§3καίτοι φέρε λέγειν τινὰ ἡμῶν ὡς τύχη τὰ τῶν βλεπόντων πράγματα, οὐκ ὄψις οὐδʼ
ὄμματα φωσφόρα
φησὶ Πλάτων, καὶ τύχη τὰ τῶν ἀκουόντων, οὐ δύναμις ἀντιληπτικὴ πληγῆς ἀέρος διʼ ὠτὸς καὶ ἐγκεφάλου προσφερομένης· καλὸν δʼ, ὡς ἔοικεν, εὐλαβεῖσθαι τὴν αἴσθησιν.
And yet, come, let one of us say that the affairs of those who see are fortune, not sight nor the "light-bearing eyes," as Plato says, and that the affairs of those who hear are fortune, not the power receptive of the blow of the air conveyed through the ear and brain; but it seems good, as it appears, to respect the senses.
ἀλλὰ μὴν τὴν ὄψιν καὶ ἀκοὴν καὶ γεῦσιν καὶ ὄσφρησιν καὶ τὰ λοιπὰ μέρη τοῦ σώματος καὶ τάς δυνάμεις αὐτῶν ὑπηρεσίαν εὐβουλίας καὶ φρονήσεως ἡ φύσις ἤνεγκεν ἡμῖν, καὶ
νοῦς ὁρῇ καὶ νοῦς ἀκούει, τἄλλα
δὲ κωφὰ
καὶ τυφλά
καὶ ὥσπερ ἡλίου μὴ ὄντος ἕνεκα τῶν ἄλλων ἄστρων εὐφρόνην ἂν ἤγομεν, ὥς φησιν Ἡράκλειτος, οὕτως ἕνεκα τῶν αἰσθήσεων, εἰ μὴ νοῦν μηδὲ λόγον ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἔσχεν, οὐδὲν ἂν διέφερε τῷ βίῳ τῶν θηρίων.
Nevertheless, nature brought to us sight, hearing, taste, smell, and the rest of the parts of the body and their powers as a service to good counsel and wisdom; and "it is the mind that sees, and the mind that hears, but all other things are deaf and blind." And just as, if there were no sun, we should have kept night for all the other stars, as Heraclitus says, so, for all our senses, if man had not possessed mind and reason, he would have differed in no way in his life from the wild beasts.
νῦν δʼ οὐκ ἀπὸ τύχης οὐδʼ αὐτομάτως περίεσμεν αὐτῶν καὶ κρατοῦμεν, ἀλλʼ ὁ Προμηθεύς, τουτέστιν ὁ λογισμὸς αἴτιος
"
ἵππων ὄνων τʼ ὀχεῖα καὶ ταύρων γονὰς
δοὺς ἀντίδωρα καὶ πόνων ἐκδέκτορα
"
κατʼ Αἰσχύλον.
But as it is, not by fortune nor spontaneously do we surpass them and rule them, but Prometheus, that is, reason, is the cause, "giving yokes of horses and asses, and the breed of bulls, as substitutes and receivers of toils," according to Aeschylus.
ἐπεὶ τύχῃ γε καὶ φύσει γενέσεως ἀμείνονι τὰ πλεῖστα τῶν ἀλόγων κέχρηται.
For in fortune indeed and in a better nature of birth, most of the irrational creatures are better off.
τὰ μὲν γὰρ ὥπλισται κέρασι καὶ ὀδοῦσι καὶ κέντροις,
αὐτὰρ ἐχίνοις
φησὶν Ἐμπεδοκλῆς
"
ὀξυβελεῖς χαῖται νώτοις ἐπιπεφρίκασι,
"
τὰ δʼ ὑποδέδεται καὶ ἠμφίεσται φολίσι καὶ λάχναις καὶ χηλαῖς καὶ ὁπλαῖς ἀποκρότοις· μόνος δʼ ὁ ἄνθρωπος κατὰ τὸν Πλάτωνα
γυμνὸς καὶ ἄοπλος καὶ ἀνυπόδητος καὶ ἄστρωτος
ὑπὸ τῆς φύσεως ἀπολέλειπται. "
ἀλλʼ ἓν διδοῦσα πάντα μαλθάσσει τάδε,
"
τὸν λογισμὸν καὶ τὴν ἐπιμέλειαν καὶ τὴν πρόνοιαν.
