t)P HUMAN LIFE. 24$ 



their gold and filver, on the firft breaking out of the 

 ftorm ? — that by accident thefe very jews might have 

 had the misfortune to be among thofe who loft their 

 lives in the tumult ? — -and that Flamel had with greater 

 confidence taken this opportunity of making himfelf 

 heir to the inteftates, as it might be done with tolera* 

 ble fafety in fuch troublefome and lawlefs times as 

 thefe ? — This, I think, might be taken for a very na- 

 tural and plaufible explication of the manner in which 

 Flamel, citizen, fcrivener, and painter, of Paris, 

 could at once have fo coniiderably increafed the pro- 

 perty he had already acquired by his bufinefs of writing 

 and painting, as to give him a fuperfmous fund fuffi- 

 cient for all the purpofes of his pious foundation. 



But how did it occur to the man who had obtained 

 his riches by fuch unchriftian means, to take the refo- 

 lution of putting them to fuch chriftian and pious ufes ? 

 I only touch upon this objection, becaufe it may be 

 brought againft me ; for in itfelf it fignifies but little. 

 Was Flamel the firft perfon in the world, who, after 

 having ftolen a quantity of leather, gave away a pair 

 or two of fhoes for God's fake ? Was it not very na- 

 tural for him to be a little uneafy about the wealth he 

 had, one way or other, not always the moft confeien- 

 tioufly acquired ? Was it not very confiftent with the 

 fpirit of the fourteenth century, to make an atonement 

 for ill-gotten goods — which yet in fact were only 

 taken from the infidels, from the people that crucified 

 our Lord — by confecrating a part of them to God 

 Almighty in applying it to pious foundations ? It is 

 highly probable that a number of like honourable men 

 at Paris were in the fame cafe with him : for, the laft 



k 3 i- year 



