22 



For those powers and instruments, and appe- 

 tites, which are subservient to copulation, were im- 

 parted to men by Divinity, not for the sake of 

 voluptuousness, but for the sake of the perpetual 

 duration of the human race. For since it was im- 

 possible that man, who is born mortal, should par- 

 ticipate of a divine life, if the immortality of his 

 genus was corrupted ; Divinity gave completion to 

 this immortality through individuals, and made 

 this generation of mankind to be unceasing and 

 continued. .This, therefore, is one of the first 

 things which it is necessary to survey, that copu- 

 lation should not be undertaken for the sake of 

 voluptuous delight. 



In the next place, the co-ordination itself of 

 man should be considered with reference to the 

 whole, viz. that he is a part of a house and a city, 

 and (which is the greatest thing of all) that each 

 of the progeny of the human species ought to give 

 completion to the world % if it does not intend to 



* In the original, tfuru. $t xctt TV eturqv -ru etvfyuvfu ouvrufyv 

 vrgog TO cXev, en ptgos vftx^uv oixou <rt xttt vroteus, XKI TO fttyiffrov 

 xofffAou, ffvpyrX'/i^ovv oQuXii TO euroy&vafAtvov fourav ixatrrov, x. <r. A. 

 Here, for XKI ro fAtynrrov xocrpov, ffvp.tf>.t)govv, . r. A., it is requisite 

 to read, conformably to the above translation, xai ro ptyiffrov, xoerpou 

 ffv(AK*.novv, x. r. >.. Nogarola, in his version, from not perceiving 

 the necessity of this emendation, has made Ocellus say that man 

 is the greatest part of the universe ; for his translation is as fol- 

 lows : " Mox eandem hominis constitutionem ad universam refe- 

 rendam, quippe qui non solum domus et civitatis, verum etiam 

 mundi maxima habetur pars," &c. 



