DE MALIS SERVITUTIS

The emblem of the abolitionist movement
https://doyle.com/story/am-i-not-a-man-and-a-brother/​

In  1785, Thomas Clarkson  wrote the winning Latin essay on the  prescribed topic for a Cambridge University competition: An liceat nōlentes in servitūtem dare?  (Whether it is right to enslave people against their will?). He had written the piece simply as a rhetorical exercise but then came to see it as much more. In his own words:  

As it is usual to read these essays publicly in the senate-house soon after the prize is adjudged, I was called to Cambridge for this purpose. I went and performed my office. On returning however to London, the subject of it almost wholly engrossed my thoughts. I became at times very seriously affected while upon the road. I stopped my horse occasionally, and dismounted and walked. I frequently tried to persuade myself in these intervals that the contents of my Essay could not be true. The more however I reflected upon them, or rather upon the authorities on which they were founded, the more I gave them credit. Coming in sight of Wades Mill in Hertfordshire, I sat down disconsolate on the turf by the roadside and held my horse. Here a thought came into my mind, that if the contents of the Essay were true, it was time some person should see these calamities to their end. Agitated in this manner I reached home. This was in the summer of 1785

He subsequently published an extended, English version his work as An essay on the slavery and commerce of the human species, particularly the African, translated from a Latin Dissertation (1786) and then devoted the rest of his life to the abolitionist cause. He was instrumental both in the abolition of British trade in slaves in 1807 and in the passing of the Slavery Abolition Act in 1833. He continued to campaign against slavery world-wide and, shortly before his death in 1846, hosted the American former slave and prominent abolitionist Frederick Douglass on his first visit to Britain.  For further details see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Clarkson

The original Latin text of the essay, macronised and published in the Grex Latine Loquentium email forum by Edward Casey, is given below.  Though little remembered today, its influence at the time makes it arguably the fourth most important Latin work ever written in Britain, after  Isaac Newton's Principia Mathematica, Magna Carta and, Thomas More's Utopia. 

Nec premendo alium me extulisse velim — Livius 22.59

Apud antīquās gentēs et hodiernās quoniam nōlentēs in servitūtem dare diū fuerit ūsitātum, hic commūnis quasi gentium cōnsēnsus, rēctī speciem praebēre cōnsuētūdinī vidētur: cum vērō contrā cōnsīderēmus hominēs, sīc in servitūtem redāctōs, eādem nōbīscum fruī nātūrā , aequē autem prōnōs esse ad voluptātem aequē ā dolōre miseriīsque āversōs, quaedam exorīrī vidētur misericordia, quae huic rēctī speciēī adversātur. Vēritātem igitur inter haec sēcum discrepantia investīgāre rēs est rēvērā maximī mōmentī, quippe cum iūra ad hūmāna pertineat.

*2
Ut rem igitur, quae īnstat, dīiūdicem, historiam servitūtis quam brevissimē explicāre oportēbit. ¹Permultī inter Graecōs, gravī paupertāte vel grandī aere aliēnō oppressī, servī ex līberīs cīvibus factī sunt; hī, ut dēbita dissolverent labōre, illī, ut vītam sustentārent : quae cōnsuētūdo, sīcut apud cēterās Graeciae cīvitātēs, sīc potissimum apud Athēnās valuit, dōnec illa "μη δανειζειν Σωμασι"² ā Solōne lāta prohibēbātur. neque Graecī sōlī hāc in rē notandī sunt, multī enim inter Germānōrum cīvēs inventī, quī etsī nūllīs angustiīs labōrāre, servitūtem sibi intulērunt: Āleam enim tanta lucrandī perdendīve temeritāte exercēbant, ut , cum omnia dēfēcerint, extrēmō ac novissimō jactū dē lībertāte et corporibus contenderent. Sed dē hīs tālibusque servīs, quī voluntāriam servitūtem adiērunt. Nihil suprā dīcendum est; illōs sōlum cōnsīderāre licet, quī nōlentēs lībertāte suā, vī adhibitā, prīvātī sunt.
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¹ μυριοι δηπου αποδιδονται ἑαυτους, ελευθεροι οντες ὥστε δουλευειν κατα συγγραφην [decem milia ipsi vendunt se, quamquam liberi sunt, ut serviant secundum pacta. ]
— Oratio XV.23 Dionis de servitute
² Ne mutuum sumpseris, corpore pignore.
 
*3
Omnēs ferē gentēs dedisse istōs invītōs in servitūtem, quōs bellī fortūna in potestātem redēgit, satis ubīque patet ex historiā : servitūtem enim partim bellī damnōrum reparātiōnem partim poenam habuēre; jūs autem eam adjūdicandī victīs ab eō ipsō dūxērunt, quod, injūriīs acceptīs, ā captōrum vītīs abstinuērunt. Hinc servī apud orientālēs gentēs plērumque ex aciē subāctīs cōnstitērunt. Hinc idem per tōtam Graeciam in ūsū fuisse invenītur; ut enim Helōtēs hāc dē causā Spartānīs, sīc captī bellō cēterīs Graeciae populīs serviēbant: neque Rōmānī ab antīquissimīs hīsce mōribus abhorruērunt; quibus victōribus, saepissimē hostium exercitūs sub corōnā vēniēre. Hinc etiam omnium eārum gentium, quae Rōmānum Imperium ēvertērunt, in mōre fuit positum, ut quemcunque bellō caperent, eundem redigerent in servitūtem.

*4
Sed victōria minimē sōlam praebuit causam sīc in lībertātem hominum saeviendī; ingenuī enim, nūllā ultrō injūriā oblātā, clam suīs saepe populāribus interceptī, saepe in praedātōriās nāvēs per īnsidiās abductī, servōrum fungī officiīs coāctī sunt. Ob hās sānē artēs, mercātōrēs Thessalī (ut ex Aristophane patet) praecipuē īnfāmēs ēvāsēre; ob illās vērō ; notandī sunt inter cēterōs Athēniēnsēs, ad quōs dē prōpositīs tam nefāriīs dēterrendōs. Lēx illa posteā fuit lāta, quae morte Ανδραποδιστας mulctāvit. Duōs igitur apud antīquōs servōrum ōrdinēs fuisse memorāvimus, "captōrum bellō vel vī fūrtimque
abductōrum." Hīc tertius accēdēbat ōrdo illōrum, quī "ex utrīsque nātī
sunt."

