Page:A memoir of Granville Sharp.djvu/27

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In 1775, Omai, a native of Waieta, was brought to England. Granville Sharp hoping through him to benefit his native land, sought his acquaintance and devoted a portion of leisure to his instruction. At one of their meetings, the following conversation took place. Omai, like all his people, was addicted to polygamy, and had no idea of its cruelty and turpitude—but he was endowed with that native intelligence, that natural power of discriminating between right and wrong, which is independent of learning, and which is often fairest in the most uncultivated minds. Granville Sharp thus records the conversation:

"When sitting with him at table one day after dinner, I thought it a good opportunity to explain to him the ten commandments. I proceeded with tolerable success, in reciting the first six. He had nothing to object against any of them, though many explications were required, before he understood all the terms; and he freely nodded his assent. But when I recited the seventh commandment, 'Thou shalt not commit adultery;' he cried, 'Adultery! what that? what that?

"It is I said, that if a man has got one wife, he must not take another wife, or any other woman. 'Oh,' said he, 'two wives, very good—three wives, very, very good.' No, Omai, said I, not so—that would be contrary to the first principle of the law of nature. 'First principle of law of nature,' said he, 'what that? what that?' The first principle of the law of nature is, I said, that no man must do to another person, any thing that he would not like to be