And yet we see that kindness possesses a far wider sphere of action than justice, for it is in the nature of things that law and justice are confined to our dealings with our fellow men, whereas kindness and charity, which often flow from a gentle nature like water from an abundant spring, may be extended even to dumb animals. A kindly man will take good care of his horses even when they are worn out in his service, and will look after his dogs not only when they are puppies, but when they need special attention in their old age. (Makers of Rome, Plutarch, p. 125)

 

A bust thought to be Cato the Elder (Source: Wikipedia)

Plutarch continues, providing an interesting anecdote to illustrate his point about kindness having a ‘wider sphere of action’ than justice. 

When the people of Athens were building the Parthenon, they turned loose those mules which had worked the hardest, put them out to grass, and declared them to be exempted from any further service. One of these, so the story goes, came back to the site of its own accord, trotted by the side of its companions which were hauling wagons up the Acropolis in harness, and even led the way as though encouraging and urging them on, whereupon the Athenians passed a decree that the animal should be fed at the public expense for the rest of its life. (Makers of Rome, Plutarch, p. 125)

 

The Ancient Acropolis at Athens (Source: Encyclopedia Britannica)

This anecdote is in stark contrast to the depiction he draws of Cato, whose ‘close-fisted’ stinginess was an example in austerity for the public good. The Athenians demonstrated that the ‘public good’ also included the efforts of hardworking animals, whose work in helping complete the Parthenon was justly rewarded.  

Practice in Humanity
Although slavery has been rightly condemned, made illegal and diminished in the modern world, even so, might we still not learn something from Plutarch’s comments about kindness? 

We ought never to treat living creatures like shoes or kitchen utensils to be thrown away when they are broken or worn out in our service, but rather cultivate the habit of behaving with tenderness and consideration towards animals, if only for the sake of gaining practice in humanity when we come to deal with our fellow-men. (Makers of Rome, Plutarch, p. 125)

Sources:

Plutarch, (1965), Makers of Rome. Translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert. Introduction by Ian Scott-Kilvert. London: UK. Penguin Books
https://www.ancient.eu/article/629/slavery-in-the-roman-world/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Slavery_in_ancient_Rome