*5
Pauca nunc dē mercātūrā illōrum, quī sīc in servitūtem vēnēre, dīcāmus; servī enim quasi pecora inter possessiōnēs habēbantur atque vēnālēs prōstābant. Tālēs per commercia trādere antīquissimī fuit mōris, quod satis ex Homērī Īliade idque plūs vice simplicī appāret. Neque nōs hīc fallit ista in sacrīs litterīs nārrātiō dē Jōsēphō, cuius excellēns ingenium veritī frātrēs clam interceptum peregrīnīs mercātōribus vēndidērunt. Hoc inde commercium sīc in antīquissimōs majōrum mōrēs receptum, per tōtam Asiam, per Graecum Rōmānumque orbem, ubi fōrma servīlia cōnstitūta sunt, per tōtam dēnique Eurōpam exercēbātur.
 
*6
At ubi dīlūxit Chrīstiāna Religiō, quae omnēs prīmā ab orīgine aequālēs, Nūmen autem dīvīnum hunc vel illum nūllō discrīmine cūrāre monuit; tum variae nātiōnēs prāvā ab istā cōnsuētūdine discēdere coepērunt. Hinc hominēs nihilō diūtius vēnum trādēbantur. Hinc illī quī tunc temporis servōrum officiīs fungēbantur, "prō amōre Deī" manūmissī, quī vērō posteā bellō capiēbantur commūtātī sunt: quod ad nōs usque posterōs nunc fēlīciter pervēnit ūsū. Plērīque sīc dēmum Eurōpaeī, quibus huic servitiō hominum favēre diū fuerat ūsitātum, hūmānum genus neque dandō neque accipiendo in servitūtem lībertātem sibi atque aliīs vindicārunt.

*7
Quod sī hominēs quō tempore religiōne permōtī sēriīs sēsē cōgitātiōnibus dedēre, sōlennia abrogārunt servitūtīs, quam omnī bonōrum dētestātiōne dignī videntur, quī mōrem, cōnscientiā crīminis antīquātum renovārunt; quae autem argūmenta contrā tālēs nōn invenīrī possent! ¹ Lūsitānī Āfricam nē verbō quidem lacessītī, praedātōriā manū invādentēs, miserōs prīmum abdūxērunt indigenās, atque in servitūtem dedēre: quod exemplum, prōh dēdecus, majōrēs nostrī secūtī aliīs viam, per injūstitiam ad dīvitiās dūcentem, mōnstrārunt.
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¹ Haec Historia Āfricānae servitūtis excerpta est ex Astleiānā collēctiōne, variīsque Bosmannī, Smythīī Barbottī, Adansōnī aliōrumque auctōrum testimōniīs, quī complūrēs annōs in Āfricānā terrā habitārunt.

*8
Ob hās tot tālēsque praedātiōnēs cōnsternātī Āfrī maritimā ōrā profugī, mediterrāneās petēbant terrās, at hīc quoque Eurōpaeī nāvibus intrā flūmina receptīs dēlātī, miserōs secūtī sunt. Hīc sēdēs fīxās posuēre, hīc gentium dēnique rēgulōs, expositīs mercibus, in suās pellere partēs. Quid deinde secūtum? Nōvī deinde mōrēs inter Āfricānōs populōs inductī.
Captī bellō dehinc praeter cōnsuētūdinem patriam vēndēbantur, ut prō poenā servīrent. Convictī crīminum in quōs ōlim leviter suīs fuerat animadversum, eāsdem exsolvērunt poenās; neque ūllum crīmen deinceps perpetrātum, quīn servitūte mulctābātur.

*9
Sed fēlīcēs sānē ēvāsissent Āfrī, sī convictī crīminum vel jūstō captī bellō sōlī servitūtis dūra pertulissent! Sed ēheu quid nōn efficiet avāritia? Rēgulī ipsī, quōrum prōrsus sunt ēmolumenta mercātūrae, nōn minus nunc injūstī, quam Eurōpaeī, inveniuntur. Multī, mercibus nunc corruptī peregrīnīs, bellum, nūllā acceptā injūriā, īnferunt fīnitimīs, nūllā autem aliā causā, quam ut captōs vēndant. Multī, fugā hostium spē manubiārum frūstrātī, in suōs arma convertunt cīvēs, proximīsque vīcīs vastātīs incessīsque, incolās corripiunt ēgressōs, vīnctōsque virōs cum conjugibus et līberīs, nunquam in patriam reditūrōs, ad mercātōrēs adigunt. Inter hāsce calamitātēs, ex prāvā prīncipum tyrannide exortās, aliae quoque, atque istae ex prīvātōrum injūstitiā exoriuntur. Multī enim populāribus suīs per īnsidiās interceptī, multī, nautīs ad cōnscendendās nāvēs allēctī, (sīc praepollet apud omnēs ōrdinēs hominum avāritia,) in servitūtem trāduntur et abdūcuntur.

*10
Historiā sīc explicātā servitūtis ad rem festīnāre oportēbit. Orīginem igitur, fundāmentum, atque nātūram imperiī contemplēmur, multa enim exhinc argūmenta, eaque ad rem prōferrī possunt. Historiā sīc explicātā servitūtis ad rem festīnāre oportēbit. Orīginem igitur, fundāmentum, atque nātūram imperiī contemplēmur, multa enim exhinc argūmenta, eaque ad rem prōferrī possunt.

