philofopher, or reflective individual, of a carrion carcafe by the road fide devour'd by vultures, or ravens; or of a human body at a feast of cannibals. "At Zwartkops river," fays Sparrman, "where we were now arrive'd, and intended to pass the night, we found two farmers had got in before us, who were come thither in order to get falt and hunt. Indeed, they had allready shot feveral heads of game, which they had hung up in large flips and fhreds on the bufhes, waggons and fenceës, in order to dry it in the fun... From this flesh there was diffufe'd round about the spot, not only a crude and rank fmel, but, likewife, a putrid ftench, from fuch parts of it as had arrive'd at the state of putrefaction; and the farmers wives and childeren, together with the Hottentots who had accompany'd them, were employ'd, fome in feafting upon it, others in fleeping, and others again in feareing away a great number of birds of prey, which hover'd round about them, and over their heads, in order to fteal away the flesh. This horrid fpectacle, of fo many carnivorous human creatures, awaken'd in me a lively rememberance of the cannibals in New-Zealand, and had very nearly takeën away our appetites for a meat fupper, so that we refolve'd to bear with our hunger that night as wel as we

could."* This, filthy as it was, could not be
more fo than the festive entertainments of our
nobility and great epicures, where, if you admire
tastey eating, you have the high-flavour'd hogo of
ftinking venifon, and the exquifite stench of rot-
en and maggoty cheese; the elegant and accom-
plish'd guests washing, at the close, of their fa-
voury repaft, their dirty maws, in pure water,
which, render'd fufficiently foul and filthy, they
fpurt back into blue or purple clouded recep-
tacles, in order to conceal their nastynefs:
which outdoes, in delicacy, the yahoos of the
Houyhnhms.

"See matter next, with various life endue'd,
Prefs to one centre ftil the general good.
See dyeing vegetables life fustain,
See life disfolveing vegetate again:

All forms that perifh other forms supply
(By turns we catch the vital breath and dye);
Like bubbles on the fea of matter born,

They rife, they break, and to that fea return.
Nothing is foreign: parts relate to whole ;
One all-extending, all-preferveing foul
Connects each being, greatest with the least
Made beaft in aid of man, and man of beast;
All ferve'd, all ferveing! nothing ftands alone,
The chain holds on, and where it ends unknown.

ft;

* Voyage to the cape of Good-bope, ii, 12.

"Has god, thou fool! work'd folely for thy good, Thy joy, thy pastime, thy attire, thy food?

Who for thy table feeds the wanton fawn,
For him as kindly spread the flow'ry lawn.
Is it for thee the lark ascends and fings?
Joy tunes his voice, joy elevates his wings:
Is it for thee the linnet pours his throat?
Loves of his own and raptures swel the note:
The bounding fteed, you pompously beftride,
Shares with his lord the pleasure and the pride:
Is thine alone the feed that ftrews the plain?
The birds of heaven fhal vindicate their grain :
Thine the ful harvest of the golden year?
Part pays, and juftly, the deferveing steer:
The hog, that plows not nor obeys thy call,
Lives on the labours of this lord of all.

"Know, Natures children all divide her care; The fur that warms a monarch, warm'd a bear. While man exclaims, "See all things for my ufe!" "See man for mine!" replys a pamper'd goose; And just as short of reason he must fall,

Who thinks all made for one, not one for all.

"Nor think, in NATURES STATE they blindly trod The state of nature was the reign of god :

Self-love and focial at her birth began,
Union the bond of all things, and of man.

Pride then was not; nor arts, that pride to aid;
Man walk'd with beaft, joint tenant of the fhade;
The fame his table, and the same his bed;
No murder clothe'd him, and no murder fed....
Ah! how unlike the man of times to come!
Of half that live the butcher and the tomb;
Who, foe to nature, hears the general groan,
Murders their species, and betrays his own.

But juft disease to luxury fucceeds,

And every death its own avengeër breeds; The fury-pasfions from that blood began, And turn'd on man a fierceër favage, man.'

*Popes Esfay on man, epis. iii, v. 12,

CHAP. III.

ANIMAL FOOD NOT NECESSARY FOR THE PURPOSE OF STRENGTH OR CORPULENCY.

AMONG the many pretencees to which men are driveën to defend or palliate a practice at which human nature, when divefted of the habits and prejudiceës of fociety, would not fail to revolt, it is not one of the leaft trite and hackney'd, that, to fuch as are compel'd or accustom'd to a laborious or active life, animal food is abfolutely necesfary, without which they would be allmoft, if not alltogether, unable to discharge the dutys require'd in their respective ftations. This, however, like the reft, is a mere naked asfertion; for which, at leaft, the onely argument that can be adduce'd is that men ufe'd to hard labour, or uncommon exertions, require a greater proportion of food, and that, perhap, of a more nutritive or fubftantial nature,