a Letter, Introduction to Life of Frederick Douglass, Boston, 1841 [editor James McCune Smith’s note]. This is slight misquotation of Garrison’s preface to Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave (1845). There is no “Life of Frederick Douglass” published in 1841.
b One of these ladies,
11 impelled by the same noble spirit which carried Miss Nightingale to Scutari,
12 has devoted her time, her untiring energies, to a great extent her means, and her high literary abilities, to the advancement and support of Frederick Douglass’ Paper, the only organ of the downtrodden, edited and published by one of themselves, in the United States [editor’s note].
c From George Gordon, Lord Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812), canto 2, stanza 76.
d Mr. Stephen Myers,
14 of Albany, deserves mention as one of the most persevering among the colored editorial fraternity [editor’s note].
e The German physiologists have even discovered vegetable matter—starch—in the human body. See Med. Chirurgical Rev., Oct., 1854, p. 339 [editor’s note].
f To excess, to extravagance, to the extreme (French).
g In Shakespeare’s Othello (act 5, scene 2), Othello uses this phrase to describe his sword. Newly forged swords were plunged in icy water to harden (temper) them.
h Mr. Wm. H. Topp,
23 of Albany [editor’s note].
i Literally, dry nurse (Latin).
j Farewell, good-bye (Latin).
k Fit of shaking or shivering, often accompanied by a violent fever.
l Walter Scott’s Rokeby, canto 4, stanza 11.
m Rough cloth made of tow, the shortest fibers of flax or hemp.
n Compare the Bible, I John 3:18; John 13:33-34.
o Woman of great strength and courage; heroic warrior; overbearing woman or scold.
p Compare the Bible, Genesis 9:18-27.
q Thomas Gray’s “Ode on a Distant Prospect of Eton College” (1747), lines 99-100.
r Meetings, encounters (French).
s Douglass quotes from chapter 2 of his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845).
t Reference to William Cowper’s The Task (1785), book 2: “The Time Piece,” line 8: “There is no flesh in man’s obdurate heart.”
v Cake baked in the ashes of a fire.
w Unplanted row in a field in which horses turn around while plowing.
x Reference to the Bible, Luke 16:19: “There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day” (King James Version; henceforth, KJV).
aa Edible turtle found in estuaries, lagoons, and salt marshes.
ab General nineteenth-century term for digestive disorders or stomachache.
ac Painrul muscular rheumatism in the lumbar (lower back) region.
ad Disease related to arthritis; characterized by inflammation of the small joints and extremities.
ae Compare the Bible, Isaiah 57:20-21: “But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked” (KJV).
ag Variant of the word hostler: stableman or groom.
ah Also lampas or lamers: disease in horses characterized by inflammation and swelling of the roof of the mouth behind the front teeth.
ai Aromatic and resinous plant substance used to heal pain or soothe wounds.
aj Nagging or overbearing woman.
ak Quotation from Shakespeare’s Hamlet (act 5, scene 2).
al George Gordon, Lord Bryon’s “The Dream” (1816), stanza 3, line 1.
am See the Bible, Numbers 22:21-30.
an Allusion to the Bible, I Peter 5:7: “Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you” (KJV).
ao Low, heavy cart without sides, used to carry heavy loads.
ap From the Bible, Matthew 19:26 and Mark 9:23.
aq From the Bible, Matthew 7:7.
as Stack of hay, or hayloft; part of a barn where hay is stored.
at Douglass quotes from chapter 8 of his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845).
au From the Bible, Matthew 24:29: “Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken” (KJV).
av From the Bible, Luke 12:47.
aw Abrasions or streaks raised on the skin by a whip.
ax In a group of harnessed animals, the in-hand one is the animal directly under the control of the driver at the reins.
ay Douglass quotes from chapter 10 of his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1848).
az From the Bible, Matthew 23:4.
ba See the Bible, Luke 10:30-35.
bb From George Gordon, Lord Byron’s Childe Harold’s Pilgrimage (1812), canto 2, stanza 76.
bc Colloquial term for a young man; lad, fellow.
bd Shakespeare’s Othello (act 3, scene 3).
be From the Bible, I Corinthians 15:46.
bf This is the same man who gave me the roots to prevent my being whipped by Mr. Covey. He was “a clever soul.” We used frequently to talk about the fight with Covey, and as often as we did so, he would claim my success as the result of the roots which he gave me. This superstition is very common among the more ignorant slaves. A slave seldom dies, but that his death is attributed to trickery [Douglass’s note].