For some are armed with horns, teeth, and stings, "but on hedgehogs," as Empedocles says, "sharp-pointed bristling hairs shudder upon their backs," while others are shod and clothed with scales, hair, claws, and hard-ringing hoofs; but man alone, according to Plato, is left by nature "naked, unarmed, unshod, and without bedding." "But by giving one thing she softens all these," namely, reason, diligence, and foresight.
"
ἦ βραχὺ μὲν σθένος ἀνέρος· ἀλλὰ
ποικιλίᾳ πραπίδων
δεινὰ μὲν φῦλα πόντου
χθονίων τʼ ἀερίων τε
δάμναται βουλεύματα. "
κουφότατον ἵπποι καὶ ὠκύτατον, ἀνθρώπῳ δὲ θέουσι· μάχιμον κύων καὶ θυμοειδές, ἀλλʼ ἄνθρωπον φυλάττει· ἡδύτατον ἰχθὺς καὶ πολύσαρκον ὗς, ἀνθρώπῳ δὲ τροφὴ καὶ ὄψον ἐστί.
"Truly, the strength of man is small; yet by the versatility of his mind, the terrible tribes of the sea, of the earth, and of the air are subdued by his counsels." Horses are most light and swift, yet they run for man; a dog is combative and spirited, yet it guards man; fish are most delicious, and a pig is very fleshy, yet they are food and delicacy for man.
τί μεῖζον ἐλέφαντος; ἢ φοβερώτερον ἰδεῖν;
What is greater than an elephant, or more terrible to look upon?
ἀλλὰ καὶ τοῦτο παίγνιον γέγονεν ἀνθρώπου καὶ θέαμα πανηγυρικόν, ὀρχήσεις τε μανθάνει καὶ χορείας καὶ προσκυνήσεις, οὐκ ἀχρήστως τῶν τοιούτων παρεισαγομένων, ἀλλʼ ἵνα μανθάνωμεν ποῖ τὸν ἄνθρωπον ἡ φρόνησις αἴρει καὶ τίνων ὑπεράνω ποιεῖ, καὶ πῶς κρατεῖ πάντων καὶ περίεστιν.
Yet even this has become a plaything for man and a spectacle for public assemblies, and it learns dances, movements in chorus, and obeisances, not without utility are such things introduced, but so that we may learn to what height wisdom raises man, and above what things it places him, and how he rules and surpasses all.
"
οὐ γὰρ πυγμάχοι εἰμὲν ἀμύμονες οὐδὲ παλαισταί,
οὐδὲ ποσὶ κραιπνῶς θέομεν,
"
ἀλλʼ ἐν πᾶσι τούτοις ἀτυχέστεροι τῶν θηρίων ἐσμέν· ἐμπειρίᾳ δὲ καὶ μνήμῃ καὶ σοφίᾳ καὶ τέχνῃ κατʼ Ἀναξαγόραν σφῶν τʼ αὐτῶν χρώμεθα καὶ βλίττομεν καὶ ἀμέλγομεν καὶ φέρομεν καὶ ἄγομεν συλλαμβάνοντες, ὥστʼ, ἐνταῦθα τῆς τύχης ἀλλὰ πάντα τῆς εὐβουλίας εἶναι.
"For we are not blameless boxers nor wrestlers, nor do we run swiftly with our feet," but in all these things we are more unfortunate than the beasts; yet by experience, memory, wisdom, and art, according to Anaxagoras, we make use of them themselves, and we gather honey, milk them, capture them, and carry and drive them away, so that here nothing belongs to fortune, but all to good counsel.