gave their evidence at some length, and with great eloquence. At the end, the King gave his verdict. 'By the grace of God, I find myself in favour of the animals, for they have been sorely [zwaar] tested and abused.'
He accepted that humans were beginning to realise the harm they are doing, and must begin to treat all creatures with loving kindness. 'Should you err, the animals will begin to disappear, one by one, forever, from the face of the earth...
'And the air in your settlements and fortresses will become dangerous to breathe. The seasons will be reversed, and your climates turned on end. The animals you eat, will bring sickness and death upon you. And you will no longer rule the earth.'
This can be reversed.
But humans have to realise the extent of their cruelty.
The story ends...
with an exhortation [aansporing] to all humans...
to realise what they need to do, and how they need to live.
It comes with great force - over a thousand years - to us...
who can see the catastrophes approaching, because humans have through these thousand years largely ignored these warnings, and indeed things are often so much worse for animals in our industrialised and human-centred societies.
I found in this book a message, that speaks so clearly to me and to us all. It is remarkable it has survived, and has been published by a small press, the Fons Vitae - fountain of life - in Kentucky USA. It is beautifully illustrated on the cover and throughout by Kelsey Begum, and presented with great love.
~bron~
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