THE GAME FOWL. 227 



virtue of friendship, and abolish the act of slaughter? Or 

 would the abolition of bloody warfare be succeeded by some 

 more villainous mode of gaining pre-eminence over each other? 



As to Cock-fighting, I must believe it to have been made 

 the theme of much ignorant cant. Hawking is a noble and 

 honourable pastime ; Cock-fighting is low and disgraceful. I 

 have never seen a Cock-fight, and probably never shall. From 

 what one has heard and read, it must be most exciting sport ; 

 but people who are proud of Waterloo, who dine off hunted 

 hare, and breakfast on shrimps that have been boiled alive, 

 allude to it with horror, as an atrocity incredible and unmen- 

 tionable. Cocks, however, must die. Would a Cock that had 

 been fought, be worse eating than a hare that had been hunted ? 

 And as to the mode of death, ask a Cock which he would 

 choose, to be hung up by the heels, and have the cook run 

 a knife up his throat, taking care that he bleed long, and die 

 slowly, in order that his flesh may be so much the nicer and 

 whiter, or, to be set face to face with his adversary, and fight 

 for his life ! if he win, to be petted and praised ; if he fall, 

 to have his existence cut short by one sharp, merciful thrust, 

 instead of the lingering faintuess of a culinary departure ? 

 The combat is a pleasure ; the survivorship, a fair chance. 



But Cock-fights were shamefully barbarous; they made 

 people so hard-hearted and unfeeling, and gave rise to so much 

 gambling : and as we have now no smooth-faced villains, nor 

 any lying, double-tongued, intriguing robbers in the country ; 

 as we never now get rid of rivals, or people that stand in our 

 way, by hunting them to death with persecution and calumny ; 

 secret poisoning, also, and infanticide, being unsuspected 

 amongst us ; above all, as gambling and swindling, of what- 

 ever kind, is utterly abolished, particularly in London and 

 some neighbouring towns, such as Epsom, it will be a great 

 pity if ever another Game Fowl is hatched in England the 

 poultry sent to market being so much more humanely put to 



