THE WORK ON HUMANl I'Y. 
159 
the contents of the harrow of tempting meat to which he was 
attached, while his master’s back was turned? Would a hall- 
starved man have done as much ? 
There is an oriental tale written to shew how far a man, sup¬ 
posed to have subsisted in a desert island, without any instruction, 
or so much as the sight of any other man, may, by the pure light 
of nature, attain the knowledge of philosophy and virtue. One 
of the first things the author makes him observe is that universal 
benevolence of nature, so conspicuous in the production and pre¬ 
servation of its creatures. In imitation of this, the first act of 
virtue which he thinks his self-taught philosopher would practise, 
would be to relieve and assist all the animals about him in their 
several wants and distresses. I need not remind you of the splen¬ 
did passage of Ovid— 
(“ Quid meruistis, oves, placidum pecus,” &c.) 
applicable to this subject; and hundreds, by various writers, 
equally applicable, might be produced. As regards your own 
remarks on this subject, in your Essay, I see nothing in them 
having a tendency to what John Laurence not inaptly termed 
“ impracticable philo-hrutism,’' which must ever counteract its 
own ends, and even its good intentions; but, on the contrary, a 
manly feeling of compassion for unnecessary suffering—for in this 
world of labour and necessitv, as well as of indolence and satiety, 
suffering, to a certain extent, there must and ever will be. 
I am pleased that I can add another testimony to the accuracy 
of your account of the cruel death of several of our turf-horses. 
Ambo was a racer of the highest character, and in some hands 
would have realized a fortune for the possessor of him. Having 
formerly some acquaintance with one of his owners—F. R. Price, 
Esq. of Bryn-y-pys, near Wrexham, owner of Captain Pops, and 
other race-horses,—I wrote a letter to him on the subject. I was 
honoured by the following answer :— 
“ Dear Sir,—In reply to your letter, I beg to state that I sold 
Ambo to Mr. Shaw, of Delamere Forest, in the year 1813, after 
which he twice won the Mostyn Stakes, at Holywell, and many 
other races. He afterwards was used as a stallion, and went 
blind. I fear the account of his untimely end is too true. I heard 
of the deplorable condition he was in, and sent a person to purchase 
him, in order that I might turn him out for life ; but he was, un¬ 
fortunately, dead before I sent. 
“ Your’s, very truly, 
" F. R. Price. 
“ lirvii-y-pys, 
“ Dcc>21, 
