it is perhaps as difficult as it is useless to ascertain whether “mazzacrium,” a word of the low latin, is the root of “massacre,” or whether “massacre” is the root of “mazzacrium.”

a massacre signifies a number of men killed. there was yesterday a great massacre near warsaw — near cracow. we never say: “there has been a massacre of a man”; yet we do say: “a man has been massacred”: in that case it is understood that he has been killed barbarously by many blows.

poetry makes use of the word “massacred” for killed, assassinated: “que par ses propres mains son père massacré.” — cinna.

an englishman has made a compilation of all the massacres perpetrated on account of religion since the first centuries of our vulgar era. i have been very much tempted to write against the english author; but his memoir not appearing to be exaggerated, i have restrained myself. for the future i hope there will be no more such calculations to make. but to whom shall we be indebted for that?