*11
Omnēs prīncipiō rērum, aequē līberōs esse, aequē autem jūs in terram atque terrae frūgēs habēre, eā ratiōne patet eārumque gentium historiā, quae maximē ad nātūrae statum accessērunt. ¹ Hinc ūniversa ōlim commūnia et indīvīsa fuēre, nihil prīvātī fuit aut sēparātī agrī; ūnusquisque suās, ut fōns, nemus, campus placuit, collocābat sēdēs, sine injūriā, quae voluit, colligēbat, nēminī pārēns; adhūc enim neque cīvīlis auctōritās fuerat cōnstitūta, neque hic ōrdo hominum illum superāverat.
Brevī tamen post tempore, quum nātūra sua (quippe cui ratiōnis facultātēs et ōrātiōnis īnsitae essent) sua autem ipsōrum salūs praesidiumque exēgērunt ut in ūnum cōgerentur, societās inde conjūnctiōque hominum īnstituī ac servārī coepit; ² ita tamen, ut adhūc sine imperiō, adhūc līberī prōrsus ac solūtī, gregātim sōlum, ut dēfēcērunt alimenta, vagārentur. At multitūdine tandem hominum magis magisque indiēs gravēscente, quam ad alendam vix sine labōre sufficiēbat tellūs, mūtuae commōvērunt necessitātēs, ut ūnusquisque propiōs sibi agrōs assignāret, ut coleret, quō facilius sē suōsque sustentāret ut imperium simul paterētur: nam sine imperiō nē haec quidem efficī potuissent: quis enim sūdāsset sī cēterīs lībera potestās ea, quae vellent abdūcendī fuisset facta? quis manum admōvisset stīvae, nisi frūgēs, labōre suō colligendae, tūtae, inductō dominātū, ab injūriīs 
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¹ ex īnstitūtiōne quōque Sāturnālium
² ut apud Scythōs, Getās, etc.

*12
Quaestiō nunc eaque nōn minimī forsan mōmentī, exorīrī vidētur "quis prīmus prīncipātum vel quibus artibus, in prīmaevīs hīsce rēbus pūblicīsobtinuit?" Anne superbus fuerit, quī ex numerō vulgī adhūc indistīnctī sē excerpere cupidus vī sibi imperium vindicāvit? Minimē vērō; quī enim fierī potuit, ut vī acquīreret imperium, istā aetāte, quā, omnibus aequē
līberīs, nēmo vīribus alterīus utī potuisset? Sapiēnsne igitur fuerit, an quem "ad fastīgium huius majestātis nōn ambitiō populāris sed spectāta inter bonōs moderātiō prōvehēbat?" Hoc vērisimilius vidētur, ut enim in antīquissimīs hīsce aetātibus nēmo per vim summīs rērum potīrētur sīc ille sōlum, idque cōnsēnsū dōnōque populī, prīncipātum obtinēre potuit, cuius jūstitiae, cuius dēnique sapientiae populus habēret fidem.

*13
Haec argūmenta quātenus ad hanc quaestiōnem dē imperiō prōlātam attinet, factīs et exemplīs cōnfirmēmus. Rēgna inter Gallōs veterēs nōn esse haereditāria ex testimōniō Caesaris appāret, quī plūrimōs istōsque prīvātōs nōminat, quōrum tamen patrēs iam mortuī, ōlim in suīs cīvitātibus obtinuerant imperium. Haec rēgna, auctōre eōdem, in contiōnibus cuiusque gentēs, propter summam iūstitiam, summamve prūdentiam ā populō dēferēbantur, adeōque lēgibus circumscrīpta atque
cauta fuēre, ut Ambiorix ipse fateātur "sua esse ejusmodī imperia, ut nōn minus habēret in sē jūris multitūdō, quam ipse in multitūdinem."

*14
Eāsdem apud tōtam Germāniam valuisse mōrēs, etsī multīs dīversīsque gentibus abundantem, ēdocet Tacitus. "Rēgēs inquit, ex nōbilitāte, ducēs ex virtūte sūmunt; nec rēgibus īnfīnīta aut lībera potestās: neque enim animadvertere, neque vincīre, neque verberāre quidem nisi sacerdōtibus permissum est, nōn quasi in poenam, neque ducis jussū, sed veluti Deō
imperante, quem bellantibus adesse crēdunt."

*15
Haec, quae dē Gallīs Germānīsque iam suprā memorāvimus, sī rem longius prōsequāmur, aequē apud aliās gentēs in ūsū fuisse invenientur, quae in eōdem quasi nātūrae statū versātae sunt. Quid dē Hunnīs mentiōnem facimus aut Alannis? Quid Saxonēs, Gothōs, Francōs, cēterōsque memorāmus populōs, ē quibus omnēs istae respublicae, quae hōdiē in Eurōpā
cōnspiciuntur, suās dūxērunt orīginēs? Quid Mexicānōs dēnique citāmus in testimōnium, quōrum fōrma reīpūblicae similis similēsque mōrēs permultīs vel aetātis nostrae haud ignōta sunt?

*16
Hīsce igitur memorātīs, ea, quae sunt paecipuē inde observanda, colligerēmus restat; inter quae, prīmum, lībertās jūs hominum nātūrāle habenda est, imperium autem adventīcium quoniam "omnēs ā prīncipiō rērum aequē līberē ēvāserint."

*17
Imperium secundō Foedus exīstimandum est, quoniam in prīmaevīs hīsce rēbus pūblicīs "nōn līberum, sed certīs lēgibus circumscrīptum" ostenderimus.

*18
Tertiō autem patet fēlīcitātem esse fundāmentum imperiī, quippe quod "ūnīcuique optimō" jūstissimō, sapientissimō, ōlim populus contulerit, ut, prīncipis sapientiā vīribus populī additā, uterque mūtuam ab injūriīs prōpulsātiōnem, mūtua commoda, mūtuam exspectārent fēlīcitātem.
 
19
Ducta haec ex ratiōne et historiā ad rem prōpositam applicēmus; sī quis sānē ā prīmōrdiīs rērum, imperiī facultāte parī ratiōne, quā hominēs cēterīs facultātibus, ā nātūrā fuisset praeditus, adeō ut cēterī mortālēs necessitātem huic ūnī pārendī quasi sibi īnsitam cōnspexerint, hic profectō, quippe quī superior nātūrā ēvāserit, imperium, quasi jūs nātūrāle, sibi atque posterīs suīs vindicāsset: quoniam vērō contrā jūs imperiī adventīcium, quoniam omnēs ōlim līberī, nātūra autem ūnīcuique
corpus atque mentem sua ipsīus fēcerit, nēmo innoxius sine suō ipsīus cōnsēnsū in servitūtem darī potest.

