PROPENSITY OF AN IDIOT BOY. 225 



weapons, and suck their bodies for the sake of 

 their honey-bags. Sometimes he would fill his 

 bosom, between his shirt and his skin, with a 

 number of these captives; and sometimes would 

 confine them in bottles. He was a very merops 

 apiaster, or bee-bird ; and very injurious to men 

 that kept bees ; for he would slide into their bee- 

 gardens, and, sitting down before the stools, 

 would rap with his finger on the hives, and so 

 take the bees as they came out. He has been 

 known to overturn hives for the sake of honey, 

 of which he was passionately fond. Where me- 

 theglin was making, he would linger round the 

 tubs and vessels, begging a draught of what he 

 called bee- wine. As he ran about, he used to 

 make a humming noise with his lips, resembling 

 the buzzing of bees. This lad was lean and 

 sallow, and of a cadaverous complexion; and, 

 except in his favourite pursuit, in which he was 

 wonderfully adroit, discovered no manner of 

 understanding. Had his capacity been better, 

 and directed to the same object, he had perhaps 

 abated much of our wonder at the feats of a more 

 modern exhibiter of bees ; and we may justly say 

 of him now, 



" Thou, 



Had thy presiding star propitious shone, 

 Shouldst Wildman be." 



When a tall youth, he w r as removed from hence 

 to a distant village, where he died, as I under- 

 stand, before he arrived at manhood. 



