Chap. 63.] » NATUEE OF THE EAETH. 93 



his own destruction, or that we may not seek our death in 

 the ocean, and become food for our graves, or that our bodies 

 may not be gashed by steel. On this account it is that na- 

 ture has produced a substance which is very easily taken, and 

 by which life is extinguished, the body remaining undefiled 

 aiid retaining all its blood, and only causing a degree of 

 thirst. And when it is destroyed by this means, neither 

 bird nor beast will touch the body, but he who has perished 

 by his own hands is reserved for the earth. 



* But it must be acknowledged, that ever^i;hing which the 

 earth has produced, as a remedy for our evils, we have con- 

 verted into the poison of oiu- lives. Eor do we not use iron, 

 which we caimot do without, for this purpose ? But although 

 this cause of mischief has been produced, we ought not to 

 complain ; we ought not to be ungrateful to this one part of 

 nature \ How many luxuries and how many insults does 

 she not bear for us ! She is cast into the sea, and, in order 

 that we may introduce seas into her bosom, she is washed 

 away by the waves. She is continuallytortiu^edfor her iron,lier 

 timber, stone, foe, corn, and is even much more subservient 

 to our luxm'ies than to om' mere support. What indeed she 

 endures on her siu-face might be tolerated, but we penetrate 

 also into her bowels, digging out the veins of gold and silver, 

 and the ores of copper and lead ; we also search for gems and 

 certain small pebbles, driving oiu* trenches to a great depth. 

 We tear out her entrails in order to extract the gems ^vith 

 which we may load our fingers. How many hands are worn 

 do\\Ti tliat one little joint may be ornamented ! If the in- 

 fernal regions really existed, certainly these burrows of ava- 

 rice and luxury would have penetrated into them. And truly 

 we wonder that this same earth should have produced any- 

 thing noxious ! But, I suppose, the savage beasts protect 

 her and keep otF our sacrilegious liands"-. I'or do we not dig 

 among serpents and handle poisonous plants along with those 

 veins of gold ? But the Goddess shows herself more pro- 

 pitious to us, inasmuch as all this wealth ends in crimes, 



^ " Terra, inquit, sola est, e quatuor natura? partibus sive dementis, ad- 

 versus quam ingrati simus." Alexandre, in Lemaire, i. 308. 



2 " Est ironiffi formula. Quid, ait, feras et serpent es et venena terrfB 

 exprobraraus, qu?c nc ad tuendam quidcm illam satis valent ? " Alexandre, 

 in Lemaii-e, i. 3GU. 



