Page:The History of Slavery and the Slave Trade.djvu/183

 one says that the abolition of the slave-trade must immediately throw the West Indian islands into convulsions, and soon complete their utter ruin."

Amongst others, the amiable and gifted Cowper did not fail to utter his sentiments in regard to the cruel system. Who has not been impressed by the following Hues?

 We have no slaves at home — then why abroad? And they themselves once ferried o'er the wave That parts us, are emancipate and loos'd. Slaves cannot breathe in England; if their lungs Receive our air, that moment they are free; They touch our country, and their shackles fall. That 'a noble, and bespeaks a nation proud And jealous of the blessing. Spread it then, And let it circulate through every vein Of all your empire — that where Britain's pow'r Is felt, mankind may feel her mercy too."

George Fox, the venerable founder of the society of the Quakers, took strong and decided ground against the slave-trade. He was cotemporary with Richard Baxter, being born not long after him, and dying much about the same time. When he was in the island of Barbadoes, in the year 1671, he delivered himself to those who attended his religious meetings in the following manner:

"Consider with yourselves," says he, "if you were in the same condition as the poor Africans are, who came strangers to you, and were sold to you as slaves; I say, if this should be the condition of you or yours, you would think it a hard measure; yea, and very great bondage and cruelty; and therefore consider seriously of this; and do you for them, and to them, as you would willingly have them, or any others do unto you, were you in the like slavish condition."

In the year 1727, we find that the whole society, at a yearly meeting held in London, adopted the following resolution: "It is the sense of this meeting, that the importing of negroes from their native country and relations, by Friends, is not a commendable nor allowed practice, and is therefore censured by this meeting."

In the year 1758, the Quakers thought it their duty, as a body, to pass another resolution upon this subject. At this time the nature of the trade beginning to be better known, we find them more animated upon it, ad the following extract will show:

"We fervently warn all in profession with us, that they carefully ayoid being any way concerned in reaping the unrighteous profits arising from the iniquitous practice of dealing in negro or other slaves; whereby, in the original purchase, one man selleth another, as he [sic] the beasts that perish, without any better pretension to a property in him that that of superior force; in direct violation of the Gospel rule, which teacheth all to do as they would be done by, and to do good to all; being the reverse of that covetous disposition which furnisheth encouragement to those poor ignorant people to perpetuate their savage wars, in order to supply the demands of this most unnatural traffic, by which great numbers of mankind, free by nature, are subject to inextricable