Imagens da página
PDF
ePub

their lives betwixt an anxious confcience, and a naufeated ftomach, have a juft reward of their gluttony in the diseases it brings with it: for human favages, like other wild beafts, find snares and poifon in the provifions of life, and are allured by their appetite to their destruction. I know nothing more fhocking, or horrid, than the profpect of one of their kitchins covered with blood, and filled with the cries of creatures expiring in tortures. It gives one an image of a Giant's den in a romance beftraw'd with the fcattered heads and mangled limbs of those who were flain by his cruelty

The excellent Plutarch (who has more ftrokes of good-nature in his writings than I remember in any author) cites a faying of Cato to this effect: "That 'tis no eafy talk to preach to the belly " which has no ears. Yet if (fays he) we are ❝ashamed to be so out of fashion as not to offend, "let us at least offend with some difcretion and "measure. If we kill an animal for our provi"fion, let us do it with the meltings of compaf"fion, and without tormenting it. Let us confi"der, that 'tis in its own nature cruelty to put a "living creature to death; we at least deftroy a "foul that has fenfe and perception." In the life of Cato the Cenfor, he takes occafion from the fevere difpofition of that man to difcourfe in this manner: "It ought to be esteemed a happiness to

mankind, that our humanity has a wider fphere "to exert itself in, than bare juftice. It is no more "than the obligation of our very birth to practise "equity to our own kind; but humanity may be "extended thro' the whole order of creatures,

even to the meaneft: fuch actions of charity

are the over-flowings of a mild good nature on all "below us. It is certainly the part of a well-na"tured man to take care of his horses and dogs,

[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

: they are foals and whelps, but even when their "old age has made them incapable of service."

History tells us of a wife and polite nation, that rejected a person of the firft quality, who flood for a judiciary office, only because he had been obferved in his youth to take pleasure in tearing and murdering of birds. And of another, that expelled a man out of the fenate for dashing a bird against the ground which had taken fhelter in his bofom. Every one knows how remarkable the Turks are for their humanity in this kind. I remember an Arabian author, who has written a treatise to fhew, how far a man, fupposed to have fubfifted in a defert ifland, without any instruction, or fo much as the fight of any other man, may, by the pure light of nature, attain the knowledge of philofophy and virtue. One of the first things he makes him obferve is, that univerfal benevolence of nature in the protection and prefervation of its creatures. In imitation of which, the firft act of virtue he thinks his felf-taught philofopher would of courfe fall into is, to relieve and affift all the animals about him in their wants and diftreffes.

Ovid has fome very tender and pathetick lines applicable to this occafion:

Quid meruiftis, oves, placidum pecus, inque tegendos
Natum homines, pleno que fertis in ubere nectar?
Mollia quæ nobis veftras velamina lanas

Præbetis; vitaque magis quam morte juvatis.
Quid meruere boves, animal fire fraude dolifque,
Innocuum, fimplex, natum tolerare labores?
Immemor eft demum, nec frugum munere dignus,
Qui potuit, curvi dempto modo pondere aratri,
Ruricolam mactare fuum---

Quam male confuevit, quam fe parat ille cruori
Impius humano, vituli qui guttura cultro

Rumpit,

[merged small][merged small][ocr errors]

Rumpit, et immotas præbet mugitibus aures!
Aut qui vagitus fimiles puerilibus hædum
Edentem jugulare poteft !----

Perhaps that voice or cry fo nearly refembling the human, with which providence has endued fo many different animals, might purposely be given them to move our pity, and prevent those cruelties we are too apt to inflict on our fellow creatures.

[ocr errors]

There is a paffage in the book of Jonas, when God declares his unwillingness to deftroy Nineveh, where, methinks, that compaffion of the Creator, which extends to the meaneft rank of his creatures, is expreffed with wonderful tendernefs---" Should "not I fpare Nineveh the great city, wherein are more than fixfcore thousand perfons --And also "much cattle?" And we have in Deuteronomy a precept of great good nature of this fort, with a blesfing in form annexed to it in those words: "If "thou fhalt find a bird's neft in the way, thou "fhalt not take the dam with the young: But "thoufhalt in any wife let the dam go, that it "may be well with thee, and that thou may'st "prolong thy days."

To conclude, there is certainly a degree of gratitude owing to thofe animals that ferve us; as for fuch as are mortal or noxious, we have a right to destroy them; and for those that are neither of advantage or prejudice to us, the common enjoyment of life is what I cannot think we ought to deprive them of.

This whole matter, with regard to each of thefe confiderations, is fet in a very agreeable light in one of the Persian fables of Pilpay, with which I fhall end this paper.

A traveller paffing thro' a thicket, and feeing a few sparks of a fire, which fome paffengers had kindled as they went that way before, made up to

go

it. On a fudden the fparks caught hold of a bufh, in the midst of which lay an adder, and set it in flames. The adder intreated the traveller's affiftance, who tying a bag to the end of his staff, reached it, and drew him out: he then bid him where he pleased, but never more be hurtful to men, fince he owed his life to a man's compaffion. The adder, however, prepared to fting him, and when he expoftulated how unjust it was to retaliate good with evil, I shall do no more (faid the adder) than what you men practice every day, whose cuftom it is to requite benefits with ingratitude. If you can deny this truth, let us refer it to the first we meet. The man confented, and feeing a Tree, put the question to it, in what manner a good turn was to be recompenced? If you mean according to the usage of Men (reply'd the Tree) by its contrary. I have been ftanding here thefe hundred years to protect them from the fcorching fun, and in requital they have cut down my branches, and are going to faw my body into planks. Upon this the adder infulting the man, he appealed to a fecond evidence, which was granted, and immediately they met a Cow. The fame demand was made, and much the fame answer given, that among men it was certainly fo: I know it, faid the Cow, by woful experience; for I have ferved a man this long time with milk, butter and cheese, and brought him befides a Calf every year: but now I am old, be turns me into this pafture, with defign to fell me to a butcher, who will fhortly make an end of me. The traveller upon this ftood confounded, but defired of courtefy one trial more, to be finally judged by the next beafts they fhould meet. This happened to be the Fox, who upon hearing the story in all its circumftances, could not be perfuaded it was poffible for the adder to get into fo narrow a bag. The adder to convince him went

in again; the Fox told the man he had now his enemy in his power, and with that he faftened the bag, and crushed him to pieces.

N° 91.

June 25, 1713.

inest sua gratia parvis.

VIRG.

.

SIR,

I

TO NESTOR IRONSIDE, Efq;

Remember a faying of yours concerning perfons in low circumstances of stature, that their "littleness would hardly be taken notice of, if they "did not manifest a consciousness of it themselves "in all their behaviour. Indeed the obfervation "that no man is ridiculous for being what he is, "but only for the affectation of being fomething more, is equally true in regard to the mind and ❝ the body.

[ocr errors]

"I question not but it will be pleafing to you "to hear, that a fett of us have formed a fociety, "who are sworn to dare to be fhort, and boldly "bear out the dignity of littleness under the nofes "of those enormous engroffers of manhood, thofe "hyperbolical monfters of the Species, the tall 6 fellows that overlook us.

"The day of our inftitution was the tenth of "December, being the fhorteft of the year, on "which we are to hold an annual Feast over a difh of Shrimps.

"The place we have chofen for this meeting is "in the little Piazza, not without an eye to the "neighbourhood of Mr. Powel's Opera, for the performers

I

!

« AnteriorContinuar »