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Show I I ( 76 ON THE SLAVERY AND CoMMERCE tims ever religned to them the leall: portion of their liberty? In vain will they plead the antiquity of the cull:om : in vain will the hOJ;ourab/e light, in which piracy was confidered in the ages of barbarifm, afford them an excufe. Impious and abandoned men ! ye invade the liberties of thofe, who, (with ref peel: to your impious [elves) are in a ll:ate of nature, in a ll:ate of original d~!Jociation, perfectly indepmdmt, perfectly fi·ee. It appears then, that the two orders of llaves, which have been mentioned in the hill:ory of the African fervitude, " of thofe " who arc publickly feized by virtue of the " authority of their prince; and of thofe, " who are privately j<.idnapped by indivi" duals," are colleCted by means of violence and opprefiion; by means, repugnant to nature, the principles of government, and the common notions of equity, as ell:ablilhed among men. C H A P. VI, We come now to the third order of il.2- vo!untary llaves, "to conviCts." The only argument OF THE HUMAN SPECIES. 77 argument that the fellers advance here, is this, " that they have been found guilty of "offences, and that the punifhment is jull:." But before the equity of the fentencc can be allowed, two quell:ions mull: be decided, whether the punilhment is proportioned to the offence, and what is its particular oije8 and end? To decide the firfl:, we may previoully obferve, that the African fervitude comprehends banijbment, a deprivation of liberty, and many corporal fufferings. On banifoment, the following obfervations will fuffice. Mankind have their local attachments. They have a particular regard for the fpot, in which they were born and nurtured. Here it was, that they firfl: drew their infant-breath: here, that they were cherilhed and fupported : here, that they paffed thofe fcenes of childhood, which, free from care and anxiety, are the happiell: in the life of man; fcenes, which accompany them through life; which throw themfelves frequently into their thoughts, and produce the moll: agreeable fenfations. Thefe then are weighty confiderations; and how great this |