304 FACT AGAINST FICTION. 



will not let her go till slie lias consented to ^e^ya^cl 

 his flame.'' 



Now, let the clergy speak for themselves, and not 

 attribute to us, the laymen, even an approach to 

 any such violent method of making love. Among 

 us, the laymen, it is very uncommon to win, or to 

 seek to win, by ^^ annoyance," or seizing girls 

 with whom we are in love by the ^' throats," what- 

 ever tlie clergy may do. On the part of those 

 beautiful insects, the dragon-flies, who take their 

 mates, not in the autumn, '^ Sej^tember and October," 

 but more often in the hottest and calmest days 

 of midsummer, double instances of courtship onaij 

 be seen, very contradictory to the position of the 

 translator or author. I positively repudiate the 

 notion of any rude '^ seizure," such as the reve- 

 rend divine suggests. The poor dear things have 

 no hands ; they can't go forth in the summer-day 

 arm-in-arm like I thought that clergymen did ; but 

 in all amiable felicity and gentleness, having no 

 hands, the male fixes his tail in the back of the 

 head of the female, as the handiest part for 

 transportation, and then, making use of their 

 light wings in unity, not the least objection on 

 either side, and by loving and common consent. 



