The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave 6He induced her, he says, to take a husband, a short time before she
18
Literature · Historical Fiction
The History of Mary Prince, a West Indian Slave 6
He induced her, he says, to take a husband, a short time before she
PrinceEnglish
left Antigua, and gave them a comfortable house in his yard, &c. &c.
This paragraph merits attention. He "induced her to take a husband?" If the fact were true, what brutality of mind and manners does it not indicate among these slave-holders? They refuse to legalize the marriages of their slaves, but induce them to form such temporary connexions as may suit the owner's conveniency, just as they would pair the lower animals; and this man has the effrontery to tell us so! Mary, however, tells a very different story, (see page 17;) and her assertion, independently of other proof, is at least as credible as Mr. Wood's. The reader will judge for himself as to the preponderance of internal evidence in the conflicting statements.
