150 
to the cruelty of the gladiatorial exhibi- 
tions, at which perfons of every age, fex, 
and condition, attended. Hence ftreams 
of blood flowed annually from feveral 
hundreds, or, perhaps, thoufands, of the 
wretched gladiators, in the vaiious parts 
of the empire: 
From the confideration of the cuftoms 
of Greece and Rome, Dr. Bardfley comes 
to the charaéter and fpirit of fome of the 
fports and exercifes of the people of Eng- 
land, whch feem to be interwoven with 
the cuftoms and manners of the mafs of 
the inhabitants. Thefe are divided into 
(r.) The fports which are derived from 
the animalcreation: and(2.) The amufe- 
ments which depend upon bocily exercifes 
and perfonal contefts. With regard to 
the former, it is faid, that though, per- 
haps, none of them can be completely 
jultified, yet they are not al! entitled to 
equal condemnation. That clafs of di. 
verfions puriued for the benefit of health’ 
and exercife, fuch as buuting, where the 
enjoyment of pleafure {prings from the 
exertion of the aétive faculties, are not 
to be comp2red with thofe cruel and de- 
praved {ports which merely confill in the 
torture and deftruétion of the animal, as 
cock-fighting ang bull baiting. Amule- 
ments of this kind were introduced among 
us by the Romans, when they conquered 
the ifland, and in the early part of our 
hiltory they were generally practifed. In 
the reign of Henry II. the jugglers made 
a profeffion of training bulls, bears, and 
even horfes, for the purpofe of baiting 
them with dogs. Cock-fighting was in- 
troduced in the fame reign, and during 
the fubfequent periods of cur hiflory it 
became general, and was countenanced 
by royal favour under the Stuarts. Dr. 
Bardfley now gives an account of many 
cruelties praéti‘ed by our countrymen, 
and concludes this part of his effay by 
urging, that if it be defirable to efface 
the harfh lincaments of rudenefs, and a 
want of fecling nearly allied to brutality, 
then all barbarous diverfions fhould be en- 
tirely abolifhed; efpecially, fays he, let 
the {port of bull-baiting be the firft cffer- 
ing to be facrificed at the fhrine of buma- 
nity and juflice. A diverfion which has 
been charaCterized as inhuman, ciuel, 
difgraceful, and beaftly, and which can 
excite nothing but brutality, ferociouf- 
nefs, and cowardice; for its dire€t ten- 
dency is to debafe the mind, deaden the 
feelings, and extinguifh every fpark of 
ipenevelence. 
We now come to the amufements whieh 
Proceedings of Learned Secieties. 
[March 1, 
depend on bodily exercifes and perfonal 
contefis, and under this head Dr. Bardf- 
ley confines himfelf to the public exhibi- 
tion of boxing, and the practice of the — 
fame art in deciding private and perfonal 
quarrels. Pugilifm ona public flage is 
moft probably a relic of a fpecies of the 
gymrattics: it isa proftitution of a manly 
and ufeful art, wheiher confidered 4s an 
exercife calculated to infpire fortitude and 
intrepidity, or to afford means of defence 
agaiift perfonal infult and violence. But 
when cenfidered in the light of a public 
fpeftacle, or of furnifhing an opportunity 
for gambling fpeculations, it is then view- 
ed in all its naked deformity. It may be 
afked, whether the art of boxing, by 
which inftantaneous infult may be aven- 
ged, or perfcnal injury averted, is lefs 
dangerous than’any other practice adopt- 
ed by the inhabitants of the continent on 
fimilar occahiens, and for fimilar purpofes ? 
In an{wer to this queftion, and in order to 
apologize fur a cuftem interwoven with 
our national manners and charaéter, it is 
afilumed that the imper‘e€tion of eur na- 
ture compels us to acquire the art of felf- 
defence, as well as that of annoyance to 
others. From experience we learn the im- 
pofhbility of .extinguifhing the paffions of 
pride and refentment, which, although they 
frequently involve him in mifery, are ftill 
the fources of fome of his nobleft qualities 
and atiributes. As fome portion of evil 
attaches itfelf to the beft and wifeft fyftem 
of mora] and civil reftraint, that pelicy is 
the beft which legiflates for man as he 1s, 
and not altogether as he ought to be. 
Stifle the active energies of a refolute mind, 
and you degrade the man into a pofiiive 
flave. The feeling of refentment is a fa- 
lu‘ary, if not inftinétive previfion of cur 
common nature. » Hence it becomes a 
queftton of expediency as to the moft pre- 
terable mode by which a man may be ena- 
bled to vindicate his own real or fuppofed 
wrengs. Accordingly, cur author con- 
ceives that boxing may be confidered as 
the moft eligible means of offence and de- 
fence. It may bé :anked among thofe 
athletic exercifes which impart addrefs 
and ftrength to the bedy, and infpire cou- 
rage and tortitude inthe mind. The ge- 
vernment that would attempt, with a de- 
fpotic and fevere authority, to controul the 
exertions of f.lf confidence, and a mode- 
rate exercife of juft refentment, could only 
expect to rule over a nation of flaves. 
The open and ingenuous expreffion of 
manly indignation might be repreffed ; 
but the rancourous feelings of malignant 
I revenge 
