The Essay
A Pamphlet intitled a “Proposal for the Consideration of those, who interest themselves in the Abolition or Preservation of the Slave Trade, written by a Clergyman,” has given me the greatest pleasure. The anonymous author is through the whole guided by philanthropy and historical knowledge; and he has founded his proposals upon such principles as I find have been laid down by our ancestors of the middle ages, when employed in the abolition of a traffic, so highly important to them.
Human beings were of old the principal stock in trade, and the system of raising this valuable article for an extensive market had its source in that degree of civilization, which borders upon the savage state of human nature, and prevails on the conqueror, rather to sell his prisoners to foreign buyers, than to put them to the sword, a practice common to all barbarous nations.
Various as the claims and titles were, by which our ancestors came to their slaves, I have no doubt but that the same still prevail among the Africans, and will continue to prevail till the blessings of our sacred religion, the knowledge of common duties, and a fixed love for agriculture, arts, and manufactures, spread themselves among those millions, who at present are sunk into ignorance.
Before the Christian religion was universally received in Europe, slave-markets were regularly established at Rome, at Bristol, at Micklenburgk, at Skonor, and in the islands of Brenneyar, near Gottenborgh. The history of this last market has been handed down to us in the Icelandic language, from which I shall translate the following account, as it throws no inconsiderable light upon the state of those times with respect to commerce and manners. “Hoskold, of Hoskoldstad,” says the author, “went to the islands of Brenneyar, it being esteemed the highest pleasure to attend an assembly crowded with the chiefs of every nation of whom we have any knowledge: for here the kings of Gothic race were obliged, according to a standing law, to meet every third year, for the purpose of establishing mutual peace throughout their dominions. The market was exceedingly numerous, and at the same time as splendid and attractive, every pause of business being filled with banquetting, interludes, plays, and a variety of other entertainments equally enchanting. One day as Hoskold took a walk with some of his attendants, he chanced to see a neat tent at a distance from the rest; curiosity induced him to go that way. Having come up to it, he met with a man at the door, cloathed in purple, with a Russian hat on his head. On enquiry, he found that his name was Gilli, the Russian.—Hoskold said, he had often heard his name, and that his fortune was superior to that of any other merchant; in consequence of which he expected to find every thing in his possession which he might wish to buy.—Gilli enquired what he wanted:—one of Hoskold’s attendants answered that he wanted to purchase a maid-slave, if he had any. Gilli replied, No doubt you intend to rally me, for you probably guess that I have not what you ask for; but in that you are perhaps mistaken. Hoskold having cast his eyes round the tent, observed it to be divided with a curtain suspended in the middle, which on being drawn up disclosed twelve women. Gilli on this invited Hoskold to approach, and take his choice. Hoskold accepted the invitation; and, after a close inspection, fixed on one, seated last of all next the tent, and of course less conspicuous,—notwithstanding the meanness of her dress, her beauty shone throughout so irresistibly, that Hoskold was immediately captivated with her charms, which convinced him of her illustrious descent. The price set on her amounted to the weight of three marks of silver. It seems to me, said Hoskold, that you place too high a value on her, in as much as this appears to be triple the price. Gilli acknowledged he was in the right, as he esteemed her beyond the rest; at the same time acquainting Hoskold, that if he gave her up, and chose any one of the rest, he should have one of them for one mark of silver. I will see, said Hoskold, the quantity of silver at present in my purse, which was hung on his girdle, then he called for the scales. Gilli seeing this, observed, that no imposition in this affair should be laid to his charge; on account of which he thought it but just to acquaint the intended purchaser, that the woman was subject to a remarkable defect. Hoskold was impatient to know what it might be. Gilli soon gratified him, in letting him know that she was dumb: and notwithstanding, continued the merchant, I have endeavoured by various means to induce her to speak, these have all proved ineffectual.—Hoskold again demanded the scales, and desired to see how much the purse contained. Gilli obeyed; and having weighed the silver, found it exactly to amount to three marks. Having closed the bargain, Hoskold took the female slave, and acknowledged, that Gilli throughout the whole had dealt with candour.”
