HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



165 



mals. " The furface of the earth, he fays, infected by 

 46 putrefaction, was over-run with lizards, ferpents, rep- 

 « tiles, and infers monftrous for fize, and the activity 

 " of their poifon, which they drew from the copious 

 " juices of this uncultivated foil, that was corrupted and 

 " abandoned to itfelf, where the nutritive juice became 

 " fharp, like the milk in the breaft of animals which do 

 " not exercife the virtue of propagation. Caterpillars, 

 " crabs, butterflies, beetles, fpiders, frogs, and toads, 

 " were for the mod part of an enormous corpulence in 

 " their fpecies, and multiplied beyond what can be ima- 

 " gined. Panama is infefled with ferpents, Carthage- 

 " na with clouds of enormous bats, Portobello with 

 " toads, Surinam with kakerlacas or cucarachas, Gua- 

 " daloupe, and the other colonies of the iflands, with 

 " beetles, Quito with niguas or chegoes, and Lima with 

 " lice and bugs. The ancient kings of Mexico, and 

 " the emperors of Peru, found no other means of rid- 

 " ding their fubjects of thofe infects, which fed upon 

 * c them, than the impofltion of an annual tribute, of a 

 " certain quantity of lice. Ferdinand Cortes found bags 

 " full of them in the palace of Montezuma." But this 

 argument, full throughout of falfity and exaggerations, 

 proves nothing againft the climate of America in gene- 

 ral, much lefs againfl: that of Mexico. There being fome 

 lands in America, in which, on account of their heat, 

 humidity, or want of inhabitants, large infects are found 

 and exceffively multiplied, will prove at moft that in fome 

 places the furface of the earth is infected, as he fays, 

 with putrefaction ; but not that the foil of Mexico, or 

 that of all America is (linking, uncultivated, vitiated, 

 and abandoned to itfelf, as is weakly afferted by M. dc 

 Paw. If fuch a deduction were juft, he might alfo fay, 



That 



