Page 140 - Transcriptions d'actes notariés - Tome 20 - 1682-1686
P. 140
contempt of the blacks, as creatures of another specics, whu had no
right to bc instructed or adniitted to i he sacrnnients." [lf')
While criticizing such an attitude, he ïclt tliat niaiiy plaiiteis {car
that if they baptized their slaves, they would be cornpelled to Iree theni.
The Bishop hastened to reassure hem, bnt warned them ihat ala\.es mn~t
he treated with justice arid eharity. Bishop Beikeley makes an interest-
ing cornparison between the British Protcatant poliey to~rard~ .;ISVPS and
coloured ~eouIe and that of rhc Latin Calholics. "It must be i~wried that
1 1
our refnrm planters with respeet to the natives arid slaves might Icari~
{rom thnse of the Church tif Rrime, how it is in their interests aiid duty
to behave. Bolh French antl Spaniards have inter-married with lndians,
to the great strength, security and incrcase of their colonie!. The! take
eare to instruct both theni and their Ycgrnes in the Popish reli~icin. tci
the repioach of those who profess a belter. Thcv alsn have llishops and
Seminaries for clergy; and it is not inurirl tliat ~heir colotiies are woroe
snhjaets or depend less on their Mother Country."(]')
Whrri speakiri~ nf meritalities in hi~tor~ ichich tolerate or actually
cherjsh instirulirins niiw cnrideniriril hv niueh iif ~oeieiv. we must examine
, ,
whelher [lie inatiiuiinri was not mcrrlv iinil amtingst niany. Slavery is
the depth of servitutlr. Servituilr of various kinds was part of daily life
ii~ Europ~an aoeiety in thr rrnturir~ under corisideratiou. Euglarid
knew indenturrd seruanta. apprrntires. different kirids of servanrs, nnd
knew, tori, that ironi Linir IO tirnr ihe bartiarv pirares carried off European
Christians into filosIrni slaverv. The pages oi the T,ondon Gazette in
almost every issue froni IN9 to 1672 earrv advertisements put in by
irate masters whose srrvnnts have run off rvith livery, ~old and "several
other things". The London Cazcrte of the w-eek 16th January, 1670,
iulormed the publie that those with relatii-es or friends who have
rweiitly heeii eapturrd bv the barbary Turks eould obtain theii release
hy opplying io a Cotntnittce set up bv the Lords-iu-Council and by
~'aying rsiisnm of Fifty Pounds. For those who had no such ivell-to-do
relatives rir Iriends, a public suhscription +vas opened. These depre-
dations of ~he North AIrican Piraies were not riew. Aeeonuts of kid-
napped sailors. and of ntlier Christian slaves are to be found iu the papes
of Purchas. Evrn in Chtistinn rciutitries snch as Spain, Portugal arid
France. and Italian Hepubtics euch as Venice, ~hew werc in stinie enses
househuld slsves. nnd in all tliere iuere galle! :laves.
Some Generrsl Remarks
Lord Wydham in his bricik, The Athtir: and SI~very, rnakes the
point ~hat generally speaking ihe Negro slaves were heiter off under ihe
Spaniards than under ariy other slave-owniug periple exeept the Portu-
guese. Lord Wyndham attributes this to the CathuIic religion of the
(1") Uerkeley, George, A Sermon Preorhed Beiore the InriirpruirJ Sririptc Jvr
the Propogaiion oj the Gospel in Foreign Paris; ut the Pan'sh Chirrrh 01 51.
Mury-le-Bow, Friday, 18 Februory, 1731, Duy u] Ann~rrrsary Me~irrr~, 1732,
London, J. Downing, pp. 19-20,
(1:) Idem, p. 20.
- 21 -