270 THE EXTREAM CRUELTY BRED BY OUR CIVIL WARS.

presently concluded, that the preparation was for him; and therefore entred into a resolution to kill himself, but could find no instrument to assist him in his design, saving an old rusty cart-nail, that fortune presented to him; with this he first gave himself two great wounds about his throat, but finding those would not do, he presently after gave himself a third in the belly, where he left the nail sticking up to the head. The first of his keepers that came in, found him in this condition, yet alive, but sunk down, and near expiring by his wounds. To make use of time therefore, before he should die and defeat the law, they made hast to read his sentence, which having done, and he hearing that he was only condemned to be beheaded, he seemed to take new courage, accepted of wine, which he had before refused, and thanked his judges for the unhoped for mildness of their sentence; saying, that indeed he had taken a resolution to dispatch himself for fear of a more severe and insupportable death; having entertain'd an opinion by the preparations he had seen in the place, that they were resolved to torment him with some horrible execution: and seem'd to be delivered from death, for having it changed from what he apprehended. I should advise, that these examples of severity, by which 'tis design'd to retain the people in their duty, might be exercised upon the dead bodies of criminals; for to see them depriv'd of sepulture, to see them boyl'd, and divided into quarters, would almost work as much upon the vulgar, as the pain they make the living to endure: though that in effect be little or nothing, as God himself says, who kill the body, and, after that have no more that they can do.-S. Luke Ch. 12. v. 40. I hapned to come by one day accidentally at Rome, just as they were upon executing Catena, a notorious robber: he was strangled without any emotion of the spectators, but when they came to cut him in quarters, the hangman gave not a blow, that the people did not follow with a doleful cry, and with exclamation, as if every one had lent his feeling to the miserable carkass. Those inhuman excesses ought to be exercised upon the bark, and not upon the quick. Artaxerxes, in almost a like case, moderated the severity of the ancient laws of Persia, ordering, that the nobility, who had committed a fault, instead of being whipt, as they were us❜d to be, should be stript only, and their cloaths whipt for them; and that whereas they were wont to tear off their hair, they should only take off their high-crown'd Tiara. The so devout Egyptians, thought they sufficiently satisfied the divine justice in sacrificing hogs in effigie and representation; a bold invention to pay God, so essential a substance in picture only, and in show. I live in a time, wherein we abound in credible examples of this vice, through the licence of our civil wars; and we see nothing in ancient histories more extream than what we have proof of every day. I could hardly perswade my self, before I saw it with my eyes, that there could be found out souls so cruel and fell, who, for the sole pleasure of murther would commit, hack, and lop off the limbs of others; sharpen their wits to invent unusual torments, and new kinds of death without hatred, without profit, and for no other end, but only to enjoy the pleasant spectacle of the gestures and motions, the lamentable groans and crys of a man in anguish. For this is the utmost point to which cruelty can arrive, “Ut hominem non iratus, non timens, tantum spectaturus occidat."-Sen. de Clem. "That

a man should kill a man without being angry, or without fear, only for the pleasure of the spectacle." For my own part, I cannot, without grief, see so much as an innocent beast pursu'd, and kill'd, that has no defence, and from whom we have receiv'd no offence at all. And that which frequently happens, that the stag we hunt, finding himself weak, and out of breath, seeing no other remedy, surrenders himself to us, who pursue him, imploring mercy by his tears,

questuque cruentus, Atque imploranti similis,—Æneid. l. 7. That bleeding by his tears, does mercy crave.

It has ever been to me a very unpleasing sight; and I hardly ever take beast alive, that I do not presently turn out. Pythagoras bought them of fishermen and fowlers, to do the same.

Those natures that are sanguinary towards beasts, discover a natural propension to cruelty. After they had accustomed themselves at Rome, to spectacles of the slaughter of animals, they proceeded to those of the slaughter of men, the fencers. Nature has her self (I doubt) imprinted in man a kind of instinct to inhumanity; no body takes pleasure in seeing beasts play, and caress one another, but every one is delighted with seeing them dismember, and tear one another to pieces. And that I may not be laught at for the sympathy I have with them, theology it self enjoyns us some favour in their behalf: and considering that one, and the same master, has lodg'd us together in this palace, for his service, and that they, as well as we, are of his family, it has reason to enjoyn us some affection and regard to them. Pythagoras borrow'd the Metempsycosis from the Egyptians, but it has since been receiv'd by several nations, and particularly by our Druids.

