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THE SECOND BOOKE 137
to stumble, so that the sacks she carried were all wet,
and perceiving the salt (because the water had melted
it) to grow lighter, ceased not, as soone as she came
neere any water, together with her load, to plunge
herselfe therein, untill her master, being aware of her
craft, commanded her to be laden with wooll, which
being wet became heavier; the mule finding herselfe
deceived, used her former policy no more. There are
many of them that lively represent the visage of our
avarice, who with a greedy kinde of desire endevour to
surprise whatsoever comes within their reach, and
though they reap no commodity, nor have any use of
it, to hide the same very curiously. As for husbandry,
they exceed us, not onely in fore-sight to spare and
gather together for times to come, but have also many
parts of the skill belonging thereunto. As the ants,
when they perceive their corne to grow mustie and
graine to be sowre, for feare it should rot and putrifie,
spread the same abroad before their nests, that so it
may aire and drie. But the caution they use in
gnawing, and prevention they employ in paring their
grames of wheat, is beyond all imagination of mans
wit: Because wheat doth not alwaies keep drie nor
wholesome, but moisten, melt, and dissolve into a kind
of whey, namely, when it beginneth to bud, fearing it
should turne to seed, and lose the nature of a storehouse,
for their sustenance, they part and gnaw off the
end whereat it wonts to bud. As for warre, which is
the greatest and most glorious of all humane actions, I
would faine know if we will use it for an argument of
some prerogative, or otherwise for a testimonie of our
imbecilitie and imperfection, as in truth the science *we
use to defeat and kill one another, to spoile and utterly
to overthrow our owne kind, it scemeth it hath not
much to make it selfe to be wished for in beasts, that
have it not
quando leoni
Fortior eripuit vitam leo, quo nemore unquam
Expiravit aper maioris dentibus aprt ?¹
1 JUVEN. Sat. xv. 160.