bg Reference to the Bible, John 5:39: “Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me” (KJV).
bh Adaptation of a phrase from Shakespeare’s Hamlet (act 1, scene 3): “Those friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, / Grapple them to thy soul with hoops of steel.” slaves. The most affectionate and confiding friendship existed between us; and I felt it my duty to give them an opportunity to share in my virtuous determination, by frankly disclosing to them my plans and purposes. Toward Henry and John Harris, I felt a friendship as strong as one man can feel for another; for I could have died with and for them. To them, therefore, with a suitable degree of caution, I began to disclose my sentiments and plans; sounding them, the while, on the subject of running away, provided a good chance should offer. I scarcely need tell the reader, that I did my very best to imbue the minds of my dear friends with my own views and feelings. Thoroughly awakened, now, and with a definite vow upon me, all my little reading, which had any bearing on the subject of human rights, was rendered available in my communications with my friends. That (to me) gem of a book, the Columbian Orator, with its eloquent orations and spicy dialogues, denouncing oppression and slavery—telling of what had been dared, done and suffered by men, to obtain the inestimable boon of liberty—was still fresh in my memory, and whirled into the ranks of my speech with the aptitude of well trained soldiers, going through the drill. The fact is, I here began my public speaking. I canvassed, with Henry and John, the subject of slavery, and dashed against it the condemning brand of God’s eternal justice, which it every hour violates. My fellow servants were neither indifferent, dull, nor inapt. Our feelings were more alike than our opinions. All, however, were ready to act, when a feasible plan should be proposed. “Show us how the thing is to be done,” said they, “and all else is clear.”
bi Near quotation from Shakespeare’s Hamlet (act 3, scene 1).
bj Douglass quotes from chapter 10 of his Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass (1845).
bk To tilt or turn an object over.
bl Apparatus used to hoist and lower goods.
bm To haul an object using a tackle.
bn Weight-distributing structure in the frame of a wooden ship, attached to the keel by bolts through the floor timbers.
bo Cutting tool with a thin, arched blade set at right angles to the handle; used to shape wood.
bp Massive, heavy hammer, often made of wood.
bq He was a whole-souled man, fully imbued with a love of his afflicted and hunted people, and took pleasure in being to me, as was his wont, “Eyes to the blind, and legs to the lame” [an allusion to Job 29:15: “I was eyes to the blind, and feet was I to the lame”]. This brave and devoted man suffered much from the persecutions common to all who have been prominent benefactors. He at last became blind, and needed a friend to guide him, even as he had been a guide to others. Even in his blindness, he exhibited his manly character. In search of health, he became a physician. When hope of gaining his own was gone, he had hope for others. Believing in hydropathy, he established, at Northampton, Massachusetts, a large “Water Cure,” and became one of the most successful of all engaged in that mode of treatment [Douglass’s note].
br Allusion to Thomas Hood’s “The Lay of the Labourer,” stanza 6.
bs Adaptation of the Bible, Luke 6:29: “And unto him that smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the other” (KJV).
bt Allusion to the Bible, John 8:44: “Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him” (KJV).
bu The National Anti-Slavery Standard was published in New York by the American Anti-Slavery Society between June 1840 and December 1872.
bv Quotation from the Bible, Psalms 39:12: “Hear my prayer, O Lord, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, and a sojourner, as all my fathers were” (KJV).
bw This letter was published in the Liberator on January 30, 1846.
bx The following is a copy of these curious papers, both of my transfer from Thomas to Hugh Auld, and from Hugh to myself:
“Know all men by these Presents, That I, Thomas Auld, of Talbot county, and state of Maryland, for and in consideration of the sum of one hundred dollars, current money, to me paid by Hugh Auld, of the city of Baltimore, in the said state, at and before the sealing and delivery of these presents, the receipt whereof, I, the said Thomas Auld, do hereby acknowledge, have granted, bargained, and sold, and by these presents do grant, bargain, and sell unto the said Hugh Auld, his executors, administrators, and assigns, ONE NEGRO MAN, by the name of FREDERICK BAILY, or DOUGLASS, as he calls himself—he is now about twenty-eight years of age—to have and to hold the said negro man for life. And I, the said Thomas Auld, for myself, my heirs, executors, and administrators, all and singular, the said FREDERICK BAILY, alias DOUGLASS, unto the said Hugh Auld, his executors, administrators, and assigns, against me, the said Thomas Auld, my executors, and administrators, and against all and every other person or persons whatsoever, shall and will warrant and fugitive slave bill of 1850. But for this, I might at any time become a victim of this most cruel and scandalous enactment, and be doomed to end my life, as I began it, a slave. The sum paid for my freedom was one hundred and fifty pounds sterling.
forever defend by these presents. In witness whereof, I set my hand and seal, this thirteenth day of November, eighteen hundred and forty-six. THOMAS AULD. “Signed, sealed, and delivered in presence of Wrightson Jones. “JOHN C. LEAS.” The authenticity of this bill of sale is attested by N. Harrington, a justice of the peace of the state of Maryland, and for the county of Talbot, dated same day as above.