*20
Neque hominēs ūllō modō inter Possessiōnēs, ut domūs, fundī, vel terrae frūgēs habendī sunt, vel ab hīs ad illōs trānsferendī: omnia enim, quae vel propria esse, vel mancipārī possunt, necesse est ut longē īnferiōra mancipantibus sint; sed quid ā dominō distat servus, nisi cāsū? quamvīs enim stigma, frontī inustum, discrīmen exhibeat fortūnae, quid stigma
nātūrae, quō ille hunc superat, conspiciātur?

*21
Sed ut hominēs inter possessiōnēs habērī nequeunt, sīc neque eōrum lībertās vēnālis. Sī enim hujus lībertās ex illīus pendeat arbitriō, quis ab hōc vītae exigat ratiōnem? quam ad reddendam, quippe quī ratiōnis particeps, nātūra fēcit obnoxium. Adde quod, cum hominum vēndās lībertātem, corpus sōlum respiciās; animus enim neque vincīrī, neque in servitūtem darī potest: Quod sī corpus, in tālī mercātūrā, sōlum respicere datum sit, quī fīat, quīn illum, cui lībertās vēnditur, quasi bēstiam animī expertem necessāriō habeās, nātūrāque istā hūmānā, quae nōn aliter quam duplex cōnsīderārī potest, abūtāris.

*22
Sed dīcās forsan, "sī nōn servī, neque sunt pecudēs inter possessiōnēs, ut domūs, fundī, frūgēs, habendae aut mancipandae: hīs enim suntsuperiōrēs, quippe quae spīrent, vīvant, cōnsciae sint dolōris." At haec profectō ex eōdem quasi fonte argūmentī refellī possunt: jūs enim imperiī in pecudēs, nōn sīcut in hominēs adventīcium est, sed nātūrāle; praetereā quod longē īnferiōrēs, idque manifēstō, mancipantibus ēvādunt; lībertāsque eārum est vēnālis, quippe quae, ratiōnis expertēs, nūllō modō sunt ratiōnem vītae redditūrae.

*23
Sī haec ita sint, quantum contrā ratiōnem, nātūram, omnia dēnique hūmāna atque dīvīna peccant istī, quī nōn modō hominēs trādunt nōlentēs in servitūtem, sed quasi pecudēs omnīnō habent, et pūblicās faciunt mercātūrās hūmānae lībertātis! quibus autem argūmentīs istās dēfendere mercātūrās possunt, quās exercēre nēminī sine jūra nātūrae violandō
datum est!

*24
Hōrum igitur ut argūmenta perpendāmus, (quae iam satis in historiā Āfricānae servitūtis explicāta sunt) commercium in duās partēs, (prout prīmum ad illōs spectat, quī trādunt, ad illōs deinde, quī accipiunt hominēs in servitūtem,) dīvidere oportēbit. Quā igitur auctōritāte prīncipēs in cīvium innoxiōrum lībertātem saeviant, inquīrāmus. "Imperiī forsan auctōritāte" respondēbis, quippe quibus cōnsēnsū cīvium imperāre concessum est. Sed cīvēs inter possessiōnēs prīncipis habērī nequeunt; huius enim nātūra nūllō modō illōrum superat; adde quod, imperium adventīcium ideōque constitutum est, ut nōn modō cīvium suōrum possessiōnēs, jūrā, vītās tueātur, sed fēlīcitātem paret. Salūtī igitur illōrum cōnsulit, quōs ad libitum invādit ferrō? fēlīcēsne reddat illōs, quōs, tōtīs vīcīs vastātīs incēnsīsque, cum conjugibus et līberīs in
miserrimam servitūtem adigit? agit profectō, "quasi injūriam facere id dēmum esset imperiō ūtī." Clāmat igitur jūstitia, clāmat nātūra inhonestē factum; nōn sōlum enim contrā prīmum illud mūnus jūstitiae "nē cui quis noceat, nisi lacessītus injūriā" , et contrā nātūram agit, quae nēminem innoxium sine suō ipsīus cōnsēnsū in servitūtem darī jubet, sed foedus illud imperiī violat, eō ipsō sancitum, "ut prīncipis sapientiā vīribus populī additā, uterque mūtuam ab injūriīs Prōpulsātiōnem, mūtua commoda, mūtuam exspectet fēlīcitātem."

*25
Quod sī rēgēs ipsī, quōrum imperiō suī sēsē permīsērunt cīvēs, in subditōrum lībertātem saevīre nequeant sine violendō foedus, id est,sine injūstitiā; quantō scelestiōrēs istī prīvātī ēvādunt, quī per īnsidiās intercipiunt aut abdūcunt illōs, cum quibus nūllum tāle foedus imperiī initum; quōrum igitur omnēs, (quod ad istōs nefāriōs attinent) in nātūrae statū, nūllīs lēgibus astrīctī, līberī sunt omnīnō. 

*26
Ad illōs nunc, quī convictī crīminum, sīcut suprā dictum, mulctantur servitūte, perventum est, ubi prīmum an poena major sit quam culpa, quōrsum deinde spectat, quaerendum est. In magnitūdine igitur poenae aestimandā satis erit observāre, quod hominēs nihil gravius servitūte patiuntur, quod autem multa, atque ista praeclārissima, exemplapraebuēre, quibus jūdicandum, quam procul dubiō vel mortem ipsam servitūtī praetulēre. Quam multī hīc ēnumerārī possunt, quī dūra
servitūtis passī, perīculum vītae lubenter adiērunt, ut occīderent tyrannōs! quot vulnera libenter accepta, quantum sanguinis libentereffūsum in testimōnium vēritātis citārentur! quot bella dēnique pūblica,
nē dicam servīlia, suscepta sunt, ut lībertās āmissa reciperētur!

