“ law and justice we cannot, in the nature of things, employ on others than men ”
Plutarch, Parallel Lives (c. 100 AD). copy citation
| Author | Plutarch |
|---|---|
| Source | Parallel Lives |
| Topic | justice law |
| Date | c. 100 AD |
| Language | English |
| Reference | |
| Note | Translated by A. H. Clough |
| Weblink | http://www.gutenberg.org/files/674/674-h/674-h.htm |
Context
“Yet certainly, in my judgment, it marks an over-rigid temper, for a man to take the work out of his servants as out of brute beasts, turning them off and selling them in their old age, and thinking there ought to be no further commerce between man and man, than whilst there arises some profit by it. We see that kindness or humanity has a larger field than bare justice to exercise itself in; law and justice we cannot, in the nature of things, employ on others than men; but we may extend our goodness and charity even to irrational creatures; and such acts flow from a gentle nature, as water from an abundant spring. It is doubtless the part of a kind-natured man to keep even worn-out horses and dogs, and not only take care of them when they are foals and whelps, but also when they are grown old.”
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