LXXIX.] OF SELBORNE. 
LETTEK LXXIX. 
TO THE HONOURABLE DAINES BARRING TON. 
There was in this village several years ago a miserable pauper, 
who, from his birth, was afflicted with a leprosy, as far as we are 
aware, of a singular kind ; since it affected only the palms of 
his hands and the soles of his feet. Tliis scaly eruption usually 
broke out twice in the year, at the spring and fall ; and, by 
peeling away, left the skin so thin and tender that neither his 
hands nor feet were able to perform their functions ; so that the 
poor object was half his time on crutches, incapable of employ, 
and languishing in a tiresome state of indolence and inactivity. 
His habit was lean, lank, and cadaverous. In this sad plight 
he dragged on a miserable existence, a burden to himself and 
his parish, which was obliged to support him till he was relieved 
by death at more than thirty years of age. 
The good women, who love to account for ever}^ defect in 
children by the doctrine of longing, said that his mother felt a 
violent propensity for oysters, which she was unable to gratify; 
and that the black rough scurf on his hands and feet were the 
shells of that fish. I knew his parents, neither of whom were 
lepers ; his father in particular lived to be far advanced in 
years. 
In all ages, the leprosy has made dreadful havoc among 
mankind. The Israelites seem to have been greatly afflicted with 
it from the most remote times ; as appears from the peculiar 
and repeated injunctions given them in the LcAitical law.^ 
E'er was the rancour of this foul disorder much abated in the 
last period of their commonwealth, as may be seen in many 
passages of the Kew Testament. 
Some centuries ago this horrible distemper prevailed all 
Europe over; and our forefathers were by no means exempt, 
as appears by the large provisions made for objects labouring 
' See Leviticus xiii. and xiv. 