The religion of our ancient Gauls maintain'd, that souls, being eternal, never ceased to remove and shift their places from one body to another: mixing moreover, with this fancy, some consideration of divine justice. For according to the deportments of the soul, whilst it had been in Alexander, they said, that God ordered it another body to inhabit, more or less painful, and proper for its conditions. If it had been valiant, he lodg'd it in the body of a lyon; if voluptuous, in that of a hog; if timorous, in that of a hart or hare; if subtil, in that of a fox, and so of the rest, till having purified it by this chastisement, it again enter'd into the body of some other man.

As to the relation betwixt us and beasts, I do not much admit of it, nor allow what several nations, and those the most ancient and most noble, have practised, who have not only received brutes into their society, but have given them a rank infinitely above them; esteeming them one while familiars and favourites of the Gods, and having them in more, than humand, reverence and respect; and others knowing no other, nor other divinity but they. "Belluæ a Barbaris propter beneficium consecratæ." "The Barbarians consecrated beasts, out of opinion of some benefit received by them,"

And the very interpretation, that Plutarch gives to this error, which is very well taken, is advantageous to them: "For," he says, "that it was not the cat, or the oxe, (for example) that the Egyptians ador❜d: but that they in those beasts ador'd some image of the divine faculties; in this the patience and utility, in that the vivacity," or, as

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272 BENIGNITY DUE TO SUCH CREATURES AS ARE CAPABLE OF IT

neighbours, the Burgundians, with the Germans, the impatience to see it self shut up; by which, they represented the liberty they lov'd and ador'd, above all other divine faculties, and so of the rest. But when amongst the more moderate opinions, I meet with arguments, that endeavour to demonstrate the near resemblance betwixt us and animals, how much they share in our greatest privileges, and with how great probability they compare and couple us together, in earnest, I abate a great deal of our presumption, and willingly let fall the title of that imaginary sovereignty, that some attribute to us over other creatures. But supposing all this were true, there is nevertheless a certain respect, and a general duty of humanity, that ties us not only to beasts that have life and sense, but even to trees and plants. We owe justice to men, and grace and benignity to other creatures that are capable of it. There is a certain natural commerce, and mutual obligation betwixt them and us; neither shall I be afraid to discover the tenderness of my nature so childish, that I cannot well refuse to play with my dog, when he the most unseasonably importunes me so to do. The Turks have alms and hospitals for beasts. The Romans had a publick regard to the nourishment of geese, by whose vigilancy their capitol had been preserv'd: the Athenians made a decree, that the mules and moyles which had serv'd at the building of the temple call'd Hecatompedon, should be free, and suffer'd to pasture at their own choice without hindrance. The Agrigentines had a common usance solemnly to inter the beasts, they had a kindness for; as horses of some rare qualities, dogs and birds of whom they had had profit, and even those that had only been kept to divert their children. And the magnificence that was ordinary with them in all other things, did also particularly appear in the sumptuosity and numbers of monuments, erected to this very end, that remain'd in their beauty several ages after. The Egyptians buried wolves, bears, crocodiles, dogs and cats in sacred places, embalm’d their bodies, and put on mourning at their death. Simon gave an honourable sepulture to the mares, with which he had three times gain'd the prize of the course at the Olympick games. The ancient Xanthippus caus'd his dog to be inter'd on an eminence near the sea, which has ever since retain'd the name. And Plutarch says, that he made conscience of selling, for a small profit to the slaughter, an oxe, that had been long in his service.

CHAP. LIV.-APOLOGY FOR RAIMOND DE SEBONDE. LEARNING is, in truth, a very great, and a very considerable quality ; and such as despise it, sufficiently discover their own want of understanding but yet I do not prize it at the excessive rate, some others do; as Herillus the philosopher for one, who therein places the sovereign good, and maintain’d, that it was only in her to render us wise and contented, which I do not believe: no more than I do, what others have said, that learning is the mother of all vertue, and that all vice proceeds from ignorance, which, if it be true, is subject to a very long interpretation. My house has long been open to men of knowledge, and is very well known so to be; for my father, who govern'd it fifty

