162

ACET ARIA.

Claudius Frejfen, in his Bib lie £ Hifquifitiones, has said upon this oc-

casion ; however I still adhere to the other Opinion.

On the other side, examine we the present Usages of several otherHeathen Nations ; particularly ( besides the Ægyptian Priests of old )the Indian Bramins , Relicts of the ancient Gymnofophifls, to this Dayobserving the Institutions of their Founder. Flejb , we know, was ba-nifh’d the Blatonic Tables, as well as from those of Bythagoras ; (See

Abstft ie ^ ^/^ryand their Disciples) tho* on different Accounts. Among<hm%mb7e- others of the Philosophers, from Xenocrates, Bo lemon, &c. we hear of*w» Lc. many. The like we find in || Clement Æexand. * Eusebins names* Pr*” En more ’ . Zeno ' A rchinomus, Bhraartes, Chiron , and others, whompassim. Laertius reckons up. In short, Ib very many, especially of the Chri-ca 1; stian ^session, that some, even of the ancient |) Fathers themselves,have almost thought that the Permission of eating Flelh to Noah andvers Jovin. his Sons, was granted them no otherwise than Repudiation of Wives

was to the Jews , namely, for the hardness of their Hearts , and tosatisfy a murmuring Generation, that a little after loathed Manna itself, and Bread from Heaven . So difficult a thing it is circumfcri -here gulam & ventrem, to subdue an unruly Appetite ; which notwith-standing, * Seneca thinks not Ib hard a Task; where speaking of thePhilosopher Sextius , and Socion’s ( abhorring Cruelty and Intempe-rance ) he celebrates the Advantages of the Herby and Sallet Diet, asBhyfaal, and Natural Advancers of Health and other Blessings; whilstAbstinence from Flelh deprives Men of nothing but what Lions, Vul-tures, Beasts and Birds of Prey, blood and gorge themselves withal.The whole Epiftle deserves the reading, lor the excellent Advice hegives on this and other Subjects; and how from many troublesome andllavilh Impertinences, grown into Habit and Custom ( old as he was)he had emancipated and freed himself; and never would eat Oyfers,Mujhroms , &c. H&c enim non Cibi, fed Ob le H amenta flint \ not Ibmuch as allowing them the Name of Food: Be this apply'd to our pre-sent excessive Drinkers of Foreign and Exotic Liquors. And nowI am sufficiently sensible how far, and to how little purpose I am goneon this Topic : The Ply is long since taken, and our raw Sallet deck’din its best Trim, is never like to invite Men who once have tasted Flesh,to quit and abdicate a Custom which has now Ib long obtain’d. Nortruly do I think Conscience at all .concern’d in the matter, upon anyaccount of distinction of Bure and Impure ; tho' seriously considered(as Sextius held) ration's magis congrua, as it regards the cruel Butch-eries of so many harmless Creatures; some of which we put to merciseseand needless Torment, to accommodate them for exquisite and uncom-mon Epicurism. There lies else no positive Prohibition; Discrimina-

* iCor.viii.8.I 77ra.iv.lj3>

*4 ..

Rom. ii. 3.

tion ol Meats being * condemn’d as the Doctrine of ^Devils : Nordo Meats commend us to God. One eats quid vult ( of every thing,)another Olera, and of Sallets only: But this is not my Business, fur-ther than to Ihew how possible it is by so many Instances and Exam-ples, to live on wholsome Vegetables, both long and happily: Forso

J| Cold Plaut.Lib. i.Lsctu-0 *.

j| Has Eupulas habuit teneri gens aurea mundi ,Et cœna ingentis tune caput ipfa fui.

Semideumque meo creverunt corpora fucco ,Materiam tanti fanguinis ille dedit.

Tune