Humanity Against Cruelty to Animals in Historical Literature, Timeline of Animal Rights History

Animal Rights History »»Soame Jenyns

1782 | Disquisitions on Several Subjects

Cruelty to Inferior Animals

What name should we bestow on a superior Being, whose whole endeavours were employed, and whose whole pleasure consisted in terrifying, ensnaring, tormenting and destroying mankind?… I say, what name detestable enough could we find for such a Being ? Yet, if we impartially consider the case, and our intermediate situation, we must acknowledge, that, with regard to inferior animals, just such a Being is a sportsman. (Soame Jenyns, Disquisitions [1782], "Cruelty to Inferior Animals")

The majestic bull is tortured by every mode which malice can invent, for no other offence, but that he is gentle, and unwilling to assail his diabolical tormentors. These, with, innumerable other acts of cruelty, injustice, and ingratitude, are every day committed, not only with impunity, but without censure and even without observation; but we may be assured, that they cannot finally pass away unnoticed, and unretaliated. (Soame Jenyns, Disquisitions [1782], "Cruelty to Inferior Animals")

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1782 | Soame Jenyns, "Cruelty to Inferior Animals," Disquisition 2 in Disquisitions on Several Subjects [First Editon: London, 1782] (London, 1822; Digitized by Google, 2007).

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