LUT 



LUT 



Pope, than he attempted to establish an- 

 other tyranny equally intolerable ; " and 

 it was the employment of his latter years 

 to counteract the effects produced by his 

 former labours. The great example of 

 freedom," continues Mr. Koscoe, " which 

 he had exhibited, could not, however, be 

 so soon forgotten ; and many who had 

 thrown off the authority of the Romish 

 see, refused to submit their consciences 

 to the control of a monk, who had arro- 

 gated to himself the sole right of ex- 

 pounding those scriptures which he had 

 contended were open to all." The re- 

 formation consequently gained ground, 

 in spite of the opposition of both the 

 Church of Rome, and the example of the 

 Lutherans. Aided by the invention of 

 printing, the genuine principles of rea- 

 son, philosophy, and revelation, began to 

 make rapid progress. The doctrines of 

 justification by faith alone, and of abso- 

 lute unconditional election and reproba- 

 tion, could no more prevent the spread 

 of knowledge than the worship of images, 

 or the invocation of saints. Luther had 

 taught the religious world, that the mind 

 of man cannot be subjected to the im- 

 perious decrees of fallible councils and 

 human power, and the result was glo- 

 rious. The human mind, delivered from 

 the external constraint imposed upon it 

 by hierarchical despotisms, and from the 

 internal constraint of the apathy in which 

 it was kept by a blind superstition, soon 

 found itself emancipated from guardian- 

 ship, and began to make a free, energe- 

 tic, and proper use of its faculties. The 

 documents of religion were subjected to 

 a profound criticism ; and, as the study of 

 the fathers and of councils were connect- 

 ed with the decretals of antiquity, histo- 

 ry, and languages, the great objects of 

 classical learning began to assume a new 

 aspect, and to be illuminated by a new 

 light. The scholastic philosophy found in 

 the Lutherans most formidable adversa- 

 ries, who unveiled its vices, and attacked 

 its weak sides. The torch of reason, 

 which had too long smothered in the re- 

 cesses of the cloister, and glimmered in 

 the cells of the monks, was no sooner ad- 

 mitted to the re-animating atmosphere of 

 freedom and philosophy, than it began to 

 shine forth in its native lustre. The empty 

 science of the casuists vanished before the 

 morality of the gospel. In short, the hu- 

 man mind, thus liberated from the fetters 

 of priestcraft and tyranny, shook off the 

 corruptions which it had gathered during 

 the middle ages, and without fear of the 

 inquisition here, or the terrors of eternal 

 damnation hereafter, began to display its 



native activity, to probe the foundation?, 

 of tottering societies, the rights of man- 

 kind, the laws of empires, and the go- 

 vernments of churches. May the happy 

 influence of the reformation, thus brought 

 into action by the fearless, though priest- 

 ly Luther, continue to spread itself till 

 the whole world is freed from the shac- 

 kles of superstition, and the glorious em- 

 pire of truth, reason, and religion, shall 

 be established in every country, and its 

 mild laws be written on every heart ! 



LUTRA, the otter, in natural history, a 

 genus of mammalia of the order Ferae, 

 Generic character : six cutting teeth ra- 

 ther sharp ; canine teeth longer ; feet 

 webbed. There are eight species, of 

 which we shall notice only the following. 

 L. vulgaries, is met with in almost all 

 the countries of Europe, and throughout 

 the north of Asia. It is not considered as 

 completely amphibious, but can subsist a 

 long while under water, lives principally 

 upon fish, and takes its prey with grea't 

 facility in rivers and lakes, in the banks of 

 which it generally fixes its habitation, 

 forming it with extreme elaborateness 

 and precaution with respect to danger. 

 When unable to procure fishes, it de- 

 stroys and devours the smaller quadru- 

 peds. It is highly fierce, and, when pur- 

 sued by dogs, will defend itself with un- 

 common vigour and perseverance, utter- 

 ing no sounds of pain or fear, though al- 

 most torn to pieces by its assailants, but 

 employing its last efforts of existence in 

 inflicting upon them in return the most, 

 dreadful wounds and lacerations. The fe- 

 male produces four or five young in the 

 spring. Otters have been so successfully 

 tamed, notwithstanding all their fierce- 

 ness, as to accompany their owners like 

 dogs, and obey calls and signals with the 

 same promptitude. Mr. Bewick relates, 

 that Mr. James Campbell possessed a 

 young otter of this description, and 

 which had been trained by him with such 

 success to catch fish, that in a single da\ 

 it would sometimes take ten salmon. 

 When wearied with its hunt, it would de- 

 cline further exertion, and receive its re- 

 ward in an ample repast on the fish it had 

 taken, and fall almost instantaneously to 

 sleep, being generally conveyed home in 

 that state. It would fish in the sea as 

 well as in rivers. Otters are sometimes 

 seen in Guinea in large companies, and of 

 immense sijse, weighing not less than one 

 hundred pounds, and so savage as to be 

 highly dangerous. Otters are remarked for 

 eating only the head and upper parts of the 

 fishes which they take, unless particular- 

 ly pressed by hunger, and appear to have 