*27
Sī Dīī igitur nihil hominibus cārius lībertāte contulerint, cum quā sōlitūdinēs ipsae vel sōlācia praebēre possunt, sine quā autem sōl frūstrā lūcet et omnia vītae dulcia sēcum afferunt fastīdium, quae poena servitūte gravior esse potest? quod sī huic lībertātis prīvātiōnī labōrēs, vulnera, miseriās dēnique subjiciāmus, quae illī, cum accipiantur in servitūtem, subeunt, quod¹ crīmen adeō immāne, ut tantīssit dignum cruciātibus, inveniātur? certē igitur contrā ratiōnem, jūstitiam, nātūram istī agunt, quī hanc omnium poenārum gravissimam ūnīcuique vel culpae levissimae attribuunt. Sed ea tamen est cōnsuētūdo apud Āfrōs: ex illō enim tempore, quō Eurōpaeī Āfricānōs prīncipēs mercibus peregrīnīs corrūpēre, nōn ūllum crīmen fuit perpetrātum, nōn ūlla quidem crīminis umbra excōgitāta, quīn servitūte mulctārētur.
_____
¹ [hoc in loco dicendum est 'quod' aut 'quid'?]

*28
Sed quōrsum spectat poena? anne adhibeātur, ut mōrēs nocentēs in melius mūtentur, meliorque sīc cīvis ēvādat? minimē vērō: quem enim ā patriā relēgās, ille nihilō diūtius cīvis; quem autem in servitūtem ibi trādis, ubi labōre partim, partim famē cōnficitur, ille potius ad peccandum, ("sīc magistra malōrum improba exsistit fames") quotīdiē sollicitātur.
Adhibētur ergō ut cēterī ab iīsdem prōpositīs dēterreantur, comminuantur autem crīmina? immō potius ut prīnceps dīvitiīs augeātur, quantō enim plūra sunt crīmina cīvium, tantō dītior prīnceps; tantō hic fēlīcior, quantō nēquiōrēs illī. Neque vērō concēdendum est poenam sīc adhibitam pūblicae respondēre fēlīcitātī; sī enim hominēs quō jūre quāve injūriā in servitūtem cōgantur, nēmo fēlīx esse potest, quoniam nēmo tūtus. Quod sī poena multō major sit quam culpa, sī autem adhibeātur, neque, ut reus melior ēvādat, neque, ut commoda percipiat rēspūblica, vix dīcere necesse est, quam omnīnō sit injūsta, quippe quae ā ratiōne, nātūrae praeceptīs, lēgibus imperiī abhorreat.

*29
Sed interrogābis forsan, "licetne omnīnō prīncipibus poenā subditōs afficere?" immō certē: foedus enim imperiī aequē ad cīvēs spectat atque prīncipem; quōrum illī sī in mūtuam istam fēlīcitātem, quae fundāmentum foederis, crīminibus, hīc vērō tyrannide peccent, utrīque sunt injūstī, quippe quī foedus violāverint, ideōque sibi invicem dē injūriīs satisfacere cōgī dēbent, sed etiamsī cīvēs latrōciniīs, cēterōsque bonīs fortūnae spoliandō, injūstī fīant, nōn tamen prīncipī contrā vītam et
lībertātem, dōna ista nātūrae, saeviendum est, ut suae tantum cōnsulat ūtilitātī, sed ut, exemplum terrōris exhibendō, pūblicam istam tueātur fēlīcitātem, quam ad servandam foedere ipsō cōgitur imperiī.


30
Pauca nunc dē illīs, quī bellō captī, dīcenda sunt; omnēs enim ferē gentēs istōs invītōs dedisse in servitūtem, quōs bellī fortūna in potestātem redēgit, satis anteā ostendimus. — Sed quō jūre sīc in captōrum lībertātem grassātī sunt? "ut pretium lībertātis accipiendō damna reparārent bellī." Sed hoc jūstē factum negātum est : Sī enim hostēs vīctī victōribus sē suaque permittant, quid hōs prohibet, quīn tantō pecorum et armentōrum numerō, tantō dēnique aurī argentīque pondere illōs mulctent, quanta injūriam vel duplō majōrem reparāre possent. Neque concēdendum est quod, damnīs sīc bellī reparātīs, partim poena ob illātās injūriās rēctē adjūdicāri potest; quī enim jūstē factum sit, ut illī, quī satisfactiōnem duplō majōrem injūriā semel accēpērunt, dēnuō in captōs, lībertātem adimendō, saevīrent. Nōnne haec poena exīstimanda est, quae partim dēnique illōrum, quibus ōlim gaudēbant vīctī, victōribus adiūdicat? quō igitur jūre factum? dicās forsan, "quod ab iīs captōrum vītīs abstinuērunt, quās ēripere licuisset." at vērō minimē licuit, nisi exēgerit necessitās : quod sī vērō ā captōrum vītis rē vēra abstinuēre, quid hoc, nisi nūllam esse tālem necessitātem, manifēstō probat? Vix hīc observāre necesse est, quam Eurōpaeae gentēs, post Chrīstiānam religiōnem inductam, hās antīquōrum sententiās explōsēre : quam vītis nunc illōrum, quī abjiciunt arma, parcunt; quam captōs captīs mūtant, quam dēnique, cōnfectō bellō, ut sibi invicem dē
injūriīs satisfaciant, nōn servitūte, sed aliīs cōnantur modīs.

*31
Sī rēs igitur ita, sī servitūs nōn in bellō quidem jūstissimō (dē quō sōlum adhūc dīximus) dēfendī possit, quam praeter omne exemplum injūstissima illa vincula habenda sunt, illa servitūs exīstimanda, quae ex bellīs omnīnō injūstīs exoriuntur, ex illīs nempe Āfricānīs, quae ad rem nostram sōla pertinent. Eurōpaeī, mercēs suās expōnendō, jamdūdum sēmina perpetuae inter Āfricānās gentēs discordiae posuērunt; quibus mercibus nunc corruptī prīncipēs nūllam nōn occāsiōnem lītēs inter sē
movendī amplectuntur. Omnis sīc scintillula in flammam exit, atque bellum nūllā aliā causā susceptum est, quam ut vēndantur captī : dum Eurōpaeī contrā, discordiīs hīsce laetī, cōpiam armōrum apparātūsque bellicōs īnstruendō, vīrēs istās praebent avāritiae, quam ipsī prīmum excitārunt. Sīc Āfrica per ducentōs annōs injūstissimīs sānē bellīs vexāta fuit, et multa mīllia hominum in servitūtem injūstissimam quotannīs trādita.

