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τὸ γὰρ λέγειν ὡς ἔστι ποτὲ ὁ ἄνθρωπος ἄνευ πυρὸς οὐδ᾽ ὅλως δύναται γενέσθαι ὁ ἄνθρωπος. διαφοραὶ δ᾽ εἰσὶν ἐν γένει καθάπερ καὶ ἐν ἄλλοις. καὶ τὴν θάλατταν ἡ θερμότης ὠφελιμωτέραν ἐποίησεν, ὡς μᾶλλον καταθερῆ τῶν ὑδάτων, ἐπεὶ κατ᾽ αὑτό γε τῶν λοιπῶν οὐδὲν διέφερε. καὶ οἱ μὴ προσδεόμενοι δὲ τοῦ ἔξωθεν πυρὸς οὐχ ὡς ἀπροσδεεῖς τοῦτο πάσχουσιν, ἀλλὰ περιουσίᾳ καὶ πλεονασμῷ τοῦ ἐν αὑτοῖς θερμοῦ: ὥστε καὶ κατὰ [p. 9] τοῦθ᾽ ὑπερέχειν τὴν τοῦ πυρὸς χρείαν, ὡς εἰκός. τὸ μὲν ὕδωρ οὐδέποτε τοιοῦτον, ὥστε μὴ δεῖσθαι τῶν ἐκτός, τὸ δὲ πῦρ ὑπ᾽ ἀρετῆς πολλῆς καὶ αὔταρκες, ὡς οὖν στρατηγὸς ἀμείνων ὁ παρασκευάσας τὴν πόλιν μὴ δεῖσθαι τῶν ἔξωθεν συμμάχων, οὕτω καὶ στοιχεῖον τὸ τῆς ἔξωθεν ἐπικουρίας παρέχον πολλάκις μὴ δεόμενον ὑπερέχον. τοῦτο ῥητέον καὶ περὶ τῶν ἄλλων ζῴων, ὅσα μὴ πυρὸς δεῖται. καίτοι γ᾽ εἰς τοὐναντίον λάβοι τις ἄν, τὸ χρησιμώτερον εἶναι τοῦτο, ᾧ χρώμεθα μόνοι οἱ καὶ μάλιστα τὸ βέλτιον ἐκ λογισμοῦ λαβεῖν δυνάμενοι: ἐπεὶ τί λόγου χρησιμώτερον ἢ μᾶλλον ἀνθρώποις λυσιτελέστερον; ἀλλ᾽ οὐ πάρεστι τοῖς ἀλόγοις. τί οὖν; διὰ τοῦθ᾽ ἧττον ὠφέλιμον ἐκ τῆς προνοίας τοῦ βελτίονος εὑρεθέν;
Plutarch. Moralia. Gregorius N. Bernardakis. Leipzig. Teubner. 1895. 6.
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