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we are harmed. Thus also medicines, often having a therapeutic nature, when those who use them do not know how to use them well, corrupt and destroy; and weapons that can protect, if no one knows how to put them on, he is destroyed by them. The reason is that we seek all things more than the benefit of the soul, and we consider others' affairs more than our own advantage. And we often seek the maintenance of a house, and we would not endure to see it growing old or falling down or being damaged by storms; but for the soul there is no care, but even if we see its foundations rotting, or the structure and the roof, it is of no concern to us. Again, if we have irrational animals, we seek their welfare, and we call for horse-keepers and horse-doctors, and we move every rope; and we take care of the household, and we advise those entrusted with them not to drive them simply or at random, nor to put a burden on them, nor to lead them out at an unseasonable hour of the night, nor to sell off their food, and many laws are laid down by us concerning the welfare of irrational animals; but of the soul, there is no account. Again, what am I saying about the irrational animals that are useful to us? There are many who have sparrows that have no use, but simply give pleasure, and there are many laws concerning them too, and nothing is neglected or disordered, and we take more care of all things than of ourselves. Thus we are more dishonored than all things. And if someone, insulting us, says, "dog," we are pained; but we, insulting ourselves not in word, but in deed, and not giving even as much care to the soul as to dogs, think we suffer nothing terrible. Do you see how much darkness has filled all things? How many care for their dogs, so that they are not filled more than is necessary, so that they may be keen and good for hunting, driven by hunger and want; but they do not take care of themselves nor command themselves not to live luxuriously; and they teach the irrational animals to be philosophical, but they endure being brought down to the brutishness of irrational animals. The matter is a riddle. And where are the irrational animals philosophical, you say? Or does it not seem to you to be of great philosophy, when a dog, bitten by hunger, after catching and hunting, abstains from the food that is present, and seeing a table set, and though hunger urges him, waits for his master? Be ashamed of yourselves; train your own bellies to be so philosophical. 