OF THE OX. 287 



avoided. Besides, these poor creatures, which 

 some of you treat so harshly, are extremely 

 susceptible, and the blows they receive may 

 easily affect their whole mass of blood. You 

 must, therefore, for your own sakes, treat them 

 more kindly and gently. 



Therefore, the typhus which was imported 

 from Kussia into England, finding your cattle 

 in such wretched conditions of cleanliness and 

 health, was propagated amongst them with 

 fearful rapidity. When once the disease had 

 developed itself within your sheds and stalls, 

 it would have been the wisest plan immediately 

 to kill the sick cattle, or to treat them medi- 

 cinally, carefully abstaining from driving to 

 market any of your beasts which had been ex- 

 posed to the contagion. But unfortunately 

 you did not act in this manner ; many amongst 

 you could not put up patiently with your 

 losses, and only consulting your private in- 

 terest, to the detriment of the general good, 

 you sold your sick cows and oxen, and sow- 

 ing the contagion about the country and 

 through the markets, the scourge was soon 

 scattered in every direction, so that in- 

 stead of stifling the disease at its birth 



