Now we talk of Slaves, give me leave to digress a little, and to propose a _Quære_, whether he did well or ill with _Christendom_, who first brought up the use of Slaves among them? I know there are many Inconveniencies that attend the Condition of Slaves, but they are over-balanced by the Advantages accruing thereby; especially if a just and merciful Slavery were allowed by some public Law, as was of old among the _Romans_; for then, perhaps, we should not need so many Gallows’s and Gibbets as we have among us, to restrain those, who set an high Price on their Life and Liberty; to maintain which, their Poverty prompts them to the most audacious Attempts: Liberty, without an Estate to maintain it, is none of the best Counsellors. All Men cannot bear Poverty and Freedom; Mankind, in general, is not so form’d by Nature, as to rightly to govern himself. No, he stands in need of a better and wiser Conduct than his own; otherwise, there will be no end of his Transgressing; for so some Beasts will always be terrible to Men, unless their Fierceness be restrain’d by Manacles and Bonds. But in this case of Slavery, the weaker Mind of the Slave is govern’d and steer’d by the Authority of his Patron or Master; and, on the other side, the Master is maintained by the Labour of his Slave. The Truth is, both publickly and privately, the _Turks_ make a very great Advantage of their Slaves; if any Houshold-work be to be done, the Slave is ready to perform it; and, therefore, they have a Proverb among them, _He can never be poor, that hath but one Slave_. But then for Works without Doors, if there be any Rubbish to be carried out, or Preparation made for any great Building, the assiduity of Slaves quickly performs what is enjoined them. This I take to be one Reason, why our present Buildings do not arrive to the Magnificence of the Ancients; we want Hands (or Slaves) to carry on the Work. I might instance also, that servile Hands and Heads have been great helps to the Learned, to attain their so much celebrated Learning and Knowledge. What I have hitherto discoursed about Slaves, you will look upon as an Amusement; and so, pray, take it. This I can a assure you of, that the _Turks_, in their way, do make a huge Advantage of Slaves; for if an ordinary _Turk_ bring home one or two Slaves, whom he hath taken Prisoners in War, he accounts he hath made a good Campaign of it, and his Prize is worth his Labour. An ordinary Slave is sold among them for 40 or 50 Crowns; but if he be young, beautiful, and have Skill in some Trade besides, then they rate him at twice as much. By this you may know, how advantageous the _Turkish_ Depredations are to them, when many times, from one Expedition, they bring home five or six thousand Prisoners.