38. For, to begin with what
is important, what advantage is it to the world that the mightiest
kings are here? What, that there are tyrants, lords, and
other innumerable and very illustrious powers? What, that there
are generals of the greatest experience in war, skilled in taking
cities; soldiers steady and utterly invincible in battles of cavalry,
or in fighting hand to hand on foot? What, that there are
orators, grammarians, poets, writers, logicians, musicians,
ballet-dancers, mimics, actors, singers, trumpeters, flute and reed
players? What, that there are runners, boxers, charioteers,
vaulters,3664
| 3664
i.e., from one horse to another—desultores. |
walkers on
stilts,
rope-dancers, jugglers? What, that there are dealers in
salt fish, salters, fishmongers, perfumers, goldsmiths,
bird-catchers,
weavers of winnowing
fans and
baskets of
rushes? What, that there
are fullers, workers in
wool, embroiderers, cooks, confectioners,
dealers in mules, pimps, butchers, harlots? What, that there are
other kinds of dealers? What do
the other kinds of
professors and arts, for the enumeration of which all life would be
too short, contribute to the plan and constitution
3665
| 3665
Rationibus et constitutionibus. |
of the world,
that we should believe
3666
| 3666
Lit., “it should be believed.” |
that it could not have been founded
without men, and would not attain its completeness without the addition
of
3667
| 3667
Lit., “unless there were joined.” |
a wretched
and useless being’s exertion?
3668
| 3668
So the ms., reading
contentio, which Orelli would understand as meaning
“contents,” which may be correct. LB. reads
conditio—“condition,” ineptly; and Ursinus in
the margin, completio—“the filling up.” |
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