Page:A memoir of Granville Sharp.djvu/16

12 with the weight of law in favor of liberty, yet so perplexed with the sophistries of opinion and precedent, that he deferred the further discussion of the case to the next term. Granville Sharp availed himself with his usual zeal of this interval, and amongst the other measures by which he sought to secure an equitable decision, he addressed the following letter to Lord North, dated 18th February, 1772.

"—Presuming that information, concerning every question of a public nature, must of course be agreeable to your Lordship, I have ventured to lay before you a little tract, against tolerating slavery in England.

"His Majesty has been pleased lately to recommend to Parliament the providing new laws for supplying defects, or remedying abuses in such instances where it shall be requisite, and I apprehend my Lord, that there is no instance whatever, which requires more immediate redress, than the present miserable and deplorable slavery of Negroes and Indians, as well as white English servants!! in our colonies. I say, immediate redress, because to be in power and to neglect, even a day, in endeavoring to put a stop, to such monstrous injustice and abandoned wickedness,  must necessarily endanger a man's eternal welfare, be he ever so great in temporal dignity or office. "Nevertheless I don't mention this, as a subject proper for Parliamentary consideration: for the laws of England (God be thanked) are sufficiently clear with respect to slavery in this island. And though some enormous outrages have now and then been committed by ignorant masters, in attempting to carry off by force their quondam slaves, yet, if the Judges do their duty, by determining according to the laws already in force (for Judicandum est Legibus, non Exemplis' 4 Ca. 33, 'We must judge by law not by precedent,') there will be no necessity for Parliament to interfere.

"And with respect to the Colonies, the pernicious practice of slaveholding being tolerated by distinct laws of their own, cannot with propriety fall under the consideration of the British Parliament; for I am well aware, that no Parliament