THE LIVE ELEMENTS. 165 



who brightened them in his pleasure, and who 

 scorched them in his wrath. The earth was a sleep- 

 ing monster : sometimes it rose a little and turned 

 itself in bed. They walked upon its back when liv- 

 ing ; they were put into its belly when they died. 

 Fire was a savage animal, which bit when it was 

 touched. The birds and beasts were foreigners, pos- 

 sessing languages and customs of their own. The 

 plants were dumb creatures, with characters good or 

 bad, sometimes gloomy in aspect, malignant in their 

 fruit, sometimes dispensing wholesome food and plea- 

 sant shade. 



These various forms of nature they treated precisely 

 as if they had been men. They sometimes adorned 

 a handsome tree with bracelets like a girl : they 

 offered up prayers to the fruit trees, and made them 

 presents to coax them to a liberal return. They for- 

 bade the destruction of certain animals which they re- 

 vered on account of their wisdom, or feared on ac- 

 count of their fierceness, or valued on account of 

 their utility. They submitted to the tyranny of 

 the more formidable beasts of prey, never venturing 

 to attack them, for fear the nation or species should 

 retaliate ; but made them propitiatory gifts. In the 

 same manner they offered sacrifices to avert the fury 

 of the elements, or in gratitude for blessings which 

 had been bestowed. But often a courageous people, 

 when invaded, would go to war, not only with the 

 tiger and the bear, but with powers which, to them, 

 were not less human-like and real. They would cut 

 with their swords at the hot wind of the desert, hurl 

 their spears into the swollen river, stab the earth, flog 

 the sea, shoot their arrows at the flashing clouds, and 

 build up towers to carry heaven by assault. 



