ty to Animals
of which the chief paragraph ran as follows:--

It is earnestly urged by your memorialists that the great and
influential Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
may see fit to undertake the task (which appears strictly to fall
within its province) of placing suitable restrictions on this rapidly
increasing evil. The vast benefit to the cause of humanity which the
Society has in the past half century effected, would, in our humble
estimation, remain altogether one-sided and incomplete, if, while
brutal carters and ignorant costermongers are brought to punishment
for maltreating the animals under their charge, learned and refined
gentlemen should be left unquestioned to inflict far more exquisite
pain upon still more sensitive creatures; as if the mere allegation
of a scientific purpose removed them above all legal or moral
responsibility.

Miss Cobbe, confident of what Browning's reply would be, sent him this
petition and asked him to return it with his signature if he approved of
it.

His reply, which I believe has never as yet been published, redounds to
his immortal fame as a man of fortitude and humaneness.

This is what he wrote:

19, WARWICK CRESCENT, W.
_December_ 28_th_, '74.

DEAR MISS COBBE,

I return the petition, unsigned for the one good reason--that I have
just signed its fellow forwarded to me by Mr. Leslie Stephen.

You have heard "I take an equal interest with yourself in the effort
to suppress vivisection"; I dare not so honour my mere wishes and
prayers as to put them for a moment beside your noble acts; but, this
I know, I would rather submit to the worst of the deaths, so far as
pain goes, than have a single dog or cat tortured on the pretence of
sparing me a twinge or two. I return the paper, because I shall be
probably shut up here for the next week or more, and prevented from
seeing my friends: whoever would refuse to sign would certainly not
be of the number.

Ever truly--and gratefully yours,
ROBERT BROWNING.

Five years later in the volume of Dramatic Idyls issued in 1879, Browning
published his poem entitled "Tray" which extols the noble heroism of the
dog