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David, in order to cut off the fkirt of the robe, fet his foot between thofe of Abner, who was afleep by the fide of Saul; that Abner having turned himself at this moment, fo confined David, that he could not extricate himself, without awaking either the one or the other; that, in this perplexity, God dispatched a fly, which stung Abner in the leg, and thus, not only extricated him, but gave him an opportunity of carrying off the king's halberd, and his cruife of

water.

In imitation of the Jews and Pagans, it would feem, that fome Chriftians have alfo attempted to introduce infects in aid of their religion. J. Baldus, in order to prove the real prefence in the Eucharift, relates, that a number of bees having found the hoft on the ground, paid it homage, and carried it, very respectfully to their hive. Friar Baptifte, of Pifa, in his book conformitatum vita P. Francifci að vitam I. C. tells us, that a fpider having accidentally fallen into the chalice, while St Francis was faying mafs, that holy man chofe rather to fwallow the fpider, than, by throwing it away, to lofe one drop of the precious beverage; and he adds, O prodigy! that the fpider afterwards came out of the bone of his leg, without doing him any harm. We likewife read, in Nieremberg, that, St Francis walking one day in a garden, faw a grafshopper, which immediately quitted the plant it fat on, and perched upon his hand; that he ordered it to fing the praises of God, and, that with a pretty loud voice, it immediately began a very fine pfalm!

CHAP. VIII.

CHAP. VIII.

OF THE ABUSE OF INSECTS IN JURISPRUDENCE.

REVENGE is fo fweet that however oppofite it may be to the laws of God and man, it is nevertheless very grateful to perfons who have not yet learnt to forgive their enemies. They continually lie in wait to difturb the repofe of the perfon they hate, and it is of little importance to them in what way they attack him, provided they accomplish their purpose. This terrible paffion finds in nature but too many means of gratification; even infects have often been employed to minifter to its fury. There was a time when in Italy this horrid practice was fo fuccefsfully carried on by means of the poifon of a species of hairy caterpillar that it was found neceffary to reftrain it by the fevereft laws. The great have not been lefs inclined to indulge this paffion than the common people; and power, and the confciousnefs of impunity have made them carry refentment to the utmoft. In 1126, Henry the young, furnamed the pofthumous, Margrave of Metz, &c. had no fooner vanquished the Margrave Conrad the great, than he refolved to tyrannize over a prince whom the fuccefs of one battle had put in his power. He committed him prifoner to the caftle of Kirchberg, fhut him up in an iron cage, and exposed him night and day to the ftings of flies and gnats. Sigefroi, Arch

1

bishop of Cologne acted in the fame cruel way to Adolphus Count of Berg. That prelate was fo enflaved by paffion, that he forgot his duty to himself and his enemy; he feized his perfon, contrary to the faith of a folemn promife, and devoted him to be the food of infects; he ordered him to be rubbed over with honey, to be inclosed in a cage, and drawn after him as a part of his retinue, wherever he went. I remember to have fomewhere read that a cerain Pagan Emperor, wishing to refine on the punishments inflicted on the Chriftians, invented one of fingular cruelty. He buried the unhappy victim up to the neck in the earth, and leaving the head bare and rubbing the face with honey, abandoned him to the tormenting bites and ftings of innumerable infects.

The feverity of judges, or barbarity of jailors to their prifoners is a circumftance which I confider as an abuse of their power and confequently as a crime against the law. I fpeak of thofe criminals who are allowed to rot in their filth, and who for want of a little ftraw, are half eaten with vermin before their laft hour arrives. I may be told that malefactors worthy of death, are not to be exempted from the hardships of a prifon; but where do you find that they ought to be fubjected to two punishments at once? The fentence of a criminal is undoubtedly anticipated when the fhort interval between it and his death is rendered more cruel, and often lefs fupportable than the punishment itself. The confcience of judges fhould be interested in watching over the con duct of their officers, and in attending to the condition of the unhappy perfons whofe lives are in their

hands.

We are enjoined by the laws to do no injury to any perfon, whether by hurting his perfon or his property. The injunction is general, and allows no ex

ception

ception, nor will admit any excufe, fo that lawfully we cannot harbour wafps to the prejudice of our neighbour's bees. This cafe appeared fo important to legiflators, that they have wifely impofed on it the fevereft penalties.

Suicide is another crime, condemned equally by divine and human laws. To give up a reasonable felf-love, to renounce our defire of life, and to make ourselves the hangman of our own bodies, is in my. opinion the most enormous abuse that can be made of reafon and free agency. This is the cafe of those who have been held up to our admiration for chufing rather to abridge their days by the empoifoned juice of fome vile infect or reptile, than to fupport a trifling diftrefs or a tranfient pain.

However unlimited the power of a fovereign may be, he degrades his throne, and fullies his fceptre if he disputes the awards of juftice, or hefitates between cruelty and mercy. When by means of poifon he gets rid of an innocent or pardonable fubject, he defcends from the height of glory to the lowest degree of abafement. It is in vain for him to fweeten the poifoned draught, that is lefs an act of clemency than a mark of perfidy, and a refinement of cruelty. In this he imitates the fenate of Athens, who being refolved to punifh Socrates, accused of Atheism, because he believed in one God only, prepared for him a drink agreeable to the tafte, but fatal to life.

CHAP. IX.

CHAP IX.

OF THE ABUSES MADE OF INSECTS IN MEDECINE.

THE great end of medecine is to preferve or to reftore the health of mankind: to fwerve from thefe principles is an error; to act contrary to them is a crime. The vulgar generally fall into both these faults, having a strong tradition as to the foundation of their belief. Towards St John's day, there is found at the root of feveral plants, a kind of berry of a purple colour, which is nothing but the web of fome beetles. Foolifn people imagine it is the fruit of St John, which grows only on that particular day, and which being hung from the roof or bruifed on the cloaths, is a preservative from disease, during the reft of the year.

Ignorant quacks, and unexperienced physicians generally fail in cafes where others fucceed. The reafon is plain, because they are unaquainted with the common rules; or if they know them, they know only the entrance, but not the iffue. Hence it happens that not having the capacity to prepare medecines, to regulate the dofes, or to give them in a convenient vehicle, they lofe their patients by thofe very medecines which would have cured them, if adminiftred by other hands. There are cafes in which infects operate with much fuccefs; but the cure is never more uncertain, than when we expect it from thofe prefumptuous

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