abufeës, he says, we are guilty of, in opposition to" the ancient church all the world over," and the plain testimonys of the fcriptures.* Let the consistent Christian defend himself against this chargé as he can. * Preface to Esfay on the doctrine of the apostles, p. 11. CHAP. X. HUMANITY. .1 As the use of animal food makes man cruel and barbarous, and to take delight in pain and torture, whence the fondness of the Romans for the fhews of fighting gladiators, and wild-beafts, the Spaniards and Portuguese, for their bulfeasts, their inquifition, and auto da fè, the Neapolitan for his fiesta di cocagna, and the Engleishman for his bul- and bear-baitings, his cockfights, his boxing-matches, his pleasures of the chace, &c. fo the abftinence from that habit has an immediate tendency to foften the manners, and dispofe the mind to receive uncommon fatisfaction from the exercise of gentleness and humanity toward the minuteëft objects of creation. It is not to be expected that a cannibal fhould pity the tortures of a fubject of the holy inquifition; and as little emotion, perhap, wil the eater of beef and mutton experience from the beautyful and affecting pictures reprefented in the following anecdotes : The philofopher Xenocrates, a fevere and rigid moralift, gave numerous proofs of the be 7 1 nevolence and humanity of his nature toward all creatures. One inftance is particularly worthy of notice. A sparrow, pursue'd by a hawk, flew to him for refuge: he shelter'd it in his bofom, and release'd it as foon as the danger was over. It is allmost impossible that he could have devour'd animal food. No one, at the fame time, seems to have carry'd his affection to animals fo far as St. Francis of Asfife, who was wont to address hares, lambs, fwallows, and grasshopers by the endearing appellations of brothers and fisters. His charity extended itsfelf even toward lice and worms, which he would not suffer to be kil'd, inasmuch as the pfalmift hath say'd, "I am a worm." Is not, asks Plutarch, the accustomeing of onesfelf to mildness and a humane temper of mind an admirable thing? For who could wrong or injure a man that is so sweetly and humanely dispofe'd with respect to the ils of frangers that are not of his kind? I remember that three days ago, as I was discourfeing, i made mention of a faying of Xenocrates, and how the Athenians gave judgement upon a certain person who had flay'd a liveing ram. For my part i cannot Aelian, B. 13, C. 31. think him a worfe criminal that torments a poor creature while liveing, than a man that shal take away its life and murder it. Though the Mahometans, generally speaking, be a cruel fect, this proceeds chiefly, if not wholely, from their religious tenets, and is principally fhewn in their facrificeës, and toward thofe of a different perfuafion. So far as religion is out of the question, the Turks, in particular, have the character of a humane dispofition; and individuals may be found among all nations which profess the musfulman faith, who have giveën the ftrongest proofs of a tender and feeling heart. Such a one was Moulana Nafereddin Amer, one of the most venerable doctors of the court of Timour (improperly call'd Tamerlane), who could never confent fo much as to kil a single fheep. Doctor Smith found the Turks excesfively pityful and good-nature'd toward dumb creatures, foon puting them out of their pain, if they were necesfitateed to kil them. Some, he fays, buy birds on purpose to let them fly away, and return to the liberty of the woods and open air.t The Gentoos are fociable, humane, and hospi * History of Timur-Bec, II, 54. table, and dureing my refidence in their country, fays M. de Pagés, i never had occafion to obferve a single inftance of violence or dispute. They rear numerous herds of cattle; but fuch is their veneration for these animals, on account of their useful and patient serviceës to man, that to kil or even maim one of them is deem'd a capital offence.* Naufary, a small town, as we are told by the fame traveler, has a fort, which belongs to the Marattas, and is furrounded with pagodas, gardens, and beautyful flower-plots. The unusual familiarity, common in this country, among all the different tribes of animals, which sport before us with the most careless indifference, is not a little surpriseing to a ftranger. The birds of the air, undismay'd by our approach, perch upon the trees, and fwarm among the branches, as if they conceive'd man to be of a nature equally quiet and inoffenfive with themselves; while the monkey and squirrel climb the wali, gambol on the house-top, and leap with confidence and alacrity from one bough to another over our heads. Even the most formidable quadrupeds feem to have loft their natural ferocity in the fame harmless dispofitions; and hence the ap * Travels thro' the world, II, 27. P |