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Samuel Jackson Pratt

Courtney Melmoth

1749-1814

1777 | Samuel Jackson Pratt, The Sublime and Beautiful of Scriptures: Being Essays on Select Passages of Sacred Passages of Sacred Compositon, [1st ed. London, 1777 ] 3rd ed. (London, 1782); Online at Google Books.

The Sublime and Beautiful

Essay VII. Supremacy of Man.

But though all things are in subjection, nothing was born to slavery.

There is something inhospitable in thus exerting undue severity over the creatures or our convenience: they are fatted, indeed, to fall for our existence: they toil, refresh temselves a while, and toil again; or else they slumber and feed beneath our eye, and, as it were, plead eloquently for our guardianship. When we lead them to the last agony, ah! let it not be in trimpuh; nor, as one life is sacrificed fro antoehr, as the blood of an animal is shed for the support of man, let us not, in the mean time, render the little allotment of their existence more painful, by withholding from them that sympathy, to which whatever is delivered to our hands, has a right to claim from our hearts.

Essay XXII. Story of Balaam and His Ass

And, indeed, the scriptures are not more earnest and persuasive in the cause of compassion, than in the cause of salvation. There is scrarce a chapter in which pity, that sweet emanation of Heaven, is not enjoined; and that the reader might not be fatigued with the sameness of sentiment, or tired with likeness of the language, the style of the subject if varied, alsmost a thousand times; sometimes the lovely quality of mercy is crecommened to us, (as in the present instance) by a tender and acttracting narative—sometime by a beautiful allegory, or parable; and very often by a concise moral sentence, expressed in a way so irresistibly striking, that we are lead to the practice of virtues, not only by a ventation for its instintic charms, but by the additional graces which it receives from compositon.

1781 | Samuel Jackson Pratt, Sympathy: Or, a Sketch of the Social Passion (London, 1781); reprinted in vol. 3 of Harvest Home by Samuel Jackson Pratt (London, 1805); Online at Google Books].

Sympathy

"And why," said he, "must man subsit by prey?
Why stop yon melting music on the spray?
Why, when assail'd by hounds and hunter's cry,
Must half the harmless race in terrrors die?
Why must we work of innocense the woe?
Still shall this bosom throb, these eyes o'erflow."

1788 | [Samuel Jackson Pratt], Humanity; or, The Rights of Nature, a Poem; in Two Books, By the Author of Sympathy [S. J. Pratt]; reprinted in vol. 3 of Gleanings through Wales (London, 1795); 6th ed. (London, 1802); Online at Google Books.

Humanity; or, The Rights of Nature

Relief appears as the Muse shifts her place,
T owhere pure manner bless the gentlest race;
Lo, where the BRAMINS pass their blameless life,
Free from proud culture, free from polish'd strife.
To man, brute, insect, nature's constatn friends,
The heart embraces and the hand extends;
See the meek tribe refuse the worm to kill,
No murder feeds them, and no blood they spill;

O! thou proud Christian, aid fair nature's grace,
And catch compassion from the Bramin race:
...And prove the friend not tyrant of the earth.

1795 | Samuel Jackson Pratt, Gleanings Through Wales, Holland and Westphalia, with View of Peace and War at Home and Abroad, To Which Is Added Humanity; or The Rights of Nature, A Poem [1st ed. 1795] 6th ed. [Gleanings, vol. 1; Gleanings, vol.2; Gleanings, vol. 3] (London, 1802); Online at Google Books.

Gleanings through Wales, Holland and Wesphalia

1798 | Samuel Jackson Pratt, Pity's Gift: A Collection of Interesting Tales, to Excite the Compassion of Youth for the Animal Creation…from the Writings of Mr. Pratt, Selected by a Lady [Laetitia Pilkington] (London, 1798); Online at Google Books.

Pity's Gift

Chapters include: The Brothers and the Blackbirds, The Dutch Draft Dogs, The Hermit and his Dog, The Decayed Merchant and his Dutiful Daughter, The Nightingale, The Dove, The Address of the Superannuated Horse and his Master, The Sparrow, Epitaph on a Lap-Dog, The Dog of the Tombs, The Partridges, The Bird Catcher and his Canary, The Robin, The Old Horse on his Travels, and The Ox and the Lamb.

1802 | Samuel Jackson Pratt, The Paternal Present, Being a Sequel to Pity's Gift, Chiefly selected from the Writings of Mr. Pratt, [Laetitia Pilkington] (London, 1802).

The Paternal Present, Being a Sequel to Pity's Gift

1805 | Samuel Jackson Pratt, Harvest-Home: Consisting of Supplementary Gleanings, Original Drams and Poems, Contributions of Literary Freinds, and Select Re-Publications, Including Sympathy, A Poem…in Three Volumes, [Harvest Home, vol. 3] (London, 1805); Online at Google Books.

