"ftroy the whole fabric of loaves, fishes, "and joints of meat; overturn the Hea"then Deities, for the honour of Chrift

ianity; pluck the fowls, at the expence of their wings, from the pofts to which they were nailed; and, in the fury of "their struggling and fighting for their "prey, often tearing the miferable animals "to pieces, and fometimes ftabbing each "other."

"You ought, in candour, to add," interrupted Mr. T," that, though for"merly they were fixed to the posts "alive, yet of late the larger cattle have "been previously killed.". "And pray,

my good Sir," faid N-, " will you

"be fo obliging as to inform me, what "crime the poor lambs and fowls have "committed, that they should be torn in

pieces alive?"" This piece of humanity," continued he, "recalls to my memory a fimilar inftance, in a certain

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ingenious

ingenious gentleman, who propofed, as "the best and most effectual method of "fweeping chimnies, to place a large "goose at the top; and then, by a ftring "tied around her feet, to pull the animal

gently down to the hearth. The faga"cious projector afferted, that the goofe, "being extremely averfe to this method "of entering a house, would struggle against it with all her might; and, du

ring this refiftance, would move her

wings with fuch force and rapidity, as "could not fail to fweep the chimney, com"pletely." "Good God! Sir," cried a lady, who was present when this new method was propofed, "How cruel would that

"be to the poor goofe! "Why, Madam," replied the gentleman, " if you think my "method cruel to the goofe, a couple of "ducks will do."

LETTER LXIV.

Naples.

ON

N the first Sunday of May, we had an opportunity of feeing the famous Neapolitan miracle, of the liquefaction of Saint Januarius's blood, performed. This Saint, you know, is the patron of Naples; which circumftance alone forms a ftrong prefumption of his being a Saint of very confiderable power and efficacy; for it is not to be imagined that the care of a city, like Naples, which is threatened every moment with deftruction from Mount Vefuvius, would be entrusted to an underftrapper. Indeed there has, on some occafions, been reason to fear, that, great and powerful as this Saint is, the Dæmon of the mountain would have got the better of him; however, as Saint Januarius has been able to protect them hitherto, and is fuppofed

pofed to be improved in the science of defence by long practice, the Neapolitans think it more prudent to abide by him than to choose another; who, though he may poffibly be of higher rank, and older ftanding, cannot have equal experience in this particular kind of warfare.

3 Saint Januarius fuffered martyrdom about the end of the third century. When he was beheaded, a pious lady of this city, caught about an ounce of his blood, which has been carefully preferved in a bottle ever fince, without having loft a fingle grain of its weight. This of itself, were it equally demonftrable, might be confidered as a greater miracle than the circumftance on which the Neapolitans lay the whole stress, viz. that the blood which has congealed, and acquired a folid form by age, is no fooner brought near the head of the Saint, than, as a mark of veneration, it immediately liquefies. This experiment is made. three different times every year, and is confidered

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confidered by the Neapolitans as a miracle of the firft magnitude.

As the divinity of no other religion whatever is any longer attempted to be proved by fresh miracles, but all are now trusted to their own internal evidence, and to those wrought at a former period, this miracle of Saint Januarius is probably the more admired on account of its being the only one, except tranfubftantiation, which remains ftill in ufe, out of the vaft abundance faid to have been performed at various periods in fupport of the Roman Catholic faith. The latter is unquestionably the greater miracle of the two; for to change a wafer into flesh and blood, is more extraordinary than to liquefy any fubftance whatever: Yet I once imagined the liquefaction had rather the advantage in this particular; that the change is more obvious to the fenfes. But I have lately been otherwise inftructed, by an ingenious perfon, who was formerly a Jefuit. On fomebody (not)

me,

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