ROMISH DOCTRINES ON EPIZOOTICS. 675 
As an amusing sequel to the subject I may state, that in 
Hasselt, as in most towns in Roman Catholic countries, the 
churches are crowded with the images of saints, and other 
equally as great absurdities, as cc winking virgins and bleed¬ 
ing pictures,” that are employed in the delusions practised 
by the priests on the people. We can understand that car¬ 
dinals and priests, monks and nuns, must eat and drink, 
and possess the “ wherewithal” to purchase food and raiment 
as well as others, and that hence their brains are racked to 
devise new schemes to obtain the necessary means. Among 
others, they have created a patron saint of the cows, St, Brigita, 
and taking advantage of Hasselt being a town where large 
quantities of cattle are always located, they have placed her 
image in one of the churches. Many persons are taught to 
believe that all the diseases of their cattle are sent by the saint 
as a judgment for their sins. When, therefore, cows fall ill, 
the owners repair to the chapel of the saint, and pray her 
removal of the curse; votive offerings are also presented, and 
milk and cream, and butter and cheese, are sent in abundance 
for her use, or rather the use of the priests, who take care, no 
doubt, to remove them from the depository before time has 
impaired their good qualities. The common people believe 
that pleuro-pneumonia is an especial judgment of St. Brigita, 
and offer many prayers and vows at her shrine for its removal. 
All cannot, however, afford large quantities of cream and butter, 
and hence their votive offerings assume another form. Models 
of strange-looking cows in wax and tallow are presented; but 
as these are of little use to the priests, they are allowed to 
remain to adorn the image of the saint, around whose neck 
and arms they are suspended by paltry pieces of blue and 
white, and various coloured tape or ribbon. 
So much for St. Brigita, and the part she is said to take in 
these epizootic diseases. Without her aid, for Romish saints 
so abhor Protestant Britain, that they will not deign even to 
send us their curses, we, as before observed, have experienced 
very sad losses in this country from these maladies. It was 
from the number and virulence of the diseases affecting cattle 
and sheep in particular, together with the general ignorance 
prevailing on the subject, that measures were adopted in this 
kingdom about sixty-seven years since, which ultimately 
ended in the establishment of a school of veterinary medicine. 
To the Agricultural Society of Odiham, in Hampshire, be¬ 
longs the merit of taking the initiative in this important 
matter; and hence it is that agriculture claims, and rightly 
so, the honour of being the parent of this Institution. “ In 
August, 1785, the members of the Odiham Society resolved, 
that it should be a consideration for their meeting in 
