Page:The Black Prince (John Naimbanna).djvu/9

( 9 ) a black man, why should I not beat him?" That man will make slaves of black people; for when he has taken away their character, he will say, "O, they are only black people, why should not I make them slaves." That man will take away all the people of Africa, if he can catch them, and if you ask him why do you take away all those people? he will say, "O, they are only black people, they are not like white people, why should not I take them?" That is the reason why I can not forgive the man who takes away the character of the people of my country."

He was then told that it would be very wicked to kill this gentleman, or even not to forgive him seeing the Scripture said, "forgive your enemies"—"Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." This immediately quieted his rage and he became as calm as a lamb, nor was used afterwards to express the least anger against the gentleman who had so much offended him.

Another time, when he saw a man beat his horse about the head and otherways use it ill, he became very angry, and talked of getting a gun to shoot the man, for he was sure he deserved it, and also of carrying a gun always about him to shoot such bad people. As soon, however, as a passage of Scripture which condemned such violence was mentioned to him his anger ceased, and he became sorry for it.

The delicacy of his mind appears from the following circumstance; while reading a book to a lady which had been recommended to him as a good book, he met with a word, supposed by him to convey an impure idea, on which he instantly stopt, and shut the book without assigning any cause. The