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Animal Rights History Timeline » [1785-1837] Romantic Age » Luke Booker

Luke Booker

Lines Written on Hearing Bull-Baiting Denominated Sport

[c1785-1789] Rev. Luke Booker, "Lines Written on Hearing Bull-Baiting Denominated Sport," and "For a Young Person Against Cruelty," [originally published in Poems on Subject Sacred, Moral and Entertaining (London, 1785) or Miscellaneous Poems (London, 1789)] quoted in A Scriptural and Moral Catechism, Designed to Inculcate the Love and Practice of Mercy, and to Expose the Exceeding Sinfulness of Cruelty to the Dumb Creation: To Which is Added an Address to the Ministers, Parents and Instructors of Youth and Christians in General by Abraham Smith (1833; London, 1839; Google Books: Online Library of Free eBooks) 45-47.

Returning from a journey, I was for some time impeded on the public road by a vast concourse of popel, many of them in a state of intoxication, uttering the most horrid oaths, who were leading from the stake one of those noble animals, which at rural festival, and even at the festival of Christ, are too frequently baited and tormented; so cruelly baited and tormented had been this poor animal, that torn by dogs, which are kept solely for this savage purpose, its ears, nose, and lips, seemed strings of bleeding flesh ! and yet, so inoffensive was its "nature, or so exhausted and broken was its spirit, that notwithstanding all the injurious treatment it had experienced, it was led along like a lamb, amid the continued provocation of its enemies; nay, even bearing one of them upon its back with unopposing gentleness and forbearance. And well it might be thus gentle and subdued, for I was informed by a pitying spectator, that for four successive days it had been thus tortured without mercy. Gracious God! are not these noted in thy book! doubtless they are; and man must account to his Maker for all such cruelties to the brute creation. For all these things God will bring him into judgment.

Around a pool one spring-tide day,
Where shoals of frogs were croaking,
A set of chaps began to slay
Them, all for fun and joking.

"Hold ! hold your hands, we do exhort,"
Loud cried the suffering creatures: "
What !" said the lads, " shall we our sport
Give o'er?" with laughing features."

Sport do you call it, naughty boys!
To pelt, and bruise, and slay us;
Oh, pray forbear such cruel joys,
And do no more dismay us."

Pray some of you to us jump in—
While, heedless of your moaning,
The rest again their sport begin,
By pelting you and stoning."

Not liking that, to Tipton wake
They ran with hearts contented;
Where soon was tether'd to a stake
A bull, to be tormented."

Oh, pray forbear, I do implore,"
The suff'rer bellow'd loud:"
Forbear ! while you so finely roar?"
Repli'd the gentle crowd. "

Why 'tis your roaring we delight
To hear, and see your nose
Torn into shreds, by many a bite,
While down the red blood flows."

Indeed ! good gen-tle-men ! pray change
Your lot with me, poor bull !
Nor if you bellow think it strange
While dogs your noses pull. "

Nor stranger think it, if at last,
(Such sports are not there given)
If gen-tle-men, ye all be cast.
In some place unlike heaven!"