John Wesley

“ Are you a man? Then you should have a human heart. But have you indeed? What is your heart made of? Is there no such principle as compassion there? Do you never feel another’s pain? Have you no sympathy? No sense of human woe? No pity for the miserable? When you saw the flourishing eyes, the heaving breasts, or the bleeding sides and tortured limbs of your fellow-creatures, was you a stone, or a brute? Did you look upon them with the eyes of a tiger? When you squeezed the agonizing creatures down in the ship, or when you threw their poor mangled remains into the sea, had you no relenting? ”

“ Slavery imports an obligation of perpetual service, an obligation which only the consent of the master can dissolve. Neither in some countries can the master himself dissolve it, without the consent of judges appointed by the law. It generally gives the master an arbitrary power of any correction, not affecting life or limb. Sometimes even these are exposed to his will: or protected only by a fine, or some slight punishment, too inconsiderable to restrain a master of a harsh temper. It creates an incapacity of acquiring any thing, except for the master’s benefit. ”

“ But can law, Human Law, change the nature of things? Can it turn darkness into light, or evil into good? By no means. Notwithstanding ten thousand laws, right is right, and wrong is wrong still. There must still remain an essential difference between justice and injustice, cruelty and mercy. So that I still ask, who can reconcile this treatment of the negroes, first and last, with either mercy or justice? ”

“ But, secondly, it is not clear, that we should have either less money or trade, (only less of that detestable trade of man-stealing) if there was not a negro in all our Islands, or in all English America. It is demonstrable, white men, inured to it by degrees can work as well as them: and they would do it, were negroes out of the way, and proper encouragement given them. However, thirdly, I come back to the same point: better no trade, than trade procured by villany. It is far better to have no wealth, than to gain wealth at the expence of virtue. ”

“ The law of Jamaica ordains, “Every slave that shall run away, and continue absent from his master twelve months, shall be deemed rebellious:” And by another law, fifty pounds are allowed, to those who kill or bring in alive a rebellious slave. So their law treats these poor men with as little ceremony and consideration, as if they were merely brute beasts! But the innocent blood which is shed in consequence of such a detestable law, must call for vengeance on the murderous abetters and actors of such deliberate wickedness. ”

“ It is not true therefore that white men are not able to labour, even in hot climates, full as well as black. But if they were not, it would be better that none should labour there, that the work should be left undone, than that myriads of innocent men should be murdered, and myriads more dragged into the basest slavery.
7. “But the furnishing us with slaves is necessary, for the trade, and wealth, and glory of our nation:” here are several mistakes. For 1. Wealth is not necessary to the glory of any nation; but wisdom, virtue, justice, mercy, generosity, public spirit, love of our country. ”

“ You have seen them torn away, children from their parents, parents from their children: husbands from their wives, wives from their beloved husbands, brethren and sisters from each other. You have dragged them who had never done you any wrong, perhaps in chains, from their native shore. You have forced them into your ships like an herd of swine, them who had souls immortal as your own: (only some of them, leaped into the sea, and resolutely stayed under water, till they could suffer no more from you.) ”

“ To which an Angolan, has the same natural right as an Englishman, and on which he sets as high a value? Yea, where is the justice of taking away the lives of innocent, inoffensive men? Murdering thousands of them in their own land, by the hands of their own countrymen: many thousands, year after year, on shipboard, and then casting them like dung into the sea! ”

“ By Slavery I mean Domestic Slavery, or that of a servant to a master. A late ingenious Writer well observes, “The variety of forms in which Slavery appears, makes it almost impossible to convey a just notion of it, by way of definition. There are however certain properties which have accompanied Slavery in most places, whereby it is easily distinguished from that mild domestic service which obtains in our country.” ”

“ War itself is justifiable only on principles of self-preservation. Therefore it gives us no right over prisoners, but to hinder their hurting us by confining them. Much less can it give a right to torture, or kill, or even enslave an enemy when the war is over. Since therefore the right of making our prisoners slaves, depends on a supposed right of slaughter, that foundation failing, the consequence which is drawn from it must fail likewise.”
“It is said secondly, Slavery may begin, by one man’s selling himself to another. And it is true, a man may sell himself to work for another ”

“ If a man and woman of any quality, are taken in adultery, they are certain to be put to death, and their bodies thrown on a dunghill, and left a prey to wild beasts. They are punctually just and honest in their dealings; and are also very charitable: the King and the great Lords taking care to employ all that are capable of any work. And those that are utterly helpless they keep for God’s sake; so that here also are no beggars. The inhabitants of Congo and Angola are generally a quiet people. ”

“ The Gold and Slave-coasts are divided into several districts, some governed by Kings, others by the principal men, who take care each of their own town or village, and prevent or appease tumults. They punish murder and adultery severely; very frequently with death. Theft and robbery are punished by a fine proportionable [Pg 8] to the goods that were taken.—All the natives of this coast, though heathens, believe there is one God, the Author of them and all things. ”

“ These are necessary to the real glory of a nation; but abundance of wealth is not. Men of understanding allow, that the glory of England was full as high, in Queen Elizabeth’s time as it is now: although our riches and trade were then as much smaller, as our virtue was greater. ”

“ Let none serve you but by his own act and deed, by his own voluntary choice. Away with all whips, all chains, all compulsion! Be gentle toward all men, and see that you invariably do unto every one, as you would he should do unto you. ”

