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Cicero

Marcus Tullius Cicero Pronunciation—Offsite Link

106-43 BCE


55 BCE | Cicero, "Letter to M. Marius," in Letters, translated by E. S. Shuckburgh. Vol. IX, Part 3 of The Harvard Classics (New York: P. F.Collier & Son, 1909–14); Online at Bartleby, 2001.

Letter to M. Marius

If some bodily pain or weakness of health has prevented your coming to the games, I put it down to fortune rather than your own wisdom: but if you have made up your mind that these things which the rest of the world admires are only worthy of contempt, and, though your health would have allowed of it, you yet were unwilling to come, then I rejoice at both facts—that you were free from bodily pain, and that you had the sound sense to disdain what others causelessly admire.

There remain the two wild-beast hunts, lasting five days, magnificent—nobody denies it—and yet, what pleasure can it be to a man of refinement, when either a weak man is torn by an extremely powerful animal, or a splendid animal is transfixed by a hunting spear?

The last day was that of the elephants, on which there was a great deal of astonishment on the part of the vulgar crowd, but no pleasure whatever. Nay, there was even a certain feeling of compassion aroused by it, and a kind of belief created that that animal has something in common with mankind.

"The agonized trumpetings," often quoted as part of Cicero's letter above, are actually related by Pliny in his Natural History.


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Animal Welfare-Animal Rights Activists-Advocates-Quotes
Against Cruelty to Animals
Mythical & Divine Origin:
[Divine] Manu
[Mythical] Triptolemus
Before the Common Era (BC): Cave Paintings
Ancient ReligionsJainism,
Historic India—The doctrines of Ahimsa & Vegetarianism evolve.
[8th C. BCE] Hesiod
[Ancient Athens] Apreopagites
[621 BCE] Draco
[c599-510 BCE] Siddhartha, Sakyamuni, Buddha
[c 599-527 BCE] Mahavira
[c552-496 BCE] Pythagoras
[484-425 BCE] Herodotus
[c492-432 BCE] Empedocles
[c396-314 BCE] Xenocrates
[d. 276 BCE] Polemon
[c273-232 BCE] King Asoka
Ancient Animal Rights Law
[106-43 BCE] Cicero
[c94-49 BCE] Lucretius
[1st C. BCE]Quintus Sextius
[70-19 BCE] Virgil
Common Era (AD):
[43 BCE - 17 CE] Ovid
[1st C. BCE-CE]Sotion
[c 4 BCE-65] Seneca
[23-79] Pliny the Elder
[c46-120] Plutarch
[d. c215 ]Clement of Alexandria
[2nd or 3rd C.] Sextus Empiricus
[c160-230] Tertullian
[205-270] Plotinus
[c245-305] Porphyry


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Animal Welfare-Animal Rights Activists-Advocates-Authors Legislators and Educators continuing struggle for Animal Rights, Animal Welfare and Humane Education Against Cruelty to Animals can be seen throughout history in the words and actions of so many individuals. As Primary Source Historical Literature on Animal Rights, Animal Welfare & Humanity Against Cruelty to Animals is made available online, our Animal Rights Timeline, Humane Education Resource, Library-Archive of Primary Source Historical Literature will include not only the more noted events and authors of Animal Rights and the Humane Movement Against Cruelty to Animals, but lesser known advocates as well.

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Animal Rights History Timeline



Antiquity-Middle Ages
Ancient Animal Rights Law
Early Prohibitions-Middle Ages
[BCE-3rdc.] Mythical-Divine Origin; Antiquity—Classical Literature
[3rdc.-1485] Early Church Fathers, Old-Middle English Period

Renaissance
Early Anti-Cruelty Legislation
[1485-1660] English Renaissance

Enlightenment
Articles-Letters-Enlightenment
Pleas for Laws to Protect Animals
[1660-1689] Restoration
[1689-1745] Augustan Age-Pope
[1745-1785] Age of Sensibility

Romantic Age
Articles-Letters-Romantic Age
Modern Legislative Beginnings
[1785-1798] Burns-Cowper
[1798-1806] Wordsworth
[1806-1837] Byron, Martin's Act

Victorian Age
Articles-Letters-Victorian Age
Anti-Cruelty, Anti-Vivisection Laws
[1837-1876] Early Victorian Age
[1876-1901] Late Victorian Age

Early 20th Century
Articles-Letters-Early 20th
Continuing Animal Protection Law
[1901-1914] Edwardian Age
[1914-1945] Modern Period