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Animal Rights History Timeline » [1450-1660] Renaissance » John Dod

John Dod

A Plain and Familiar Exhortation onthe Ten Commandments

A Righteous Man Regardeth the Life of His Beast

[1606] John Dod and Robert Cleaver, "A Righteous Man Regardeth the Life of His Beast," in A Plain and Familiar Exhortation of the Ten Commandments, with a Methodical Short Catechism, Containing Briefly All the Principal Grounds of the Christian Religion (London, 1606).

[1660] Edmund Ellis, The Opinion of Mr. Perkins, and Mr. Bolton, and Others, Concerning the Sport of Cock-Fighting, Published Formerly in their Works, and Now Set Forth to Shew, That It Is Not Recreation Meet for Christians, Though so Commonly Used by Those Who Own that Name, in The Harleian Miscellany: and Entertaining Pamphlets and Tracts,…Interspersed with Historical, Political and Critical Annotations edited by William Oldyns (London, 1810; Google Books: Online Library of Free eBooks) 122-127.

Mr. Dod, and Mr. Cleaver (scorned by none but those whose revilings are praises) in their exposition of these words of Solomon, Prov. xii. 10, 'A righteous man regardeth the life of his beast," having spoken against the hard usage of labouring beasts, as horse, &c. conclude thus: 'And yet, in another sort, more extremity than this is used against other sorts of creatures, and that is, when men make a sport of making them miserable; when it is a pleasure to put them to pain; when it is a pass-time to behold their torment and tearing. This proceedeth not of a tender heart; this is not the work of righteousness; this delight will leave not comfort behind it. Have our sins in Adam brought such calamities upon them, and shall we add unto them by cruelty in our own persons? Have our corruptions been a cause of that fierceness that is in many of them one against another, and shall we solace ourselves in seeing them execute it?' (126)