“ But in what numbers and in what manner are they carried to America?——Mr. Anderson in his history of Trade and Commerce, observes, “England supplies her American Colonies with Negro-slaves, amounting in number to about a hundred thousand every year.” That is, so many are taken on board our ships; but at least ten thousand of them die in the voyage: about a fourth part more die at the different Islands, in what is called the Seasoning. So that at an average, in the passage and seasoning together, thirty thousand die: that is, properly are murdered. O earth, O sea, cover not thou their blood! ”

“ The inhabitants of the Gold and Slave-coast likewise, when they are not artfully incensed against each other, live in great union and friendship, being generally well tempered, civil, tractable, and ready to help any that need it. In particular, the natives of the kingdom of Whidah, are civil, kind, and obliging to strangers. And they are the most gentleman-like of all the Negroes, abounding in good manners toward each other. The inferiors pay the utmost respect to their superiors: so wives to their husbands, children to their parents. ”

“ Make even those that lead them away captive to pity them, and turn their captivity as the rivers in the South. O burst thou all their chains in sunder; more especially the chains of their sins: Thou, Saviour of all, make them free, that they may be free indeed! ”

“ From this time Slavery was nearly extinct, till the commencement of the sixteenth century, when the discovery of America, and of the Western and Eastern coasts of Africa, gave occasion to the revival of it. It took its rise from the Portuguese, who to supply the Spaniards with men, to cultivate their new possessions in America, procured Negroes from Africa, whom they sold for Slaves to the American Spaniards. ”

“ Without question it lies altogether at the door of their inhuman masters: who give them no means, no opportunity of improving their understanding: and indeed leave them no motive, either from hope or fear, to attempt any such thing. They were no way remarkable for stupidity, while they remained in their own country: the inhabitants of Africa where they have equal motives and equal means of improvement, are not inferior to the inhabitants of Europe: to some of them they are greatly superior. Impartially survey in their own country, the natives of Benin, and the natives of Lapland. ”

“ They were kind and friendly, courteous and obliging, and remarkably fair and just in their dealings. Such are the men whom you hire their own countrymen, to tear away from this lovely country; part by stealth, part by force, part made captive in those wars, which you raise or foment on purpose. ”

“ The conqueror having a right to the life of his captive, if he spares that, has then a right to deal with them as he speaks. But this is untrue, if taken generally, That by the laws of nations, a man has a right to kill his enemy. He has only a right to kill him in particular cases, in cases of absolute necessity for self-defence. ”

“ The inhabitants of the Grain and Ivory-coast are represented by those that deal with them, as sensible, courteous, and the fairest traders on the coasts of Guinea. They rarely drink to excess: if any do they are severely punished by the King’s order. They are seldom troubled with war: if a difference happen between two nations, they commonly end the dispute amicably. ”

“ Every town has a Governor, and he appoints the labour of the people. The men work the ground designed for corn; the women and girls, the rice-ground. He afterwards divides the corn and rice, among them: and decides all quarrels, if any arise. All the Mahometan Negroes constantly go to public prayers thrice a day: there being a Priest in every village, who regularly calls them together: and it is surprising to see the modesty, attention and reverence which they observe during their worship—These three nations practise several trades ”

“ And accordingly every town and village has a place of public worship.—It is remarkable that they have no beggars among them; such is the care of the chief men, in every city and village, to provide some easy labour, even for the old and weak. Some are employed in blowing the Smith’s bellows; others in pressing palm-oil; others in grinding of colours. If they are too weak even for this, they sell provisions in the market.
12. The natives of the kingdom of Benin are a reasonable and good-natured people. They are sincere and inoffensive, and do no injustice either to one another or to strangers. ”

“ The time they work in the West-Indies, is from day-break to noon, and from two o’clock till dark: during which time they are attended by overseers, who, if they think them dilatory, or think any thing not so well done as it should be, whip them most unmercifully, so that you may see their bodies long after whealed and scarred usually from the shoulders to the waist. ”

“ In general a few roots, not of the nicest kind, usually yams or potatoes, are their food, and two rags, that neither screen them from the heat of the day, nor the cold of the night their covering. Their sleep is very short, their labour continual, and frequently above their strength; so that death sets many of them at liberty, before they have lived out half their days. ”

“ That in that day he will reward every child of man according to his works: that “then the righteous shall inherit the kingdom prepared for them from the foundation of the world: and the wicked shall be cast into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels.” ”

“ It is easy to suppose what a condition they must soon be in, between heat, thirst and stench of various kinds. So that it is no wonder, so many should die in the passage; but rather that any survive it. ”

“ And the Viceroy goes with him, to inspect the behaviour of the Alkadi, or Governor of each village. The Fulis are governed by their chief men, who rule with much moderation. Few of them will drink any thing stronger than water, being strict Mahometans. The government is easy, because the people are of a quiet and good disposition; and so well instructed in what is right, that a man who wrongs another is the abomination of all.—They desire no more land than they use, which they cultivate with great care and industry: if any of them are known to be made Slaves by the white men ”

“ I pray, to what end is this usage necessary? “Why, to prevent their running away: and to keep them constantly to their labour, that they may not idle away their time. So miserably stupid is this race of men, yea, so stubborn and so wicked.” Allowing them to be as stupid as you say, to whom is that stupidity owing? ”

“ He adds, “It is amazing that an illiterate people should reason so pertinently concerning the heavenly bodies. There is no doubt, but that with proper instruments, they would become excellent astronomers.” ”