dust, and the eyebrow, by its prominency, prevent the sweat of the
forehead from running into the eye to its hurt. How wisely is the ear
formed to receive all sorts of sounds, and not to be filled with any to
the exclusion of others. Are not the fore teeth of all animals fitted to
cut off proper portions of food, and their grinders to reduce it to a
convenient smallness? The mouth, by which we take in the food we like,
is fitly placed just beneath the nose and eyes, the judges of its
goodness; and what is offensive and disagreeable to our senses is, for
that reason, placed at a proper distance from them. In short, these
things being disposed in such order, and with so much care, can you
hesitate one moment to determine whether it be an effect of providence or
of chance?" "I doubt not of it in the least," replied Aristodemus, "and
the more I fix my thoughts on the contemplation of these things the more
I am persuaded that all this is the masterpiece of a great workman, who
bears an extreme love to men." "What say you," continued Socrates, "to
this, that he gives all animals a desire to engender and propagate their
kind; that he inspires the mothers with tenderness and affection to bring
up their young; and that, from the very hour of their birth, he infuses
into them this great love of life and this mighty aversion to death?" "I
say," replied Aristodemus, "that it is an effect of his great care for
their preservation." "This is not all," said Socrates, "answer me yet
farther; perhaps you would rather interrogate me. You are not, I
persuade myself, ignorant that you are endowed with understanding; do you
then think that there is not elsewhere an intelligent being?
Particularly, if you consider that your body is only a little earth taken
from that great mass which you behold. The moist that composes you is
only a small drop of that immense heap of water that makes the sea; in a
word, your body contains only a small part of all the elements, which are
elsewhere in great quantity. There is nothing then but your
understanding alone, which, by a wonderful piece of good fortune, must