,,thoughts ,,upon ,,slavery4 ,,the ,,fifth ,,edition4 ,by ,,john ,,wesley1 ,a4 ,m4 ,illustration ,,london3 ,printed by ,g4 ,,paramore1 ,north ,green1 ,worship-,street2 and sold by ,g4 ,whitfield1 at the ,chapel1 ,city-,road2 and at the ,methodist ,preaching-,houses1 in ,town and ,country4 #agib4 ,price ,,two-,,pence4 ,i4 #a4 ,by ,slavery ,i mean ,domestic ,slavery1 or that of a servant to a master4 ,a late ingenious ,writer well observes1 8,the variety of forms in which ,slavery appears1 makes it almost impossible to convey a just notion of it1 by way of definition4 ,there are however certain properties which have accompanied ,slavery in most places1 whereby it is easily distinguished from that mild domestic service which obtains in our country40#a #a ,see ,mr4 ,hargrave's ,plea for ,somerset the ,negro4 #b4 ,slavery imports an obligation of perpetual service1 an obligation which only the consent of the master can dissolve4 ,neither in some countries can the master himself dissolve it1 without the consent of judges appointed by the law4 ,it generally gives the master an arbitrary power of any correction1 not affecting life or limb4 ,sometimes even these are exposed to his will3 or protected only by a fine1 or some slight punishment1 too inconsiderable to restrain a master of a harsh temper4 ,it creates an incapacity of acquiring any thing1 except for the master's benefit4 ,it allows the master to alienate the ,slave1 in the same manner as his cows and horses4 ,lastly it descends in its full extent from parent to child1 even to the last generation4 #c4 ,the beginning of this may be dated from the remotest period1 of which we have an account in history4 ,it commenced in the barbarous ,state of ,society1 and in process of time spread into all nations4 ,it prevailed particularly among the ,jews1 the ,greeks1 the ,romans1 and the ancient ,germans3 and was transmitted by them to the various kingdoms and states1 which arose out of the ,roman empire4 ,but after christianity prevailed1 it gradually fell into decline in almost all parts of ,europe4 ,this great change began in ,spain1 about the end of the eighth century3 and was become general in most other kingdoms of ,europe1 before the middle of the fourteenth4 #d4 ,from this time ,slavery was nearly extinct1 till the commencement of the sixteenth century1 when the discovery of ,america1 and of the ,western and ,eastern coasts of ,africa1 gave occasion to the revival of it4 ,it took its rise from the ,portuguese1 who to supply the ,spaniards with men1 to cultivate their new possessions in ,america1 procured ,negroes from ,africa1 whom they sold for ,slaves to the ,american ,spaniards4 ,this began in the year #aejh1 when they imported the first ,negroes into ,hispaniola4 ,in #aedj1 ,charles the fifth1 then ,king of ,spain1 determined to put an end to ,negro-,slavery3 giving positive orders1 ,that all the ,negro-,slaves in the ,spanish dominions should be set free4 ,and this was accordingly done by ,lagasca1 whom he sent and impowered to free them all1 on condition of continuing to labour for their masters4 ,but soon after ,lagasca returned to ,spain1 ,slavery returned and flourished as before4 ,afterwards other nations1 as they acquired possessions in ,america1 followed the examples of the ,spaniards2 and ,slavery has taken deep root in most of our ,american colonies4 ,,ii4 ,such is the nature of ,slavery3 such the beginning of ,negro-,slavery in ,america4 ,but some may desire to know1 what country it is1 from which the ,negroes are brought8 ,what sort of men1 of what temper and behaviour are they in their own country8 ,and in what manner they are generally procured1 carried to1 and treated in ,america8 #a4 ,and first1 ,what kind of country is that from whence they are brought8 ,is it so remarkably horrid1 dreary and barren1 that it is a kindness to deliver them out of it8 ,i believe many have apprehended so3 but it is an entire mistake1 if we may give credit to those who have lived many years therein1 and could have no motive to misrepresent it4 #b4 ,that part of ,africa whence the ,negroes are brought1 commonly known by the name of ,guinea1 extends along the coast1 in the whole1 between three and four thousand miles4 ,from the river ,senegal1 7seventeen degrees ,north of the line7 to ,cape ,sierra ,leona1 it contains seven hundred miles4 ,thence it runs ,eastward about fifteen hundred miles1 including the ,grain-coast1 the ,ivory-coast1 the ,gold-coast1 and the ,slave-coast1 with the large kingdom of ,benin4 ,from thence it runs ,southward1 about twelve hundred miles1 and contains the kingdoms of ,congo and ,angola4 #c4 ,concerning the first1 the ,senegal coast1 ,mons4 ,bene1 who lived there sixteen years1 after describing its fruitfulness near the sea1 says1 8,the farther you go from the sea1 the more fruitful and well-improved is the country1 abounding in pulse1 ,indian corn1 and various fruits4 ,here are vast meadows1 which feed large herds of great and small cattle4 ,and the villages which lie thick1 shew the country is well peopled40 ,and again3 8,i was surprized1 to see the land so well cultivated2 scarce a spot lay unimproved3 the low lands divided by small canals1 were all sowed with rice3 the higher grounds were planted with ,indian corn1 and peas of different sorts4 ,their beef is excellent2 poultry plenty1 and very cheap1 as are all the necessaries of life40 #d4 ,as to the ,grain and ,ivory-coast1 we learn from eye-witnesses1 that the soil is in general fertile1 producing abundance of rice and roots4 ,indigo and cotton thrive without cultivation4 ,fish is in great plenty2 the flocks and herds are numerous1 and the trees loaden with fruit4 #e4 ,the ,gold-coast and ,slave-coast1 all who have seen it agree1 is exceeding fruitful and pleasant1 producing vast quantities of rice and other grain1 plenty of fruit and roots1 palm-wine and oil1 and fish in great abundance1 with much tame and wild cattle4 ,the very same account is given us of the soil and produce of the kingdoms of ,benin1 ,congo and ,angola4 ,from which it appears1 that ,guinea in general1 is far from a horrid1 dreary1 barren country1 is one of the most fruitful1 as well as the most pleasant countries in the known world4 ,it is said indeed to be unhealthy4 ,and so it is to strangers1 but perfectly healthy to the native inhabitants4 #f4 ,such is the country from