*32
Quod sī argūmenta hōrum, quī trādunt, prōrsus levia sint atque vāna, quibus sānē argūmentīs illī, quī recipiunt hominēs in servitūtem, hoc tāle commercium dēfendant ? "Rēctē recipere respōnsum est, atque praesertim illōs, quī sunt crīminum convictī, quoniam suīs magistrātibus trādantur." sed quid haec ad vōs receptōrēs spectant? quās vōbīs intulērunt injūriās? anne foedus sancitum violārunt ? anne nāvēs dīripuērunt vestrās aut vestrās conjugēs līberōsque abdūxēre? quod sī
hōrum nihil fēcerint, quid vōbīs est cum illīs? quantō melius vōbīs Chrīstiānīs profānus ille Achilles in Īliade.

οὐ γὰρ ἐγὼ Τρώων ἕνεκ’ ἤλυθον αἰχμητάων
δεῦρο μαχησόμενος, ἐπεὶ οὔ τί μοι αἴτιοί εἰσιν·
οὐ γὰρ πώποτ’ ἐμὰς βοῦς ἤλασαν οὐδὲ μὲν ἵππους,
οὐδέ ποτ’ ἐν Φθίῃ ἐριβώλακι βωτιανείρῃ                          155
καρπὸν ἐδηλήσαντ’, ἐπεὶ ἦ μάλα πολλὰ μεταξὺ
οὔρεά τε σκιόεντα θάλασσά τε ἠχήεσσα·
                                                                                                                                         —A 152-157

[....quomodo aliquis tibi promptus dictis obsequatur Achivorum,
vel hanc viam ut ineat, vel cum viris fortiter pugnet?
non enim ego Trojanorum gratia veni hastatorum
huc pugnaturus, quum nullius in me noxii sint.
Non enim unquam meas boves abegerunt, neque equos,
neque unquam in Phthia glebosa, virorum alumna,                 155
segetem populati sunt: quoniam valde multi interjacent
montesque umbrosi, mareque resonans: ]

*33
Sī Āfrī igitur (quod ad vōs attinet receptōrēs) rēvērā sint innoxiī, quō iūre recipiātis ? "Lēgum forsan; quae favent servitūtī, quippe quam nōn prohibent. At lēgēs hujus populī nōn ad illum spectant, neque, quod rē vērā turpe est, reddant id honestum. Sed ēheu ! nōn sōlum vōsmet ipsōs tālibus argūmentīs dēfenditis, sed, sub falsā saepe speciē lēnitātis,  vel laudem ipsam audētis vindicāre! quam ērubēscere profectō decet, quī affirmātis, "quod captī bellō sōlum emuntur ex victōribus, ut ā morte līberentur." Quod sī hāc causā sōlum līberētis vīctōs, cūr, cum in vestram trādantur iīdem, fame atque siti cruciantur? cūr continuō paene ēnecantur labōre? cūr flagellum corpus, ferrum membra dēfōrmant? cūr dēnique morte multō saeviōre illā, ā quā prius sunt servātī, saepissimē mulctantur? Quid ad haec respondeātis? sī enim illōs ā victōrum manibus
nōn hūmānē servāssētis, mors cita forsan, idque ūnō temporis mōmentō, ā miseriīs ēripuisset ; sed ob vestrum sānē favōrem et benevolentiam, complūrēs annōs labōrum, miseriārum explēvisse, mortemque dēmum crūdēlissimam ob levissimam sānē culpam adiisse, nōtum est.

*34
Neque id concēdendum est, quō praecipuē quoque glōriāminī, quod miserōs abdūcitis, ut illōrum tantum fēlīcitātī cōnsulātis, "quoniam Āfricāna terra continuīs imbribus, tempestātibus, calōribus obnoxia, locustīs cēterīsque īnsectīs vexāta, īnsalūbris atque sterilis ēvādat." At respōnsum illud, quod Scythae Aegyptiīs dedēre, quandō utrīsque dē  generis antīquitāte certātum fuit, consīderāte ; "quippe nātūram, cum prīmum incrēmenta calōris ac frīgoris regiōnibus distīnxit, statim ad
locōrum patientiam animālia quoque generāsse ; sed et arborum atque frūgum, prō regiōnum condiciōne, aptē genera variāta : et quantō Scythis sit caelum asperius quam Aegyptiīs, tantō et corpora et ingenia dūriōra. Adde quod nūlla terra ferācior Āfricānā, nūllā dītior armentīs, nūlla dēnique, ubi sōlācia vītae tantulō labōre parārī possunt.

*35
Sed dīcātis forsan, (ut vestra cōnfirmētis argūmenta,) "quod Āfrōs nōn invītōs accipitis in servitūtem." At quam multī sānē, postquam vestrās cōnscendērunt nāvēs, vim sibi intulēre! quam multī sēsē ex nāvibus in mare dējēcērunt, quam multī sēsē ēnecārunt famē, ut vel morte vestram effugerent benevolentiam! Ingrātōs igitur appellātis, quī tanta beneficia a vōbīs parāta contemnunt ? Quam potius, vōs, receptōrēs ērubēscere decet, quam potius vōs exsecrandī, quī, cum imperium in illōs
suscipiātis, quī aequē vōbīscum līberī ēvādunt, contrā prīmum illud mūnus jūstitiae agitis, "nē cui quis noceat, nisi lacessītus injuriā, quī contrā nātūram peccātis, quae nēminem innoxium sine suō ipsīus cōnsēnsū aut darī aut accipī in servitūtem jubet, legēsque istīus imperiī, quod suscēpistis, violātīs subditōs in miseriam trādendō : "Sed ut in omnī injūstitiā permultum interest, utrum perturbātiōne aliquā animī, quae plērumque brevis est et ad tempus, an cōnsultō et cōgitāta
fīat injūria ; leviōra enim sunt ea, quae repentīnō aliquō mōtū accidunt, quam ea, qua meditāta et praeparāta īnferuntur ; quam profectō gravissima flāgitia vestra habenda sunt, quī Āfricānās hāsce expedītiōnēs sānā mente meditāminī, quī nāvēs cautē et cōnsultō praeparātis, quī tōtās autem dēnique vestrum vītās, idque nūllā animī perturbātiōne, sed cōgitātō deditis huic hūmānae lībertātis mercātūrae ! Quod sī argūmenta igitur illōrum, quī trādunt (ut suprā) hōrum autem, quī accipiunt hominēs in servitūtem (ut nunc ostendimus) omnīnō falsa ēvādunt, hoc commercium nōn sōlum nōn dēfendī potest, sed jūstē nefārium, jūstē impium exīstimandum est, quoniam ā ratiōne, jūstitiā, nātūrā, lēgibus imperiī abhorreat.

