262 THE GOODNESS OF THE DEITY. 
.ster to his necessities, and to supply the place of his own 
activity. A brute,in his wild and natural state,does every 
thing for himself. When his strength therefore, or his 
speed, or his limbs, or his senses fail him, he is delivered 
over, either to absolute famine, or to the protracted wretch¬ 
edness of a life slowly wasted by the scarcity of food. Is 
it then to see the world filled with drooping, superannua¬ 
ted, half starved, helpless, and unhelped animals, that you 
would alter the present system of pursuit and prey? 
2. Which system is also to them the spring of motion 
and activity on both sides. The pursuit of its prey forms 
the employment, and appears to constitute the pleasure, of 
a considerable part of the animal creation. The using of 
the means of defence, or flight, or precaution, forms also 
the business of another part. And even of this latter tribe, 
we have no reason to suppose, that their happiness is much 
molested by their fears. Their danger exists continually; 
and in some cases they seem to be so far sensible of it, as 
to provide in the best manner they can against it; but it 
is only when the attack is actually made upon them, that 
they appear to suffer from it. To contemplate the insecu¬ 
rity of their condition with anxiety and dread, requires a 
degree of reflection, which (happily for themselves) they do 
not possess. A hare, notwithstanding the number of its 
dangers and its enemies, is as playful an animal as any 
other. 
3. But, to do justice to the question, the system of animal 
destruction ought always to be considered in strict connex¬ 
ion with another property of animal nature, viz. superfecun¬ 
dity. They are countervailing qualities. One subsists by 
the correction of the other. In treating, therefore, of the 
subject under this view, (which is, I believe, the true one,) 
our business will be, first, to point out the advantages which 
are gained by the powers in nature of a superabundant mul¬ 
tiplication ; and then to show, that these advantages are 
so many reasons for appointing that system of animal hos¬ 
tilities, which we are endeavouring to account for. 
In almost all cases, nature produces her supplies with 
profusion. A single cod-fish spawns, in one season, a 
greater number of eggs than all the inhabitants of England 
amount to. A thousand other instances of prolific genera¬ 
tion might be stated, which, though not equal to this, would 
carry on the increase of the species with a rapidity which 
outruns calculation, and to an immeasurable extent. The 
advantages of such a constitution are two: first, that it tends 
