The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1878-07-28

pnrt OF tho body. We may mention, finally. that
| from the time Of Domitian the castration OF
slaves was forbidden by the Roman law. and
penalty. gradually augmented to connscation
and death. was imposed both on the master
who ordered and the surgeon who performed
the operation. In the German codes. on tho
contrary, this form OF mutilaton was never
/ prohibited, but expressly cnjoincd In certain
cases.
Not only was the rigor OF servitude agera-
/ waited during many centuries after the Teutonic
| invasions. but the numbers OF the sorvio class
! were FOR time greatly augmented In the
/ later period Of the Latin empire the old division
/ OF the population into free-born persons. freed
! mon. and slaves. had been modified BY the in
/ PRODUCTION OF fourth element, the coIonus. or
tenant farmer. bound BY law to particular
estate. Such restriction did not appear par
! ticularly oncrous. In the time Of Honorious.
| for instance. whom tho free-born inhab-
tant Of cities. being answerahle for his share OF
! the municipal burdens. was not permitted to
/ remove from his native town. But the Roman
| cuOnus. who had almost nothing In common
| with the bondsman. was often COMPOUNDED with
! him by tho TeutOnic Legislators. and In this
way the volume Of the slave population was con-
sidcrably increased. Tho distinction. however.
! WIS kept in view by the Nisigoths who in all
ways seem to have assimilated most quickly and
completely the ideas. arts. and manners Of their
Roman subjects. This Of course. is implied In
the language hequcathed to their descend
ants. which. in spite OF some corruptions
/ Infused during the long poriod Of the Moslem
occupation, still remains the nearest TO Latin OF
all the Romanic tongues And here by war Of
| illustrating the relatively high quality OF tho
Nsigothic civilization which found a centre first
/ nj Toulouse and afterward at Toledo. we may
! cite a law which contrasts strangely with the
savage legislation Of contemporary Frankish
and BurRundiAn kings. One ~ the statutes
/ embodied in the Fuero Juzgo undertakes to curb
! the arbitrary authority Of the slave owner.
subjects It's exercise to judicial control. and
lays down definite rules for the chastiso-
/ mcnt OF delinquent bondsmcn. " No muster or
mistress" 1t recites. shall under any circun-
stances put slave privately TO death. but II the
bondsman commit crime deserving OF capital
punishment. information must be lodged be-
fore tho Judge OF the district. Upon the vern-
cation OF the fact the slave may be put to death
| either at the hands of the public executioner or
| OF the owner. but in the latter case sentence
/ In writing must he the latter'ss warrant"
| Whoever. out OF wantonncss. Stays his slave,
is declared Infamous aud driven into exile.
his property being connscated for the benefit OF
his nearest Of kin. II is not easy to overstate
the honor which this law. and the social and
moral forces to which 1t bears testimony. reflects
upon the Visigoths. Sometimes, as In the vaunt-
ed regulations OF tho later Roman law. thors Ia
room TO suspect the "stute designs Of abso-
lutist lawyers behind tho pretext OF humanity.
But in this instance power seems TO have had
nothing TO gain. The law was disinterested: 1t
interiorcd on behalf OF those who had no status
and no weight in the community and 1t ran
counter to the public opinion OF the time. which,
after learning with reluctance to see a Goth In
a Roman. was scarcely likely TO recognize hui
man being in n slave. This respect for man as
man. independent Of origin or social condition
which vislgothic bishops preached and Visl-
gothic kings enforced. Ia n phenomenon UNI
parallced In the Legislation Of the dark ages
and has required fourteen centuries TO pass
universally and completely from tho Gospel into
the common law Of Europe.
The extent 10 which the commercial prosper
it's Of Venice was built upon the slave trade is
forcibly brought out by Senior saco. and when
we consider that the bulk OF this trafric con-
sisted in the expectation Of white Christian mon
and women for the most part kidnapped. to tho
Mohammedan marts Of the Levant we can un-
derstand the dctestaton which for many centu-
ries followed the Venetian name. As early "a
the beginning Of the eighth century. the Vene-
tians supplied large numbers OF girls for the
harems Of Egypt and Syria. and did not scruple
10 mutilate the slave boys who were destined
for domestic service. One OF the points
from which the traders were accustomed to re-
cruit their stocks was the city Of Rome. ut the
season OF fairs. and It IA recorded that Pope
Zacharias in 747 ransomcd multitude OF
Christian youth, both girls and boys who had
been purchased by the Nenetians for the East
ern market. In spite OF continual compacts
with Christian States. especially with the Pope
and German Emperor. this traffic was carried
on under the sanction Of treaties now brought
10 light between the Signory and the MohAmmc-
dan powers. So close. indeed. were the rela-
tons secretly maintained with IN" Moorish
Princes along the southern coast 81 tho
Mediterranean. that Nenetians were not only
permitted to frequent the African ports. but to
penetrate with their caravans far into the inte-
rior and abide there at will. How far they went
is not known. but there is ground for the belief
tina, they founded establishments in the Soudan
and Abyssinia during the thirteenth and four
teenth centuries. Ono result Of this African
trade was the importation Of negro slaves into
Central Europe. and these We're nj one time 80
numerous in Venice that tho gondolas are said
TO have uniformly been rowed by blacks. On
the WHOLE however the main object of Vene-
tan commerce was the interchange Of white
slaves. for the most part OF the female aoN. for
silk. ivory. and other products OF Asia and
Africa.
As regards tho treatment Of Christian slaves
by the Spanish Moscms it is plain from the
data accumulated 10y Senior Saco that notwith-
standlng the superior b"nignty Of tho Visi-
gothic laws to other Teutonic codes tho conquest
Of the Iberian peninsula was a blessing to the
seryic population. We are reminded that the
Koran Itself inculcates the most generous sen
timents in regard to slaves. distinctly recogniz
INK their common humanity Thus believer.
are enIoined to "nourlsh your slaves. for they
arc your brothers whom God hath put int,
your hand" and again. Bestow on them th'
food wherewith we are fed, and the same vest
ments wherewith We are clothed. and afnict no
the servants Of your God" Mohammed for
hadc the rupture OF the family tie In this sale moi
only Of household slaves. but OF prison
ers taken in war. and ordered that
part Of the aims regularly collected should b.
applied TO the redemption Of bondmen. Thu
inevitable result Of such teachings was elem
ency and generosity Of conduct ON tho part o
the Spanish Moslems toward their domestic
slaves. such as can not be- paralleled in the his
..g.n. ~