Luke 8:32

a herd of many swine St Mark says "about 2000." Of course, if the owners of these swine were Jews, they were living in flagrant violation of the law; but the population of Peraea was largely Greek and Syrian.

that he would suffer them to enter into them The Jews, as we have already seen, believed that physical and mental evil was wrought by the direct agency of demons, and attributed to demons not only the cases of "possession," but many other classes of illness (melancholia, brain- disease, heart-disease, &c.) which we do not usually regard in this light. They also believed that demons could take possession even of animals, and they attributed to demons the hydrophobia of dogs and the rage of bulls. "Perhaps," says Archbishop Trench (On the Miracles,p. 185), "we make to ourselves a difficulty here, too easily assuming that the whole animal world is wholly shut up in itself, and incapable of receiving impressions from that which is above it. The assumption is one unwarranted by deeper investigations, which lead rather to an opposite conclusion not to the breaking down of the boundaries between the two worlds, but to the shewing in what wonderful ways the lower is receptive of impression from the higher, both for good and for evil." Further than this the incident leads into regions of uncertain speculation, into which it is impossible to enter, and in which none will dogmatize but those who are least wise. Milton seems to find no difficulty in the conception that evil spirits could -incarnate and imbrute" their essence into a beast: in at the serpent's mouth

"The devil entered; and his brutal sense

The heart or head possessing, soon inspired

With act intelligential." Par. Lost.

Comp. Dante, Inf.xxv. 136, "L'anima, ch'era fiera divenuta Si fugge," &c.