Cowper.
The idea of writing Mary Prince's history was first suggested by herself.She wished it to be done, she said, that good people in England might hearfrom a slave what a slave had felt and suffered; and a letter of her latemaster's, which will be found in the Supplement, induced me to accede toher wish without farther delay. The more immediate object of thepublication will afterwards appear.
The narrative was taken down from Mary's own lips by a lady who happenedto be at the time residing in my family as a visitor. It was written outfully, with all the narrator's repetitions and prolixities, and afterwardspruned into its present shape; retaining, as far as was practicable,Mary's exact expressions and peculiar phraseology. No fact of importancehas been omitted, and not a single circumstance or sentiment has beenadded. It is essentially her own, without any material alteration fartherthan was requisite to exclude redundancies andgross grammatical errors, so as to render it clearly intelligible.
After it had been thus written out, I went over the whole, carefullyexamining her on every fact and circumstance detailed; and in all thatrelates to her residence in Antigua I had the advantage of being assistedin this scrutiny by Mr. Joseph Phillips, who was a resident in that colonyduring the same period, and had known her there.
The names of all the persons mentioned by the narrator have been printedin full, except those of Capt. I—— and his wife, and that of Mr. D——,to whom conduct of peculiar atrocity is ascribed. These three individualsare now gone to answer at a far more awful tribunal than that of publicopinion, for the deeds of which their former bondwoman accuses them; and[iv]to hold them up more openly to human reprobation could no longer affectthemselves, while it might deeply lacerate the feelings of their survivingand perhaps innocent relatives, without any commensurate public advantage.
Without detaining the reader with remarks on other points which will beadverted to more conveniently in the Supplement, I shall here merelynotice farther, that the Anti-Slavery Society have no concern whateverwith this publication, nor are they in any degree responsible for thestatements it contains. I have published the tract, not as theirSecretary, but in my private capacity; and any profits that may arise fromthe sale will be exclusively appropriated to the benefit of Mary Princeherself.
THO. PRINGLE.
7, Solly Terrace, Claremont Square,
January 25, 1831.
P. S. Since writing the above,