The most skilful or most confident interpreters of the fylvan dialogues have been commonly found among the philofophers of the east, in a country where the calmness of the air, and the mildness of the feafons, allow the student to pass a great part of the year in groves and bowers. But what But what may be done in one place by peculiar opportunities, may be performed in another by peculiar diligence. A fhepherd of Bohemia has, by long abode in the forefts, enabled himself to understand the voice of birds; at least he relates with great confidence a story, of which the credibility is left to be confidered by the learned.

As I was fitting (faid he) within a hollow rock, and watching my fheep that fed in the valley, I heard two vultures interchangeably crying on the fummit of the cliff. Both voices were earnest and deliberate. My curiofity prevailed over my care of the flock; I climbed flowly and filently from crag to crag, concealed among the fhrubs, till I found a cavity where I might fit and liften without fuffering, or giving disturbance.

I foon perceived, that my labour would be well repaid; for an old vulture was fitting on a naked prominence, with her young about her, whom he was inftructing in the arts of a vulture's life, and preparing, by the last lecture, for their final difmiffion to the mountains and the fkies.

My children, faid the old vulture, you will the lefs want my inftructions, because you have had my practice before your eyes; you have feen me fnatch from the farm the houshold fowl, you have feen me feize the

leveret in the bufh, and the kid in the pafture; you know how to fix your talons, and how to balance your flight when you are laden with your prey. But you remember the tafte of more delicious food; I have often regaled you with the flesh of man. Tell us, faid the young yultures, where man may be found, and how he may be known; his flesh is furely the natural food of a vulture. Why have you never brought a man in your talons to the neft? He is too bulky, faid the mother; when we find a man, we can only tear away his flesh, and leave his bones upon the ground. Since man is fo big, faid the young ones, how do you kill him? You are afraid of the wolf and of the bear, by what power are vultures fuperior to man? is man more defenceless than a fheep? We have not the ftrength of man, returned the mother, and I am fometimes in doubt whether we have the fubtilty; and the vultures would feldom feaft upon his flesh, had not nature, that devoted him to our uses, infused into him a strange ferocity, which I have never obferved in any other being that feeds upon the earth. Two herds of men will often meet and fhake the earth with noife, and fill the air with fire. When you hear noife and fee fire, with flashes along the ground, haften to the place with your swifteft wing, for men are furely deftroying one another; you will then find the ground fmoking with blood, and covered with carcaffes, of which many are difmembered and mangled for the convenience of the vulture. But when men have killed their prey, faid the pupil, why do they not eat it? When the wolf has killed a fheep, he fuffers not the

vulture

vulture to touch it till he has fatisfied himself. Is not man another kind of wolf? Man, faid the mother, is the only beast who kills that which he does not devour, and this quality makes him so much a benefactor to our fpecies. If men kill our prey and lay it in our way, faid the young one, what need fhall we have of labouring for ourselves? Because man will, fometimes, replied the mother, remain for a long time quiet in his den. The old vultures will tell you when you are to watch his motions. When you fee men in great numbers moving close together, like a flight of ftorks, you may conclude that they are hunting, and that you will foon revel in human blood. But ftill, faid the young one, I would gladly know the reafon of this mutual flaughter. I could never kill what I could not eat. My child, said the mother, this is a question which I cannot answer, though I am reckoned the most fubtile bird of the mountain. When I was young, I ufed frequently to vifit the ayry of an old vulture, who dwelt upon the Carpathian rocks; he had made many obfervations; he knew the places that afforded prey round his habitation, as far in every direction as the strongest wing can fly between the rifing and fetting of the fummer fun; he had fed year after year on the entrails of men. His opinion was, that men had only the appearance of animal life, being really vegetables with a power of motion; and that as the boughs of an oak are dafhed together by the ftorm, that swine may fatten upon the falling acorns, fo men are by fome unaccountable power driven one against another, till they lofe their motion, that vultures

may be fed. Others think they have obferved fomething of contrivance and policy among these mischievous beings; and thofe that hover more clofely round them, pretend, that there is, in every herd, one that gives directions to the reft, and feems to be more eminently delighted with a wide carnage. What it is that entitles him to fuch pre-eminence we know not; he is feldom the biggest or the swifteft, but he fhews by his eagerness and diligence that he is, more than any of the others, a friend to the vultures.

A DIS

I

ADVERTISEMENT.

CONCLUDE this work according to my promife, with an account of the Comic Theatre, and intreat the reader, whether a favourer or an enemy of the ancient Drama, not to pafs his cenfure upon the authors or upon me, without a regular perufal of this whole

* Published by Mrs. Lennox in 4to. 1759. To the third volume of this work the following Advertisement is prefixed. "In this "volume, the Difcourfe on the Greek Comedy, and the General "Conclufion, are tranflated by the celebrated author of the Ram"bler. The Comedy of the Birds, and that of Peace, by a young "Gentleman. The Comedy of the Frogs, by the learned and in"genious Dr. Gregory Sharpe. The Difcourfe upon the Cyclops, " by John Bourrya, Efq. The Cyclops, by Dr. Grainger, au"thor of the tranflation of Tibullus." E.

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