NATURAL THEOLOGY. 123 



tord a share of enjoyment to man; but to brutes, 

 I believe that they are of very great importance. 

 A horse at Hberty passes a great part of his waking 

 hours in eating. To the ox, the sheep, the deer, 

 and other ruminating animals, the pleasure is 

 doubled. Their whole time almost is divided be- 

 tween browsing upon their pasture and chewing 

 their cud. Whatever the pleasure be, it is spread 

 over a large portion of their existence. If there 

 be animals, such as the lupous fish, which swallow 

 their prey whole, and at once, without any time, 

 as it should seem, for either drawing out, or rehsh- 

 ing, the taste in the mouth, is it an improbable con- 

 jecture, that the seat of taste with them is in the 

 stomach; or, at least, that a sense of pleasure, whe- 

 ther it be taste or not, accompanies the dissolution 

 of the food in that receptacle, which dissolution in 

 general is carried on very slowly? If this opinion 



est en effet non seulement une le^on dela nature, mais un moyen 

 qu'elle se menage pour nous procurer des plaisirs." The earlier 

 and by far the most interesting part of his book abounds in illus- 

 trations of a kindred truth — the gratification derived from the 

 humblest sources by those who have known none other. "Nos 

 galettes de sarrazin, humectees, toutes brMantes, de ce bon beurre 

 du Mont-d'or, etaient pour nos le plus friand r^gal, Je ne sais 

 pas quel mets nous efit paru meilleur que nos raves et nos chd- 

 taignes ; et en hiver, lorsque ces belles raves grillaient le soir k 

 I'entour du foyer, ou que nous entendions bouillonner I'eau du 

 vase ou cuisaient ces ch^taignes si sovoureuses et si douces, le 

 cceur nous palpitait de joie." — (lb. p. 9.) " Gluand j'arrivais chez 

 moi, et que, dans un bon lit ou au coin d'un bon feu, je me sentais 

 tout ranime, c'etait pour moi I'lin das moments les plus delicieux 

 de la vie ; jonissancfi que la mollessc ne m'aurait jamais fait con- 

 naUre."--(Ib. 34.) 



