438 HISTORY OF 



was alive. Upon the M'hole, it is probable that a nauch less 

 tedious preparation than that used by the Egyptians would have 

 sufficed to keep the body from putrefaction ; and that an injee 

 tion of petreoleum inwardly, and that a layer of asphaltum with- 

 out, would have sufficed to have made a mummy ; and it is re- 

 markable that Auvergne, where this was found, affords these 

 two substances in sufficient plenty. This art, therefore, might 

 be brought to greater perfection than it has arrived at hitherto, 

 were the art worth preserving. But mankind have long since 

 groM'n wiser in this respect ; and think it uimecessary to keep 

 oy them a deformed carcase, which, instead of aiding their mag- 

 nificence, must only serve to mortify their pride. 



CHAP. XIV. 



or ANIMALS. 



Leaving nian, we now descend to the lower ranks of animat- 

 ed nature, and prepare to examine the life, manners, and cha- 

 racters, of these our humble partners in the creation. But, in 

 such a wonderful variety as is diffused around us, where shall 

 we begin ? The number of beings endued with life, as well as 

 we, seems, at first view, infinite. Not only the forest, the 

 waters, the air, teems with animals of various kinds ; but 

 almost every vegetable, every leaf, has millions of minute inha-- 

 bitants, each of which fill up the circle of its allotted life, and 

 some are found objects of the greatest curiosity. In this seem- 

 ing exuberance of animals, it is natural for ignorance to lie down 

 in hopeless uncertainty, and to declare what requires labour to 

 particularize to be utterly inscrutable. It is otherwise, however, 

 with the active and searching mind ; no way intimidated with 

 the immense variety, it begins the task of numbering, grouping, 

 and classing, all the various, kinds that fall within its notice ; finds 

 every day new relations between the several parts of the crea- 

 tion ; acquires the art of considering several at a time under one 

 point of view ; and, at last, begins to find that the variety is 

 neither so great nor so inscrutable as was at first imagined. As 

 in a clear nigbt, the number of the stars seems infinite ; yet, if 