*36
Mercātūrā sīc servōrum cōnsīderātā, ad eā nunc dēscendere oportēbit, quae exinde proficīscuntur. Āfricānī servī, postquam in manūs receptōrum fuērunt trāditī, nāvēs in id īnstrūctās, ascendere coāctī sunt. Hīc condiciō illōrum miserrima : hīc septingentī ferē hominum, intrā angustōs nāvis terminōs inclūsī, ubi quīnquāgintā līberī angustē trānsportārī possent, omnia famis et aegrōtātiōnis dūra patiuntur . Hīc omnis contumēlia, omnis injūria miseris oblāta est ; quibus injūriīs sī
resistant, tormentīs saepe crūdēlissimīs usque ad mortem ipsam cōguntur. Hīc etiam multō īnferiōrī locō, quam pecudēs, habentur; sī enim nāvis vel tempestāte adversā iactētur, vel dēficiant ob longinquam profectiōnem commeātūs , multī in mare, quasi inanimāta, praecipitantur (quō leventur alveī atque fames absit) dum canēs, aliīque ā voluptātibus ministrī, servantur . Cum vērō prīmum ad terram appellant nāvēs, tum illī, quī superstitēs, expositī, iterum vēnālēs prōstant. Tum iterum ab hīs ad aliōs receptōrēs prō pretiō trāduntur; tum amīcī iterum ab amīcīs, uxōrēs ā marītīs, dissociantur : quod sī vērō līberī nōn eīdem dominō, cui mātrēs, vēndantur, adhaerentēs suīs invicem amplexibus in dīversa distrahit flagellum.

*37
At haec quidem prīma tantum sunt initia dolōrum : Nunc enim tantulō pecūliō, tantulā nunc cibī portiōne quotīdiē dōnantur, ut vix vītam sustentāre possint ; nunc adeō paene nūdī, ut vix contrā noctis intempestātem mūniantur : Accēdit huic omnium egestātī labor prope continuus, somnus semper brevis : quod sī fames tāliumque aerumnārum experientia, culpam vel levissimam admittendō, suīs subvenīre necessitātibus cōgant, quantīs suppliciis afficiuntur ! quam multī virgīs caesī ! quam multī, igne et ferrō adhibitīs, vīvī cruciantur ! quam multī membrīs, pedibus, manibusque mutilātī ! quam multī dēnique mortem miserrimam ad libitum dominōrum experiuntur ! Hīc enim vīta servī tantī sōlum aestimātur, quantum vix equum ēmeret ; hīc potestās dominō servum suum sine jūdiciō occīdendī, mulctā tantum levī impositā, facta est.

*38
Ō, paene deus inter hominēs, Alfrede! quam tuae sānē lēgēs venerātiōnem nostram excitāre, memoriamque tuam omnibus saeculīs cāram reddere dēbent, quī nōs, posterōs tuōs, ad nūtum dominī expavēre vetāstī, atque ūnumquemque innoxium (etiamsī servum) saevā tyrannōrum potestāte dēfendistī ! quam profectō tuās lēgēs nātūra comprobat laudatque, dum
saevīs hōrum receptōrum īnstitūtīs pallēscit, tremit, resilit ! Exsecrandī hominēs ! nōn equum, quō vehuntur, membrīs obtruncātīs mutilant, nōn vaccam, quae ūbera sitientibus praebet, nōtīs carne incīsīs dēfōrmant, nōn canem, in mēnsam admissum, caedunt virgīs ; sed hōs miserōs servōs, ā quibus voluptātēs ipsās tōtāsque ipsās fortūnās dūcunt, caedunt, vulnerant, mutilant, occīdunt . Ō Dīvitiae illōrum exsecrandae, quae ex labōribus miseriīsque innoxiōrum colliguntur !
Dormīte igitur, vōs hominum receptōrēs, sī possītis, dum hīs vix quiētis potestātem facitis ! Epulāminī, sī possītis, geniīsque vestrīs indulgēte, dum hōs famē cruciātīs et labōre ! quōs enim tālibus afficitis injūriīs? Nōnne illī, quōs locō īnferiōrī quam pecudēs habētis, eādem, quā vōs ipsī, nātūrā fruuntur ? Nōnne ad voluptātem aequē prōnī , aequē āversī ā miseriīs ēvādunt ? Nōnne aequē jūstī, fidēlēs, magnanimī, vōbīscum esse possunt ? immō certē : et adhūc propius ad vōs invicem accēditis ; "illum enim cōgitēmus (inquit Seneca) quem servum appellāmus nostrum, eōdem modō ortum esse ac nōs, eōdem fruī
caelō, aequē spīrāre, aequē vīvere, aequē morī."