which the ,negroes are brought4 ,we come next to enquire1 ,what sort of men they are1 of what temper and behaviour1 not in our plantations1 but in their native country4 ,and here likewise the surest way is to take our account from eye and ear-witnesses4 ,now those who have lived in the ,senegal country observe1 it is inhabited by three nations1 the ,jalofs1 ,fulis and ,mandingos4 ,the king of the ,jalofs has under him several ,ministers1 who assist in the exercise of justice1 the ,chief ,justice goes in circuit through all his dominions1 to hear complaints and determine controversies4 ,and the ,viceroy goes with him1 to inspect the behaviour of the ,alkadi1 or ,governor of each village4 ,the ,fulis are governed by their chief men1 who rule with much moderation4 ,few of them will drink any thing stronger than water1 being strict ,mahometans4 ,the government is easy1 because the people are of a quiet and good disposition2 and so well instructed in what is right1 that a man who wrongs another is the abomination of all4--,they desire no more land than they use1 which they cultivate with great care and industry3 if any of them are known to be made ,slaves by the white men2 they all join to redeem them4 ,they not only support all that are old1 or blind1 or lame among themselves3 but have frequently supplied the necessities of the ,mandingos1 when they were distrest by famine4 #g4 ,the ,mandingos1 says ,mons4 ,brue1 are right ,mahometans1 drinking neither wine nor brandy4 ,they are industrious and laborious1 keeping their ground well cultivated1 and breeding a good stock of cattle4 ,every town has a ,governor1 and he appoints the labour of the people4 ,the men work the ground designed for corn2 the women and girls1 the rice-ground4 ,he afterwards divides the corn and rice1 among them3 and decides all quarrels1 if any arise4 ,all the ,mahometan ,negroes constantly go to public prayers thrice a day3 there being a ,priest in every village1 who regularly calls them together3 and it is surprising to see the modesty1 attention and reverence which they observe during their worship--,these three nations practise several trades2 they have ,smiths1 ,sadlers1 ,potters and ,weavers4 ,and they are very ingenious at their several occupations4 ,their ,smiths not only make all the instruments of iron1 which they have occasion to use1 but likewise work many things neatly in gold and silver4 ,it is chiefly the women and children who weave fine cotton cloth1 which they dye blue and black4 #h4 ,it was of these parts of ,guinea1 that ,mons4 ,adanson1 ,correspondent of the ,royal ,academy of ,sciences at ,paris1 from #agdi1 to #agec1 gives the following account1 both as to the country and people1 8,which way soever ,i turned my eyes1 ,i beheld a perfect image of pure nature3 an agreeable solitude1 bounded on every side by a charming landscape2 the rural situation of cottages1 in the midst of trees2 the ease and quietness of the ,negroes1 reclined under the shade of the spreading foliage1 with the simplicity of their dress and manners3 the whole revived in my mind the idea of our first parents1 and ,i seemed to contemplate the world in its primitive state4 ,they are1 generally speaking1 very good natured1 sociable and obliging4 ,i was not a little pleased with my first reception1 and it fully convinced me1 that there ought to be a considerable abatement made1 in the accounts we have of the savage character of the ,africans40 ,he adds1 8,it is amazing that an illiterate people should reason so pertinently concerning the heavenly bodies4 ,there is no doubt1 but that with proper instruments1 they would become excellent astronomers40 #i4 ,the inhabitants of the ,grain and ,ivory-coast are represented by those that deal with them1 as sensible1 courteous1 and the fairest traders on the coasts of ,guinea4 ,they rarely drink to excess3 if any do they are severely punished by the ,king's order4 ,they are seldom troubled with war3 if a difference happen between two nations1 they commonly end the dispute amicably4 #aj4 ,the inhabitants of the ,gold and ,slave-coast likewise1 when they are not artfully incensed against each other1 live in great union and friendship1 being generally well tempered1 civil1 tractable1 and ready to help any that need it4 ,in particular1 the natives of the kingdom of ,whidah1 are civil1 kind1 and obliging to strangers4 ,and they are the most gentleman-like of all the ,negroes1 abounding in good manners toward each other4 ,the inferiors pay the utmost respect to their superiors3 so wives to their husbands1 children to their parents4 ,and they are remarkably industrious2 all are constantly employed2 the men in agriculture1 the women in spinning and weaving cotton4 #aa4 ,the ,gold and ,slave-coasts are divided into several districts1 some governed by ,kings1 others by the principal men1 who take care each of their own town or village1 and prevent or appease tumults4 ,they punish murder and adultery severely2 very frequently with death4 ,theft and robbery are punished by a fine proportionable to the goods that were taken4--,all the natives of this coast1 though heathens1 believe there is one ,god1 the ,author of them and all things4 ,they appear likewise to have a confused apprehension of a future state4 ,and accordingly every town and village has a place of public worship4--,it is remarkable that they have no beggars among them2 such is the care of the chief men1 in every city and village1 to provide some easy labour1 even for the old and weak4 ,some are employed in blowing the ,smith's bellows2 others in pressing palm-oil2 others in grinding of colours4 ,if they are too weak even for this1 they sell provisions in the market4 #ab4 ,the natives of the kingdom of ,benin are a reasonable and good-natured people4 ,they are sincere and inoffensive1 and do no injustice either to one another or to strangers4 ,they are eminently civil and courteous3 if you make them a present1 they endeavour to repay it double4 ,and if they are trusted1 till the ship returns the next year1 they are sure honestly to pay the whole debt4 ,theft is punished among them1 although not with the same severity as murder4 ,if a man and woman of any quality1 are taken in adultery1 they are certain to be put to death1 and their bodies thrown on a dunghill1 and left a prey to wild beasts4 ,they are punctually just and honest