VEGETABLE POISONS. 155 



amount in France, and in Italy ; the French and 

 Italian historians having noticed some very ex- 

 traordinary modes adopted for the purpose, that 

 were to produce their effects within any given 

 period, whether short or distant, and in a man- 

 ner, to which we hardly at this day know how 

 to give credit. 



In England, secret poisoning, though formerly 

 much more frequent than at present, was at no 

 period carried to the same length as appears 

 to have taken place in the southern parts of 

 Europe, in Asia, and in Africa ; and the nations 

 of Europe now are too active in detecting crimes, 

 too decisive in their punishments, and (we hope 

 we may add) too enlightened, to allow such a 

 system to prevail to any considerable degree. 



Thus, in the place of whole families being taken 

 off by the secret administration of poison as for- 

 merly, we hear of only single instances of this 

 offence being committed ; and those compara- 

 tively of rare occurrence. 



But if civilization has weakened those cruel 

 propensities which distinguished the less refined 

 periods of society ; or if wise and vigorous regu- 

 lations have kept them within ordinary bounds ; 

 yet still vice predominates in the human mind 

 under a different form, though less glaring in its 

 external character. It is true, in these improved 

 times, we hear but of few instances of murder 

 being committed through the agency of poison. 



