execution of the fentence. That there fhould be a kind of profeffional [P] mode of accomplishing fuicide, which inclines one rather than another to the ufe of this or that means, may be eafily conceived. Death is certainly leaft dreadful in that shape, in which one has been moft accustomed to view it. A foldier will bravely face the mouth of a cannon, who may be terrified at the fever's burning heat; and he, who patiently expects death on the bed of pain and sickness, trembles perhaps at the explosion of a little gunpowder. The latter then, if ever inclined to fuicide, would be as little likely to fhoot himself through the head, as the former would be to have recourfe to the envenomed draught. It is certainly true, that moft claffes, and profeffions of men have a favourite method of defpatching themfelves. The brave and thofe of high birth are accustomed to do it by the sword or piftol; thofe of middling or lower rank by the more ignoble rope, razor or deadly potion, and despairing lovers › either, he thought of making what he looked on as chance, the umpire. He toffed à piece of money into the air, which came down on its edge and stuck in the clay. Though the determination answered not his wishes, it was far from ambiguous, as it feemed to forbid both methods of deftruction; and would have given unfpeakable comfort to a mind less disordered than his. Being thus interrupted in his purpose, he returned, and mounting his horfe rode on to London, where in a fhort time after he fhot himself." [P] Suicide at Geneva, being very fimilar in many points to what it is in England, forms an apo--logy for introducing the following strong profeffional mode of its execution in Geneva, whereby a blackfinith contrived to make his bellows fubfervient to his purpofe. "A blackfmith charged an old gun-barrel with a brace of bullets, and putting one end into the fire of his forge, tied a ftring to the handle of his bellows, by pulling of which he could make them play whilft he was at a convenient distance. Kneeling down he then placed his head near the mouth of the barrel, and moving the bellows by means of the ftring, they blew up the fire, he keeping his head with astonishing firmness and horrible deliberation in that pofition, till the further end of the barrel was fo heated as to kindle the powder, whose explosion instantly drove the bullets through his brain. Though I know this happened literally as I have related it, yet there is fomething fo extraordinary and almost incredible in the circumftances, that perhaps I should not have mentioned it, had it not been well-attefted and known to the inhabitants of Geneva and to all the English there."-Dr. MOORE's Travels through France, &c. Vol. I. Let. xxxii. The author was told of a furgeon, who following up his profeffional ideas killed himself (fome years ago) by means of an inftrument, which he had himself invented for dilating of wounds. This inftrument (trufting to his anatomical skill) he intruded into his own body, till it wounded his liver; and then he told his friends, it was out of their power to recover him :-he died in a few days. in in their own purling [] ftream: but if deprived of their respective ways, they find a backwardnefs in adopting any other. In all this there is nothing extraordinary, as we naturally look on thofe inftruments of death with leaft horror and surprise, to which we have been moft accustomed. But when a man is folicitous about the temper of the fteel or the hilt of that fword, which is to pierce through his heart; when he examines with precife and cautious eye the length, the bore, the mounting of that piftol, which is deftined to perforate his fcull; when he covets a particular kind of powder, which is to explode without noife; when he nicely calculates [R] the quantity, that will ferve at any [Q] "From the days of Plato to our own (fays the writer of the "Connoiffeur") a fuicide has always been compared to a foldier on guard deferting his poft: but I fhould rather confider a fet of these desperate men, who rush on certain death, as a body of troops fent out on the forlorn hope. They meet every face of death, however horrible, with the utmoft refolution. Some blow their brains out with a piftol; fome expire, like Socrates, by poifon; fome fall, like Cato, on the points of their own fwords; and others, who have lived like Nero, affect to die like Seneca, and bleed to death. The poor sneaking wretch, starving in a garret, tucks himself up in his lift garters; a fecond croffed in love, drowns himself, like a blind puppy, in Rofamond's pond, and a third cuts his throat with his own. But the man of fashion almoft always dies by a piftol, and even the cobler of any spirit goes off by a dofe or two extraordinary of gin." razor. The author of the "World" alfo (Vol. IV. N° 193) makes an humourous propofal for the erection of a large building to be called "The Receptacle for Suicides;" where every one may kill himself in his own way. "I