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Show 18 ON THE SLAVERY AND CoMMERCE! condition, if confidered in this point of view, was more tolerable. The lEgyptian flave, though perhaps of all others the greatell: drudge, yet if he had time to reach the *' tern pie of Hercules, found a certain retreat from the perfecution of his mafler; and he received additional comfort from the reflection, that his life, whether he could reach it or not, could not be taken with impunity. Wife and falutary t law! how often mull: it have curbed the infolence of power, and !l:opped thofe paffions in their progrefs, which had otherwife been de!l:ructive to the !lave ! But though the perfons of !laves were thus greatly fecured in lEgypt, yet there was no place fo favourable to them as Athens. They wore allowed a greater liberty of fpeech ;:): they had their convivial meetings, their amours, their hours of re- • · Herodotus. L. 2. 113· t u Apud JEgyptios, fi quis fervum fpontc occiderat, cum '' morte damnari .eque ac fi liberum occidi!rct,jubebant lege• J' &c/' Diodorus Sic. L. I. l u Atq id ne vos miremini, Homines fervuloa H Pot:uc, amare, atq ad ccenam condkere. " Licct hoc Athenis. " l1 lautus, Sticho. laxation, ~oF Tl!E HuMAN SPECIEs. 19 laxa n,_ pleafantry,. and mirth; they were treat , 111 fl1ort, With fo much humanity in general, as to occafion that obfervation of Demo!l:henes, in his fecond Philippick, " that the condition of a flave, at Athens, " was preferable to that of a free citizen, " in many other countries." But if any exception happened (which was fometirne• the cafe) from the general treatment defcribed; if perfecution took the place of len ity, and made the fangs of fervitude more pointed than before,* they had then their temple, like the .illgyptian, for refuge; where the lcgiflature was fo attentive, as to examine their complaints, and to order them, if they were founded in ju!l:ice, to be fold to another ma!l:er. Nor was this all : they had a privilege infinitely greater than the whole of thefe. They were allowed an opportunity of working for · themfelves, and if their diligence had procured them a fum equivalent with their ranfom, they could • u Ei (/.1) xed.TI~&v inll tiS' 7d 01tu~ol' " l:ifd.fJ.C~r, f.'tlii Jl' '"'' d.v ~Uf"'ft~ '!;fia"JI'~ " f/.Wffv." Ariftoph. Hora!. Ka:x:i -rottLf! -r;J.u~;:.l!l'utv til'e ~piq1y lthittv. .ijupolis . ...-oAe~r. B 2 immedi- |
