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animals by whom they would other wife 

 be eaten. But you will doubtlefs think 

 it unnatural for any animal to devour 

 thofe of its fpecies, even when necefTa- 

 rily killed in felf- defence ; and in this I 

 am of your opinion ; tho' I am fenfible 

 that we have been educated in a ftate 

 of civilization, fo different from that of 

 Nature, that we are but ill able to de- 

 termine what is, or what is not natural. 

 It is certainly more unnatural to kill 

 each other by unneceffary wars, than 

 to eat the bodies of thofe we have kill- 

 ed : the crime confifts in killing, not 

 in eating, as the worm and vultur tef- 

 tify, that human flefh is by no means 

 facred. But tho* civilized nations abhor 

 eating, they are familiarized to the cuf- 

 tom of killing each other, which they 

 pradtife with lefs remorfe than the Sa- 

 vages. But cuftom is able to reconcile 

 the mind to the moll: unnatural objedts. 

 What but habitude and cuftom could 



S , 3 enable 



