260 
THE GOODNESS OF THE DEITY. 
of its ] rey; and in some, probably, to the killing of it, when 
caught, by a mortal wound, inflicted in the passage to the 
stomach, which may be no less merciful to the victim than 
salutary to the devourer. In the viper, for instance, the 
poisonous fang may do that which, in other animals of 
prey, is done by the crush of the teeth. Frogs and mice 
might be swallowed alive without it. 
2. But it will be said, that this provision, when it comes 
to the case of bites, deadly even to human bodies and to 
those of large quadrupeds, is greatly overdone; that it might 
have fulfilled its use, and yet have been much less delete¬ 
rious than it is. Now I believe the case of bites, which 
produce death in large animals (of stings I think there are 
none,) to be very few. The experiments of the Abbe Fon¬ 
tana, which were numerous, go strongly to the proof of this 
point. He found that it required the action of five exaspe¬ 
rated vipers to kill a dog of a moderate size; but that, to 
the killing of a mouse or a frog, a single bite was sufficient; 
which agrees with the use which we assign to the faculty. 
The Abbe seemed to be of opinion, that the bite even of 
the rattlesnake would not usually be mortal; allowing, how¬ 
ever, that in certain particularly unfortunate cases, as when 
the puncture had touched some very tender part, pricked a 
principal nerve for instance, or, as it is said, some more 
considerable lymphatic vessel, death might speedily ensue. 
3. It has been, I think, very justly remarked, concerning 
serpents, that, whilst only a few species possess the veno¬ 
mous property, that property guards the whole tribe. The 
most innocuous snake is avoided with as much care as a 
viper. Now the terror with which large animals regard 
this class of reptiles, is its protection; and this terror is 
founded in the formidable revenge, which a few of the num¬ 
ber, compared with the whole, are capable of taking. The 
species of serpents, described by Linnaeus, amount to two 
hundred and eighteen, of which thirty-two only are poi¬ 
sonous. 
4. It seems to me, that animal constitutions are pro¬ 
vided, not only for each element, but for each state of the 
elements, i. e. for every climate, and for every temperature; 
and that part of the mischief complained of, arises from an¬ 
imals (the human animal most especially) occupying situ¬ 
ations upon the earth which do not belong to them, nor 
were ever intended for their habitation. The folly and 
wickedness of mankind, and necessities proceeding from 
these causes, have driven multitudes of the species to seek 
a refuge amongst burning sands, whilst countries, blessed 