In all the places aforesaid, human beings were however as often exchanged for horses, arms, and loaves of bread and meat, as sold for money. Thus Lullus, the archbishop of Mentz, asserts, that he saw a horse exchanged for a male slave; and, according to Schannat, a female one was sold for a horse, a shield, and a spear. But Saint Rembert, archbishop of Hambourgh, made a far better bargain, receiving from the heathen Danes a great number of their slaves for the horse he rode upon. Nor were the slaves of higher value among the Goths; for Jornandes tells us, that they exchanged their slaves for a piece of bread and meat. Among the Francs the price of a skilful slave was 10 skillings of gold, but in Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, the regular price never exceeded one mark silver, i. e. one pound twelve shillings sterling; and in Wales a slave was equal to a head of cattle. As to the personal rights, a slave was every where sold with the same forms and solemnities as a horse, or any other beast; except in Denmark, where a proclamation before a court of law was ordered to precede the sale. According to such principles, the same custom was paid for an imported slave as for an ox, viz. a saiga, or a penny, if the slave was to be sold. The slaves being chained together, were brought to market, and sold in lots, each lot containing a number of slaves, which number was very various and uncertain. Thus Saint Elegius, bishop of Noyons, bought often twenty, thirty, fifty, nay whole ship loads in such lots, consisting of men, women, and children, from Germany, Britain, Italy, and the Levant. Helmold beheld at once in the market at Micklinburgk no less than seven thousand Danes exposed to sale. And at that time certain merchants embraced only this branch of trade, which to them proved highly beneficial. Yet of all nations, none was more savage than the inhabitants of Verdun, who having emasculated the boys, sold them at an immense price to the Arabs, who were then settled in Spain. The Slave Trade was otherwise the business of the Jews, particularly in France, which gave Agobard, the archbishop of Lyon, occasion to reproach the Christians in several of his sermons for permitting the Jews to traffick in slaves. On the other hand the Saracens raised an incredible number of slaves for the Venetians, who sold them publicly at Rome. But this market being stopped, the Venetians bought Christian slaves on board the privateers infesting the Mediterranean, and brought them to their own market. At length the Doge interfered, and at once put an end to this shameful traffic.
The Christian religion being at length received by the different nations of Europe, totally changed the ancient trade. On one side the precepts of Christianity were spread among barbarians, and the doctrine of equal rights, to which nature and a future life entitle all human beings, without the least exception, made the slave trade gradually to cease. On the other hand, the importation of slaves, and all traffic of this nature, was severely prohibited; Besides, a doctrine was established by the clergy, that eternal salvation would be the surest reward for the emancipation of slaves; nay, the Christian priests and confessors frequently obliged their penitents, who had no slaves in their own possession, to buy some and manumit them in the presence of the people assembled in the church. The priests themselves set good examples, they purchased slaves, particularly youths of a good and promising appearance, received them into orders, and thus made them entirely free.
Before we proceed to the abolition of the slave trade by law, I shall beg leave to observe, that slaves were among those things which our heathen ancestors offered to their numerous gods, and stained their altars with human blood; if we can believe Ditmarus of Merseburg, who charges the Danes with having in their great sacrifices used no fewer than ninety-nine slaves. St. Bonifacius tells us, that the newly converted Germans sold their slaves to their infidel neighbours for the above-mentioned purpose, which at length was stopped by Gregory the second, who made the offender guilty of a capital offence. Charloman ordered in the synod of Leptin, in the year 743, that a man, who sold his slave to an infidel, should be infamous; and excommunicated in the same manner as a murderer, if the slave thus sold was intended to fall a victim to the gods. And in Norway it was absolutely forbid to sell a slave out of the kingdom, unless he had committed an enormous crime. With a view to promote the abolition of this savage custom, which proved to be fatal to persons of the most exquisite beauty and the most exalted character; it was wisely enacted, that the ceremonies of emancipation among the Christians should resemble the form of the heathen sacrifices, and engage in the same way the imagination both of the Christians and the heathens. Thus happily did the slaves obtain chance of liberty; thus were they often brought to the church, placed on the altar, and symbolically sacrificed to the true God.