Harvest Home

1809 | review of "The Speech in the House of Peers on the Second Reading of the Bill for Preventing Malicious and Wanton Cruelty to Animals, Gentleman's Magazine 27 (1809-Jul) 545-549: Certainly [no living author has] expatiated more on this subject [cruelty to animals] than the Author of "Sympathy," both in his poetical and prose writings. Indeed, nearly a third of a volume of the "Gleanings" of that Writer has been consecrated to this subject; and Mr. Bingley has collected, and brought under one point of view, the natural, moral, and domestic History of the brute Creation, with a view not only of proving their valuable or interesting qualities, as they respect ourselves and each other, but to impress upon our minds the moral and divine obligation we are under to treat them in life and at death with becoming humanity.

1810 | Mr. [Samuel Jackson] Pratt, The Lower World; A Poem in Four Books, with Notes (London, 1810); Online at Google Books.

The Lower World

At a time in which the Rights of MAN are so vigilantly watched, and zealously contended for, it cannot be an unfavourable moment to inquire into the rights which form the basis of the following Poem; especially as they are now brought into solemn discussion of the two great Assemblies of the Empire. But, had it not been for the latter circumstance, this would not have appeared an auspicious period; yet, whatever may be the oppressions of man to man in the conflicts of public affairs, or dissensions of private live—subjects wholly irrelevant to the present question—that brutes have their rights, and that there should be some reform of the tyrannical and wanton cruelties exercised by man upon the animal world, will be admitted by the just and generous of all parties; and, by such persons, the subject will not at any time be thought unseasonable: being, in itself, though apposite to the debate of the moment, not local, but like the God of Truth, from everlasting to everlasting.

Book 1. Argument. Apostrophe to the Proposer of the Bill that Suggested the Subject. — Power of the exciting LAWS for the Protection of Man against the Assaults of Man. — Dreadful State of Human Society undefended by LAWS. — The LOWER WORLD a frequent Subject of POETRY and PAINTING. — Their respective Power in a Variety of Instances described; but neither the Pen or Pencil embrace the present Subject. — Still less do the LAWS extend to the Protection of the Animal World.—The RIGHTS of the LOWER WORLD examined. — Common-place Arguments of Pride and Interest against the Admission of such RIGHTS. — Apostrophe to false Reasoners on the Subject.

Book 2. Argument. Summons to the Cruel to appear before their Accusers.— The Author's Reluctance to go into the Evidence of Crimes; and his regret at the Consciousness of the Necessity. Accusations of — The Dog — The BULL — The HORSE — The Ox — the Ass — and a Variety of other abused Animals, confided to the Protection and appointed to the Service of Man. The diversified Cruelties exercised upon each. — The high Claims of the respective Sufferers to such Protection.—Specific Qualities and Character of the different Animals.—Remarks on the Rigour of their Condition. — General and particular Reasonings and Reproofs. —Facts on which they are founded. — Acts of Torment, and Excesses of Tyranny practised by the Brute-demon. — The Claims of Man and Brute stated and examined. — Pretensions on both Sides investigated.— Deductions. — The Economy, Sagacity, and Bounty of Nature. —Observations on the Condition of Brute unassisted by Man, and of Man unassisted by Brute. — Inferences. — The Moral Sense.

Book 3. Argument. Vindications of general Nature from the Charge of Cruelty to the LOWER WORLD.—Rejection of those Arguments of Philosophers and Poets that have painted a World of Monsters.— The indiscriminate Eulogist and Libeller equally remote from Truth.— A Sentiment of general Compassion and Sensibility in the public Mind. —Illustrations. — Increased Happiness of Animals derived from this Source. — Example of the good Effect of kind Usage to be drawn from the Treatment of the Arabians to their Horses. — EXCESS of Attachment to favourite Animals, in some Individuals, sacred from the Motive.—Some of the Causes of this Excess accounted for in particular Cases. — Cruelty of Children to Animals considered —Traced in a Variety of afflicting and disgraceful Incidents.—Appeal to Parents.

Book 4. Argument. Second Address to the Poets of Britain. — The Author's Apology. — Difficulty of the Subject. — Appeal of the respective injured Animals to Man. — Apostrophe to the Society at Liverpool, associated for the Purpose of ameliorating the Condition of the Animal World. — Address to the Lords and Commons of Great Britain in their august Characters as Senators, and important Situation as distinguished Members of Society. — Supposed Personification of the Sufferers, advancing to the Houses of Parliament as to the Seats of Judgment and Mercy.—The Boon of the Petitioners stated. — Summary of the Subject. — Conclusion.— Apostrophe to the known Humanity of the Country in its Resistance of every Species of Oppression, whether practised against Man or Brute, when left to the Guidance of the Moral Sense.

1816 | Rev.James Plumptre, Three Discourses on the Case of The Animal Creation, and The Duties of Man to Them (London, 1816); Online at Google Books. For the express purpose of preventing cruelty to Brute Creatures… several valuable works have been published on the subject: amongst which must be mentioned…though last, not least, Mr. Pratt's Poem of the Lower World.

1816-Jul | review of "Three Discourses on the Ease of the Animal Creation, and the Duties of Man to Them, By the Rev. James Plumptre (London, 1816)," Critical Review 4 (1816-Jul): 99: For the protection of these helpless creatures, several valuable works have also been published in their defence, and among these are Mr. Young's Essay on Humanity to Animals, and Mr. Pratt's poem of the Lower World.