in their dealings2 and are also very charitable3 the ,king and the great ,lords taking care to employ all that are capable of any work4 ,and those that are utterly helpless they keep for ,god's sake2 so that here also are no beggars4 ,the inhabitants of ,congo and ,angola are generally a quiet people4 ,they discover a good understanding1 and behave in a friendly manner to strangers1 being of a mild temper and an affable carriage4----,upon the whole therefore the ,negroes who inhabit the coast of ,africa1 from the river ,senegal to the ,southern bounds of ,angola1 are so far from being the stupid1 senseless1 brutish1 lazy barbarians1 the fierce1 cruel1 perfidious ,savages they have been described1 that on the contrary1 they are represented by them who have no motive to flatter them1 as remarkably sensible1 considering the few advantages they have for improving their understanding3 as industrious to the highest degree1 perhaps more so than any other natives of so warm a climate3 as fair1 just and honest in all their dealings1 unless where white men have taught them to be otherwise3 and as far more mild1 friendly and kind to strangers1 than any of our forefathers were4 ,our forefathers6 ,where shall we find at this day1 among the fair-faced natives of ,europe1 a nation generally practising the justice1 mercy1 and truth1 which are found among these poor ,africans8 ,suppose the preceding accounts are true1 7which ,i see no reason or pretence to doubt of17 and we may leave ,england and ,france1 to seek genuine honesty in ,benin1 ,congo1 or ,angola4 ,,iii4 ,we have now seen what kind of country it is1 from which the ,negroes are brought3 and what sort of men 7even white men being the judges7 they were in their own country4 ,enquire we1 thirdly1 ,in what manner are they generally procured1 carried to1 and treated in ,america4 #a4 ,first4 ,in what manner are they procured8 ,part of them by fraud4 ,captains of ships from time to time1 invited ,negroes to come on board1 and then carried them away4 ,but far more have been procured by force4 ,the ,christians landing upon their coasts1 seized as many as they found1 men1 women and children1 and transported them to ,america4 ,it was about #aeea1 that the ,english began trading to ,guinea3 at first1 for gold and ,elephant's teeth1 but soon after1 for men4 ,in #aeef1 ,sir ,john ,hawkins sailed with two ships to ,cape ,verd1 where he sent eighty men on shore to catch ,negroes4 ,but the natives flying1 they fell farther down1 and there set the men on shore1 8to burn their towns and take the inhabitants40 ,but they met with such resistance1 that they had seven men killed1 and took but ten ,negroes4 ,so they went still farther down1 till having taken enough1 they proceeded to the ,west-,indies and sold them4 #b4 ,it was some time before the ,europeans found a more compendious way of procuring ,african ,slaves1 by prevailing upon them to make war upon each other1 and to sell their prisoners4 ,till then they seldom had any wars3 but were in general quiet and peaceable4 ,but the white men first taught them drunkenness and avarice1 and then hired them to sell one another4 ,nay1 by this means1 even their ,kings are induced to sell their own subjects4 ,so ,mr4 ,moore 7,factor of the ,african ,company in #agcj7 informs us1 8,when the ,king of ,barsalli wants goods or brandy1 he sends to the ,english ,governor at ,james' ,fort1 who immediately sends a sloop4 ,against the time it arrives1 he plunders some of his neighbours' towns1 selling the people for the goods he wants4 ,at other times he falls upon one of his own towns1 and makes bold to sell his own subjects40 ,so ,mons4 ,brue says1 8,i wrote to the ,king0 7not the same7 8if he had a sufficient number of slaves ,i would treat with him4 ,he seized three hundred of his own people1 and sent word he was ready to deliver them for goods40 ,he adds1 8,some of the natives are always ready0 7when well paid7 8to surprize and carry off their own countrymen4 ,they come at night without noise1 and if they find any lone cottage1 surround it and carry off all the people40--,barbot1 7another ,french ,factor7 says1 8,many of the ,slaves sold by the ,negroes are prisoners of war1 or taken in the incursions they make into their enemy's territories4 ,others are stolen4 ,abundance of little ,blacks of both sexes1 are stolen away by their neighbours1 when found abroad on the road1 or in the woods1 or else in the corn-fields1 at the time of year when their parents keep them there all day to scare away the devouring birds40 ,that their own parents sell them1 is utterly false3 ,whites not ,blacks1 are without natural affection6 #c4 ,to set the manner wherein ,negroes are procured in a yet stronger light1 it will suffice to give an extract of two voyages to ,guinea on this account4 ,the first is taken verbatim from the original manuscript of the ,surgeon's ,journal4 8,,sestro1 ,dec4 #bi1 #agbd4 ,no trade to-day1 though many traders came on board4 ,they informed us1 that the people are gone to war within land1 and will bring prisoners enough in two or three days2 in hopes of which we stay4 8,the #cjth4 ,no trade yet3 but our traders came on board to-day1 and informed us the people had burnt four towns3 so that to-morrow we expect slaves off4 8,the #cast1 ,fair weather2 but no trading yet4 ,we see each night towns burning4 ,but we hear many of the ,sestro men are killed by the inland ,negroes3 so that we fear this war will be unsuccessful4 8,the second of ,january4 ,last night we saw a prodigious fire break out about eleven o'clock1 and this morning see the town of ,sestro burnt down to the ground40 7,it contained some hundred houses47 8,so that we find their enemies are too hard for them at present1 and consequently our trade spoiled here4 ,therefore about seven o'clock we weighed anchor1 to proceed lower down40 #d4 ,the second ,extract taken from the ,journal of a ,surgeon1 who went from ,new-,york on the same trade1 is as follows4 8,the ,commander of the vessel sent to acquaint the ,king1 that he wanted a cargo of slaves4 ,the ,king promised to furnish him1 and in order to it1 set out1 designing to surprize some town1 and make all the people prisoners4 ,some time after1 the ,king sent him word1 he had not yet met with the desired success3 having attempted to break up two towns1 but having been twice repulsed3 but that he