With cankered ingenuity， he sought out his own disease inevery breast. Whether insane or not， he showed so keena perception of frailty， error， and vice， that many personsgave him credit for being possessed not merely with aserpent， but with an actual fiend， who imparted this evilfaculty of recognizing whatever was ugliest in man’s heart.
For instance， he met an individual， who， for thirty years，had cherished a hatred against his own brother. Roderick，amidst the throng of the street， laid his hand on this man’schest， and looking full into his forbidding face， “How isthe snake to-day？” he inquired， with a mock expression ofsympathy.
“The snake！” exclaimed the brother-hater— “What doyou mean？”
“The snake！ The snake！ Does he gnaw you？” persistedRoderick. “Did you take counsel with him this morning，when you should have been saying your prayers？ Didhe sting， when you thought of your brother’s health，wealth， and good repute？ Did he caper for joy， when youremembered the profligacy of his only son？ And whetherhe stung， or whether he frolicked， did you feel his poisonthroughout your body and soul， converting everything tosourness and bitterness？ That is the way of such serpents.
I have learned the whole nature of them from my own！”
“Where is the police？” roared the object of Roderick’spersecution， at the same time giving an instinctive clutchto his breast. “Why is this lunatic allowed to go at large？”
“Ha， ha！” chuckled Roderick， releasing his grasp of theman. “His bosom-serpent has stung him then！”
Often， it pleased the unfortunate young man to vexpeople with a lighter satire， yet still characterized bysomewhat of snake-like virulence. One day he encounteredan ambitious statesman， and gravely inquired after thewelfare of his boa constrictor； for of that species， Roderickaffirmed， this gentleman’s serpent must needs be， sinceits appetite was enormous enough to devour the wholecountry and constitution. At another time， he stopped aclose-fisted old fellow， of great wealth， but who skulkedabout the city in the guise of a scare-crow， with a patchedblue surtout， brown hat， and mouldy boots， scrapingpence together， and picking up rusty nails. Pretendingto look earnestly at this respectable person’s stomach，Roderick assured him that his snake was a copper-head，and had been generated by the immense quantities of thatbase metal， with which he daily defiled his fingers. Again，he assaulted a man of rubicund visage， and told him thatfew bosom-serpents had more of the devil in them， thanthose that breed in the vats of a distillery. The next whomRoderick honored with his attention was a distinguishedclergyman， who happened just then to be engaged in atheological controversy， where human wrath was moreperceptible than divine inspiration.
“You have swallowed a snake， in a cup of sacramentalwine，” quoth he.
“Profane wretch！” exclaimed the divine； but， nevertheless，his hand stole to his breast.
He met a person of sickly sensibility， who， on someearly disappointment， had retired from the world， andthereafter held no intercourse with his fellow-men， butbrooded sullenly or passionately over the irrevocable past.
This man’s very heart， if Roderick might be believed，had been changed into a serpent， which would finallytorment both him and itself to death. Observing amarried couple， whose domestic troubles were matterof notoriety， he condoled with both on having mutuallytaken a house-adder to their bosoms. To an enviousauthor， who deprecated works which he could never equal，he said that his snake was the slimiest and filthiest of allthe reptile tribe， but was fortunately without a sting. Aman of impure life， and a brazen face， asking Roderickif there were any serpent in his breast， he told him thatthere was， and of the same species that once torturedDon Rodrigo， the Goth. He took a fair young girl by thehand， and gazing sadly into her eyes， warned her that shecherished a serpent of the deadliest kind within her gentlebreast； and the world found the truth of those ominouswords， when， a few months afterwards， the poor girl diedof love and shame. Two ladies， rivals in fashionable life，who tormented one another with a thousand little stingsof womanish spite， were given to understand， that eachof their hearts was a nest of diminutive snakes， which didquite as much mischief as one great one.
But nothing seemed to please Roderick better thanto lay hold of a person infected with jealousy， which herepresented as an enormous green reptile， with an ice-coldlength of body， and the sharpest sting of any snake saveone.
“And what one is that？” asked a bystander， overhearinghim.
It was a dark-browed man， who put the question； hehad an evasive eye， which， in the course of a dozen years，had looked no mortal directly in the face. There was anambiguity about this person’s character—a stain upon hisreputation—yet none could tell precisely of what nature；although the city-gossips， male and female， whisperedthe most atrocious surmises. Until a recent period he hadfollowed the sea， and was， in fact， the very ship-masterwhom George Herkimer had encountered， under suchsingular circumstances， in the Grecian Archipelago.
“What bosom-serpent has the sharpest sting？” repeatedthis man： but he put the question as if by a reluctantnecessity， and grew pale while he was uttering it.
“Why need you ask？” replied Roderick， with a look ofdark intelligence. “Look into your own breast！ Hark， myserpent bestirs himself！ He acknowledges the presence ofa master-fiend！”