SOCLARUS. However, it is a wonderful thing to observe, how much man differs from all other creatures in
probity of manners, in industry, and in all those things
that relate to justice and common society.
AUTOBULUS. Nevertheless, my dear friend, this cannot
be denied, that there are many brute beasts that surpass
men both in bulk and swiftness, others that far surpass him
in strength of sight and exactness of hearing; and yet for
all this we are not to say that man is blind, without
strength, or wants ears. For Nature has not deprived us
either of hands or eyes or strength or bulk, though we
must not compare with camels or elephants. In like manner we must not say that brute beasts are altogether deprived of reason and understanding, because they are more
dull of understanding, and not so quick at ratiocination as
we are, as only enjoying a weak and muddy sort of reason,
like a dim and clouded eye. And did I not presently expect these young gentlemen, being persons both studious
and learned, to bring together an infinite number of examples in reference to both land and sea-animals, I could
produce a thousand examples of docility and a thousand
more of good nature in beasts, which the famous city of
Rome has given us an opportunity to fetch from her imperial theatres; but we will leave these things fresh and
untouched, for them to embellish with their eloquent discourse.
In the mean time I have something to offer by the by,
which is this, that I am of opinion that there is a mutilation, disease, and defect peculiar to every part and faculty,
—as blindness of the eye, lameness of the leg, and stuttering of the tongue,—which defects cannot be appropriated to any other members. For that blindness can
[p. 167]
never be attributed to that which was never created to see,
nor lameness to that which never could go, nor can any
thing be said to stammer that wants a tongue, or to lisp or
stutter that has not a vocal utterance. And nothing can
be said to be a changeling or beside his wits or mad, to
which Nature never gave the use of thought, reason, and
understanding; for it is impossible to be so without some
faculty that can suffer either privation or mutilation or
some other defect. But you have seen dogs that were
mad, and I have seen horses under the same predicament;
and some there are who say that bulls and foxes will be
mad. But the example of dogs is sufficient, which is unquestionable. This makes it evident, that those creatures
have a sort of reason and understanding not to be despised,
which being once confused and troubled, the affection
arises which is called madness. For we do not find either
their sight or their hearing diminished. Now, as when a
man is affected with hypochondriac melancholy, or in a
delirium, it would be absurd to say that he was not beside
himself, or that his sense, reason, and memory were not
disturbed,—for custom tells that they who are in a raving
condition are not in their right senses, but are fallen from
their reason,—so whoever believes that there is any other
cause why dogs run mad, but only that their natural senses,
reason, and memories are disturbed, while they cease to
know faces the most familiar to them before, and abandon
their most usual food, and overlook what is just before their
eyes, such a man, I say, seems to me either to overlook what
is just before his eyes, or else, seeing the conclusions that
follow, to fight against the truth itself.
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