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CHA P. XXVI.

Of THUMB S.

ACITUS reports, that, amongst certain Barbarian Kings, their Manner was, when they would make a firm Obligation, to join their right Hands clofe together, and twift each other's Thumbs; and when, by Force of Preffure, the Blood appeared in the Ends, they lightly ing the Blood pricked them with fome sharp Inftrument, and mutually fucked them.

A Cuftom of Screwing the Thumbs, wounding them, and fuck

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Phyficians fay, that the Thumb is the Master-finger of each Hand, and that the Latin Etymo

Etymology of

the Latin Word Pollex, for Thumb.

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logy is derived from Pollere. The Greeks called it axle, as who fhould fay, another Hand, And it feems, that the Latins alfo fometimes take it, in this Senfe, for the whole Hand;

Sed nec vocibus excitata blandis,
Molli pollice nec rogata furgit ".

When the

Thumbs denot

It was, at Rome, a Signification of Faed Favour, and your, to to turn down, and clap in the when Difguft. Thumbs;

Fautor utroque tuum laudabit pollice ludum '.

i. e.

Thy Patron, when thou mak'ft thy Sport,

Will with both Thumbs applaud thee for't.

and of Disfavour to lift them up, and thrust them outward;

converfo pollice vulgi

Quemlibet occidunt populariter *,

f Annal. lib. xii.

i. e.

This feems to be taken from Macrobius's Saturn. lib. vii. c. 13, who

took it, in his Turn, from Atticus Capito.

h Mart. lib. xii. Epig. 99. v. 8, 9.

Horat, lib. i. Ep. 18. v, 66,

k

* Juv, Sat. ii. v. 36.

i. e.

The Vulgar, with up-lifted Thumbs,
Kill each one that before them comes 1.

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Those who cut off their

Thumbs, why punished by the

Romans.

The Romans exempted from War all fuch as were maimed in the Thumbs, as Perfons not able to bear Arms. Auguftus confifcated the Estate of a Roman Knight, who had malicioufly 'cut off the Thumbs of two young Children he had, to excufe them from going into the Armies ";' and, before him, the Senate, in the Time of the Italian War, condemned Caius Valienus to perpetual Imprisonment, and confifcated all his Goods, for having purposely cut off the Thumb of his left Hand, to exempt himself from that Expedition "."

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Some one, I have forgot who, having won a Naval Battle, cut off the Thumbs of all his van Thumbs of the quished Enemies, to render them incapable vanquished Eof Fighting, and of handling the Oar.' nemy cut off. The Athenians alfo caufed the Thumbs of thofe of Egina to be cut off, to deprive them of the Preference in the Art of Navigation .' And, in Lacedæmonia, Pedagogues chastised their Scholars by biting their Thumbs.

I

CHA P. XXVII.

Cowardife the Mother of CRUELTY.

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HAVE often heard it faid, That Cowardife is the Mother of Cruelty;' yet I have found, Cruelty the by Experience, that that malicious and in- common Effect humane Animofity and Fierceness is ufually of Cowardife. accompanied with a feminine Faintnefs. I have seen the

moft

This was a metaphorical Manner of Speech, taken from the Arena. When a Gladiator was thrown in Fighting, the People asked his Life, by turning down their Thumbs, or his Death by lifting them up.

Suet. in Cæfar. Augufto, fect. 24.

Val. Max. lib. v. c. 3. fe&t. 3.
Įdem, ibid. lib. ix. in Externis, fect. 8.

Book II. moft cruel People, and upon frivolous Occafions, very apt to cry. Alexander, the Tyrant of Pheres, durft not be a Spectator of Tragedies on the Theatre, for Fear left his Subjects fhould fee him weep at the Misfortunes of Hecuba and Andromache; tho' he himself caused so many People every Day to be cruelly murdered.' Is it not Meannefs of Spirit, that renders them fo pliable to all Extremities? Valour (whofe Effect is only to be exer cifed against Resistance,

Nec nifi bellantis gaudet cervice juvenci a.

i. e.

neither, unless it fight,

In conquering a Bull does he delight.)

ftops when he fees the Enemy at its Mercy; but Pufillanimity, to fay, that it was alfo in the Action, not having Courage to meddle in the first Act, rushes into the fe cond, of Blood and Maffacre. The Murders in Victories are commonly performed by the Rafcality, and Officers of the Baggage; and that which caufes fo many unheardof Cruelties, in domeftic Wars, is, that the Dregs of the People are flushed in being up to the Elbows in Blood, and ripping up Bodies that lie proftrate at their Feet, having no Senfe of any other Valour."

