278 



ON THE FASCINATING FACULTY 



civilized parts of North-America. Nor is it confined io 

 America. It has made its way into Europe, and has there 

 taken pofleflion of the minds of fcholars, of naturalifts, and of 

 philofophers, 

 Itisfaidthat I think, I have fome where either heard or read that the 



Dr. Johnfon be- ^^j^ ^,^^ credited by the late Dr. Samuel Johnfon. If I am 



Jieved It. But, . ^ J 



he was credu- miftaken, I hope the admirers of this great man, ftiould any or 

 lous, ^'^'J> a"^ them read my memoir, will pardon me. It is certain, not- 

 "w 1th (landing the vaft ftrength and the rich fertility of Johnfon's 

 mind, that he was credulous and timid. Did this union of 

 credulity and timidity arife out of that unhappy melancholy 

 ,(*' thofe cafual eclipfes which darken learning'^) that oft^n 

 overclouded the brightnefs of the mind*? We are told that 

 the Hercules of Englifti literature believed in ghofis, and in 

 the fecond-fight. The man who would thus fulfer his mind to 

 be eftranged from probability, and entangled in difficulties, 

 would, perhaps, find it eafy to bend to the belief, that fer- 

 pents have the faculty of fafcinating other animals. 

 LinnKus admits Although I profefs myfelf to be a warm admirer of Linnaeus, 

 "• and although, at a very early period of my life, I enlifted 



myfelf under the banner of his fchool, I fliall not, neverthelefs, 

 attempt to conceal, that this great man gave credit to the tale 

 of the fafcination of birds and other animals by ferpeuts. In 

 his Syfiema Naturce (ihat immortal work), under the article 

 Crotalus horridus, or the rattle-fnake, he has the lollowing 

 words: " AvesSciurofque ex arhoribus in fauces revocat"-\» In 

 another work, he fpeaks as follows. *' Whoever is wounded 

 by the Hooded Serpent (Coluber Naja) expires in a few 

 minutes; nor can he efcape with life who is bitten by the 

 rattle-fnake, (Crotalus horridus) in any part near a great vein. 

 But the merciful God has diftinguiflied thefe pefls by peculiar 



* Or, did his niebncholygrow out of his credulity and fear? 



f See volume firft, p. 372. Vienna edition of 1767. Profeflor 

 Gmelin, in his edition of the Syjlema Naturaj when fpeaking of 

 the rattle-fnake, has the following words, viz. ^' an)es fciurique ex 

 arboribus non raro in faitces inhiantis apertas incidunty" torn. i. 

 pars iii. p. 1080. The fame laborious author fpeaking of our grey- 

 fquirrel (Sciurus cinereus) fays, '' a crotalo comeditur," torn, i, 

 p. 147. This is true : but he might have faid the fame -when fpeak- 

 ing of the ftriped-dormoufe, or ground-fquirrel (Sciurus ftriatus}^ 

 «f our rabbit (Lepus araericanus), and many other animals, 



fignSi 