still hoped to procure the number of ,slaves4 ,in this design he persisted1 till he met his enemies in the field4 ,a battle was fought1 which lasted three days4 ,and the engagement was so bloody1 that four thousand five hundred men were slain upon the spot40----,such is the manner wherein the ,negroes are procured6 ,thus the ,christians preach the ,gospel to the ,heathens6 #e4 ,thus they are procured4 ,but in what numbers and in what manner are they carried to ,america8----,mr4 ,anderson in his history of ,trade and ,commerce1 observes1 8,england supplies her ,american ,colonies with ,negro-slaves1 amounting in number to about a hundred thousand every year40 ,that is1 so many are taken on board our ships2 but at least ten thousand of them die in the voyage3 about a fourth part more die at the different ,islands1 in what is called the ,seasoning4 ,so that at an average1 in the passage and seasoning together1 thirty thousand die3 that is1 properly are murdered4 ,o earth1 ,o sea1 cover not thou their blood6 #f4 ,when they are brought down to the shore in order to be sold1 our ,surgeons thoroughly examine them1 and that quite naked1 women and men1 without any distinction3 those that are approved are set on one side4 ,in the mean time a burning iron1 with the arms or name of the ,company1 lies in the fire1 with which they are marked on the breast4 ,before they are put into the ships1 their masters strip them of all they have on their backs3 so that they come on board stark naked1 women as well as men4 ,it is common for several hundred of them to be put on board one vessel3 where they are stowed together in as little room as it is possible for them to be crowded4 ,it is easy to suppose what a condition they must soon be in1 between heat1 thirst and stench of various kinds4 ,so that it is no wonder1 so many should die in the passage2 but rather that any survive it4 #g4 ,when the vessels arrive at their destined port1 the ,negroes are again exposed naked1 to the eyes of all that flock together1 and the examination of their purchasers2 then they are separated to the plantations of their several masters1 to see each other no more4 ,here you may see mothers hanging over their daughters1 bedewing their naked breasts with tears1 and daughters clinging to their parents1 till the whipper soon obliges them to part4 ,and what can be more wretched than the condition they then enter upon8 ,banished from their country1 from their friends and relations for ever1 from every comfort of life1 they are reduced to a state scarce any way preferable to that of beasts of burden4 ,in general a few roots1 not of the nicest kind1 usually yams or potatoes1 are their food1 and two rags1 that neither screen them from the heat of the day1 nor the cold of the night their covering4 ,their sleep is very short1 their labour continual1 and frequently above their strength2 so that death sets many of them at liberty1 before they have lived out half their days4 ,the time they work in the ,west-,indies1 is from day-break to noon1 and from two o'clock till dark3 during which time they are attended by overseers1 who1 if they think them dilatory1 or think any thing not so well done as it should be1 whip them most unmercifully1 so that you may see their bodies long after whealed and scarred usually from the shoulders to the waist4 ,and before they are suffered to go to their quarters1 they have commonly something to do1 as collecting herbage for the horses1 or gathering fewel for the boilers4 ,so that it is often past twelve before they can get home4 ,hence if their food is not prepared1 they are some times called to labour again1 before they can satisfy their hunger4 ,and no excuse will avail4 ,if they are not in the field immediately1 they must expect to feel the lash4 ,did the ,creator intend that the noblest creatures in the visible world1 should live such a life as this6 8,are these thy glorious works1 ,parent of ,good80 #h4 ,as to the punishment inflicted on them1 says ,sir ,hans ,sloan1 8they frequently geld them1 or chop off half a foot3 after they are whipped till they are raw all over4 ,some put pepper and salt upon them3 some drop melted wax upon their skin4 ,others cut off their ears1 and constrain them to broil and eat them4 ,for ,rebellion10 7that is1 asserting their native ,liberty1 which they have as much right to as to the air they breathe7 8they fasten them down to the ground with crooked sticks on every limb1 and then applying fire by degrees1 to the feet and hands1 they burn them gradually upward to the head40 #i4 ,but will not the laws made in the plantations1 prevent or redress all cruelty and oppression8 ,we will take but a few of those laws for a specimen1 and then let any man judge4 ,in order to rivet the chain of slavery1 the law of ,virginia ordains1 8,that no slave shall be set free1 upon any pretence whatever1 except for some meritorious services1 to be adjudged and allowed by the ,governor and ,council3 and that where any slave shall be set free by his owner1 otherwise than is herein directed1 the ,church-wardens of the parish wherein such negro shall reside for the space of one month are hereby authorized and required1 to take up and sell the said negro1 by public outcry40 #aj4 ,will not these ,law-givers take effectual care1 to prevent cruelty and oppression8 ,the law of ,jamaica ordains1 8,every slave that shall run away1 and continue absent from his master twelve months1 shall be deemed rebellious30 ,and by another law1 fifty pounds are allowed1 to those who kill or bring in alive a rebellious slave4 ,so their law treats these poor men with as little ceremony and consideration1 as if they were merely brute beasts6 ,but the innocent blood which is shed in consequence of such a detestable law1 must call for vengeance on the murderous abetters and actors of such deliberate wickedness4 #aa4 ,but the law of ,barbadoes exceeds even this1 8,if any negro under punishment1 by his master1 or his order1 for running away1 or any other crime or misdemeanor1 shall suffer in life or member1 no person whatsoever shall be liable to any fine therefore4 ,but if any man1 of wantonness1 or only of bloody-mindedness or cruel intention1 wilfully kill a negro of his own0 7,now observe the severe punishment67 8,he shall pay into the public treasury fifteen pounds sterling6 ,and not be liable to any other punishment