Αἴτια φυσικά

Lines

1 – 2 2 – 2 2 – 4 4 – 5 5 – 6 6 – 9 9 – 11 11 – 13 13 – 16 16 – 19 19 – 19 20 – 21 21 – 23 23 – 25 26 – 27 27 – 30 30 – 32 32 – 34 34 – 36 36 – 38 38 – 39

Yunanca Yunanca

21 Is it because of plentiful feeding, as in very truth fulness doth produce wantonness? For abundance of nourishment breeds abundance of seed both in animals and plants. Now wild sows live by their own toil, and that with fear; the tame have always food enough, either by nature or given them. Or may it not be ascribed to their rest and exercise? For the tame do rest and go not far from their keepers; the wild get to the mountains, and run about, by which means they waste the nutriment, and consume it upon the whole body. Therefore either through continual converse, or abundance of seed, or because the females feed in herds with the males, the tame sows call to mind coition and stir up lust, as Empedocles talks of men. But in wild sows, which feed apart, desire is cold and dull for want of love and conversation. Or is it true, what Aristotle says, that Homer called the wild boar χλούνης, because he had but one stone? For most boars spoil their stones (he says) by rubbing them against stumps of trees.

XXII. WHY ARE THE PAWS OF BEARS THE SWEETEST AND PLEASANTEST FOOD?

22 BECAUSE the flesh of those parts of the body which concoct aliment the best is sweetest; and that concocts best which transpires most by motion and exercise. But the bear uses the fore-feet most in going and running, and in managing of things, as it were with hands.