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Et lupus, et turpes inftant morientibus urfi,

Et quæcunque minor nobilitate fera eft.

i. e.

None but the Wolves, the filthy Bears, and all
Th' ignoble Beafts, will on the Dying fall.

Like cowardly Curs, that, in the Houfe, worry and tear in Pieces the Skins of wild Beafts, which they durft not attack in the Field. What is it, in thefe Times of ours, that causes our mortal Quarrels? And how comes it, that, where our Ancestors had some Degree of Revenge, we now begin with the last Degree, and that, at the firft Meeting,

P Plutarch in the Life of Pelopidas, ch. 15:

9 Claud. ad Hadrianum, v. 30.

Ovid. Trift. lib. iii. Eleg. 5. v. 35.

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Meeting, nothing is to be faid, but Kill? What is this but Cowardife?

Revenge is rendered of no Effect by killing an Enemy. make itself

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Every one is fenfible, that there is more Bravery and Difdain in fubduing an Enemy, than in cutting his Throat; and in making him yield, than in putting him to the Sword: Befides that, the Appetite of Revenge is better affwaged and pleafed, becaufe its only Aim is to felt And this is the Reason why we do not fall upon a Block or a Stone when they hurt us, because they are not capable of feeling our Revenge; and to kill a Man is to fhelter him from the Hurt we intend him. And as Bias cried out to a wicked Fellow, I know that, fooner or later, thou wilt have thy Reward, but I am afraid I fhall not fee it.' And as the Orchomenians complained, that the Penitence of Lycifcus, for the Treafon committed against them, came at a Time when there was no one remaining alive of those who had been concerned in it, and whom the Pleasure of this Penitency must have ⚫ affected;' fo Revenge is to be repented of, when the Perfon on whom it is executed, lofes the Means of fuffering it For as the Avenger defires to fee and enjoy the Pleasure of his Revenge, fo the Perfon on whom he takes Revenge, fhould be a Spectator too, to be mortified by it, and brought to Repentance. He fhall repent it, we fay, and, because we have given him a Pistol-shot through the Head, do we imagine he will repent? On the contrary, if we but obferve, we fhall find, that he makes a Mouth at us in falling; and is fo far from repenting, that he does not fo much as repine at us: And we do him the kindest Office of Life, which is to make him die speedily, and infenfibly: We are afterwards to hide ourselves, and to fhift and fly from the Officers of Juftice, who pursue us; and all the while he is at reft. Killing is good to fruftrate a future Injury, not to revenge one that is alrea dy paft; and 'tis more an Act of Fear than Bravery, of Precaution than Courage, and of Defence than of Offence: It is manifeft that by it we abandon both the true End of Revenge, and the Care of our Reputation; we are afraid,

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if

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if he lives, he will do us fuch another Injury; not out of Animofity to him, but Care of thyfelf, that thou riddeft him out of the Way.

Duels common,

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In the Kingdom of Narfingua, this Expedient would be ufelefs to us: There not only Soldiers, but and authorised Tradefmen alfo end their Differences by the in the Kingdom Sword. The King never denies the Field of Narfingua. to any one that will fight; and, when they are Perfons of Quality, he looks on, rewarding the • Victor with a Chain of Gold; for which any one that will, may fight with him who wears it: Thus, by coming off from one Combat, he is engaged in many.' If we thought, by Valour, to be always Mafters of our Enemies, and to triumph over them at Pleasure, we should be forry they should efcape from us as they do, by dying; but we have a mind to conquer more with Safety than Honour, and, in our Quarrel, more pursue the End than the Glory.

Pollio's Libel
against Plan-

cus.

Afinius Pollio, who, for being a worthy Man, was less to be excufed, committed a like Error, who having writ a Libel against Plancus, deferred to publifh it, till he was long dead: Which is to make Mouths at a blind Man, to rail at one that is deaf, and to wound a Man that has no feeling, rather than to run the Hazard of his Refentment. And Plancus is made to fay, in his own Behalf, That it was

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only for Ghofts to ftruggle with the Dead.' He that ftays to fee the Author die, whofe Writings he intends to quarrel with, what does he but declare, that he would bite, but has not Teeth? It was told Ariftotle, That • fome one had fpoken ill of him.' Let him do more, faid he, let him whip me too, provided I am not there.' Our Fathers contented themselves to revenge an Injury

The Lye re-
venged with
a Box on the
Ear.

with the Lye, the Lye with a Box on the Ear, and fo forward; they were valiant enough not to fear their Adverfary, both living and provoked: We tremble for Fear, fo And, that this is fo, is it

long as we fee them on Foot.

not

.

Pliny's Preface to Vefpafian.

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