*39
Sed ut vestram extenuētis crūdēlitātem, affirmātis, "quod nūllō ingeniō esse praeditī, mentis prōrsus inopēs videntur." At hoc profectō mīrum, sī labōre, famē, injūriīs, adeō ingenium obscūrētis, ut minus ēlūcēscat ? Mēns enim hūmāna, cum gravī opprimātur servitūte, quasi ignis scintilla nimiā mōle obruta, vix unquam in flammam aut virtūtis aut sapientiae sēsē excitāre potest. Neque nōs hīc fallit, quam multa hominum ingenia spē dīvitiārum tantum, quam multa spē tantum honōrum
atque fāmae , in lūcem prōferantur , quae aliter latuissent . Sed hōs miserōs spēs nūlla manet, nisi ut morte citō miseriae terminentur . Mente igitur sānā carent ? In patriā suā , ubi spēs fāmae et dīvitiārum līberīs sēsē obtulit , eāsdem, quās cēterī mortālēs in eōdem quasi cīvīlī statū, exercēbant artēs : et sī vōs sānē receptōrēs nōn impedīmentō fuissētis ; eadem ingenia , quae in suā patriā, in vestrā quoque exhibuissent ; ut enim multī , inter antīquōrum servōs, praeter Aesōpum, Epictētum, Terentium inclāruērunt , sīc nōn in ¹ nostrīs quoque temporibus dēfuērunt, quī , Pileō dōnātī, exempla animī altī
praeclārīque exhibuēre. 
____
¹ Ignatius Sanchō Epistolīs clārus , aliīque , ob variās animī indolēs illūstrēs

*40
Sī haec igitur in servōs Āfricānōs crūdēlitās ex nūllō aut nātūrae aut ingeniī dēfectū oriātur, unde accipit orīginem? ex nefāriō sānē istō commerciō, per quod hominēs prīmum trāduntur et accipiuntur in servitūtem ; sī enim hominēs , quasi pecudēs aut inanimāta , emī atque vēndī possint , quid mīrum, sī in eōdem prōrsus locō habērentur ? Quod sī haec igitur crūdēlitās , conversiōque haec hūmānae nātūrae in belluīnam ex prīncipiīs ipsīs servitūtis necessāriō oriātur, hoc semper
erit argūmentum contrā illōs , quī aut trādunt aut accipiunt hominēs in servitūtem, quippe quae ratiōnī omnibusque et hūmānīs et dīvīnīs nōn resistere nōn possit.

*41
Neque hīc oblītī sumus , inter cētera argūmenta , quantum dētrīmentī religiō Chrīstiāna hinc quoque capiat ; dum enim vōs receptōrēs hoc servīle commercium exercētis , propāgātiōnem Evangeliī , Āfrōs continuīs bellīs , quae excitātis et fovētis, occupātōs tenendō. Barbariemque ideō sempiternam alendō , prohibētis : nec minus Evangelium ipsum indūcitis
in odium , quippe quod illīs , quasi schēma fraudis , crūdēlitātis , tyrannidis , exhibeātis : quam enim nōmen illud Chrīstiānōrum abōminārī illōs necesse est , sī Chrīstiānī tantīs flāgitiīs dēfōrmēminī; quam istam abōminārī religiōnem , quae latrōciniīs atque caedibus favēre , jūra autem hūmāna oppugnāre vidētur ! Sed ēheu ! nōn sōlum propāgātiōnem
Evangeliī prohibētis , ipsumque sīc indūcitis in odium , sed doctrīnīs ipsīus praecipuē ipsī adversāminī ; prīmum quod lēgem illam amōris , quae apud omnēs valēre dēbet, violātis ; secundō autem , quod , quīcumque vītae ratiōnem posthāc redditūrus , illum omnīnō esse līberum necesse.

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Aliud adhūc restat argūmentum , quod , etsī nārrātiōne ipsā pallēscat nātūra , nōn praeterīre possumus ; et quantum nunc horrōris subīre animum vidētur recordantī, nōn minus quam quīnquāgintā mīllia hominum in iīs tantum bellīs , quae , ut vēndantur servī, geruntur, quotannīs esse caesa ; bis autem tantum numerum quotannīs , exercitātiōne tantum
servitūtīs, interīre : quam enim multī , intrā angustōs nāvis terminōs cōnstīpātī , morbīs cōnficiuntur ! quam multī ē nāvibus in mare dējiciuntur , ut leventur alveī atque fames absit ! quam multī naufragiō ūnā cum receptōribus pereunt ! quam multī dēnique, vel potius , quam paene omnēs , quī superstitēs ēvādunt, adeō labōre , fame , vulneribus franguntur , ut nōn nātūrae annōs compleant ! adeō sānē multī hīs variīs cāsibus pereunt , adeō grassātur crūdēlitās , ut centum mīllia hominum
(secundum illōs, quī plūrimum minimumque trādunt) ad eās tantum īnsulās , quae Britannicae sunt prōvinciae , quotannīs trānsportārī necesse sit. Dī bonī ! quam nefāria, quam praeter omne Exemplum impia illa servitūs habenda , quae sine continuā tot hominum clāde exercērī nequit ! quanta autem supplicia nōn tantīs flāgitiīs exspectanda ! Sī enim sanguis ūnīus
hominis , injūstē effūsus, tam altā quasi vōce dīvīnō Nūminī inclāmet, quam profectō clāmōrēs gemitūsque centum et quīnquāgintā mīllium hominum , quotannīs injūstē occīsōrum, domum caeleste ascendent , illāsque parābunt poenās , quās tanta crīmina merentur. Sed hae tam fūnestae clādēs nōn inultae nunc ēvādunt. dum in illōs enim , quī austrālem regiōnem Āfricae tenent , omnī sīc genere injūstitiae grassātum est , Deus ipse , quī aequō nūmine mortālēs omnēs cūrat , maurōs in boreālī Āfricae regiōne vidētur concitāre , quī Eurōpaeās nāvēs continuīs īnfestent praedātiōnibus , nautāsque abdūcant in servitūtem. Sed haecsatis. Sī enim lībertās jūs hominum adventīcium , imperium vērō nātūrāle sit; sī hominēs nūllō modo bēstiīs superiōrēs , sī crūdēlitās honōrētur et laudētur ; sī caedēs dēnique virtūs , et Chrīstiāna religiō mendācium
exīstimanda, hominēs iūre inter possessiōnēs habendī sunt, jūre autem illōrum lībertās est vēnālis : quod sī hīs contrāria vēra sint, nūlla cōnsuētūdo , inter mōrēs hominum recepta , illā Āfricānae servitūtis dēterior esse potest , quippe quae hūmānitātī , ratiōnī , jūstitiae , nātūrae , lēgibus imperiī atque vōcī Deī revēlātae contrādīcat.
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— Thomas Clarkson B. A.
June 1785             St. John's College
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FINIS

Thomas Clarkson in c. 1840
By G. Lobel; after H. Room - http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/255158, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=62443909