336 MISCELLANEOUS. THOUGHTS. a shift to wear off ten years since the paternal estate fell ints his hands; and yet according to the abuse of words in our day, he was called a man of virtue, because he scarce ever was known to be quite drunk, nor was his nature much inclined to lewdness. One evening as he was musing alone, his thoughts hap- pened to take a most unusual turn, for they cast a glance back- ward, and began to reflect on his manner of life. He bethought himself what a number of living beings had been made a sacrifice to support his carcase, and how much corn and wine had been mingled with those offerings. He bad not quite lost all the arithmetic that he, learned when he was a boy, and he set himself to compute what he had devoured since he came to the age of man. " Above a dozen feathered creatures, small and great, have one week with another, said he, give up their lives to pro- long mine, which in ten years time amounts to at least six thousand. " Fifty sheep have been sacrificed in a year, with half a hecatomb of black cattle, that I might have the choicest part offered weekly upon my table. Thus a thousand beasts out of the flock and the herd have been slain in ten years time to feed me, besides what the forest and the park have supplied me with. Many hundreds of fishes have, in all their varieties, been robbed of lité for my repast, and of the smaller fry as many thousands. i0 A measure of corn would hardly afford fine flour enough for a month's provision, and this arises to above six -score bushels: and many hogsheads of ale and wine, and other liquors, have passed through this body of mine, this wretched strainer of meat and drink. "And what have I done all this time for God or mane What a vast profusion of good things upon a useless life, and a worthless liver ! There is not the meanest creature among all these which I have devoured, but bath answered the end of its creation better than I. It was made to support human nature, and it hath done so. Every shrimp and oyster I have eat, and every grain of corn I have devoured, bath filled up its place in the rank of beings with more propriety and honour than I have done : O shameful waste of life and time ! In abort, he carried on his moral reflections with so just and severe a force of reason, as constrained him to change his whole course of life, to break offi his follies at once, and to Apply him- self to gain some useful knowledge, when he was more than thirty years of age : Ile lived many following years, with the character of a worthy man, and an excellent christian ; he per- formed the kind offices of a good neighbour at home, and made a shining figure as a patriot in the senate-house ; he died with a
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