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The Stoics' way of reasoning upon this subject of flesh-eating is no way equal nor consonant with themselves.
Who is this that hath so many mouths for his belly and the
kitchen? Whence comes it to pass, that they so very
much womanize and reproach pleasure, as a thing that they
will not allow to be either good or preferable, or so much
as agreeable, and yet all on a sudden become so zealous
advocates for pleasures? It were indeed but a reasonable
consequence of their doctrine, that, since they banish perfumes and cakes from their banquets, they should be much
more averse to blood and to flesh. But now, just as if they
would reduce their philosophy to their day-books, they
lessen the expenses of their suppers in certain unnecessary
and needless matters, but the untamed and murderous part
of their expense they nothing boggle at. ‘Well! What
then?’ say they. ‘We have nothing to do with brute
beasts.’ Nor have you any with perfumes, nor with foreign sauces, may some one answer; therefore expel these
from your banquets, if you are driving out every thing
that is both useless and needless.
Plutarch. Plutarch's Morals. Translated from the Greek by several hands. Corrected and revised by. William W. Goodwin, PH. D. Boston. Little, Brown, and Company. Cambridge. Press Of John Wilson and son. 1874. 5.
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