ON SWTNf-,. 53 



of the appetite than lie is satisfactory to the criticalness 

 of the censorious palate. The strong man may fatten 

 on him and the weakling refuseth not his mild juices. 



There is no flavor comparable, I will contend, to that 

 of the cri«:p, tawny, well-watched, not over-roasted, 

 crackling as it is well called ; the very teeth are invited 

 to their share of the pleasure at this banquet in over- 

 coming the coy, brittle resistance — with the adhesive, 

 oleaginous — oh call it not fat — but an undefinable sweet- 

 ness growing up to it. The tender blossoming of fat — 

 fat cropped in the bud — taken in the first innocence — 

 tjie cream and quintessence of the child pig's pure food — 

 the lean — no lean, but a kind of animal manna — or rath- 

 er, fat and lean (if it must be so,) so blending and run- 

 ning into each other, that both together make one am- 

 brosial result, one common substance. 



Behold him while he is doing — it seemeth rather a 

 refreshing warmth than a scorching heat he is so passive 

 to. How equably he turneth round the sti'ing. Now 

 he is just done. To see the extreme sensibility at that 

 tender age, he hath wept out his pretty eyes — radiant 

 jellies — shooting stars. 



See him in the dish, his second cradle, how meek he 

 lieth ! wouldst thou have had this innocent grow up to 

 the grossness and indocility which so often accompany 

 maturer swinehood ? Ten to one he would have proved 

 a glutton, a sloven, an obstinate, disagreeable animal, 

 wallowing in all manner of filthy conversation ; from 

 these sins he is happily snatched away — 



Ere sin could blight or sorrow fade, 

 Death came with kindly care." 



So much for Charles Lamb. After reading this eu- 

 logy, from the pen of so distinguished a writer, we are 

 at a loss which most to admire — Lamb or pig — the au- 

 thor or his subject — the hero or the historian. One is 

 transcendentally good — the other transcends transcen- 

 dentalism itself in description. Lamb derives inspi- 

 ration from pig, and pig in his turn is indebted for im- 

 mortality to Lamb. After mature reflection and con- 



