212 SUPERSTITIONS OF SELBORNE. 



he ran about, lie 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, dis- 

 covered 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. 



LETTER LXX. 



TO THE SAME. 



SKLBORNE, 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 sus- 



* It may not be generally known that Wildman's celebrated work on bees 

 was written by Dr. Templeman, Secretary to the Society of Arts. ED. 



