Chapter X.
To each species of fish, its own habitats are prescribed, from which human levity and luxury are condemned: however, some fish change places for the sake of their offspring; the reason for this is explained, and human incontinence is criticized. Likewise, about the particular virtues of certain fish.
26. But do we think that the grace of nature remains in fishes without some gift, namely that each species of fish has designated habitats, which no other species exceeds, nor invades the territory of another? Who divided these habitats, which must not be violated at any time? We have heard of a geometer, but we have never heard of a seameter; yet fish know their own measure, not prescribed by city walls and gates, not limited by the buildings of homes, not restricted by the boundaries of fields, but by the measure of what is appropriate; so that it is sufficient for each individual, as much as is abundant for its use, not as much as some excessive greed may claim for itself. There is a certain law of nature to seek only what is sufficient for sustenance, and to consider the fortune of one's possessions in the manner of food. This kind of fish is nourished and born in that sea inlet, while that one is in another. In conclusion, you will not find mixed kinds of fish: but what is abundant here, is lacking elsewhere. And again, that sea inlet nourishes cephalopods, while that one nourishes wolves: one nourishes shellfish, another nourishes locusts. There is no freedom to roam; yet neither is the abundance hindered by mountains or the crossing hindered by flowing rivers, but the use impressed by nature as if holding each person within the boundaries of their homeland and going beyond is considered suspicious by the inhabitants.
27. But our opinion is far different, to exchange our homes for exile, to be held captive by the disdain of the inhabitants, to seek the favor of strangers, to move the perpetual boundaries that our fathers established, to join field to field, house to house. The land fails to provide for men, the seas are crowded. Again, at the whim of individuals the land is intersected, the sea pours in, so that they may make islands, so that they may possess the straits: they claim the spaces of the sea by the right of ownership, and they cite the rights of the fish as being subjected to the condition of native-born servitude. This, he says, is my part of the sea, that is someone else's. The powerful elements divide themselves. Oysters are nourished by these waves; fish are confined in their fish farms. Luxury is not enough for them unless they have warehouses of oysters. Therefore, they count their ages and build receptacles for fish, so that the sea of a rich man can be filled with banquets. How the neighbors hear their name with their ears! How they behold their possessions with their eyes! Just as day and night devise ways to take something from the next day, will you alone inhabit the earth? cries the prophet. The Lord knows these things and reserves them for punishment.
28. They capture the secrets of nature and they know beyond the boundaries of the earth, the sea that no islands interrupt, nor is there any land in between, nor is anything else placed further. Therefore, in that place where the wide sea prevents all use of sight, they are said to hide themselves, the immense race of fish with bodies equal to mountains, as those who have been able to see have reported to us: there they spend a peaceful life separate from the islands, and separate from all the contamination of the coastal cities, they have their own regions and distributed dwellings. They stay within the unoffending boundary of their neighbors and do not seek changes of place through wandering: instead, they love their native soil as if it were their own and consider it pleasant to linger there. They have chosen this in order to be able to lead a solitary life, removed from the interference of judges.
