THO' men in general, when they suffer by the cruelty of others, are very ready to exclaim against it, yet this vice is not always treated with that abhorrence it deferves. The common people, and not they only, are very apt to take cruelty for bravery, and therefore highly value themfelves and one another for the practice of it: but this is a grofs error; for cruelty often proceeds from cowardice, and but rarely accompanies true courage, which, on the contrary, is ufually attended with generofity and humanity,

SECTION I.

Of Cruelty proceeding from natural temper, and exercised for diverfion or sport.

AN

d

N ancient philofopher was of opinion, that if virtue and vice could be represented to men in corporeal forms, virtue would appear fo beautiful, they would be inamoured with it, and vice fo deformed and frightful, they would abhor it. If the latter part of this obfervation is true of vice in general, it must be eminently fo refpecting cruelty, which, among the many enormities men are guilty of, is certainly one of C 3

the

Plato.

the most horrid and deteftable; fo horrid and deteftable, that human nature cannot be more disfigured or debafed, than by the practice of it: it is indeed the utmost extent of wickedness, and frequently transforms men into devils.

THIS malignant and deftructive evil proceeds in different perfons from different caufes or motives. In fome it takes its rife from their natural tempers; others learn it by bad examples, are taught it by wicked precepts, or excited to it by divers other vices; particularly, covetoufnefs, anger, revenge, pride, and ambition; which, when they proceed to the greatest excess, commonly end in cruelty.

THAT there is a natural propensity to cruelty in great numbers of our species, is evident. What is more common, than to fee people take pleasure in beholding not only mere animals, but human creatures alfo, in pain and mifery; in inflicting these evils on them, and deftroying their lives; and all this, oftentimes, without any other incitement than the gratification of a cruel temper?

Ir, indeed, a humane compaffionate man, who pities every object of mifery within his notice, was to look no farther than into his own breast, he could not conceive that there

were

were fuch diabolical wretches as these among mankind: but his own obfervation and experience, as well as the reports of others, will furnish him with but too many proofs how numerous they are; and hiftory will inform him to what a degree all ages and nations have abounded with them.

WHAT, but this native cruelty, a love of it for its own fake, formed a Nero, a Caligula, a Domitian, or a Muley Ifmael, and a multitude of fuch monfters? One of Domitian's principal pleasures and diverfions was to ftand by and behold thofe, he had condemned to die, put to death by the most exquifite tortures. Muley frequently took delight in being himself the bloody executioner, not only of malefactors and common people, but even of his wives and concubines who had lain in his bofom.

IT is highly probable, that if obfervations had been made on these and fuch-like mifcreants in their infancies, and tranfmitted to us, we should have difcovered the feeds of that cruelty, then fown in them by nature, which afterwards grew up to fuch an enormous height. Father Bufnot has given us an inftance of this kind in his history of the reign of the above-mentioned Muley Ifmael. "His fon and prefumptive heir,

e P. 101.

C 4

named

"named Muley Zidan, who, when he ar"rived at the age of a man, was fuch ano"ther monfter of cruelty as his father, be"ing, when about five or fix years old, "carried in the arms of a black called Me"lec, and meeting a peasant, the boy asked "Melec for his cymeter to kill the man. "The black told him, that would be an "action unworthy of a Sherif;" (that is, a defcendant of Mahomet) "but ftill he per"fifted, crying, and threatening to com"plain to his mother the Sultanefs, 'till "Melec was forced to give him the cymeter; "at the fame time whispering to the pea"fant, that as foon as he received the firft "ftroke, he should fall down flat on the ground, and lie ftill, without ftirring hand or foot. The little barbarous urchin, feeing the blood run, and the man on the ground, thinking he had been dead, "went away highly delighted."

cr

FROM what, but a cruel temper, can it principally proceed, that so great a part of our diverfions are no better than fo many acts of barbarity? Men, not contented with hunting the wild inhabitants of the forefts, woods, and fields, almost all of whom in our country are very harmlefs, and frequently putting them, for many hours in the utmost terror, and causing them to strain every nerve

to escape the favage fury of their purfuers, who at last kill them if they can: men, not contented to act thus by the wild creatures of the foreft, &c. are no less cruel to their tame, domeftic, and most useful animals, who may truly be faid to " do good to" "to those who defpitefully use them:" thefe, many of them remarkable for their watchfulness, faithfulness, and affection to their mafters, are, nevertheless, oftentimes fet to fight, for the pleasure that their owners or others take in feeing them worry, tear, and deftroy one another; or are otherwife tormented merely for sport.

BUT men of this favage temper, not fatisfied with these cruelties exercised on the brute creation, take great pleasure in seeing their own species wounded, mangled, and murdered too, for their diverfion. Were there not, 'till lately fuppreffed by a very neceffary and wholfom law, places set apart on purpose for such cruel spectacles, which were frequented by the great vulgar as well as the fmall? and where not only mere animals were made to fight with one another, but men hired to do the fame; and where the fpectators usually expreffed great diffatisfaction, when but little blood was shed. No doubt but it was a mortification to them, that they might not frequently fee men

murdered