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THE SECOND BOOKE 159
same imagination that he dare equall himself to God,
that he ascribeth divine conditions unto himself, that
he selecteth and separateth himselfe from out the
ranke of other creatures ; to which his fellow-brethren
and compeers he cuts out and shareth their parts, and
allotteth them what portions of meanes or forces he
thinkes good. How knoweth he by the vertue of his
understanding the inward and secret motions of beasts ?
By what comparison from them to us doth he conclude
the brutishnesse he ascnbeth unto them ? When I am
playing with my cat, who knowes whether she have
more sport in dallying with me than I have in gaming
with her? We entertaine one another with mutuall
apish trickes. If I have my houre to begin or to
refuse, so hath she hers. Plato in setting forth the
golden age under Saturne, amongst the chiefe advantages
that man had then, reporteth the communication
he had with beasts, of whom enquiring and taking
instruction, he knew the true qualities and differences
of every one of them : by and from whom he got an
absolute understanding and perfect wisedome, whereby
he led a happier life than we can doe. Can we have
a better proofe to judge of mans impudency touching
beasts? This notable author was of opinion that in
the greatest part of the corporall forme which nature
hath bestowed on them, she hath only respected the
use of the prognostications, which in his daies were
thereby gathered. The defect which hindreth the
communication betweene them and us, why may it
not as well be in us as in them? It is a matter of
divination to guesse in whom the fault is that we
understand not one another. For we understand
them no more than they us. By the same reason,
may they as well esteeme us beasts as we them. It
is no great marvell if we understand them not: no
more doe we the Cornish, the Welch, or Irish. Yet
have some boasted that they understood them, as
Apollonius Thyaneus, Melampus, Tiresias, Thales,
and others. And if it be (as Cosmographers report)
that there are nations who receive and admit a dogge