60.251 You have no excuse. You who were able to implant such philosophy in an irrational nature, which neither speaks nor has reason, will be much more able to do so for yourself. For that it is of human care, and not of nature, all dogs should have had this. Become, therefore, like the dogs. You compel me to bring examples from there; for I ought to have brought them from heavenly things; but since, if I say anything of that kind, you say that those things are great, for this reason I say nothing of heavenly things. And if I speak of Paul, you say that he was an apostle; for this reason I do not speak of Paul either. If I speak of a man, you say that he was able; for this reason I do not even speak of a man, but of a beast, and a beast not having this by nature, so that you may not say that by nature, and not by choice, it achieved this; and what is wonderful, by a choice not its own, but by your care. It does not consider that it was cut to pieces, that it was torn apart in the chase, that by its own labors it took it; but casting all these things aside, it keeps its master's command and becomes superior to its belly. Yes, he says; for it expects to be praised, it expects to enjoy a larger table. Say then also to yourself, that the dog, in hope of a future pleasure, despises the present one; but you are not willing in hope of future good things to despise the present ones; but that one knows that, if it tastes the food unseasonably and contrary to what seems good to its master, it will be deprived of that too, and will not even have the appointed portion, receiving blows instead of food; but you are not even able to see this, and what that one learned from habit, this you do not achieve from reason. Let us imitate the dogs. Hawks and eagles are also said to do this. Which in the case of the

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βλαπτόμεθα. Οὕτω καὶ φάρμακα πολλάκις φύσιν ἔχοντα θεραπευτικὴν, οὐκ εἰδότων τῶν χρωμένων καλῶς χρῆσθαι αὐτοῖς, διαφθείρει καὶ ἀπόλλυσι· καὶ ὅπλα δυνάμενα φυλάξαι, ἂν μηδεὶς αὐτὰ εἰδῇ περιθέσθαι, ὑπ' αὐτῶν διαφθείρεται. Τὸ δὲ αἴτιον, ὅτι πάντα μᾶλλον ζητοῦμεν, ἢ τὸ τῆς ψυχῆς ὄφελος, καὶ τὰ ἀλλότρια μᾶλλον σκοποῦμεν, ἢ τὸ ἡμέτερον συμφέρον. Καὶ οἰκίας μὲν σύστασιν πολλάκις ζητοῦμεν, καὶ οὐκ ἂν ἀνασχοίμεθα παλαιουμένην αὐτὴν ἰδεῖν οὐδὲ καταπίπτουσαν οὐδὲ ὑπὸ χειμώνων ἐπηρεαζομένην· περὶ δὲ τῆς ψυχῆς οὐδεμία φροντὶς, ἀλλὰ κἂν τοὺς θεμελίους αὐτῆς ἴδωμεν σηπομένους, κἂν τὴν οἰκοδομὴν καὶ τὸν ὄροφον, οὐδεὶς ἡμῖν ὁ λόγος ἐστί. Πάλιν ἄλογα ἂν ἔχωμεν, τὸ συμφέρον αὐτῶν ζητοῦμεν, καὶ ἱπποφορβοὺς καὶ ἱππιατροὺς, καὶ πάντα κάλων κινοῦμεν· καὶ οἰκίας ἐπιμελούμεθα, καὶ τοῖς ἐμπεπιστευμένοις παραινοῦμεν, ὥστε μὴ ἁπλῶς μηδὲ ὡς ἔτυχεν ἐλαύνειν, μηδὲ βάρος ἐπιτιθέναι, μηδὲ ἀωρὶ τῶν νυκτῶν ἐξάγειν, μηδὲ τὰς τροφὰς ἀπεμπολεῖν, καὶ πολλοὶ νόμοι περὶ τοῦ συμφέροντος τῶν ἀλόγων κεῖνται παρ' ἡμῖν· τῆς δὲ ψυχῆς λόγος οὐδείς. Πάλιν τί λέγω περὶ ἀλόγων τῶν χρησίμων ἡμῖν; Εἰσὶ πολλοὶ οἳ στρουθοὺς ἔχουσιν οὐδὲν ἔχοντας χρήσιμον, ἀλλ' ἢ ἁπλῶς