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Show 4- ON THE SLAVERY ANI> CoMM ERCE clafs receives its appellation, the Jl Merctnarii. We may obferve df the above-mentioned, that their fituation was in many infiances fimilar to that of our own fervants. There was an exprefs contract between the parties: they could, moil: of them, demand their difcharge, if they were ill ufed by their refpeCl: ive mafiers; and they were treated therefore with more humanity than thofe, whom we ufually difiingui01 in our language by the appellation of Slaves. As this clafs of fervants was compofed of men, who had been reduced to fuch a fituation by the contingencies of fortune, and not by their own mifconduCl:; fa there was 11nother among the ancients, compofed entirely of thofe, who had fuffered the lofs of liberty from their own imprudence. To thi·s clafs may be reduced the Grecian Pro- II The me~tion of the[e is frequent among the claffics ; they were called m general mtrcenarii, from the circumfbnces of their_hirt, as u quibus, non malC pr:ecipiunt, qui ita jubent u ut~, ut mtrunariis, operam exigendam, jufta prcebenda. " C1cero de off.'' But they are fomecimes mentioned in the law books by the name of liluri, from the circumftances of their !Ji:t~, to diftinguifh them from the alieni, or foreigners, as joftm1an. D. 7• 8. <f.-Id. u. 1. •S• &c. &c. &c. diga!s, , OF THE HUMAN SPECIES. s Jiga!s, who were detained in the .(ervice of their creditors, till the fnuits of their labour were equivalent to their debts; the delinquents, who were fenteneed to the oar • and the German enth.tijiqjfs, as mentioned by Tacitus, who were fa immoderately charmed with gaming, as, when every thing elfe was gone, to have fiaked their liberty and their very [elves. " The lofer," fays he, "goes into a voluntary fervitude, and though " younger and ftronger than the perfon with (' whom he played, patiently fuffers him" felf to be bound and fold. Their perfe" verance in fa bad a cuftom is fiiled ho" nour. The !laves, thus obtained, are im" mediately exchanged away in c;:ommercc, " that the winner may get tid of the [can• "dal of his vitl:ory." To enumerate other inftances, would he unneceffary : it will be fufficient to obferve, that the fervants of this clafs were in a far more wretched fituation, than tho(e of the former ; their drudg~ry was more intenfe ; their treatment more fevere ; and there was no retreat at pleafure, from the frowns and la£hes of their defpotick mafiers. A J_ flavin/$ |