Didascalicon, Book I (chapters 2-13): the origin of the arts and the division of philosophy
Chapter X. On the threefold works
For there are three kinds of works: the work of God, the work of nature, and the work of the artificer imitating nature.
The work of God is to create what was not; hence the saying: In the beginning God created heaven and earth (Gen. 1). The work of nature is to bring into act what lay hidden; hence the saying: Let the earth bring forth the green herb (Gen. 1). The work of the artificer is to join things scattered or to separate things joined; hence the saying:
They sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons (Gen. 3). For neither could the earth create heaven, nor man bring forth the herb; for he cannot even add a cubit to his stature. Among these three works the human work, which is not nature but imitates nature, is fittingly named mechanical, that is, adulterate, just as a key slipped in secretly is called mechanical. How the work of the artificer imitates nature would be long and laborious to pursue in detail. Yet we can show it in a few instances by way of example. He who cast a statue looked at a man. He who built a house looked at a mountain. For since, as the Prophet says: Who sendest forth springs in the vales; between the midst of the hills the waters shall pass (Ps. 103), the height of the mountains does not hold the waters; so a house had to be raised to some lofty summit, that it might safely receive the trouble of rushing storms. He who first invented the use of clothing considered that each of the things that are born has certain protections of its own, by which it defends its nature from harm. Bark surrounds the tree, a feather covers the bird, scales cover the fish, wool clothes the sheep, hair clothes the beasts of burden and the wild beasts, a shell receives the tortoise; ivory makes the elephant fear no darts. Yet it was not done without reason that, while each of the living creatures has arms born with it for its nature, man alone is born unarmed and naked. For it was fitting that nature should provide for those that do not know how to provide for themselves; but to man there was given from this a greater occasion for discovery, since he might find by his own reason what has been naturally given to the rest. For man’s reason has now shone more in discovering these same things than it would have in having them. Nor without cause does the proverb sound: Ingenious hunger has hammered out all the arts. By this reason, indeed, those things which you now see most excellent in the studies of men were discovered. By this same reason there arose infinite kinds of painting, weaving, sculpting and casting, so that we admire man as an artificer, almost on a par with nature.