10 ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF SPORTS. 



Their rights have been already defined. Man 

 neceflarily poflefTes the right of taking their 

 lives at difcretion ; but natural juflice, which 

 the laws of fociety ought ever to enforce, for- 

 bids him under any pretence, either of pleafure 

 or profit, to commit cruel outrage upon their 

 feelings. I might here, could authority be 

 poflibly demanded for a downright axiom, 

 quote that of Mofes ; who in the Levitical law 

 direfts, amongft many humane injunftions ref- 

 pefting beads, that the knife with which the 

 viftim is flain, may be as fharp as poflible, and 

 its edge free of torturing roughnefs : an article 

 in the Jewifh Code highly honourable to the 

 perfonal chara6ler and to the memory of the 

 leriflator. 



The baiting of animals, as it is called, that is^ 

 chaining and flaking down wretched captives, 

 to be worried and torn to pieces by other ani- 

 mals, purpofely trained for fuch ufelefs barba- 

 rity, is abfolutely unlawful, contrary to the 

 light of reafon, and the dictates of humanity, 

 the foul difgrace of common fenfe, and never 

 ought to be tolerated for a moment, in a go- 

 vernment w^hich claims to be inflituted for the 

 proteftion of rights, and the advancement of 

 morality. 



The origin of the infamous praftice of bait- 

 ing bulls, which had afterwards the fanfiion of 

 an ignorant and barbarous legiflature, is faid to 



have 



