O V MULES. 9 



begged to communicate to you, during my 

 abfence, a fa£t, which cannot be denied, not- 

 withftanding the force of your arguments, and 

 the opinion I have always entertained, as well 

 as the reft of the world, of the excellence of 

 the many learned produQions by which you 

 have enlightened the republic of letters. But, 

 whether it was an effed; of chance, or one 

 of thofe fports of Nature, who, as you re- 

 mark, fometimes departs from her eftablilhed 

 laws, the fadt is inconteftible ; and you will 

 be convinced of its truth, if you give credit 

 to what I have the honour of writing you, 

 which can be attefted by two hundred perfons 

 at leaft, who were witneffes to it as well as 

 myfelf. This fhe-wolf was only three days 

 old when I purchafed it from a peafant, who 

 had carried it off, after killing the mother. I 

 fed it with milk till it was able to eat flefh. 

 I recommended to thofe who had the care of 

 it, to carefs, and handle it often, with a view 

 to render it as tame as pofTible. At laft, it be- 

 came fo familiar that I have taken it to hunt 

 in the woods at the diftance of a league from 

 my houfe, without any danger of lofing it. 

 Sometimes, when I was unable to call it back, 

 it returned of its own accord in the night. I 

 was always more certain of keeping it at home 

 when I had a dog ; for it was fond of dogs ; 

 and thofe who had overcome their natural re- 

 pugnance, fported with it, as if they had been 



' animals 



