192 LIFE OF MYTTON. 



this memoir was a sincere, though perhaps a late 

 penitent; and I rejoice at having it in my power to 

 do so, as I should have been sorry to hear that he 

 "died and made no sign." 



There is a scrap of Latin which has often met my 

 eye, and is as often applied to nations as to indivi- 

 duals, but I cannot say I know the author of it : 

 " Quos Dctis (or quevi yupiter) vult perdere^ prijis 

 dementat ;'' which is as much as to say, that those per- 

 sons whom the Almighty wishes to destroy. He pre- 

 viously causes to grow mad (which is, I believe, the 

 literal and only meaning of demento, a word not in use 

 in elegant Latin). I know not on whose authority the 

 conduct of man's Maker is thus, I think, impiously 

 speculated upon ; but should a fiat so dreadful have 

 been really pronounced, let us hope it will plead in 

 favour of some of the acts of poor John Mytton, for 

 which, with a heart like his, nothing short of madness 

 could possibly account or justify.* 



• It never before fell to my lot to watch the motions nnd actions of 

 persons labouring under a temporary aberration of the mind, much more 

 to receive letters from them. Amongst the numerous ones which my 

 poor friend wrote to me in that mel.TnchoIy situation, the following con- 

 vince me that, however discordant may be the instrument of thought 



