[51] A negro servant in the family of Judge Sewall died in 1729, and the
latter writing of the funeral says: “I made a good Fire, set Chairs,
and gave Sack.” _Diary_, III., 394. _The New England Weekly Journal_,
February 24, 1729, has a detailed account of the funeral: “A long train
followed him to the grave, it’s said about 150 black, and about 50
whites, several magistrates, ministers, gentlemen, etc. His funeral was
attended with uncommon respect and his death much lamented.”
[52] She complains of the great familiarity in permitting the slaves to
sit at table with their masters “as they say to save time” and adds,
“into the dish goes the black hoof, as freely as the white hand.” She
relates a difficulty between a master and a slave which was referred
to arbitration, each party binding himself to accept the decision. The
arbitrators ordered the master to pay 40 shillings to the slave and to
acknowledge his fault. “And so the matter ended: the poor master very
honestly standing to the award.”—_The Journal of Madame Knight._
[53] John Winter writes from Maine, “I Can not Conceaue which way their
masters Can pay yt, but yf yt Continue this rates the servants will be
masters & the masters servants.” _Trelawny Papers_, p. 164. John Winthrop
makes a similar comment in narrating “a passage between one Rowley and
his servant. The master, being forced to sell a pair of oxen to pay his
servant his wages, told his servant he could keep him no longer, not
knowing how to pay him the next year. The servant answered, he would
serve him for more of his cattle. But how shall I do (saith the master)
when all my cattle are gone? The servant replied, you shall then serve
me, and so you may have your cattle again.” Winthrop gives as a reason
for high wages the fact that “the wars in England kept servants from
coming to us, so as those we had could not be hired, when their times
were out, but upon unreasonable terms, and we found it very difficult to
pay their wages to their content, (for money was very scarce).”—_History
of New England_, II., 219-220.
[54] Lechford, _Note-book_, p. 107.
[55] Lechford, _Note-book_, p. 81.
[56] Bruce, II., 2.
[57] _Travels_, I., 303-304.
[58] _Recollections_, p. 297.
“Before the Revolution no hired man or woman wore any shoes so fine as
calf-skins; course neats leather was their every day wear. Men and women
then hired by the year,—men got 16 to 20_l._, and a servant woman 8 to
10_l._ Out of that it was their custom to lay up money, to buy before
their marriage a bed and bedding, silver teaspoons, and a spinning-wheel,
&c.”—Watson, _Annals_, p. 165.
[59] Hening, III., 451.
[60] _Ibid._, V., 550.
[61] _Ibid._, VI., 359.
[62] Trott, 1736.
[63] Purdon, Act of 1700; Carey and Bioren.
[64] _Body of Liberties_, chap. 88, Laws of 1672; _Laws of the Duke of
York_.
[65] Iredell, Acts of 1741, chap. XXIV.
[66] Leaming and Spicer, Acts of 1682, chap. VIII.
[67] _Ibid._, chap. X.
[68] Browne, 1692.
[69] Bacon, 1715.
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