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Show 240 ON THE SLAVERY AND CoMMERCE .. religion," it is evident that the right, which is founded upon it, mull: be the fame; and that if thofe things only are lawful in the fight of God, which are either virtuous in themfelves, or proceed from virtuous principles, you have no right over them at all. You yourfelves alfo confefs this. For when we aik you, whether any human being )1as a right to fell you, you immediately anfwer, No; as if nature revolted at the thought, and as if it was fo contradictory to your own feelings, as not to require confideration. But who are you, that have this exclufive charter of trading in the liberties of mankind ? When did nature, or rather the Author of nature, make fo partial a difi:inCJ:ion between you and them ? When did He fay, that you fhould have the privi.lege of felling others, and that others fhould not have the privilege of felling you? Now Iince you confefs, that no perfon whatever has a right to difpofe of you in this manner, you mull: confefs alfo, that thofe things are unlawful to be done to you, which are .ufually done in confequence of the OF THE H uMAN SPECIES. 241 the f.1le. Let us fuppofe then, that in confe~ quence of the co?Jwm-ce you were forced into a !hip; that you were conveyed to another coun~ try; that you were fold there; that you were confined to incelfant labour ; that you were pinched by continual hunger and thirfi:; and fubject to be whipped, cut, and mangled at difcretion, and all this at the hands of thofe, whom you had never offended J would you not think that you had a right to refill: their treatment? Would you not refill: it with a fafc confcience? And would you not be furprized, if your relifiance fhould be termed rebellion ?-By the former premifes you mufi anfwer, yes.-Such then is the cafe with the wretched African;. They have a right to relifi your proceedings. They can refill: them, and yet they cannot juftly be conlidered as rebellious. For though we fuppofe them to have been guilty of crimes to one another ; though we fuppofe them to have been the moll abandoned and execrable of men, yet are they perfeCl:ly innocent with refpeCl: to you receiver;. You have no right to touch even the hair of their heads without their |