ON THE RIGHTS OF BEASTS. I39 



of deeds the mod flagrant. In the hiflory of 

 the Council of Conftance, it is recorded, that a 

 certain Neapolitan peafant, who lived near a 

 place infamous for robberies and murders, went 

 once to confeflion ; and having told the prieft, 

 that on a certain faft day he had fwallowed a 

 draught of milk, he affured the father he could 

 recollect no other fin he had committed. — » 

 " How," faid the confeffor, " do you never aflift 

 your neighbours, in robbing and murdering the 

 paffengers, in fuch a hollow road ?" — " O yes," 

 faid the peafant, " but that is fo common with 

 us, that we don't make it a point of confidence." 

 The humane Titus, the delight of human kind ; 

 who, if he fuffered a day to pafs without the 

 performance of fome acl of beneficence, is re- 

 corded to have faid, " my friends, I have loft a 

 day," never feems once to have reflected upon 

 the horrid barbarities he was infli&ingr at the 

 inftant upon the wretched inhabitants of Ju- 

 daea ; or to have repented him of the (laughter 

 of the tens of thoufands of innocent Jews, 

 whom he facrificed on the altars of vanity at 

 Rome. This paragon of humanity is faid to 

 have deftroyed thirty, out of forty thoufand Jew 

 captives, in finifhing the Coloffeum at Rome- 

 Hiftory hath not been fo juft as to inform us, 

 how many wretched labourers were deftroyed 

 in building Solomon's Temple, at Jerufalem ; 

 but as thefe laft died in the fervice of Jehovah, 



I fuppofe 



