על עבודת האדמה ז׳On Husbandry 7
א׳
1[30] Nature has produced each one of us with “cattle” as part of our being. The living soul puts forth, as it were, from one root two shoots, one of which has been left whole and undivided and is called “Mind,” while the other by a sixfold division is made into seven growths, five those of the senses and (two) of two other organs, that of utterance and that of generation.
ב׳
2[31] All this herd being irrational is compared to cattle, and by nature’s law a herd cannot do without a governor. Now when a man at once without experience in ruling and possessed of wealth rises up and constitutes himself a ruler, he becomes the author of a multitude of evils to his charges.
ג׳
3[32] For he on his part supplies provender lavishly, and the animals gorging themselves beyond measure wax wanton from abundance of food, wantonness being the true offspring of excess, and in their wantonness they become frolicsome and refuse to be controlled, and getting separated in scattered groups they break up the compact array of the flock.
ד׳
4[33] The erstwhile ruler, forsaken by his subjects, is shewn to be a raw hand, and runs after them anxious if possible to get hold of some animal and bring it under control again. Finding that he cannot do this, he weeps and groans, cursing his own rashness, and blaming himself for what has happened.
ה׳
5[34] Precisely in this way does that other herd, our senses, act; whenever the mind gets lazy and careless, they gorge themselves insatiably with the lavish food brought in by the objects of sense, shake off restraint, and get unruly, going at random where they have no business to go. The eyes wide open to all things visible, even those which it is not right to look upon, meet with disaster. The ears welcome all sounds and are never satisfied; they are athirst all the time for particulars about other people’s business, in some cases for topics for vulgar jesting, and go far and wide on these errands.