302 The Natural History of Selborne 



crutches, incapable of employ, and languishing in a tiresome 

 state of indolence and inactivity. His habit was lean, lank, 

 and cadaverous. In this sad plight he dragged on a miser- 

 able existence, a burden to himself and his parish which was 

 obliged to support him till he was relieved by death at more 

 than thirty years of age. 



The good women, who love to account for every defect in 

 children by the doctrine of longing, said that his mother felt 

 a violent propensity for oysters, which she was unable to 

 gratify; and that the black rough scurf on his hands and 

 feet were the shells of that fish. We knew his parents, 

 neither of whom were lepers ; his father in particular lived 

 to be far advanced in years. 



In all ages the leprosy has made dreadful havoc among 

 mankind. The Israelites seem to have been greatly afflicted 

 with it from the most remote times, as appears from the 

 peculiar and repeated injunctions given them in the Leviti- 

 cal law.* Nor was the rancour of this foul disorder much 

 abated in the last period of their commonwealth, as may be 

 seen in many passages of the New Testament. 



Some centuries ago this horrible distemper prevailed all 

 Europe over; and our forefathers were by no means exempt, 

 as appears by the large provision made for objects labouring 

 under this calamity. There was an hospital for female lepers 

 in the diocese of Lincoln ; a noble one near Durham ; three 

 in London and Southwark; and perhaps many more in or 

 near our great towns and cities. Moreover, some crowned 

 heads, and other wealthy and charitable personages, be- 

 queathed large legacies to such poor people as languished 

 under this hopeless infirmity. 



It must, therefore, in these days be to an humane and 

 thinking person a matter of equal wonder and satisfaction, 

 when he contemplates how nearly this pest is eradicated, 

 and observes that a leper now is a rare sight. He will, 

 moreover, when engaged in such a train of thought naturally 



* See Leviticus, chap. xiii. and xiv. 



