213 suPEKSTiTioiirs or suLiJORrrE, 



he ran about, he used to make a humming noise with his 

 lips, resembling the buzzing of bees. This lad was lean and 

 sallow, and of a cadaverous complexion ; and, except in hia 

 favourite pursuit, in which he was wonderfully adroit, dis- 

 covered no manner of understanding. Had his capacity 

 been better, and directed to the same object, he had perliapa 

 abated much of our wonder at the feats of a more modem 

 exhibiter of bees ; and we may justly say of bim now, 



" Thou, 

 Had thy presiding star propitious shoBe, 

 Shouldst Wildman be."* 



"Wben a tall youth, he was removed from hence to a 

 distant village, where he died, as I understand, before Ke 

 arrivc-d at manhood. 



LETTEE LXX. 



TO THE SAME. 



Selborne, Jan. 8, 1776. 

 Dear Sir, — It is the hardest thing in the world to shake 

 off superstitious prejudices : they are sucked in as it were 

 with our mother's milk ; and growing up with us at a time 

 when they take the fastest hold, and make the most lasting 

 impressions, become so interwoven into our very consti- 

 tutions, that the strongest good sense is required to disen- 

 gage ourselves from them. No wonder, therefore, that the 

 lower people retain them their whole lives through, since 

 their minds are not invigorated by a liberal education, and 

 therefore not enabled to make any efforts adequate to the 

 occasion. 



Such a preamble seems to be necessary before we enter 

 on the superstitions of this district, lest we should be eus- 



* It may not be generally known that Wildman's celebrated work on be<.f 

 was «-nttt'a by Dr. Templeman, Secretary to the Society of Arts. — Ed. 