However, there are some species of fish that do not change their habitats easily due to the necessity of breeding. These fish, seeking an appropriate and natural time, gather from many places and different bays of the sea, as if by common agreement. They then head towards the north, propelled by the north wind, and strive towards the northern part of the sea due to a certain law of nature. If you were to see them ascending, you would think that they are some kind of flow, as they rush forward and intersect waves, flowing forcefully through the Propontis into the Black Sea. Who announces these places to the fishes, sets the times? Who gives the arrangement of food, the order of companionship, the limits and times of return? Men have their emperor, whose authority is expected. A sign is displayed, edicts are proposed to the provinces to convene, letters are directed to the military tribunes, a day is appointed; and many are unable to meet on the appointed days. Which emperor gave the command to the fishes? Who grants this discipline to the teacher? Who organizes the paths for the surveyors? Who directs the leaders on the journey so that no encounter is missed? But I recognize who that emperor is, who, by divine arrangement, infuses his authority into the senses of all beings, who, in silence, bestows the order of natural discipline upon mute creatures; not only does he penetrate the great things, but he also establishes himself through the smallest things. The fish obeys the divine law, while humans contradict. The fish solemnly obeys the celestial commands, and humans make void the precepts of God! Does it seem contemptible to you because it is mute and devoid of reason? But be careful not to hold yourself in greater contempt if you are found more irrational than the irrational. But what is more reasonable than this passage of the fish, whose reason is not explained by words but speaks through actions? For during the summer they go to the embrace of the Black Sea, because this gulf is sweeter than the rest of the sea. Not so much because of the sun's heat, as because it delays the others, and this is the reason why it does not completely exhaust all the water which is sweet and potable. But who is ignorant of the fact that even those things which are of the sea often find delight in fresh waters? Furthermore, while they pursue the rivers and ascend to the upper regions, fish of a different kind are often taken in the rivers. Therefore, since this reason makes the Black Sea more agreeable to them, either because the usual heat of the north wind tempers the sun there, or because they consider it more favorable than other places, in which they can generate and rear their own offspring, since the tender offspring can hardly endure the labor of a foreign region, which is fed by the gentle influence of the air there. Therefore, after completing their task, they all return together in the same order in which they had come.
30. By what reasoning should we consider this? The Sinus Ponti (Bay of Pontus) is subject to the most violent blasts of the north wind and the other winds; hence a heavy storm rages there, and tempests arise, so that the sand is turned upside down from the depths: proof of this is the sandy swell, which rises higher with the motion of the winds, then, being heavier in weight, is undoubtedly considered intolerable not only to sailors but also to the very sea creatures themselves. Moreover, it should be noted that many and mighty rivers from the Pontus are mixed together, and in the winter season the very bay itself becomes colder, freezing from the flow of the torrents; for this reason, fish, like judges of the currents, are accustomed to seek the gentleness of the breeze there during the summer: having enjoyed its pleasantness, they then strive to avoid the harshness of winter; and fleeing the harsh Northern region, they retreat into the remaining bays, where either the gentleness of the winds is softer or the temperature of springtime is accustomed to shine. Therefore, a fish knows the time of giving birth, which Solomon Wisdom referred to as a great mystery: It knows the time of going and returning; it knows the time of completing tasks and resting, and it knows that it cannot be deceived (Eccles. III, 2 et seq.); because it does not rely on reasoning and logical arguments, but on the inspiration of nature, which is the true teacher of piety. In conclusion, all living beings have predetermined times for giving birth, except for humans who are confused and disordered. The remaining species seek the mercy of time, only women harshly pour out their offspring. For a wandering and unrestrained desire for procreation displays a wandering age for giving birth. Fishes cross such great seas in search of some benefit for their kind. We also cross the vast seas, but how much more honorable is it to undertake it out of love for succession than out of greed for money? Finally, for them, it is considered piety, for us, it is considered a means of profit. They bring back offspring more dear than all the goods: we, driven by wretched greed for meager gain, bring back goods far inferior in exchange for danger. Therefore, they return to their homeland: we abandon ours. They gain increase in offspring by swimming: we diminish by sailing.
31. Who then could deny that a divine intelligence and virtue is infused into them? When one sees these people use their lively wit to undertake a solemn pilgrimage to the North; others, with only a small body, possess such strength that they stand with full sails in the midst of raging waves, just as the small fish, the remora, is said to stop an enormous ship with such ease that you would think it was rooted in the sea and not moving. For a long time it keeps its immobility. Do you think that this could have been achieved without the gift of the Creator? Why should I mention swords, or saws, or sea dogs, or whales, or foxes? Why even talk about the center of the turtle, and this being dead? For just as it is said that the fresh mouth of a snake, if someone steps on it, is more harmful than the venom itself, and the wound cannot be healed; so it is also remembered that the dead turtle, with its stinger, brings more danger than when it was alive. The little hare, also a timid animal on land, formidable in the sea, brings mischief quickly and that which cannot easily be taken away. For the creator wanted you to not be safe enough from those who lie in wait in the sea; so that because of the few things that harm, as if stationed on guard, always girded with the weapons of faith and the shield of devotion, you should rely on the protection of the Lord for salvation.