17. The very form of thy body and the uses of thy
limbs teach thee this. Can one limb claim the duties of
another? Can the eye claim for itself the duties of the ear; or
the mouth the duties of the eye; or the hand the service of the feet;
or the feet that of the hands? Nay, the hands themselves, both
left and right, have different duties to do, so that if one were to
change the use of either, one would act contrary to nature. We
should have to lay aside the whole man before we could change the
service of the various members: as if, for instance, we were to
try to take food with the left hand, or to perform the duties of the
left hand with the right, so as to remove the remains of
food—unless, of course, need demanded it.