or forfeiture for the same60 ,nearly allied to this is that law of ,virginia3 8,after proclamation is issued against slaves that run away1 it is lawful for any person whatsoever to kill and destroy such slaves1 by such ways and means as he shall think fit40 ,we have seen already some of the ways and means which have been thought fit on such occasions4 ,and many more might be mentioned4 ,one ,gentleman1 when ,i was abroad1 thought fit to roast his slave alive6 ,but if the most natural act of 8running away0 from intolerable tyranny1 deserves such relentless severity1 what punishment have these ,law-makers to expect hereafter1 on account of their own enormous offences8 ,,iv4 #a4 ,this is the plain1 unaggravated matter of fact4 ,such is the manner wherein our ,african slaves are procured3 such the manner wherein they are removed from their native land1 and wherein they are treated in our plantations4 ,i would now enquire1 whether these things can be defended1 on the principles of even heathen honesty8 ,whether they can be reconciled 7setting the ,bible out of the question7 with any degree of either justice or mercy8 #b4 ,the grand plea is1 8,they are authorized by law40 ,but can law1 ,human ,law1 change the nature of things8 ,can it turn darkness into light1 or evil into good8 ,by no means4 ,notwithstanding ten thousand laws1 right is right1 and wrong is wrong still4 ,there must still remain an essential difference between justice and injustice1 cruelty and mercy4 ,so that ,i still ask1 who can reconcile this treatment of the negroes1 first and last1 with either mercy or justice8 ,where is the justice of inflicting the severest evils1 on those that have done us no wrong8 ,of depriving those that never injured us in word or deed1 of every comfort of life8 ,of tearing them from their native country1 and depriving them of liberty itself8 ,to which an ,angolan1 has the same natural right as an ,englishman1 and on which he sets as high a value8 ,yea1 where is the justice of taking away the lives of innocent1 inoffensive men8 ,murdering thousands of them in their own land1 by the hands of their own countrymen3 many thousands1 year after year1 on shipboard1 and then casting them like dung into the sea6 ,and tens of thousands in that cruel slavery1 to which they are so unjustly reduced8 #c4 ,but waving1 for the present1 all other considerations1 ,i strike at the root of this complicated villany4 ,i absolutely deny all slave-holding to be consistent with any degree of natural justice4 ,i cannot place this in a clearer light1 than that great ornament of his profession1 ,judge ,blackstone has already done4 ,part of his words are as follows3 8,the three origins of the right of slavery assigned by ,justinian1 are all built upon false foundations4 #a4 ,slavery is said to arise from captivity in war4 ,the conqueror having a right to the life of his captive1 if he spares that1 has then a right to deal with them as he speaks4 ,but this is untrue1 if taken generally1 ,that by the laws of nations1 a man has a right to kill his enemy4 ,he has only a right to kill him in particular cases1 in cases of absolute necessity for self-defence4 ,and it is plain1 this absolute necessity did not subsist1 since he did not kill him1 but made him prisoner4 ,war itself is justifiable only on principles of self-preservation4 ,therefore it gives us no right over prisoners1 but to hinder their hurting us by confining them4 ,much less can it give a right to torture1 or kill1 or even enslave an enemy when the war is over4 ,since therefore the right of making our prisoners slaves1 depends on a supposed right of slaughter1 that foundation failing1 the consequence which is drawn from it must fail likewise40 8,it is said secondly1 ,slavery may begin1 by one man's selling himself to another4 ,and it is true1 a man may sell himself to work for another2 but he can not sell himself to be a slave1 as above defined4 ,every sale implies an equivalent given to the seller1 in lieu of what he transfers to the buyer4 ,but what equivalent can be given for life or liberty8 ,his property likewise1 with the very price which he seems to receive1 devolves ipso facto to his master1 the instant he becomes his slave3 in this case therefore the buyer gives nothing4 ,of what validity then can a sale be1 which destroys the very principle upon which all sales are founded80 8,we are told1 ,thirdly1 that men may be born slaves1 by being the children of slaves4 ,but this being built upon the two former rights must fall together with them1 if neither captivity1 nor contract can by the plain law of nature and reason1 reduce the parent to a state of slavery1 much less can they reduce the offspring40 ,it clearly follows1 that all slavery is as irreconcileable to justice as to mercy4 #d4 ,that slave-holding is utterly inconsistent with mercy1 is almost too plain to need a proof4 ,indeed it is said1 8,that these negroes being prisoners of war1 our captains and factors buy them1 merely to save them from being put to death4 ,and is not this mercy80 ,i answer1 #a4 ,did ,sir ,john ,hawkins1 and many others1 seize upon men1 women and children1 who were at peace in their own fields and houses1 merely to save them from death8 #b4 ,was it to save them from death1 that they knock'd out the brains of those they could not bring away8 #c4 ,who occasioned and fomented those wars1 wherein these poor creatures were taken prisoners8 ,who excited them by money1 by drink1 by every possible means1 to fall upon one another8 ,was it not themselves8 ,they know in their own conscience it was1 if they have any conscience left4 ,but #d4 ,to bring the matter to a short issue4 ,can they say before ,god1 ,that they ever took a single voyage1 or bought a single negro from this motive8 ,they cannot1 they well know1 to get money1 not to save lives1 was the whole and sole spring of their motions4 #e4 ,but if this manner of procuring and tearing negroes is not consistent either with mercy or justice1 yet there is a plea for it which every man of business will acknowledge to be quite sufficient4 ,fifty years ago1 one meeting an eminent statesman in the lobby of the ,house of ,commons1 said1 8,you have been long talking about justice and equity1 ,pray which is this bill8 ,equity or justice80 ,he answered1 very short1 and plain1 8,d--n justice3 it is necessity40 ,here also the slave-holder