Arnobius — Against the Nations 2.40

40.1. Did he therefore send souls so that, while other animals would be fed on things born of themselves and brought forth by no sowing and would not seek for themselves protections of houses or coverings of clothes, a wretched necessity would be added to these: that with greatest expenses and perpetual sweats they should build houses for themselves, make coverings of limbs, gather various furniture for daily need, borrow helps of weakness from mute animals, do violence to the earth so that its own grasses would not suffice but it would raise commanded crops, and when they had poured all their blood in subduing the soil they would lose the hope of labor by blight, hail, drought and at last by force of hunger lie upon human corpses and be parted from human forms, dissociated by wasting thinness?

2. Did he therefore send souls so that those who while dwelling with him had never had any love of some possession would here become most greedy and burn toward the zeal of having with an unsatiable appetite of the breast, dig deep mountains and turn unknown bowels of lands into materials of another's name and use, penetrate hidden nations at risk of life and by transferred wares always chase dearness and cheapness, practice greedy and most unjust usury and from the blood of the wretched increase sleeplessness by thousands to be reckoned, always extend the bounds of possessions and though they make whole provinces one farm, for one tree, for a furrow wear forums with lawsuits, and take up inexpiable quarrels with friends and brothers?