μὴ πάντως κατὰ φύσιν ἄγεσθαι τὸν ἄνθρωπον ποίαν γὰρ αὐτοῦ ἐροῦμεν φύσιν;, ἀλλὰ πῆ μὲν φέρεται κατὰ φύσιν, πῆ δὲ κατὰ προαίρεσιν. διὸ τὸν ἔπαινον καὶ τὸν ψόγον καὶ τὴν καταδίκην ἔχει ἐν τοῖς κατὰ προαίρεσιν, ἐν δὲ τοῖς κατὰ φύσιν ἔχει τὴν ἀνεγκλησίαν οὐ κατὰ ἔλεος, ἀλλὰ κατὰ λόγον.» 6.10.11 Καὶ ἑξῆς φησι· «Νόμους ἔθεντο διαφόρους οἱ ἄνθρωποι ἐν ἑκάστῃ χώρᾳ, τινὰς γεγραμμένους, τινὰς δὲ ἀγράφους· ἐξ ὧν διηγήσομαι, ὡς οἶδα καὶ ὧν μέμνημαι, ἀρξάμε6.10.12 νος ἐκ τῆς τοῦ κόσμου ἀρχῆς. νόμος ἐστὶ παρὰ Σήραις μηδένα φονεύειν μήτε πορνεύειν μήτε κλέπτειν μήτε ξόανα προσκυνεῖν, καὶ ἐν ἐκείνῃ τῇ μεγίστῃ χώρᾳ οὐ ναὸν ἔστιν ἰδεῖν, οὐ γυναῖκα πορνικήν, οὐ μοιχαλίδα ὀνομαζομένην, οὐ κλέπτην ἑλκόμενον ἐπὶ δίκην, οὐκ ἀνδροφόνον, οὐ πεφονευμένον. 6.10.13 οὐδενὸς γὰρ τὸ αὐτεξούσιον ἠνάγκασεν ὁ τοῦ πυριλαμπέος