440 THE ASS. 



Neglected and abused as Asses are in the British 

 islands, they have been held in great esteem in 

 other countries, even from the earliest periods of 

 antiquity. In the Sacred Writings, and especially 

 in the Old Testament, they are spoken of as in ge- 

 neral use throughout all the eastern countries, both 

 for the saddle and as animals of draught and 

 burthen. Amongst tfre Romans they were held in 

 the highest estimation, as is obvious from the great 

 sums of money that were sometimes paid for them, 

 in comparison with other animals. Pliny speaks of 

 a male Ass that was purchased at a price exceeding 

 three thousand pounds sterling of our money. 



"From the notices (says Dr. Anderson) that 

 incidentally occur in the course of reading, it 

 would have seemed natural to infer, that there 

 must be different breeds of Asses, which possess 

 qualities extremely different the one from the 

 other ; and that, instead of forming a judgment of 

 the whole species from the particular breed that we 

 find in this country, and conceiving the things that 

 are told of other breeds to be entirely fabulous, 

 because we find that they do not accord with those 

 that are bred here, we ought rather to be convinced 

 that we had fallen into a bad breed, which, with 

 care, might, no doubt, be very greatly improved*. 



* Anderson's Recreations in Agriculture, &c. iv. p. 321. 



By 



