PROPENSITY OF AN IDIOT BOY. 227 



honey-bags. Sometimes he would fill his bosom, 

 between his shirt and his skin, with a number of 

 these captives : and sometimes would confine them 

 in bottles. He was a very merops apiaster, or bee- 

 bird ; and very injurious to men that kept bees ; for 

 he would slide into their bee-gardens, and, sitting 

 down before the stools, would rap with his finger on 

 the hives, and so take the bees as they came out. 

 He has been known to overturn hives for the sake 

 of honey, of which he was passionately fond. Where 

 metheglin was making, he would linger round the 

 tubs and vessels, begging a draught of what he called 

 bee- wine. As 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 his favourite 

 pursuit, in which he was wonderfully adroit, disco- 

 vered no manner of understanding. Had his capacity 

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

 perhaps abated much of our wonder at the feats of a 

 more modern exhibiter of bees ; and we may justly 

 say of him now, 



" Thou, 



Had thy presiding star propitious shone, 

 Shouldst Wildman be." 



When a tall youth, he was removed from hence 

 to a distant village, where he died, as I understand, 

 before he arrived at manhood. 



