23. If you give a grape to
him when hungry, a must-cake, an onion, a thistle,35473547 a cucumber, a fig, will he know that
his hunger can be appeased by all these, or of what kind each should be
to be fit for eating?35483548 If you made a very great fire,
or surrounded him with venomous creatures, will he not go through the
midst of flames, vipers, 443tarantulæ,35493549 without knowing that they are dangerous,
and ignorant even of fear? But again, if you set before him
garments and furniture, both for city and country life, will he indeed
be able to distinguish35503550
for what each is fitted? to discharge what service they are
adapted? Will he declare for what purposes of dress the
stragula35513551 was made, the
coif,35523552 zone,35533553 fillet,
cushion, handkerchief, cloak, veil, napkin, furs,35543554 shoe, sandal, boot? What, if you go
on to ask what a wheel is, or a sledge,35553555 a winnowing-fan, jar, tub, an oil-mill,
ploughshare, or sieve, a mill-stone, ploughtail, or light hoe; a carved
seat, a needle, a strigil, a laver, an open seat, a ladle, a platter, a
candlestick, a goblet, a broom, a cup, a bag; a lyre, pipe, silver,
brass, gold,35563556 a book, a rod, a
roll,35573557 and the rest of
the equipment by which the life of man is surrounded and
maintained? Will he not in such circumstances, as we said, like
an ox35583558 or an ass, a
pig, or any beast more senseless, look35593559 at these indeed, observing their various
shapes, but35603560 not knowing what
they all are, and ignorant of the purpose for which they are
kept? If he were in any way compelled to utter a sound, would he
not with gaping mouth shout something indistinctly, as the dumb usually
do?