from milk, roots and vegetables, now require, every day, a confiderable portion of the flesh of animals. Hence a great part of the richest lands of the country are converted to pasturage. Much, allfo, of the bread-corn, which went directly to the nourishment of human bodys, now onely contributes to it, by fatening the flesh of sheep and oxen. The mafs and volume of provifions are hereby diminish'd; and what is gain'd in the melioration of the foil is loft in the quality of the produce.* Paleys Principles of moral and political philosophy, II, 361. CHAP. IV. ANIMAL FOOD THE CAUSE OF CRUELTY AND FEROCITY. THAT the ufe of animal food dispofes man to cruel and ferocious actions is a fact to which the experience of agees gives ample testimony. The Scythians, from drinking the blood of their cattle, proceeded to drink that of their ene* The fierce and cruel dispofition of the mys. wild Arabs is fuppofe'd, chiefly, if not, folely, to proceed from their feeding upon the flesh of camels and, as the gentle dispofition of the na tives is probablely oweing, in a great degree, to temperance, and a total abstinence from animal food; fo the common ufe of this diet, in the bulk of other nations, has, in the opinion of M. Pagés, exalted the natural tone of their pasfions; and he can account, he fays, upon no other principle for the firong harsh features of the Mufulmans and Christians, compare'd with the fmall trait and placid aspect of the Gentoos. "Vul * Herodotus, B. 4; Revelation examine'd, p. 21, ‡ Travels round the world, II, 44. gar and uninform'd men," it is obferve'd by Smellie," when pamper'd with a variety of animal food, are much more cholerick, fierce and cruel in their tempers than those who live chiefly on vegetables." This affection is equally perceptible in other animals: "An officer, in the Rusfian fervice, had a bear, which he fed with bread and oats, but never gave him flefh. However, a young hog hapening, one day, to ftroll too near his cel, he got hold of it, and pul'd it in; and, after he had once drawn blood, and tafteëd flesh, he grew fo fierce that he became unmanageable, attacking every body that came near him; so that the owner was oblige'd to kil him."* It was not, fays Porphyry, from those who live'd on vegetables, that robers or murderers, fycophants, or tyrants, have proceeded, but from flesh-eaters. † Prey being allmoft the fole object of quarrel among carni * Memoirs of P. H. Bruce, p. 144. A fimilar inftance has been relateëd, to the compileër, of a mastif: all animals, in fhort, that feed upon blood, are obferve'd to be much more furious than others: wil any man, therefor, say that much of his own fury is not oweing to the fame food? (Revelation examine'd, p. 21.) "I have known," fays doctor Arbuthnot, "more than one inftance of irafcible pasfions being much fubdue'd by a vegetable diet.", (Essay, p. 186.) + Mackenzies History of bealth, p. 190. 1 vorous animals, while the frugivorous live together in conftant peace and harmony, it is evident that, if men were of this laft kind, they would find it much more eafey to fubfift in a state of nature, and have much lefs occafion to leave it.* The barbarous and unfeeling fports (as they are call'd) of the Engleifh, their horfe-raceing, hunting, fhooting, bul and bear-baiting, cockfighting, boxing-matches, and the like, all proceed from their immoderate addiction to animal food. Their natural temper is thereby corrupted, and they are in the habitual and hourly commisfion of crimes against nature, justice, and humanity, at which a feeling and reflective. mind, unaccustom'd to fuch a diet, would revolt; but in which they profefs to take delight. The kings of Engleland have from a remote period been devoteed to hunting; in which purfuit one of them, and the fon of another, loft his life. "James the firft," according to Scaliger, "was merciful, except at the chace, where he was cruel, was very an catch the ftag: God, 15 me, fo it is that i fha him, he would put belly and entrails of *Rousseau, On the inequality of mankind, note 5. Sist dote may be parallel'd with the following, of one * It has been pretended that Charles IX. was the authour of a book upon hunting. It is very likely that, if this prince had lefs cultivateed the art of kiling beasts, and had not acquire'd in the forefts the habit of feeing blood run, there would have been more difficulty in geting from him the order of Saint Bartholomew. The chace is one of the most fure means for blunting in men the fentiment of pity for their fellow-creatures; an effect fo much the more fatal, as those who are addicted to it, place'd in a more elevateëd rank, have more need of this bridle. (Voltaire, Oeuvres, LXXII, 213, note.) |