have (fays he) a most effectual machine for the easy decapitation of fuch, as choose that noble and honourable exit. I have a commodious bath for difappointed ladies, fed by the cleareft ftreams, where the patient may drown with the utmoft privacy and elegance. I have piftols for gamefters, which (inftead of bullets and flugs) are charged with loaded dice; fo that they may put an end to their existence by the very means that fupported it. I have daggers and poifon for diftreffed actors, and swords fixt obliquely on the floor with their points upwards for the gentlemen of the army. For attorneys, tradefmen and mechanics, who have no tafte for genteeler exits, I have a long room, in which a range of halters are faftened to a beam with their noofes ready tied. I have alfo an handfome garden for the entombing all my good cuftomers, and laftly I propofe agreeing with a coroner by the year, to bring in such verdicts as I fhall think proper. I only claim the "heads" as my own fee, that by frequent diffections of the brain, I may at laft difcover and remedy the caufe of fo unnatural a propenfity." [R] Suicides have been known to buy themselves in thefe calculations. The folly of them is ridiculed with humour in the following extract from the Gentleman's Magazine, Vol. XXV. Year 1755. ADVERTISEMENT. "Whereas many noblemen, gentlemen and others, who in the polite world are diftinguished by the name of "Men of Pleafure," have by faft living (now commonly called "Sporting," formerly figmatised by the names of "whoring and drunkennefs") brought upon themselves at the age of forty, all any given diftance to penetrate without fcattering the brain; when the day, the hour is long fixed with much attendant ceremony and folemnity; when these and many other like [s] minutiæ are previously laid down with precifion and all the pains, aches, and infirmities of fourfcore; and others by fashionably spending their whole fortures, by contracting debts, which they cannot pay, and ruining their wives, wards, children, and creditors, have incurred fuch reflections, as render life intolerable: And whereas it has been proved by the late Lord Bolingbroke and others, to the full fatisfaction of all gentlemen of wit, humour, men of pleasure and sporters, that after this life there is nothing to hope or fear; fo that to put an end to it in such circumstances is greatly for the advantage of themselves and the community: And whereas fuch is the prejudice ftill remaining among the great and little vulgar, that this neceflary and heroic act reflects indelible difhonour upon fuch men of wit, humour, and pleasure, and alfo on their families, and makes the expence of bribing a coroner's jury to perjury abfolutely neceffary to prevent a forfeiture of their personal eftate, if any fuch there be: And whereas there is at present no known method by which this neceffary measure may be "decently and privately" executed-the razor, fword and halter having been univerfally exploded, and the effect of the piftol, as it is commonly used, being very uncertain, fometimes caufing a great effufion of blood, fometimes blowing the brains about the room, spoiling the paintings and other furniture, and leaving the body bloody and mangled, the countenance diftorted, and the features defaced; and at the fame time alarming not only the family, but the neighbourhood; fo that all attempts to conceal it by pretending apoplexy or fudden death are ineffectual:-" Notice" is hereby given, that a gentleman of great study and experience by fea and land, as well in England as in foreign parts, has difcovered and obtained the king's patent for the following remedies "Againft Life." Firft;his "White Powder," which throws a bullet from any fire-arm without noife, and yet with the fame force as that commonly used; and which, by being mixed with a certain chemical compound, may be regulated to any degree of ftrength, according to the thickness of the scull, fo as to pass through the ear or the roof of the mouth and lodge in the brain, without fracturing any part of the bone behind, or leaving any appearance of a wound. Secondly ;-his incomparable "Laurel-water," which produces its effect even whilst it is going down the throat, without noise, agony or convulfion. Thirdly;-his inestimable "Chemical Spirit," invidioufly called by Dr. Mead, the Stygian Spirit, from its fubtil, imperceptible and effectual influence on life; a small vial of which may be fo held by a perfon in the midft of a large circle of company, as inftantly to kill him, without affecting any other. The author, upon a line postpaid, will attend and administer these remedies himself to any nobleman, gentleman, or other man of wit, humour, or pleasure, who may think fit to honour him with his commands, provided a fufficient indemnity be given, and the gentleman has not courage to apply them himself: or they will be delivered, with a printed paper of directions, to any who shall ask for a dose of the Anodyne-powder, Drops, or Effence, at the Gentlewoman's, the Two-Blue-Pofts in Frith-ftreet, Soho, and no where elfe in England;―at the price of One Guinea, which is nothing to the value of the cure." N..B. The above advertisement is afcribed to Dr. Johnson. [s] Sophocles has put a reflection into the mouth of Ajax, when about to kill himself, against these adjusters of trifles. "My deftroying fword (fays he) is now pointed in the fittest manner to pene"trate-" if there be indifference and leifure enough at fuch a moment as this, to confider, how it is pointed."