On the Usefulness of the Parts, Vol. I

the body is suited to the habits and powers of the soul: for the horse, it is adorned with strong hooves and a mane, for the animal is swift, proud, and not cowardly; for the lion, because it is spirited and brave, it is strong in its teeth and claws; and likewise for the bull and the boar, for the former has horns and the latter tusks as natural weapons. For the deer and the hare, which are cowardly animals, the body is swift but entirely naked and unarmed. For I believe it was fitting 3 that speed belonged to the cowardly, and weapons to the brave. Therefore, nature did not arm the cowardly nor leave the brave naked. But for man, because this animal is wise and the only one on earth that is divine, she gave hands in place of all defensive weapons, an instrument necessary for all the arts, and no less peaceful than it is martial. Thus, he had no need of a natural horn, since he was able to take a better weapon than a horn in his hands whenever he wished: for both a sword and a spear are at once greater and more ready to cut than a horn. Nor did he need a hoof, for both wood and stone are more violent for crushing than any hoof. And a horn and a hoof can do nothing until they come to close quarters, but the weapons of men function from a distance no less than from close by: a javelin and an arrow act as a horn, while a stone and a club act as a hoof. But the lion is swifter than man. What of this? For man tamed the horse through wisdom and 4 his hands, an animal swifter than the lion, and by using it, he both flees and pursues the lion, and sitting from on high...