l8 ON THE PHILOSOPHY OF SPORTS. 



and humanity fighs for the glorious com- 

 pletion. 



Mr. Beckford's book on hunting, which has 

 opportunely fallen into my hands fmce I began 

 the prefent chapter, I think fully confirms 

 the fentiments immediately preceding. Far 

 from agreeing with the author in his ethics, I 

 fully concur in the truth of thofe criticifms 

 on his work, which he has adduced, from the 

 Monthly Review ; and which I efteem well 

 worthy of thofe principles of general human- 

 ity adopted by that celebrated journal. To 

 turn out that harmlefs, ufeful, and afle6iionate 

 domeftic the cat, which perhaps" but a few 

 minutes before, relying on your prote6libn, 

 was carefhng your infants, its eyes beaming 

 fondnefs, and its feet kneading in unifon with 

 the grateful thrum, to be hunted, torn to 

 pieces alive, and devoured by a pack of 

 greedv hounds, is a blafted and unmanly a6t of 

 barbarity. I know, from long obfervation,the 

 ill effe61s which this cat hunting has upon the 

 morals of liable boys, and fervants in ge- 

 neral, and have more than once witneffed fuch 

 cruel fcenes of worrying ar.d tearing thefe ani- 

 mals, when heavy in young, with tarriers, as 

 would contaminate my paper to relate. I muft 

 own I am as fond of playing with my cat, as 

 ever was Montague, or even Crebillion, who 

 kept fo large a ilud of them ; and fee no reafon 



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