ASSES' MILK. 379 



looked. White-wine whey, given after a hard day's 

 work, or to horses with colds, must be nourishing 

 and grateful. And why should not milk, the most 

 nutritious of all liquids for foals and yearlings, be 

 given to old horses ? Cows' milk would no doubt be 

 good, but asses' milk would be infinitely better, 

 because of the closer affinity of the genus to the 

 equine race. And there would be no difficulty ; for 

 1 the purveying of asses' milk ' is now a common and 

 honourable vocation. I am quite serious in my 

 advocacy of it. It is highly recommended by the 

 faculty, and extensively used in all families of dis- 

 tinction. Milk, indeed, has acknowledged wonderful 

 properties. A pompous person once rested his claims 

 to greatness solely on its wonderful efficacy. 



' Do you know,' said he, addressing himself to a 

 farmer with whom he was disputing — ' do you know 

 that I was brought up at the hands of two wet- 

 nurses ?' 



' That may be,' replied the other ; ' and with much 

 the same effect that I witnessed with a calf that was 

 reared by two cows. It only made him the greater 

 calf.' 



The effect of asses' milk on the human subject 

 is thus narrated by Miss Digby, daughter of Lord 

 Digby, of Sherborne Castle, Dorsetshire, who, in 

 writing of her brother's illness in a letter to Mr. 

 Pope, dated July 17th, 1724, says: 'Last night he 

 began to drink asses' milk, which had the usual 



