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174 MONTAIGNE'S ESSAYES
know it, that will not take the name of science and
title of prudence from them ; it is rather to ascribe it
unto them than unto us for the honour of so assured a
schoole-mistris. Chrysippus, albeit in other things as
disdainfull a judge of the condition of beasts as any
other Philosopher, considering the earnest movings of
the dog, who comming into a path that led three severail
wayes in search or quest of his Master, whom he had
lost, or in pursuit of some prey that hath escaped him,
goeth senting first one way and then another, and
having assured himself of two, because he findeth not
the tracke of what he hunteth for, without more adoe
furiously betakes himselfe to the third; he is enforced
to confesse that such a dog must necessarily discourse
thus with himselfe,' I have followed my Masters footing
hitherto, hee must of necessity pass by one of these
three wayes; it is neither this nor that, then consequently
hee is gone this other.' And by this conclusion
or discourse assuring himselfe, comming to the
third path, hee useth his sense no more, nor sounds it
any longer, but by the power of reason suffers himselfe
violently to be carried through it This meere logicall
tricke, and this use of divided and cohjoyned propositions,
and of the sufficient numbring of parts: is it
not as good that the dog know it by himselfe, as by
Trapezuntius his logicke? Yet are not beasts altogether
unapt to be instructed after our manner. We teach
Blacke-birds, Starlins, Ravens, Piots, and Parots to
chat; and that facilitie we perceive in them to lend
us their voyce so supple and their wind so tractable,
that so wee may frame and bring it to a certaine
number of letters and silables, witnesseth they have a
kinde of inward reason which makes them so docile
and willing to learne. I thinke every man is cloied and
wearied with seeing so many apish and mimmike trickes
that juglers teach their Dogges, as the dances, where
they misse not one cadence of the sounds or notes they
heare: Marke but the divers turnings and severail
kinds of motions which by the commandement of their
bare words they make them performe: But I wonder