Page:The Prose Works of Percy Bysshe Shelley (Volume 2).djvu/84

inevitably results also from his gluttonous and unnatural appetite for the flesh of animals that his frame be diseased and his vigour impaired; but in neither of these cases is adaptation of means to end to be perceived. Unnatural diet, and the habits consequent upon its use are the means, and every complication of frightful disease is the end, but to assert that these means were adapted to this end by the Creator of the world, or that human caprice can avail to traverse the precautions of Omnipotence, is absurd. These are the consequences of the properties of organized matter; and it is a strange perversion of the understanding to argue that a certain sheep was created to be butchered and devoured by a certain individual of the human species, when the conformation^[1] of the latter, as is manifest to the most superficial student of comparative anatomy classes him with those animals who feed on fruits and vegetables.^[2]

1. In the original, confirmation.
2. See Cuvier Leçons d'Anat. Comp. tom. iii. p. 169, 373, 448, 465, 480.— Rees's^[*] Cyclopædia, Art. Man.

   Ουκ αιδεισθε τȣς ἠμερȣς καρϖους ἁιματι και φονῳ μιγνυοντες ; αλλα δρακοντας αγριȣς καλειτε, και ϖαρδαλεις και λεοντας, αυτοι δε μιαιφονειτε εις ωμοτητα καταλιϖοντες εκεινοις ȣδεν. Εκεινοις μεν ὁ φονος τροφη, ὑμιν δε οψον εστιν.

   Ὁτι γαρ ουκ εστιν ανϑρωπῳ κατα φυσιν το σαρκοφαγειν, ϖρωτον μεν αϖο των σωματων δηλȣται της κατασκευης. Ουδενι γαρ εοικε το ανϑρωϖȣ σωμα των αϖο σαρκοφαγιᾳ γεγονοτων. Ȣ γρυϖοτης χειλȣς, ουκ οξυτης ονυχος, ȣ τραχυτης οδοντων ϖροσεστιν, ȣ κοιλιας ευτονια και πνευματος ϑερμοτης τρεψαι και κατεργασασϑαι το βαρυ και κρεωδες. Αλλ᾽ αυτοϑεν ἡ φυσις τῃ λειοτητι των οδοντων, και τῃ σμικροτητι τȣ σωματος, και τῃ μαλακοτητι της γλωσσης, καὶ τῃ ϖρος ϖεψιν αμβλυτητι τȣ πνευματος, εξομνυται την σαρκοφαγιαν. Ει δε λεγεις ϖεφυκεναι σεαυτον εϖι τοιαυτην εδωδην, ὁ βȣλει φαγειν, ϖρωτον αυτος αποκτεινον, αλλ᾽ αυτος δια σεαυτȣ, μη χρησαμενος κοϖιδι. μηδε τυμϖανῳ τινι, μηδε πελεκει᾽ αλλα ὡς λυκοι και αρκτοι και λεοντες αυτοι ὡς εσϑιȣσι φονευȣσις, ανελε δηγματι βȣν, η σωματι συν, η αρνα η λαγωον διαῤῤηξΟν, και φαγε ϖροσπεσων ετι ζωντος, ὡς εκεινα˙ Ηλουτ. υιερι Σαρκοφαγ. Λογ. β. [Shelley's Note.]

   * ↑  In the original, Ree's, but Rees's in the same note as given in Queen Mab and A Vindication of Natural Diet.