“To all whom it may concern: Be it known, that I, Hugh Auld, of the city of Baltimore, in Baltimore county, in the state of Maryland, for divers good causes and considerations, me thereunto moving, have released from slavery, liberated, manumitted, and set free, and by these presents do hereby release from slavery, liberate, manumit, and set free, MY NEGRO MAN, named FREDERICK BAILY, otherwise called DOUGLASS, being of the age of twenty-eight years, or thereabouts, and able to work and gain a sufficient livelihood and maintenance; and him the said negro man, named FREDERICK BAILY, otherwise called FREDERICK DOUGLASS, I do declare to be henceforth free, manumitted, and discharged from all manner of servitude to me, my executors, and administrators forever.
“In witness whereof, I, the said Hugh Auld, have hereunto set my hand and seal, the fifth of December, in the year one thousand eight hundred and forty-six.
HUGH AULD.
“Sealed and delivered in presence of T Hanson Belt. “JAMES N. S. T. WRIGHT.” [Douglass’s note]
by See Appendix to this volume [editor’s note]; page 303.
bz From Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night (act 2, scene 5).
ca Compare the Bible, Psalm 68:31: “Princes shall come out of Egypt; Ethiopia shall soon stretch out her hands unto God.”
cb Mr. Douglass’s published speeches alone, would fill two volumes of the size of this. Our space will only permit the insertion of the extracts which follow; and which, for originality of thought, beauty and force of expression, and for impassioned, indignatory eloquence, have seldom been equaled [editor’s note].
cc Douglass refers to Charles Dickens’s American Notes for General Circulation (1842).
cd John Greeleaf Whittier’s “Expostulation” (1834), lines 17-20.
ce Compare the Bible, James 3:17: “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy” (KJV).
cf It is not often that chattels address their owners. The following latter is unique; and probably the only specimen of the kind extant. It was written while in England [editor’s note].
cg From Shakespeare’s Hamlet (act 2, scene 2).
ch Reference to the Bible, Psalm 8:4-5: “What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour” (KJV).
ci Reference to the Bible, Matthew 6:23: “But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!” (KJV).
cj Walter Scott’s Marmion (1808), canto 6, stanza 13.
ck Compare John Milton’s Paradise Lost, book 12, final section: “The world was all before them, where to choose / Their place of rest, and Providence their guide.”
cl Reference to the Bible, Exodus 20:3: “Thou shalt have no other gods before me” (KJV).
cm Compare the Bible, Jeremiah 2:34: “Also in thy skirts is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents” (KJV).
cn Near-quotation of the Bible, Proverbs 14:34: “Righteousness exalteth a nation: but sin is a reproach to any people” (KJV).
co Douglass quotes from the Bible, Isaiah 33:15-16.
cp Compare Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia (1781), query 18: “Indeed I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just: that his justice cannot sleep for ever: ... The Almighty has no attribute which can take side with us in such a contest.”
cq Allusion to the Bible, Isaiah 35:6: “Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert” (KJV).
cr Douglass quotes the Bible, Psalm 137:1-6.
cs John Greenleaf Whittier’s “Stanzas for the Times” (1835), lines 1-4.
ct Reference to the Bible, Luke 23:12: “And the same day Pilate and Herod were made friends together” (KJV).
cu Douglass quotes from the Bible, Isaiah 57:21.
cv Compare the Bible, Genesis 42:21: “And they said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us” (KJV).
cw Douglass quotes the final line of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “A Psalm of Life” (1838).
cx Douglass refers to Lowell’s “On the Capture of Certain Fugitive Slaves near Washington” (1845). ‡John Pierpont, “The Fugitive Slave’s Apostrophe to the North Star” (1840).
cy That is, minstrel songs.
cz compare the Bible, Deuteronomy 32:30: “How should one chase a thousand, and two put ten thousand to flight, except their Rock had sold them, and the Lord had shut them up?” (KJV).