Texte grec :
[35,12] ἴσως γὰρ ὀρθῶς αὐτὸ πράττουσιν·
ἐπεὶ καὶ τοὺς λαγὼς ὁρᾶτε τοὺς πάνυ ἀσθενεῖς ὑπὸ τῆς δασύτητος
σῳζομένους, καὶ τῶν ὀρνέων τοῖς ἀσθενεστάτοις ἐξαρκεῖ τὰ
πτερὰ εἴργειν τὸν ἄνεμον καὶ τὸ ὕδωρ, διότι ἐξ αὐτῶν πέφυκεν.
ἡμεῖς δὲ τὴν μὲν κόμην ἀφαιροῦμεν, ὥσπερ οἱ νομεῖς τῶν ἵππων,
ἃς ἂν ἐθέλωσι παραβαλεῖν τοῖς ὄνοις, καὶ τὰ γένεια ἀποκείρομεν,
τὰς δὲ κεφαλὰς σκέπομεν. {τοὺς δὲ ἀλεκτρυόνας ὁρῶμεν οὐδενὸς
τοιούτου προσδεομένους, ὧν ἄνθρωποι} σισύρας καὶ πίλους καὶ
τοιαῦθ´ ἕτερα ξυρράπτοντες. καὶ ποῖος ἂν γένοιτο πῖλος Ἀρκαδικὸς
ἢ Λακωνικὸς μᾶλλον ἁρμόττων τῆς αὑτοῦ κόμης ἑκάστῳ;
καὶ τί δεῖ, φησί, τοσούτων ὄντων σκεπασμάτων; οὐδὲν τοῖς γε
πλουσίοις· ἐκείνοις μὲν οὐδὲ χειρῶν οὐδὲ ποδῶν.}
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Traduction française :
[35,12] The reason may well be because their practice is correct.
For instance, you observe that rabbits, weak creatures
that they are, are protected by their shaggy coats,
and that among the birds even the weakest find
their feathers a sufficient protection against wind
and rain. But as for us human beings, while we
shear off our locks (just as horse-breeders shear the
manes of mares that they plan to mate with asses)
and also shave our beards, we make coverings for
our heads. Yet we observe that cocks require
nothing extra as human beings do, goat-skin coats
and caps of felt and other similar coverings which
we stitch together. And yet what cap of Arcadian
or Laconian make could be more suitable than a
man's own hair ? " Besides," someone will ask,
" what need is there for so many coverings for the
body ? " No need, at least for men of wealth ;
indeed they do not need hands or feet either.
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