τέρποντας, καὶ πολλοὶ καὶ περὶ ἐκείνων νόμοι, καὶ οὐδὲν ἠμελημένον οὐδὲ ἄτακτόν ἐστι, καὶ πάντων μᾶλλον ἐπιμελούμεθα, ἢ ἡμῶν αὐτῶν. Οὕτω πάντων ἐσμὲν ἀτιμότεροι. Κἂν μέν τις ἡμᾶς ὑβρίζων εἴπῃ, κύων, ἀλγοῦμεν· ἡμεῖς δὲ ἡμᾶς αὐτοὺς ὑβρίζοντες οὐ λόγῳ, ἀλλ' ἔργῳ, καὶ μηδὲ τοσαύτης μεταδιδόντες ἐπιμελείας τῇ ψυχῇ ὅσης τοῖς κυσὶν, οὐδὲν ἡγούμεθα πάσχειν δεινόν. Ὁρᾶτε ὅσου σκότους τὰ πάντα ἐμπέπλησται; Πόσοι φροντίζουσι τῶν κυνῶν, ὥστε μὴ πλέον τοῦ δέοντος ἐμπλησθῆναι, ὥστε ὀξεῖς εἶναι καὶ θηρατικοὺς ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ καὶ τῆς πείνης ὠθουμένους· ἑαυτῶν δὲ οὐκ ἐπιμελοῦνται οὐδὲ ἐπιτάττουσιν ὥστε μὴ τρυφᾷν· καὶ τὰ μὲν ἄλογα φιλοσοφεῖν διδάσκουσιν, αὐτοὶ δὲ εἰς τὴν τῶν ἀλόγων θηριωδίαν ἀνέχονται καταγόμενοι. Αἴνιγμα τὸ πρᾶγμά ἐστι. Καὶ ποῦ τὰ ἄλογα φιλόσοφα, φησίν; Ἢ οὐ δοκεῖ σοι φιλοσοφίας εἶναι μεγάλης, ὅταν κύων δακνόμενος ὑπὸ τοῦ λιμοῦ, μετὰ τὸ λαβεῖν καὶ θηρεῦσαι, παρούσης ἀπέχηται τῆς τροφῆς, καὶ τράπεζαν ὁρῶν παρακειμένην, καὶ τοῦ λιμοῦ κατεπείγοντος ἀναμένοι τὸν δεσπότην; Αἰσχύνθητε ἑαυτούς· παιδεύσατε τὰς ὑμετέρας γαστέρας οὕτως εἶναι φιλοσόφους. 60.251 Οὐκ ἔστιν ὑμῖν ἀπολογία. Ἀλόγῳ φύσει δυνηθεὶς ἐνθεῖναι οὔτε φθεγγομένῃ οὔτε λογισμὸν ἐχούσῃ τοσαύτην φιλοσοφίαν, πολλῷ μᾶλλον δυνήσῃ σαυτῷ. Ὅτι γὰρ ἐπιμελείας ἀνθρωπίνης ἐστὶ, καὶ οὐ φύσεως, ἐχρῆν ἅπαντας τοῦτο τοὺς κύνας ἔχειν. Γένεσθε οὖν κατὰ τοὺς κύνας. Ὑμεῖς με ἀναγκάζετε ἐκεῖθεν τὰ παραδείγματα φέρειν· ἔδει μὲν γὰρ ἀπὸ τῶν οὐρανίων· ἐπειδὴ δὲ, ἂν εἴπω τι τοιοῦτον, λέγετε ὅτι ἐκεῖνα μεγάλα εἰσὶ, διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲν λέγω τῶν οὐρανίων. Κἂν εἴπω τὸν Παῦλον, λέγετε ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἀπόστολος ἦν· διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ Παῦλον λέγω. Ἂν εἴπω ἄνθρωπον, λέγετε ὅτι ἐκεῖνος ἠδύνατο· διὰ τοῦτο οὐδὲ ἄνθρωπον λέγω, ἀλλὰ θηρίον, καὶ θηρίον οὐ φύσει τοῦτο ἔχον, ἵνα μὴ εἴπητε ὅτι φύσει, καὶ οὐ προαιρέσει τοῦτο κατώρθωσε· καὶ τὸ δὴ θαυμαστὸν, προαιρέσει οὐκ οἰκείᾳ, ἀλλὰ τῇ σῇ ἐπιμελείᾳ. Οὐχ ὅτι κατεκόπη, οὐχ ὅτι διεσπάσθη τῷ δρόμῳ, οὐχ ὅτι τοῖς οἰκείοις αὐτοῦ πόνοις ἔλαβεν, ἐννοεῖ· ἀλλὰ πάντα ταῦτα ῥίψας ἔξω, τὸ τοῦ δεσπότου πρόσταγμα φυλάττει καὶ γαστρὸς ἀνώτερον γίνεται. Ναὶ, φησί· προσδοκᾷ γὰρ ἐπαινεθήσεσθαι, προσδοκᾷ πλείονος ἀπολαύσεσθαι τραπέζης. Εἰπὲ οὖν καὶ σαυτῷ, ὅτι ὁ κύων ἐλπίδι μελλούσης ἡδονῆς, τῆς παρούσης καταφρονεῖ· σὺ δὲ οὐ βούλει ἐλπίδι τῶν μελλόντων ἀγαθῶν τῶν παρόντων καταφρονεῖν· ἀλλ' ἐκεῖνος μὲν οἶδεν ὅτι, ἂν ἀκαίρως καὶ παρὰ τὸ τῷ δεσπότῃ δοκοῦν τῆς τροφῆς ἀπογεύσηται, κἀκείνης ἀποστερηθήσεται, καὶ οὐδὲ τὴν ὡρισμένην ἕξει, πληγὰς λαβὼν ἀντὶ τῆς τροφῆς· σὺ δὲ οὐδὲ τοῦτο δύνασαι ἰδεῖν, καὶ ὅπερ ἀπὸ τῆς συνηθείας ἔμαθεν ἐκεῖνος, τοῦτο σὺ ἀπὸ λόγου οὐ κατορθοῖς. Μιμησώμεθα τοὺς κύνας. Τοῦτο λέγονται καὶ ἱέρακες ποιεῖν καὶ ἀετοί. Ὅπερ ἐπὶ τῶν