HISTORY. 243 



altar which he had made there at the first ; and there Abram 

 called on the name of the Lord ; and Lot also, which went 

 with Abram, had flocks, and herds, and tents." And in the 

 case of all the early nations of which we read, the Ox was 

 amongst the valued possessions of the people. He was a me- 

 dium of traffic, and his image came at length to be stamped 

 upon the metals used as money. His flesh was usually per- 

 mitted to be eaten, though, in certain cases, the use of it 

 was limited, or altogether forbidden, as when he was em- 

 ployed in labour, or when his numbers were few, as in the 

 earlier stages of societies. The Hindoos were forbidden to 

 shed his blood at all ; the Egyptians were only permitted to 

 do so at sacrifices ; and other nations were compelled to 

 equal abstinence. The Jews were suffered to partake of his 

 flesh freely, on the condition, simply, that the firstling of the 

 herd should be dedicated to the Lord, and that no part of the 

 blood should be tasted ; but the Jews were naturally abste- 

 mious in the use of animal food, and such of the calves as 

 were not killed, were mostly brought up for the purposes of 

 labour, or the yielding of milk. 



History, sacred and profane, evinces to us in what estima- 

 tion this gift of Providence has been held in every age. The 

 Bull became one of the signs of the Zodiac in the earliest 

 period of nations. He formed an object of adoration to 

 people of the East, as he yet does to their descendants, after 

 the lapse of an unknown period. The Egyptians made him 

 the subject of a preposterous worship, as did the Lybians and 

 other ancient nations ; and he entered largely into the my- 

 thological systems of Greece and Rome. Independently, 

 too, of religious feeling, a certain respect was manifested 

 towards the Ox, on account of the services he rendered. The 

 precept of the Jewish law, " Thou shalt not muzzle the 

 ox when he treadeth out the corn," which likewise is a 

 precept of the Hindoo law, was an observance founded on 

 tenderness towards the animal, as well as an expression 

 of thankfulness at this the crowning labour of the har- 



