Page:Remarks upon the Situation of Negroes in Jamaica.pdf/60

 the week will not diſcharge; he is not deprived of ſleep by the anticipation of want, nor alarmed in his dreams by the ideal ſummons of an attorney, nor does he dread that utmoſt reach of meanneſs and oppreſſion, that ne plus ultra of vindictive juſtice, that confines misfortune to the horrors of a jail, and ſinks the ſufferer, his family, and hopes to irremediable miſery, and eternal deſpair. Let the unfeeling, who inhumanly trifle with the wretchedneſs of others, but ſeriouſly reflect how ſoon diſappointment may arreſt their means, and juſtice vindicate the cauſe of innocence: of how little avail is that wealth that is accumulated by extortion, and how ſuddenly inflated pride, and unmerited elevation will ſink into ſilence, and be buried with contempt! Let the wretch who fattens upon the means of others, but conſider that rapacity is amenable to juſtice; and that he who cannot live with honour ſhould ſink with ſhame. The accidental ſunſhine of fortune is often found to be an ignis fatuus that leads the bewildered imagination through pleaſant woods and flowery meads, that it may not be conſcious of