368 



HISTORY OF MEXICO. 



prived him of the power of felling him at market, unlefs 

 it was after he had, in a lawful manner, declared him 

 intractable and incorrigible : how different were the 

 Roman laws ? They, from the high authority granted 

 to them by the laws, were not only owners of all the 

 property of their flaves, but likewife of their lives, of 

 which (Jj) they deprived them at pleafure ; treated them 

 with the greateft inhumanity, and made them fuffer the 

 mod cruel torments ; and what ftill fliews more ftrongly 

 the inhuman difpofition of this nation, while they enlarg- 

 ed the authority of owners of Haves, they reftrained 

 whatever was in their favour. The law Fufia Caninia, 

 forbid owners to free by will more than a certain num- 

 ber of flaves. By the Silanian law it was ordered, that 

 whenever an owner was killed, all the flaves who inhabit- 

 ed the fame houfe fliould be put to death, or in any 

 place near where they could hear his voice. If he was 

 killed on a journey, all the flaves who were with him, and 

 alfo all thofe who fled, however manifeft their innocence, 

 were put to death. The Aquilian law made no diflinc- 

 tion between the wound given to a flave, and that given 

 to a bead. So far was the barbarity of the very polifli- 

 ed Romans carried. The laws of the Lacedaemonians 

 were not more humane, which permitted no flave to 

 have redrefs at law againft thofe who infulted or injured 

 him. 



If, in addition to what we have faid hitherto, we fliould 

 compare the fyftem of education of the Mexicans with 

 that of the Greeks, it would appear that the latter did 

 not inftrucl: their youth fo feduloufly in. the arts and 



fciences 



(b) It is not wonderful that the Romans granted that barbarous authority to 

 owners over their flaves, fince they granted it to fathers over their lawful 

 children : Endo liberis jujlis jus vita^ necis, •venumdandique potejlas Patri. 



