y2 ANTIENT METAPHYSICS. Book 11. 



and ravenous, and difpofed to prey upon other Animals, their Bodies 

 are ftron^-, and well armed with teeth and claws : On the contrary, the 

 Mind of the Hare or Deer being timorous, and difpofing the animal 

 to feek its fafety in flight, the Body is made to anfwer that purpofe. 

 To argue otherwife, and to fay that, becaufe the Body is fo and fo 

 made therefore the Mind is of fuch or fuch a difpofition, is to argue 

 moft prepofteroufly, and contrary to the nature of things. 



The Human Mind is undoubtedly the nobleft Mind inhabiting any 

 Body upon Earth. Man was certainly intended to ad the greateft 

 part in this our theatre : He was deftined to inhabit and cultivate 

 the earth, and to fubdue all its other inhabitants. Nor was his do- 

 minion to be confined to the Earth ; he was to reign over the (ea. 

 likewife, and to conquer the animals there of the moft enormous 

 fize. Over the air, too, he has endeavoured to extend his empire, 

 if there be any foundation in fad, for the fable of Icarus, to which 

 the attempt of Biihop Wilkins may, 1 think, give fome credit. Ho- 

 race therefore, has very juftly charaderifed the human race ; 



Audax omnia perpeti 

 Gens hiimana 



Nil mortalibus ardiium ejl. 



Expertus 'vacuum Daedalus aera 

 Petinis no7i honmii datis *. 



To ferve fuch a Mind as this, a Body was required, excellent, loo, 

 of its kind — fuch as had both ftrength and agility — could fuffer as 

 well as ad — and was able to endure any extremity of weather, and 

 all variety of climates ; not like thofe Animals that are made only 

 for certain climates, as the rein-deer for fuch a climate as that of 

 Lapland, and the elephant for the tropical climates. And fuch, I fay, 

 is the Body of Man in its natural ftatc ; much fupcrior, upon the 



whole 



* Lib. i. Ode 3, 