fixes his foot3 here he rests the strength of his cause4 8,if it is not quite right1 yet it must be so3 there is an absolute necessity for it4 ,it is necessary we should procure slaves3 and when we have procured them1 it is necessary to use them with severity1 considering their stupidity1 stubbornness and wickedness40 ,i answer1 ,you stumble at the threshold3 ,i deny that villany is ever necessary4 ,it is impossible that it should ever be necessary1 for any reasonable creature to violate all the laws of justice1 mercy1 and truth4 ,no circumstances can make it necessary for a man to burst in sunder all the ties of humanity4 ,it can never be necessary for a rational being to sink himself below a brute4 ,a man can be under no necessity1 of degrading himself into a wolf4 ,the absurdity of the supposition is so glaring1 that one would wonder any one could help seeing it4 #f4 ,this in general4 ,but to be more particular1 ,i ask1 #a4 ,what is necessary8 ,and secondly1 ,to what end8 ,it may be answered1 8,the whole method now used by the original purchasers of negroes1 is necessary to the furnishing our colonies yearly with a hundred thousand slaves40 ,i grant this is necessary to that end4 ,but how is that end necessary8 ,how will you prove it necessary that one hundred1 that one of those slaves should be procured8 8,why1 it is necessary to my gaining an hundred thousand pounds40 ,perhaps so3 but how is this necessary8 ,it is very possible you might be both a better and a happier man1 if you had not a quarter of it4 ,i deny that your gaining one thousand is necessary1 either to your present or eternal happiness4 8,but however you must allow1 these slaves are necessary for the cultivation of our ,islands3 inasmuch as white men are not able to labour in hot climates40 ,i answer1 #a4 ,it were better that all those ,islands should remain uncultivated for ever1 yea1 it were more desirable that they were altogether sunk in the depth of the sea1 than that they should be cultivated at so high a price1 as the violation of justice1 mercy and truth4 ,but1 secondly1 the supposition on which you ground your argument is false4 ,for white men1 even ,english men1 are well able to labour in hot climates3 provided they are temperate both in meat and drink1 and that they inure themselves to it by degrees4 ,i speak no more than ,i know by experience4 ,it appears from the thermometer1 that the summer heat in ,georgia1 is frequently equal to that in ,barbadoes1 yea to that under the line4 ,and yet ,i and my family 7eight in number7 did employ all our spare time there1 in felling of trees and clearing of ground1 as hard labour as any negro need be employed in4 ,the ,german family likewise1 forty in number1 were employed in all manner of labour4 ,and this was so far from impairing our health1 that we all continued perfectly well1 while the idle ones round about us1 were swept away as with a pestilence4 ,it is not true therefore that white men are not able to labour1 even in hot climates1 full as well as black4 ,but if they were not1 it would be better that none should labour there1 that the work should be left undone1 than that myriads of innocent men should be murdered1 and myriads more dragged into the basest slavery4 #g4 8,but the furnishing us with slaves is necessary1 for the trade1 and wealth1 and glory of our nation30 here are several mistakes4 ,for #a4 ,wealth is not necessary to the glory of any nation2 but wisdom1 virtue1 justice1 mercy1 generosity1 public spirit1 love of our country4 ,these are necessary to the real glory of a nation2 but abundance of wealth is not4 ,men of understanding allow1 that the glory of ,england was full as high1 in ,queen ,elizabeth's time as it is now3 although our riches and trade were then as much smaller1 as our virtue was greater4 ,but1 secondly1 it is not clear1 that we should have either less money or trade1 7only less of that detestable trade of man-stealing7 if there was not a negro in all our ,islands1 or in all ,english ,america4 ,it is demonstrable1 white men1 inured to it by degrees can work as well as them3 and they would do it1 were negroes out of the way1 and proper encouragement given them4 ,however1 thirdly1 ,i come back to the same point3 better no trade1 than trade procured by villany4 ,it is far better to have no wealth1 than to gain wealth at the expence of virtue4 ,better is honest poverty1 than all the riches bought by the tears1 and sweat and blood of our fellow-creatures4 #h4 8,however this be2 it is necessary when we have slaves1 to use them with severity40 ,what1 to whip them for every petty offence1 till they are all in gore blood8 ,to take that opportunity1 of rubbing pepper and salt into their raw flesh8 ,to drop burning sealing-wax upon their skin8 ,to castrate them8 ,to cut off half their foot with an axe8 ,to hang them on gibbets1 that they may die by inches1 with heat1 and hunger1 and thirst8 ,to pin them down to the ground1 and then burn them by degrees1 from the feet1 to the head8 ,to roast them alive8--,when did a ,turk or a ,heathen find it necessary to use a fellow-creature thus8 ,i pray1 to what end is this usage necessary8 8,why1 to prevent their running away3 and to keep them constantly to their labour1 that they may not idle away their time4 ,so miserably stupid is this race of men1 yea1 so stubborn and so wicked40 ,allowing them to be as stupid as you say1 to whom is that stupidity owing8 ,without question it lies altogether at the door of their inhuman masters3 who give them no means1 no opportunity of improving their understanding3 and indeed leave them no motive1 either from hope or fear1 to attempt any such thing4 ,they were no way remarkable for stupidity1 while they remained in their own country3 the inhabitants of ,africa where they have equal motives and equal means of improvement1 are not inferior to the inhabitants of ,europe3 to some of them they are greatly superior4 ,impartially survey in their own country1 the natives of ,benin1 and the natives of ,lapland4 ,compare1 7setting prejudice aside7 the ,samoeids and the ,angolans4 ,and on which side does the advantage lie1 in point of understanding8 ,certainly the ,african is in no respect inferior to the ,european4 ,their stupidity therefore in our plantations is not natural2 otherwise than it is the natural effect of their condition4 ,consequently it is not