THE ASS. 23 



quick, brisk, and easy. They are used for riding by the most 

 opulent of the inhabitants, and even ladies of the highest rank. 



When the rider alights, he has no occasion to fasten his ass ; 

 he merely pulls the rein of the bridle tight, and passes it over a 

 ring on the fore-part of the saddle : this confines the animal's 

 head, and is sufficient to make him remain patiently in his place. 



Of an animal so well known as the ass, a particular descrip- 

 tion is unnecessary. Every one is acquainted with his unparal- 

 leled patience, perseverance, and gentleness. He is more slug- 

 gish and untractable, but stronger in proportion to his size, than 

 the horse, and liable to fewer diseases ; and of all the different 

 kinds of quadrupeds, the least infested with lice, or any other 

 vermin. The ass is kept at a very moderate expense, and con 

 tents himself with the coarsest herbage ; but is particularly fond 

 of plantain. He is, however, extremely nice in the choice of 

 his water, and will drink only at the clearest stream. He is much 

 afraid of wetting his feet, and will, even when loaded, turn aside 

 to avoid the dirty parts of the road. He sleeps less than the 

 horse, and never lies down for that purpose, except when ex- 

 tremely fatigued. He is three or four years in coming to per- 

 fection, and lives to the age of twenty or twenty-five years. The 

 she-ass goes eleven months with young. The skin of the ass is 

 valuable, and is converted to different purposes ; as to cover 

 drums, and sometimes to make shoes, as also a thick kind of 

 parchment, useful for pocket-books. Of the ass's skin, the Ori- 

 entals make the sagri, which we call shagreen. 



From this view, we shall probably conceive a higher opinion 

 of the utility and importance of the ass, than we have generally 

 been accustomed to form. We readily perceive, that if he be 

 too often degraded into the most neglected of domestic animals, 

 it is not for any deficiency in useful and valuable qualifications, 

 but merely through the caprice of those who are not able to ap- 

 preciate his worth. The ass was held in high estimation by the 

 Israelites ; and the forty sons of Abdon, judge, or chief magis- 

 trate of Israel, riding on asses, is mentioned in the scripture as 

 a mark of high distinction, and a display of superior grandeur. 

 These ancients seem to have known this noble, although unjustly 

 degraded quadruped, better than we do at the present day. Their 

 judgment was, in this respect, better, and their taste certainly 

 more refined, than that of those barbarians among us, who beat, 

 abuse, and treat him with all manner of ill-usage, merely be- 

 cause he is an ass, without considering how much We should es- 

 teem his excellent and useful qualifications, and how glad we 

 should be of his services, if the Creator, in the exuberance of 

 his bounty, had not given us the horse. Let these considerations 