--See Ajax Flagellifer. caution,, caution, it seems to argue a joint mixture of whim and caprice, of calmness and [T] compofure, even in the midft of the impatience and horror of self murder. We have now taken a review of fuch peculiarities in an Englishman's fituation and character, as tend to deftroy his equanimity of temper, and to deprefs his fpirits towards the point of melancholy; and which in confequence contribute their influence towards familiarifing the idea of fuicide to his mind.These have been found to arife from climate, diet, fuel; all tending under certain circumstances to debilitate the animal economy, to produce nervous affections, lowness of fpirits, melancholy and lunacy. These are " phyfical" causes, and as far as they act "neceffarily" upon a man, and their force is not increased through his own indifcretion and folly, he is more deferving of pity than blame for their unhappy effects. For that fpecies of fuicide must be cenfured with caution, which appears to have been accomplished in a melancholy arifing from nervous imbecility; because in such a cafe there must be supposed to be fuch a dereliction or failure of the mental powers, as is equivalent to a certain degree of lunacy, if not actually producing it. Another set of caufes productive of much fuicide in this island appear to have their origin both in the firmness and fickleness of its inhabitants as explained above; in their impatience even under a continuance of good, as well as bad fortune; in their neither "enjoying" nor "fuffering" with moderation and temper; in that degree of ennui producing a tædium vitæ, for which the English are remarkable; in that contempt of death for which they are celebrated by foreigners; in that great refinement of principle and quickness of fenfibility, which characterifes their manners; and in their great degree of constitutional liberty, which makes them impatient and restless under all restraint and uneafinefs, whether of a public or private nature.-As far as these (as well as the phyfical) caufes exift in a greater degree among us than other nations, fo far have we more frequent incitements to fuicide unknown to them; and fo far, we may always appear to them to exceed in that crime. For a crime. it is when committed on any of thefe latter fet of caufes; fince we ought not to be [T] See how this coolnefs and compofure is brought as an argument in favour of the "propriety" of fuicide, and how it is anfwered in Chap. of Remarks on Von Arenfwald's Letters. influenced influenced by them to the commiffion of what is wrong; having it in our power by the aid of our understanding and judgment, of our reafon and religion, to correct their excess and pernicious tendency. But though other nations can boast no fuperior merit in not committing that to which they have no temptation, or in refifting what they do not feel; yet "we" are not therefore the more excufable in yielding to fuch temptations as we might refift, would we be but early enough in our oppofition to their growing influence; would we but use the " whole means" in our power. However it is much to be doubted, whether all the caufes abovementioned put together and exerting their greatest influence, would either produce suicide in fuch abundance, as to occafion a notoriety of its commiffion, or at least in fuch a degree of criminality, as to render it heinous and deteftable. But the "abomination" of felf-murder remains for that particular fpecies of it, which flows from a total want of all serious principle; from an avowed system of freethinking, infidelity, and licentioufnefs of manners; and with thefe it must be confeffed to our fhame and forrow, that our island is moft deeply tinctured: hence the notoriety, the abundance, and daily increase of this concluding scene of infamy and impiety [u].—It is well known that an excess of liberty produces [u] "Blame not thy clime, nor chide the distant fun; The fun is innocent, thy clime absolved : Immoral climes kind nature never made. The cause I fing in Eden might prevail, And proves, it is thy folly, not thy fate. The foul of man (let man in homage bow Like ftrangers, jealous of her dignity, Studious of home and ardent to return ; Of earth fufpicious, earth's enchanted cup With cool reserve light touching, should indulge On "immortality"-her godlike tafte; "There" take large draughts; make her chief banquet "there." Ddd licen But |