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Show 68 DESPOTTf<:M . freedom, and fmally wealth thus acqmrcd fav~r, fam~ 0 educated at Athens and social elcvatwn. ora~l~s and afterwards the among the s?n~ of Ro~~71~1~ord~ of the empire, and friend _and mtJmat~ 0 of the Roman people, was the the delight an~ pnde Emancipations were frequent son of a free man. ,1 e slave constantly had before and were favored. 5;h e rospect of liberty; he thus h is eyes the hoJ?e anfor wl;'ich to live; and a~ though h ad a noble objeCt 1 some political disqualificatiOns th~:e were m gcne~ac~ cct to shake off fl'Om himself, which he couh.l no · P d 11 the more common obwealth, cons idcratwn, an d a · hcs were still spread . t of human hopes an wts ' JCC sb C 1 . nd for his children-and men live out c ohr~ lttihne;i·rachildren as for thcmsclvcs,- he had as muc 10r every thincr to anticipate. I Undoubted! the condition of the country save, d . Y ricul turc more nearly resembled that ~T;11~~~s ,~?u~~ts. But 'still there was an opcni1~g for talent and for hope. No slave was so low or inJscrable, that he might not aspire to freedom and to socml elevation. . . Under this system, there existed that comprom~~~ between the master and the slave, which has be~n 1·. plained above. lf the slave Jived and labored1t ~s master he also lived and labored for hnnse . e w~s se~nrcd by custom, which is stronger an~ more effectUal than law, in the enjoyment of a pecul~t~, ~! property of his own. T he relation of master and s 0 lost to a certain degree, the character o( pur~ , es;.~tism and. approached towards that of lord an : ast'o~ patr~n mJd c lient i while tl.JC frcq_ucncy o~ ema~~t\;:c~ltS introduced into the rclatwn oi serv Jtll c, sc. from totally opposite to those which naturally sp~i~( rati· it. There were gleams of benevolence l an Com garcd tnde; there was a twJiigli.t of good- ~vil ~ra mdrning to a condition of freedom, lt was as t leo y od to the dawn to the brilliancy of !lo.on. Com~~~e morn· system of our 0\VIl country, Jt Js. as.that ing dawn to the blackness of tmdnight. IN Ai'ttEP. fCA, 69 It is true that we read of savage atrocities, excrcis~ ed in those ancient times, by masters towards their slaves. T he Spartans, we arc told, were accustomed from time to time, to send out assassins who put ta death the boldest and most intelligent of the Helots; and it is undeniable that the frequent servile insurrec~ lions which took place in the anc ient states, were su p~ pressed and punished by a series of the most dreadful cruelties. But these fierce acts ought to be regarded as proofs not so much of the degradation of the slaves, as of an approach on their part, towards an equality with their masters. No repose is so perfect as the repose of absolute despotism. The unfrequent and always trifling disturbances among the slaves of America fu r~ nish palpable evidence how sunk they are. It is only where a certain portion of li berty is enjoyed, that more begins to be strenuously claimed, or boldly sought. To him that hath, shall be given; from him that hath not, shall be taken away, even that which l1e hath. Snch servile insurrections as talw place in America, arc faint flashes of folly or despair. The insurrections of slaves itt ancient times, wrre the promptings of genius and of hope. Had the Greek and Roman masters been the same indolent, scattered, untrained, unready people as arc the American planters, such were the means, the courage, the spirit of their slaves that they could not . have retained their dominion for a day. In those times the free were all soldiers. \ Var was their constant study and pursuit. 'T'hcy lived too in ci ties, ready to combine and act at a moment's warning. Thus they were able, by constant preparatiou, and sltpcrior means, aided as they were by the moral causes above ennmeratcd, to maintain their authority over slaves, enjoying an intellectual cquali.ty with themselves . . Under the Roman empi re, the st::tnding army by wh1ch the cm12erors mai1 ~ taincc~ tl~eir autho_rity, scn~cd also to hold 1he slaves 111 subJeCtion. Besides, the masters had a stron~ body of firm friends and |