An Essay on Slavery, proving from scripture its Inconsistency with Humanity and Religion ... To which is added, An Elegy on the miserable State of an African Slave by SHARP, Granville (1735-1813); and William SHENSTONE (1714-1763) - 1773

Burlington: Isaac Collins, 1773. 8vo. 28pp. Stab-stitched in contemporary paper wrappers. Housed in a red morocco box. Provenance: James Moon Rare first edition of Sharp's Essay on Slavery. In 1772 a proslavery writer, Thomas Thompson, attempted to prove that the slave trade was consistent with Biblical principles and natural law. Largely basing his argument on a passage from Levitucus XXV, his publication, titled The African trade for Negro slaves, shewn to be consistent with principles of humanity, and with the laws of revealed religion (Canterbury: 1772), greatly disturbed Sharp and the present essay was written as a response. Sharp sent a copy of his unpublished manuscript to an unnamed friend in America, but presumably his frequent correspondent and leading Quaker abolitionist Anthony Benezet, who likely arranged for the publication. The work includes a lengthy anonymous preface which has been attributed to Samuel Allinson (Cadbury, Henry J. "Quaker bibliographical notes." Bulletin of Friends Historical Association 26 [1937]: 49-51), which quotes at length a contemporary review of Thompson's work. Sharp's rebuke follows on pp. 17-26 ,in which he reviews Mosaic law in great detail to disprove Thompson's conclusions. A fourteen stanza poem by William Shenstone follows, beginning "See the poor native quit the Lybian shores/ Ah! not in love's delightful fetters bound! / No radiant smile his dying peace restores / Nor love, nor fame, nor friendship heals his wounds." This Burlington, NJ edition, printed by Isaac Collins, is the first edition of the work; it would not be printed in Great Britain until 1776, within Sharp's The Just Limitation of Slavery (London:1776). No other examples of this work are cited in the auction records for the last half century. This example with provenance to James Moon (1713-1796) a noted Quaker abolitionist. Evans 13005; ESTC W31989; Humphrey 131.