their fault1 but your's3 you must answer for it1 before ,god and man4 #i4 8,but their stupidity is not the only reason of our treating them with severity4 ,for it is hard to say1 which is the greatest1 this or their stubbornness and wickedness40----,it may be so3 ,but do not these as well as the other1 lie at your door2 are not stubbornness1 cunning1 pilfering1 and divers other vices1 the natural1 necessary fruits of slavery8 ,is not this an observation which has been made1 in every age and nation8----,and what means have you used to remove this stubbornness8 ,have you tried what mildness and gentleness would do8 ,i knew one that did3 that had prudence and patience to make the experiment3 ,mr4 ,hugh ,bryan1 who then lived on the borders of ,south-,carolina4 ,and what was the effect8 ,why1 that all his negroes 7and he had no small number of them7 loved and reverenced him as a father1 and chearfully obeyed him out of love4 ,yea1 they were more afraid of a frown from him1 than of many blows from an overseer4 ,and what pains have you taken1 what method have you used1 to reclaim them from their wickedness8 ,have you carefully taught them1 8,that there is a ,god1 a wise1 powerful1 merciful being1 the ,creator and ,governor of heaven and earth8 ,that he has appointed a day wherein he will judge the world1 will take an account of all our thoughts1 words and actions8 ,that in that day he will reward every child of man according to his works3 that 8then the righteous shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world3 and the wicked shall be cast into everlasting fire1 prepared for the devil and his angels40 ,if you have not done this1 if you have taken no pains or thought about the matter1 can you wonder at their wickedness8 ,what wonder1 if they should cut your throat8 ,and if they did1 whom could you thank for it but yourself8 ,you first acted the villain in making them slaves1 7whether you stole them or bought them47 ,you kept them stupid and wicked1 by cutting them off from all opportunities of improving either in knowledge or virtue3 and now you assign their want of wisdom and goodness as the reason for using them worse than brute beasts6 ,v4 #a4 ,it remains only to make a little application of the preceding observations4--,but to whom should that application be made8 ,that may bear a question4 ,should we address ourselves to the public at large8 ,what effect can this have8 ,it may inflame the world against the guilty1 but is not likely to remove that guilt4 ,should we appeal to the ,english nation in general8 ,this also is striking wide2 and is never likely to procure any redress for the sore evil we complain of4--,as little would it in all probability avail1 to apply to the ,parliament4 ,so many things1 which seem of greater importance lie before them that they are not likely to attend to this4 ,i therefore add a few words to those who are more immediately concerned1 whether captains1 merchants or planters4 #b4 ,and1 first1 to the captains employed in this trade4 ,most of you know1 the country of ,guinea3 several parts of it at least1 between the river ,senegal and the kingdom of ,angola4 ,perhaps now1 by your means1 part of it is become a dreary uncultivated wilderness1 the inhabitants being all murdered or carried away1 so that there are none left to till the ground4 ,but you well know1 how populous1 how fruitful1 how pleasant it was a few years ago4 ,you know the people were not stupid1 not wanting in sense1 considering the few means of improvement they enjoyed4 ,neither did you find them savage1 fierce1 cruel1 treacherous1 or unkind to strangers4 ,on the contrary1 they were in most parts1 a sensible and ingenious people4 ,they were kind and friendly1 courteous and obliging1 and remarkably fair and just in their dealings4 ,such are the men whom you hire their own countrymen1 to tear away from this lovely country2 part by stealth1 part by force1 part made captive in those wars1 which you raise or foment on purpose4 ,you have seen them torn away1 children from their parents1 parents from their children3 husbands from their wives1 wives from their beloved husbands1 brethren and sisters from each other4 ,you have dragged them who had never done you any wrong1 perhaps in chains1 from their native shore4 ,you have forced them into your ships like an herd of swine1 them who had souls immortal as your own3 7only some of them1 leaped into the sea1 and resolutely stayed under water1 till they could suffer no more from you47 ,you have stowed them together as close as ever they could lie1 without any regard either to decency or convenience4 ,and when many of them had been poisoned by foul air1 or had sunk under various hardships1 you have seen their remains delivered to the deep1 till the sea should give up its dead4 ,you have carried the survivors into the vilest slavery1 never to end but with life3 such slavery as is not found among the ,turks at ,algiers1 no nor among the ,heathens in ,america4 #c4 ,may ,i speak plainly to you8 ,i must4 ,love constrains me3 love to you1 as well as to those you are concerned with4 ,is there a ,god8 ,you know there is4 ,is he a just ,god8 ,then there must be a state of retribution3 a state wherein the just ,god will reward every man according to his works4 ,then what reward will he render to you8 ,o think betimes6 ,before you drop into eternity6 ,think now1 ,he shall have judgment without mercy that hath shewed no mercy4 ,are you a man8 ,then you should have a human heart4 ,but have you indeed8 ,what is your heart made of8 ,is there no such principle as compassion there8 ,do you never feel another's pain8 ,have you no sympathy8 ,no sense of human woe8 ,no pity for the miserable8 ,when you saw the flourishing eyes1 the heaving breasts1 or the bleeding sides and tortured limbs of your fellow-creatures1 was you a stone1 or a brute8 ,did you look upon them with the eyes of a tiger8 ,when you squeezed the agonizing creatures down in the ship1 or when you threw their poor mangled remains into the sea1 had you no relenting8 ,did not one tear drop from your eye1 one sigh escape from your breast8 ,do you feel no relenting now8 ,if you do not1 you must go on1 till the measure of your iniquities is full4 ,then will the great ,god deal with you1 as you have dealt with them1 and require all their blood at your hands4 ,and at that day it shall be more