SLAVE. 



rant the obfervation of Demollhenes, in his fecond Philip- 

 pic, " that the condition of a flave at Athens was pre- 

 ferable to that of a free citizen in many other coiintrits." 

 And here, if perfccution exceeded the bounds of lenity, 

 they had their temple, like the Egyptian, for refuge ; where 

 the Icgillature was fo attentive, as to examine their com- 

 plaints, and to order them, if thoy were founded in jullice, 

 to be fold to anotlier mailer. Bclides, they were allowed 

 an opportunity of working for themfelves ; and if their 

 diligence had procured them a fum equivalent to their ran- 

 fom, they could immediately, on paying it down, demand 

 their freedom for ever. To this privilege Flautus alludes, 

 in his " Cafina," where he introduces a flave, fpeaking in 

 the following manner : 



" Quid tu me vero libertate territas ? 

 Quod li tu nohs, filiufque etiam tuus 

 Vobis invltis, atque amborum ingratlij, 

 Una libella liler pojfum Jier'i" 



Thus we find, to the eternal honour of Egypt and Athens, 

 that they were the only places, if we except the cities of 

 the Jews, where flaves were confidered with any humanity 

 at all. The inhabitants of all other parts of the world 

 leemed to vie with each other in the debafement and op- 

 preflion of thefe unfortunate people. 



The writer, of whofe valuable publication we are now 

 availing ourfelves, and to whom the caufe of humanity is 

 under inexpreffible obligations, proceeds to inquire by what 

 circumftanees the barbarous and inhuman treatment of flaves 

 was produced ? 



The firlt of thefe circumftanees, which he mentions, ■ was 

 «* commerce ;" for if men could he confidered as " pof- 

 feflions ;" if, like " Cattle," they might be bought and/oW, 

 it will be natural to fuppofe, that they would be regarded 

 and treated in the fame manner. This kind of commerce, 

 which began in the primitive ages of the world, deprelled 

 the human fpecies in the general eltimation ; and they were 

 tamed, like brutes, by the itings of hunger and the lafli, 

 and their education was fo condufted, as to render them 

 commodious inllruments of labour for their poffeffors. This 

 degradation of courfe deprefled their minds, reltrifted the ex- 

 panfion of their faculties, ilifled almoll every effort of 

 genius, and exhibited them to the world, as beings endued 

 with inferior capacities to the reft of mankind. But for 

 this opinion there feems to have been no foundation in 

 truth or jullice. Equal to their fellow-men in natural 

 talents, and alike capable of improvement, any apparent or 

 even real diilerence between them and fome others miift 

 have been owing to the mode of their education, to the 

 rank tlicy were doomed to occupy, and to tlie treatment 

 they were appointed to endure. 



Tliis commerce of the Jiuinan fpecies, which produced 

 fo pernicious an effeft on the nature and Hate of man, com- 

 menced at a very early period. The hiftory of .lofepli, re- 

 corded in the book of Genefis, leads ua to a very remote era 

 for the introdudtion of this nefarious traffic. In his time it 

 ftems to have been prevalent, and to have been carried on 

 in a manner, tiiat fufficiently indicated its iiaving been 

 long before cllablilhed. Egypt feems to have been at this 

 time the principal, as it was probably the firll, market for 

 the (ale of the human Ipccies. It was, indeed, fo famous, 

 as to have been known, within a few centuries from the 

 time of Pharaoli, both to the Gre';ian colonies in Afia, and 

 the Grecian iflands. Homer mentions Cyprus and Egypt 

 as the common markets for flaves, about the time of ihe 

 Trojan war. (Odylf. 1. xvii. 448. 1. xxvi.) Egypt is 

 alfo reprefented, as we have already intimated, in the book 



1 

 I 



of Genefis, as a market for flaves, and in Exodus (eh. 1. ) 

 as famous for the feverity of its fervitudc. Homer alfo, 

 in the place above cited, points out to us Egypt as a mar- 

 ket for the human fpecies, and by the epithet of " h'ttter 

 Egypt," alludes in the ftrongeft manner to that ieverity and 

 rigour, of which tlie faered hiilorian tranfmitrcd to us the 

 firft account. The OdylTey of Homer (hews farther, that 

 this fpecies of traffic was praftifed in many of the iflands 

 of the ^geaii fea ; and the Iliad informs us, that it had 

 taken place among thofe Grecians on the continent of 

 Europe, who had embarked from thcnee on the Trojan ex- 

 pedition. To this purpofe, at the end of the Icventh book, 

 a fleet is dcfcribed, as having juft arrived from Lemnos, 

 with a fupply of wine for the Grecian camp. The mer- 

 chants are defcribed alfo, as immediately expofing it to lale, 

 and js receiving in exchange, among other articles of barter, 

 " a number of flaves." Tyre and Sidon, as we learn from 

 thp book of Joel, ch. iii. 3, 4, 6, were notorious for the 

 profecution of this trade. This cuftom appears alfo to 

 have exifted among other ftates ; it travelled all over Afia ; 

 it fpread through the Grecian and Roman world ; it was 

 in ufe among the barbarous nations, which overturned the 

 Roman empire ; and was therefore pradtifcd, at the lame 

 period, throughout the whole of Europe. However, as 

 the northern nations were fettled in their conquefts, the 

 flavery and commerce of the human fpecies began to de- 

 cline, and on their full eftablifliment they were abolifhed. 

 Some writers have afcribed their decline and abohtion to 

 the prevalence of the feudal fyftem ; whilft others, much 

 more numerous, and with greater ftrcngtli of argument, 

 have maintained, that they were the natural eflefts of 

 Chriftianity. The advocates of the former opinion allege, 

 that " the multitude of little ftates, which fprung up from 

 one great one at this era, occafioned infinite bickerings and 

 matter for contention. There was not a ftate or feigniory, 

 which did not want all the hands they could mufter, either 

 to defend their own right, or to difpute that of their neigh- 

 bours. Thus every man was taken into the fervice : whom 

 they armed they muft truft : and there could be no truft 

 but in free men. Thus the barrier between the two natures 

 was thrown down, and flavery was no more heard of in the 

 weft." 



That this was not the necelTary confequence cif fuch a 

 fituation, is apparent. The political ftate of Greece, in 

 its early hiftory, .was the fame as that of Europe, when 

 divided by the feudal fyftem into an infinite number of 

 fmall and independent kingdoms. There was the fame 

 matter, therefore, for contention, and the fame call for all 

 the hands that could be muftered : the Grecians, in fliort, 

 in the heroic, were in the fame fituation, in thefe refpcds, 

 as the feudal barons in the Gothic times. 



It muft be allowed, on the fligliteft confideration of the 

 fnbjeft, that Chriftianity was admirably adapted to this 

 purpofe. It taught, " that all men were originally equal; 

 that the Deity was no refpefter of perfijns; and that, as all 

 men were to give an account of their aftions hereafter, it 

 was nccellary that they (hould be Iree." Tliefe doarines 

 could not fail of havmg their proper influence on thofe 

 who firft embraced Chriftianity, from a oinviftion of its 

 truth ; and on thole of their defcendants afterwards, who, 

 by engaging in the crnfades, and lu/.arding their lives and 

 fortunes there, (hewed at leaft an attachment to that reli- 

 gion. VVc find them accordingly aftuated by thefe prin- 

 ciples. We have a pofitive proof, that the feudal fyftem 

 had no (hare in the honour of fupjirelfing flavery, but that 

 Chriftianity was the only caufe ; for the greateft part of 

 the charters, which were granted for tl»e freedom ol ilaves 



