Each link had its proper place in the hierarchy, king above noble above commoner, husband above wife above child, dog above cat, worm above oyster. The lion was king of beasts, but every domain had a “king”: the eagle among birds, the rose among flowers, the monarch among humans, the sun among the stars. The various kingdoms themselves had specific ranks, too, some lower and some higher—stones, which are lifeless, ranked lower than plants, which ranked lower than shellfish, which ranked lower than mammals, which ranked lower than angels, with innumerable other kingdoms filling all the ranks in
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