tolerable for ,sodom and ,gomorrah than for you6 ,but if your heart does relent1 though in a small degree1 know it is a call from the ,god of love4 ,and to-day1 if you will hear his voice1 harden not your heart4 ,to-day resolve1 ,god being your helper1 to escape for your life4 ,regard not money6 ,all that a man hath will he give for his life6 ,whatever you lose1 lose not your soul3 nothing can countervail that loss4 ,immediately quit the horrid trade3 at all events1 be an honest man4 #d4 ,this equally concerns every ,merchant1 who is engaged in the ,slave-trade4 ,it is you that induce the ,african villain to sell his countrymen2 and in order thereto1 to steal1 rob1 murder men1 women and children without number3 by enabling the ,english villain to pay him for so doing2 whom you over pay for his execrable labour4 ,it is your money1 that is the spring of all1 that impowers him to go on3 so that whatever he or the ,african does in this matter1 is all your act and deed4 ,and is your conscience quite reconciled to this8 ,does it never reproach you at all8 ,has gold entirely blinded your eyes1 and stupified your heart8 ,can you see1 can you feel no harm therein8 ,is it doing as you would be done to8 ,make the case your own4 8,master10 said a ,slave at ,liverpool 7to the ,merchant that owned him7 8what if some of my countrymen were to come here1 and take away my mistress1 and master ,tommy and master ,billy and carry them into our country1 and make them slaves1 how would you like it80 ,his answer was worthy of a man3 8,i will never buy a slave more while ,i live40 ,o let his resolution be your's6 ,have no more any part in this detestable business4 ,instantly leave it to those unfeeling wretches1 8,who laugh at human nature and compassion60 ,be you a man6 ,not a wolf1 a devourer of the human species6 ,be merciful1 that you may obtain mercy6 #e4 ,and this equally concerns every gentleman that has an estate in our ,american plantations3 yea all ,slave-holders of whatever rank and degree3 seeing men-buyers are exactly on a level with men-stealers4 ,indeed you say1 8,i pay honestly for my goods3 and ,i am not concerned to know how they are come by03 nay but you are3 you are deeply concerned to know they are honestly come by4 ,otherwise you are partaker with a thief1 and are not a jot honester than him4 ,but you know1 they are not honestly come by3 you know they are procured by means1 nothing near so innocent as picking pockets1 house-breaking1 or robbery upon the high-way4 ,you know they are procured by a deliberate series of more complicated villany1 7of fraud1 robbery and murder7 than was ever practised either by ,mahometans or ,pagans3 in particular by murders of all kinds2 by the blood of the innocent poured upon the ground like water4 ,now it is your money that pays the ,merchant1 and through him the ,captain1 and the ,african butchers4 ,you therefore are guilty1 yea principally guilty1 of all these frauds1 robberies and murders4 ,you are the spring that puts all the rest in motion3 they would not stir a step without you3 therefore the blood of all these wretches1 who die before their time1 whether in the country or elsewhere1 lies upon your head4 ,the blood of thy brother1 7for1 whether thou wilt believe it or no1 such he is in the sight of ,him that made him7 crieth against thee from the earth1 from the ship1 and from the waters4 ,o1 whatever it costs1 put a stop to its cry before it be too late3 instantly1 at any price1 were it the half of your goods1 deliver thyself from blood-guiltiness6 ,thy hands1 thy bed1 thy furniture1 thy house1 thy lands are at present stained with blood4 ,surely it is enough2 accumulate no more guilt3 spill no more the blood of the innocent6 ,do not hire another to shed blood3 do not pay him for doing it6 ,whether you are a ,christian or no1 shew yourself a man6 ,be not more savage than a lion or a bear6 #f4 ,perhaps you will say1 8,i do not buy any ,negroes3 ,i only use those left by my father40 ,so far is well3 but is it enough to satisfy your own conscience8 ,had your father1 have you1 has any man living1 a right to use another as a slave8 ,it cannot be1 even setting revelation aside4 ,it cannot be that either war1 or contract1 can give any man such a property in another as he has in his sheep and oxen4 ,much less is it possible1 that any child of man1 should ever be born a slave4 ,liberty is the right of every human creature1 as soon as he breathes the vital air4 ,and no human law can deprive him of that right1 which he derives from the law of nature4 ,if therefore you have any regard to justice1 7to say nothing of mercy1 nor the revealed law of ,god7 render unto all their due4 ,give liberty to whom liberty is due1 that is to every child of man1 to every partaker of human nature4 ,let none serve you but by his own act and deed1 by his own voluntary choice4 ,away with all whips1 all chains1 all compulsion6 ,be gentle toward all men1 and see that you invariably do unto every one1 as you would he should do unto you4 #g4 ,o thou ,god of love1 thou who art loving to every man1 and whose mercy is over all thy works2 thou who art the ,father of the spirits of all flesh1 and who art rich in mercy unto all2 thou who has mingled of one blood1 all the nations upon the earth2 have compassion upon these outcasts of men1 who are trodden down as dung upon the earth6 ,arise and help these that have no helper1 whose blood is spilt upon the ground like water6 ,are not these also the work of thine own hands1 the purchase of thy ,son's blood8 ,stir them up to cry unto thee in the land of their captivity2 and let their complaint come up before thee2 let it enter into thy ears6 ,make even those that lead them away captive to pity them1 and turn their captivity as the rivers in the ,south4 ,o burst thou all their chains in sunder2 more especially the chains of their sins3 ,thou1 ,saviour of all1 make them free1 that they may be free indeed6 ,the servile progeny of ,ham ,seize as the purchase of thy blood6 ,let all the ,heathens know thy name1 ,from ,idols to the living ,god2 ,the dark ,americans convert1 ,and shine in every ,pagan heart4 ,,finis ,transcriber's ,note ,clear printer's errors have been corrected by the transcriber2 as far as possible1 however1 original spelling and punctuation have been preserved4 ,in this file1 text in italics is indicated by underscores4