years, and more, inflam'd with the new ardour, with which, Francis the First embraced letters, and brought them into esteem, with great diligence and expence hunted after the acquaintance of learned men, receiving them at his house, as persons sacred, and that had some particular inspiration of divine wisdom; collecting their sayings and sentences as so many oracles, and with so much the greater reverence and religion, as he was the less able to judge; for he had no knowledge of letters, no more than his predecessors. For my part, I love them well, but I do not adore them. Amongst others, Peter Bunel, a man of great reputation for knowledge in his time, having, with others of his sort, stayed some days at Montaigne, in my father's company; he presented him, at his departure, with a book, entituled, Theologia naturalis; sive liber creaturarum magistri Raimondi de Sebonde. And being that the Italian and Spanish tongues were familiar to my father; and that this book is writ in Spanish, fustian'd with Latin terminations, he hoped that, with little help, he might be able to understand it, and therefore recommended it to him for a very useful piece, and proper for the time wherein he gave it to him; which was then, when the novel doctrines of Martin Luther began to be in vogue, and in many places to stagger our ancient belief: wherein he was very well advis'd, wisely, in his own reason, foreseeing, that the beginning of this distemper would easily run into an execrable Atheism, for the vulgar not having the faculty of judging of things themselves, suffering themselves to be carried away by appearance, after having once been inspired with the boldness to despise and controul those opinions they had before, had, in extream reverence, such as those wherein their salvation is concerned, and that some of the articles of their religion were brought into doubt and dispute; they afterwards throw all other parts of their belief into the same uncertainty, they having in them no other authority or foundation, than the other they had already discomposed; and shake off all the impressions they had received from the authority of the laws, or reverence of custom, as a tyrannical yoak. Resolving to admit nothing for the future, to which they had not first interpos'd their own decrees, and given their particular consent. hapned that my father a little before his death, having accidentally found this book under a heap of other neglected papers, commanded me to translate it for him into French. It is good to translate such authors as that, where is little but the matter it self to express; but such wherein the ornament of a language and elegancy of style, is the main endeavour, are dangerous to attempt; especially when a man is to turn them into a weaker idiom. It was a strange and a new undertaking for me but having, by chance, at that time little else to do, and not being able to resist the command of the best father that ever was, I did it as well as I could; and he was so well pleased with it, as to order it to be printed; which also, after his death, was performed. I found the imagination of this author exceeding fine, the contexture of his work, well followed, and his design full of piety; and because many people take a delight to read it, and particularly the ladies to whom we owe the most service, I have often been ready to assist them, to clear the book of two principal objections. His design is hardy, and bold too; for he undertakes, by human and natural reasons, to establish,

S

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274 FAITH ALONE COMPREHENDS THE MYSTERIES OF RELIGION.

:

and make good against the Atheists, all the Articles of Christian religion wherein (to speak the truth) he is so firm, and so successful, that I do not think it possible to do better upon that subject, and do believe that he has been equalled by none. This work seeming to me to be too beautiful, and too rich for an author, whose name is so little known, and of whom, all that we know is, that he was a Spaniard who professed physick at Thoulouse about two hundred years ago; I enquired of Adrian Turnebus, who knew all things, what he thought of that book; who made answer, 66 that he thought it was some abstract drawn from St. Thomas of Aquin; for that, in truth, his wit, full of infinite learning, and absolute subtilty, was only capable of those thoughts." So it is, that, whoever was the author and inventor (and 'tis not reasonable, without greater occasion, to deprive Sebonde of that title) he was a man of great sufficiency, and most admirable parts. The first thing they reprehend in his work is, that Christians are to blame to repose their belief upon humand reasons, which is only conceiv'd by faith, and the particular inspiration of divine grace. In which objection, there appears to be something of zeal to piety, and therefore we are to endeavour to satisfie those who put it forth, with the greater mildness and respect. This were a task more proper for a man well read in divinity, than for me who know nothing of it; nevertheless, I conceive that, in a thing so divine, so high, and so far transcending all humane intelligence, as this truth, with which it has pleased the bounty of Almighty God to enlighten us, it is very necessary that he should, moreover, lend us his assistance after a very extraordinary method of favour, to conceive and imprint it in our understandings: and do not believe; that means, purely humand, are in any sort capable of doing it: for, if they were, so many rare and excellent souls, and so abundantly furnish'd with natural force, in former ages, had not fail'd, by their reason, to arrive at this knowledge. 'Tis faith alone, that lively and certainly comprehends the deep mysteries of our religion, but withal, I do not say, that it is not a brave, and a very laudable attempt, to accommodate the natural and humand utensils, that God has endow'd us with, to the service of our faith: it is not to be doubted, but that it is the most noble use we can put them to; and that there is not a design in a Christian-man more noble, than to make it the aim and end of all his thoughts and studies, to extend and amplifie the truth of his belief. We do not satisfie our selves with serving God with our souls and understanding only, we moreover owe and render him a corporal reverence, and apply our limbs, motions, and external things, to do him honour; we must here do the same, and accompany our faith with all the reason we have, but always with this reservation, not to fancy that it is upon us that it depends, nor that our arguments and endeavours can arrive at so supernatural and divine a knowledge. If it enter not into us by an extraordinary infusion; if it only enter, not only by arguments of reason, but moreover, by humand ways, it is not in us in its true dignity and splendor; and yet, I am afraid we only have it by this way. If we laid hold upon God by the mediation of a lively faith; if we laid hold upon God by him, and not by us; if we had a divine basis and foundation, human accidents would not have the power to shake us as they do, our fortress were not to render to so weak a battery: the